More than 800,000 Oregonians received food stamp benefits in January
#1
More Oregon food stamp recipients in January than ever before: http://www.oregonlive.com/politics/index...ns_re.html

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Excerpt: "More than 800,000 Oregonians relied on food stamps to put meals on the family table in January, the highest number ever.

A report released Monday by the Oregon Department of Human Services shows 800,785 people --or 22 percent of Oregonians --received help in January from the state-federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. That reflected a 5.9 percent increase from January 2011.

Social service officials said they were not surprised to have broken the 800,000 mark. Food stamp numbers have grown steadily over the past few years and state forecasts indicate the number of food stamp recipients could top 840,000 by June.

But it does come at a time when Oregon has been seeing some encouraging economic signs, including an unemployment rate that finally dropped below 9 percent.

Oregon started the year off with an 8.8 percent unemployment rate in January and the state reported 5,400 new jobs were created.

The view from social service offices wasn't as bright.

"If they're going back to work they may not be getting the hours or the wages they used to get," says Belit Stockfleth, the state's food stamp program manager. "We're helping to keep them afloat while they get back on their feet."

Traditionally, the demand for food stamps rises in winter and eases in the summer, when more people are working in agriculture or construction. But the recession and slow recovery have upset that pattern.

In January, the most recent numbers available, every region in Oregon saw a growth in the number of food stamp recipients, with Multnomah and Clackamas counties among those reporting increases higher than the state average.

In Multnomah, 159,527 people received food stamps, a 6.6 percent increase over last year. In Clackamas there were 51,285, an 8.3 percent increase.

In Hood River and other Columbia River Gorge cities, 10,064 received food assistance, which was a 7.9 percent jump over January 2011. In Medford, Ashland and surrounding areas, 77,059 received similar help, an increase of 7.5 percent.

"Yes, the economy is improving. However we're still deep in the hole," says Tim Duy, an economist at the University of Oregon.

He suspects a combination of factors could be contributing to the continued rise in food stamp recipients in Oregon.

Many of the new jobs that have been created are in the leisure and hospitality sectors and may not pay enough to lift family incomes beyond the food stamp range, Duy says.

For example, a family of four can earn as much as $3,554 per month and still qualify for some benefits.

Also, people may have waited to sign up, either because they were too embarrassed or they thought their situation would soon improve, Duy added. With 500 Oregonians exhausting their unemployment benefits each week, many may not have been able to hold off any longer.

A demographic breakdown from the previous month showed children under age 18 accounted for more than 37 percent, or 293,379, of the December recipients statewide.

Oregonians over age 60 comprised 8.5 percent or 26,748 recipients. But seniors accounted for the fastest growing group, Stockfleth says.

Part of that is by plan.

In Multnomah and Clackamas counties, the state is working with churches and other non-profits to make sure the elderly know they're eligible for benefits.

And part of it out of anybody's control.

"Many seniors were supplementing their income with part-time jobs that no longer exist," Stockfleth notes, "and boomers are aging in."

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#2
I read somewhere that Oregon is second in our nation irt the percentage of its population hooked on food stamps.
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#3
I bet if they had to pass a U.A. that number would drop drastically. Just sayin'....
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#4
I was interested in knowing Oregon's population (about 3.8 million) and found this. Simon can have a field day with this. Big Grin

The U.S. Census Bureau has released detailed information on Oregon's population of about 3.8 million. The numbers, from the 2010 Census, offer the first look at in-depth population counts for smaller areas as well as the state's racial, ethnic and age breakdowns.

This is the second round of data from the Census, which released preliminary information in December that showed Oregon's population had grown by 12 percent since 2000.

- 42 percent of the state's growth came from respondents who identified as Latino

- The Latino population itself grew by 63 percent; the Asian population by 41 percent; the multiracial population by 33 percent; the African American population by 22 percent; the Native American population by 6 percent; the white population by 5 percent; and those identifying as 'other' grew by 21 percent.

- Portland grew by 10.3 percent since the 2000 Census; Eugene by 13.3 percent; Salem by 12.9 percent; Gresham by 17.1 percent; and Hillsboro by 30.5 percent.

- Multnomah County is still the state's largest with a population of 735, 334, up 11.3 percent from 2000.

- Washington County, the state's second largest, grew by nearly 19 percent and reported a population of 529,710.

More: http://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northw...st_15.html
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#5
OK just passed a bill in the house that if you receive benefits you have to pass a UA at the same time if you run for office you have to pass a UA also. I think it sounds like a good idea, how do you think it would go over in OR.

http://normantranscript.com/archive/x179...ug-testing

In all seriousness if people do need the help they should be able to get it, but I do think there need to be some changes, for example the deposit for soda and water need to be paid out of pocket instead of out of the food stamps themselves.
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#6
(03-13-2012, 03:27 PM)blondemom Wrote: OK just passed a bill in the house that if you receive benefits you have to pass a UA at the same time if you run for office you have to pass a UA also. I think it sounds like a good idea, how do you think it would go over in OR.

Piss on that. Smiling
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#7
We're going to drug test children too?
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#8
(03-13-2012, 03:29 PM)PonderThis Wrote: Piss on that. Smiling

actually I think it is in a cup
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#9
The sheriffs won't piss in a cup in Oregon. That'd be demeaning.
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#10
Interesting to note that states with the highest unemployment and highest numbers on government assistance are all run by democrats! Have to keep those checks going to all those democratic voters!!!
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#11
Of course, never mind all the bailouts to feed Republican investors at the governments trough.
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#12
(03-13-2012, 04:35 PM)PonderThis Wrote: Of course, never mind all the bailouts to feed Republican investors at the governments trough.

No chit...let's pick on the poor and the elderly.
People are fu*king themselves.
So weird.
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#13
Then, there's that pesky little thing called the Fourth Amendment.
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#14
Keep in mind the first bailout was put forth by a democrat congress and signed by Bush. It saved banks run by democrats, rescued GM run by unions, screwed the bondholders of Chrysler and saved the unions, and subsidized the states to save public employee jobs. The second bailout, done entirely by Obama and the democrats, paid off the presidents campaign contributors, invested in flaky businesses going bankrupt daily, and created no jobs! What a track record!!
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#15
The stock market soared with each bailout, and every stockholder benefited none the less. I can see the union members benefited too. I'm still not really sure how I benefited. Perhaps the "rising tide" story, except I still feel like we're goin' down. Smiling
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#16
Interesting that the country turns inwards on itself, eating it's own.We are supposed to be the greatest country in the world, and yet the level of hate is higher than ever before, while charity and caring for our fellow citizens have fallen by the wayside. The Zenith of America is past and we are on a downward slide towards being a Third World Nation that is deluding itself.
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#17
(03-13-2012, 07:12 PM)bbqboy Wrote: Interesting that the country turns inwards on itself, eating it's own.We are supposed to be the greatest country in the world, and yet the level of hate is higher than ever before, while charity and caring for our fellow citizens have fallen by the wayside. The Zenith of America is past and we are on a downward slide towards being a Third World Nation that is deluding itself.

Yep, tis true. While Germany, who was pulverized at the end of WWII has built up and is still growing a strong economy, aided by strong labor unions and public education.

If one pauses to consider this for a few moments, it's very depressing.
America could be the same, but took a wrong turn somewhere.
Now it's popular to hate poor people.
And if you're poor? You're supposed to hate yourself.

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#18
(03-13-2012, 04:24 PM)minuteman Wrote: Interesting to note that states with the highest unemployment and highest numbers on government assistance are all run by democrats! Have to keep those checks going to all those democratic voters!!!

Oooh! Are you a friend of SP? You don't think our geography/demographics and insanely high State income tax have anything to do with our high unemployment rates?
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#19
(03-13-2012, 07:12 PM)bbqboy Wrote: Interesting that the country turns inwards on itself, eating it's own.We are supposed to be the greatest country in the world, and yet the level of hate is higher than ever before, while charity and caring for our fellow citizens have fallen by the wayside. The Zenith of America is past and we are on a downward slide towards being a Third World Nation that is deluding itself.

It's frustrating at times being 'forced' through taxes to care for some of these fellow citizens in need. Especially when I'm a the local convenience store splurging on my 89c diet pepsi, so I can get through tutoring night school because I had to take extra hours to pay for my medical bills (even with good insurance), and I'm tired because I'm working through chemotherapy (because I can't afford not to work) and I see the following... the swipe of the Oregon Trail card to pay for the milk and chips and then the cash to pay for the alcohol, cigarettes and scratch it tickets from a person covered in tattoos. Where do they get the cash for the lottery tickets, cigs, tattoos, and alcohol? They have the cash because they don't have to pay for food. It's rather depressing. Unfortunately this is a scenario I see all too often. I also see this in my classroom. Kids with $4 energy drinks who can't afford clean, decent clothes, shoes or school supplies. Sometimes it's about priorities. There's no doubt there are people in need but people also need to figure out what are 'needs' vs. 'wants'. Spending time in a Third World nation might do some of our 'poor' (and everyone else) some good.
[yes, I realize I had a really long run on sentence up there, but I was making a point]
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#20
Yes, Lucy, it certainly can be.
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