posted on May 30, 2003 06:38:55 PM new
Yes, but that family making $60,000 is more apt to have deductions that the family making $30,000 doesn't. Besides, we're talking about people making between $10+ and $29+. Those that are caught between a rock and a hard place. Those that fall between the cracks here. Most people at the $10,000 bracket would love to be making more and paying more in taxes. Small price to pay to be able to put a decent meal on the table, money in the bank, and a roof over your head. Don't you think? I'm not blaming the rich for anything. More power to them to have it all. I just think that those that fall in the bracket I stated are more often than not forgotten about or blamed for their own circumstances. And not just by the government.
Cheryl
My religion is simple, my religion is kindness.
--Dalai Llama
posted on May 30, 2003 09:05:19 PM new Maybe they do math different in the southwest?
careful now, I live here too, and I can count real good...one sheep, two sheep, three sheep, eight sheep...
If you can't answer a man's argument, all is not lost; you can still call him vile names.
- Elbert Hubbard
posted on May 30, 2003 09:09:51 PM new
forgot to add, there are lots of folks around here who are in the 10-26k income bracket, and who just got stiffed by the president. It will be interesting to see how many of them continue to sport American flags on their pickups once they realize they have been flipped off by the man they considered their saviour...
If you can't answer a man's argument, all is not lost; you can still call him vile names.
- Elbert Hubbard
No insult was intended. Hope you didn't take it that way. In fact, one of my favorite places is Galveston Island! With this cold crappy weather we are having here in the northeast, I sure could go for a day on the beach there!
Cheryl
My religion is simple, my religion is kindness.
--Dalai Llama
posted on May 31, 2003 06:26:23 AM new
none taken.... Texas is too far east to be considered part of the southwest anyway..
If you can't answer a man's argument, all is not lost; you can still call him vile names.
- Elbert Hubbard
posted on May 31, 2003 06:54:43 AM new
Ok. lets make this simple... those making between 10k and 29k are elegible for all kinds of funded programs that those making above 30k are not.
posted on May 31, 2003 07:13:17 AM new
Huh? I'm eligible for all kinds of funded programs? NOT. I made $15,000 last year and have a teenage son at home. Too much for Food Stamps, too much for medical, too much for housing assistance. My rent is $500 per month (and I live in the inner city) and we won't even discuss what my gas bill was this winter. I was laid off the year before from a job that paid me $35,000 per year. The job I have now was what I could get at the time and I felt lucky to get it. (By the by, age does play a factor in job availability even though it is not supposed to. It's all downhill once you pass 45.) I chose not to live off unemployment. I am one of those stuck in a crevice. Fortunately, my son got a job and is now 18 and paying a small amount of rent. It's not much, but it helps. I don't want a handout, I've been working since age 14. What I want is a fairer distribution of the wealth in this country, a national healthcare program and a pot of gold at the end of the workday rainbow. Don't we all? Either that or I'll settle for a nice lottery win. LOL! Your point is well taken, twelvepole, even if it's not totally agreed with.
Cheryl
My religion is simple, my religion is kindness.
--Dalai Llama
posted on May 31, 2003 07:50:34 AM new
If all you make is $15,000/yr, you are eligible for food stamps in the state of Ohio, also any family that makes less than 30k is elegible for reduced price or free lunches for their children...
A family of 2 can have a gross income of $15,096 and a family of 4 can have a gross income of $22,956 to be eligible for food stamps...
Net is even less, and that is after deducting:
Shelter, including utilities
Childcare and/or child support
So if you were denied, there is another reason...
These are just 2 programs, I know that Southern Ohio has a "heat" program that assists with heating in the winter...
There are many programs available, it is not he governments fault if you don't use them...
Any family making over 30k a year are not elegible...
AIN'T LIFE GRAND...
[ edited by Twelvepole on May 31, 2003 07:51 AM ]
posted on May 31, 2003 08:47:58 AM new Ok. lets make this simple... those making between 10k and 29k are elegible for all kinds of funded programs that those making above 30k are not.
It may not be simple. It remains to be seen how those programs that aid this group of people will be affected by the tax cut. So far, I don't hear that it's going to be a boon to social services. Quite the contrary:
Under such a shift, federal standards for programs would be loosened, allowing states significant discretion to implement safety net programs as they see fit. Rather than receiving federal payments based on caseload levels, states would receive a fixed block grant to operate various programs. Affected programs include Head Start, Medicaid, SCHIP, and Section 8. The nation’s welfare system was similarly “devolved” to the states as a result of changes to the law made in 1996.
In terms of Medicaid and SCHIP, the President’s budget offers a slight increase in funding initially, but would significantly reduce federal aid for the program in the long run. In addition, the President proposes rescinding rules that protect people enrolled in the programs by states’ choice rather than federal law. As a result, millions of beneficiaries could be subject to higher health care costs, receive fewer benefits, or become ineligible for Medicaid coverage.
Similarly, the administration wants to transfer authority over the Head Start program to the states, which would eviscerate the federal performance standards that ensure the program’s success. Furthermore, the President proposes a funding level for Head Start that barely covers the cost of inflation, and would freeze childcare spending and cut after school programs.
The President’s budget also advocates converting the Section 8 program, which provides subsidies to low-income families to help them pay rent, to a state-run block grant. Housing advocates caution that many states are ill equipped to run housing programs and worry that some will deny poor families assistance. In addition, the administration seeks an increase in the Public Housing Operating Fund of just $44 million - a sum that is, according to advocates, far shy of the $250 million “accounting error” that led HUD to cut public housing agencies’ funding by at least 30% in fiscal year 2003.
Also included in the Bush budget is a $400 billion overhaul of Medicare. Under the President’s proposal, a prescription drug benefit would be extended to seniors - but only to those who leave the traditional fee-for-service Medicare program and join a private health plan.
Department of Labor programs are also targeted for cuts and, in some cases, elimination. The administration would terminate the Migrant and Seasonal Farmworkers Program and the Youth Opportunity Grants Program, while freezing funding for adult and dislocated workers. Overall, spending on job training programs would be cut by nearly $145 million in fiscal year 2004. In terms of unemployment insurance, the budget would reduce employers’ federal payroll taxes and shift administrative costs for the program to the states.
In addition, President Bush’s budget blueprint calls for tightening eligibility rules for the Earned Income Tax Cut (EITC) and free and discounted meals for school children. The administration argues that people are using these programs improperly and, therefore, these changes - which could result in the denial of assistance to millions of eligible families - are justified.
The White House is touting the boost in funding provided for some education programs in its 2004 budget. While the budget does contain $1 billion increases for Title 1 and special education programs, it falls $6.2 billion short of the $18.5 billion authorized under the No Child Left Behind Act - the new education law championed by President Bush. Furthermore, the budget proposes paying for these funding increases by eliminating 45 other education programs, including those that provide college loans and grants and establish school technology centers. The budget also contains $756 million for school vouchers, which drain money away from public schools.
Yes, I was honest enough to tell them that my son worked part-time. That added to the income which threw me over. I guess sometimes it doesn't pay to be honest. My son was not 18 at the time and I didn't think they'd take his income into consideration since he was still a minor and I was responsible for his food, clothing and shelter. No child support - I became widowed 4 years ago. Besides I'm one of those who didn't and still don't want food stamps. I like paying for myself at the food line. There are far needier people out there than I. The problem with getting heat assistance is that the gas bills are not in my name. They are in my landlord's name. I get the bill and I pay it. How that came about I guess is kind of dumb now that I think about it. My daughter needed to have gas turned on in the place she lives. They wanted a huge deposit from her as she was a new customer and had no established credit. I didn't have it and neither did she. I put the gas in my name for her because I had credit with them. Then, when I found where I live now, they wouldn't put it in my name because even though the other bill was not neglected, it was in arrears (around March). My landlord offered to have my gas kept in his name. With the heating bills here on the shores of Lake Erie, it's hard to keep them all caught up. You catch them up in the summer to have them soar in the winter. So, HEAP is out of the question. It's complicated. I have a habit of doing too much for my kids, I think.
Anyway, back onto the subject. This tax credit is a nice thing for those making $30 and up. I know that the middle class is having a rough time of it and are left out of the benefit factor quite a lot. Remember, I was there not long ago. But remember, too, that the benefits afforded to the people living with poverty wages are being cut all the time to pay for other things this country cannot afford. It's robbing Peter to pay Paul. I know, I have to do it all the time. I don't know if there is a solution, maybe there isn't. It's still interesting to hear other people's thoughts and views on the subject.
Cheryl
My religion is simple, my religion is kindness.
--Dalai Llama
posted on May 31, 2003 10:22:52 AM new
Ohio, Cleveland to be exact. You wouldn't want the wind and rain that is accompanying it though. Nasty day. So much for the flea market.
Cheryl
My religion is simple, my religion is kindness.
--Dalai Llama
