US becoming a food stamp nation.

http://news.yahoo.com/usa-becomes-fo...160645036.html

46 million US on food stamps...nearly 15% (74% increase since 2007)

cost $68 billion in 2010.

I wonder how many of those 46 million people have a high tech cell phone, or a cell phone at all, or any of the other luxuries people call necessities.

I'm sorry but you don't need to have a damn cell phone if you can't afford to feed your child. Priorities in peoples lives need to change.

Yes, you do, if you have no land-line and you need to be contacted by a potential employer.

Get your head out of your a$$.

I've bought more than one tracphone for people who even if they aren't homeless move around and need a stable phone number.

So have I...

A Trac phone is a huge site different than a Blackberry with all the bells and whistles. Don't have a land-line, get a basic, no texting pay-as-you go phone.

Also, I have a huge problem with someone being on food stamps and having large screen, high-def TVs; or X-boxes or Play stations; or a stereo system that will blow your eardrums out...yes, some of these things could be carry overs from their previous life or could be gifts...but if the stuff is new and not used or old and there is a lot of it...seems to me someone is more interested in themselves than they are their families.

I also have a problem with people on food stamps buying chips and soda all the time...

In today's world, phone service is a basic requirement for many jobs.

I don't agree with the phone companies giving out anything with games or extras, but basic phones that allow for children to contact their parents in emergencies and jobs to contact employees are an important tool in giving a hand up rather than a hand out.

When I was unemployed (or underemployed) for over a year, I kept my cell service. Previous employers had that number. Recruiters could contact me while I was doing handyman work or out in the field on a manual labor job.

It was vital in my search to continue my career rather than just being stuck in low paying jobs.

It's a recent extension to a program that began back with Ma Bell to provide landlines in rural areas for reasonable costs. It's been extended now to cell phones, which I believe is a good example of a program reacting properly to changes in society. If properly administered, it can be a huge boon to those that need some temporary help. It can also be abused - we can only hope that the administrators will be on top of those cases.

Then by all means the Government should provide free cell phones when you are on food stamps.
And maybe some of those peeps I see getting into those Escalades with the 20" chrome spinners, with their food stamp groceries can stay in Touch. While they play Halo.

Once again, after years of working with homeless, disavantaged and at risk families I have yet to see any of the abuses so many here claim first hand experience with. If you are doing this- stop it. If you have proof of others cheating then contact the proper authorities.

Martin Ent Inc wrote: Then by all means the Government should provide free cell phones when you are on food stamps.
And maybe some of those peeps I see getting into those Escalades with the 20" chrome spinners, with their food stamp groceries can stay in Touch. While they play Halo.

Bullsh*t... Source? (And we KNOW it's not that you "saw it with your own eyes.")

Uh yeah, we were in Fl this past spring and went into WinnDixie, when we checked out there was a fat ass woman with 4 kids she paid with food stamps alot of junk food sweets, chips, soda, and the whole time yapping away bout her sorry ass man, sister, mother everyone was a (badword) on her cell. When we went out she was loading up the gang in her 08' 09' 10' whatever escalade with the 22" spinner wheels on it