Quote:
Originally Posted by tadd
Flint:
You do realize that to get SNAP, you have to be below the poverty line, right?
That’s $17k a year for a family of 2.
Assume a standard 2000 hr/yr FTE, that’s $8.50/hr earnings (family of 2).
At $17k, you are not living the high life. M
And it’s guess that may be the crux of all of this…who in there right mind wants to ‘scrape by’? Any sane individual either alone or with a child, especially with a child, wants to do better. And has been said in PARF many times, entry level jobs are not supposed to be living wage jobs.
So perhaps people are wising up and just not doing them? Young folk are just avoiding that ‘route up’ and finding other paths.
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Yes, but that is only if you have no undocumented income...and most folks getting SNAP probably have other forms of income (WIC, Section 8, EIC, free phone, reduced internet, etc.). It also assumes that only one (of the two) works which means that typically...a result of poor choices. A couple has to work very hard to only make $17K per year. It is not accidental.
I have met lots of folks that are happy to "scrape by" if they can live even reasonably well without working or doing work they enjoy for a few months each year (like river guide, ski instructor, lifeguard, hunting guide, etc.). Many work just enough to stay below the EIC and other social welfare caps. Most have other sources of income they do not report or reduced expenses by sharing a home, etc. I also know many that simply put off becoming an adult...and live at home with parents. They only work off and on...until they qualify for unemployment...and then "vacation." They never get past entry level but have cars, food, and a place to live. I know some that are 16-30 that have never held a real job. In fact, I know one guy that just turned 62 and he only had a job once (in high school) where he worked for KFC for a few months. A pretty smart guy too (an electrical engineer by education). He lives in the house he grew up in (like many) and fixes a lawnmower or computer now and then for neighbors for extra, nontaxed cash...but watches TV or surfs the web much of the rest of the time.
If you have an entry level job and a child, you already screwed up. It is not society's fault, but yours (unless you were raped). Entry level jobs are for people new to the work force...but one must keep doing them until they either qualify for a better job or more money. Most entry-level jobs have regular pay raises and even fast food pays pretty good in most places $15hr with insurance, paid vacation, and tuition in my rural area. One could eat like a king here with SNAP as food is easy to grow and game are plentiful. Most folks in rural areas did just that (without SNAP or other welfare) when I was young. Now they play video games and watch TV and their gardens are unplanted (as "food is free") ...so why would anyone work out in the hot sun to raise a garden?