Food Stamp recipients surge to near 46 million (increase of 1.1 million in 1 month)

[stockholmer]

http://www.fns.usda.gov/pd/29SNAPcurrPP.htm

Bear in mind that this number will most assuredly be further revised upwards in a month or two, just like unemployment rates, inflation rate, budget deficits, etc. The US government and the Fed almost always low-ball negative numbers in their favour, then come back and revise the numbers when few are watching.


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http://www.zerohedge.com/news/food-stamp-use-surges-most-years-alabama-foodstamp-recipients-double-may

It appears that GDP data revisions are not the only thing that the administration enjoys fudging with in order to make the Chinese ministry of Truth seem like a real ministry of truth. After last month the data for April food stamp recipients indicated the we may, just may, be reaching an inflection point in the foodstamp participation following a mere 60 thousand jump in those receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), today's just released data confirmed that the BLS and BEA may have had a hand or two when determining this latest data series. Because the just announced jump in foodstamp usage of over 1.1 million is entirely out of the blue, and as the chart below shows, is the highest single monthly jump in Foodstamp participation since mid 2009, when eligibility requirements were adjusted. Yes, that's 45.8 million people (obviously an all time record) living on foodstamps which amount to the whopping $133.80 per person (an increase of $0.54 M/M) and $283.65 (an increase of $1.29) per household. Obviously, annualizing the latest monthly rate of 1.1 million people, it means that over 13 million Americans will live on about one third what the cheapest iPad costs in about a year.




snip

[fasttense]

1. The mind boggles. Over 15% of our nation is on Food Stamps.

But the unemployment rate is declared at less than 10%.

We are heading downhill faster and faster and faster.

[coyote]

2. Excellent point

about the unemployment rate and food stamps. God damn disgraceful.

Nothing short of a revolution is going to change any of this.

[stockholmer]

4. go to John Williams's Shadow Stats for a much more accurate picture on unemployment, inflation, etc

http://www.shadowstats.com/

Most serious investors (both individual and corporate) of any size, government-related analysts, etc, rely heavily on Williams's calculations. Any so-called pundit who criticizes the methodology (which is basically using the USA's own former, pre-multiple revision schema) has no skin in the game. If they did, and it was their wealth and future on the line, they would be using similar methods. Their accuracy is bourne out with the actual results of other cross-referencing metrics.


?hl=ad&t=1310130408

Alternate Unemployment Charts


The seasonally-adjusted SGS Alternate Unemployment Rate reflects current unemployment reporting methodology adjusted for SGS-estimated long-term discouraged workers, who were defined out of official existence in 1994. That estimate is added to the BLS estimate of U-6 unemployment, which includes short-term discouraged workers.

The U-3 unemployment rate is the monthly headline number. The U-6 unemployment rate is the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ (BLS) broadest unemployment measure, including short-term discouraged and other marginally-attached workers as well as those forced to work part-time because they cannot find full-time employment.

[Vinca]

3. And there are 2 more trade agreements in the works.

How many more jobs will go overseas? How many more people will need food stamps to survive?

[closeupready]

5. That's 1 in 7 Americans.

:mad:

[madrchsod]

6. if my wife did`t work any overtime for two months...

we would qualify for all the government programs...heat assistance,food stamps,home insulation,and tax credits for new heating and cooling. she has a union job that pays 10.48 an hour

[green prol]

20. Your wife is such a greedy wench.

How dare she make such an obscenely high salary and deprive some banker of a second private jet. :sarcasm: of course.

[madrchsod]

7. if you are one penny over the cut off you can`t get food stamps.

i wonder how many millions would be added if the cut-off was raised by the inflation of food prices.

[stockholmer]

8. you think failure to link aid to actual food-related CPI inflation is bad, just wait till the new

Chain-CPI Index is applied to all, including Social Security and other payments. There is utter (and purposeful) disengagement between reality and governmental/Fed Reserve-dictated measurement systems. They misrepresent, mis-state all in the favour, and the citizens always get the shite-end of the stick.


The "Social Security Chain-CPI Massacre": Underhanded, Unnecessary, Unfair, Un-American

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rj-eskow/the-social-security-chain_b_888380.html

Chain CPI – Another Nail In the Coffin Of Standard Of Living

http://investmentwatchblog.com/chain-cpi-another-nail-in-the-coffin-of-standard-of-living/

[mmonk]

9. Don't worry. We can always cut instead of working on jobs.

[econoclast]

10. Details in the story indicate that

Virtually the entire increase was confined to one state - Alabama.

What gives ? Some kind of reporting problem? Anyone have contacts in AL?

More details would be appreciated.

[SpiralHawk]

11. The Wildly Whirling Winds of Change

[econoclast]

13. Quite right. Tornados. Tuscaloosa and more

How soon we forget. So, bad as it is, it appears to be a localized phenomenon and not a national harbinger. Though I guess the flooding in May/June will spike numbers those states report later in the year.

[xchrom]

14. But it may not be temporary. Job creation is very weak & there have been several

Threads today about acceleration of lay offs by some major companies.

A tornado might be the cause of a person's financial straights today & weak economy the cause after that.

[econoclast]

15. True enough, but

Having the spike in numbers localized to AL and given the tornado situation there, Ocam's Razor suggests that it is a one-off (tho it may persist in AL for a while) and not an overall trend

[stockholmer]

17. here is the impact on Food Stamps from Katrina, which suggests it was NOT the tornadoes in Alabama

http://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/err37/err37d.pdf

I too am very curious why they had a huge surge.

------------------------------------------------------------

Alabama DHR contacts

http://www.dhr.alabama.gov/contact/Contact_Us.aspx

[Gormy Cuss]

18. The Alabama number for May '11 is probably an error.

I doubt that workers could process that many new applications in the month even if there were that many new applicants. It's a one-month doubling in the number of recipients.

The chart does say that these are preliminary numbers.

[justabob]

19. spring tornados?

Maybe? That is just a guess, but I bet the devastation from the storms had something to do with it.

edit... lol somehow missed the comments above need more coffee I guess :)

[undeterred]

12. We must always be fair to the richest amongst us.

Jesus said so.

:sarcasm:

[Tatiana]

16. These numbers are devastating and very damning. Look at the comparison to May 2010.

Every single state has increased their food stamp participation rates, most by DOUBLE DIGITS. Delaware, Maryland, Minnesota and Nevada have increased their food stamp rolls by almost twenty percent. New Jersey and North Carolina have increased their food stamp recipients by OVER TWENTY PERCENT. This is a national outrage. These numbers are surely a reflection of the true unemployment rate.

We've hit an all-time high in food stamp recipients under a Democratic President. That is a pathetic record to have to run for re-election on.