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WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Speaking to a boisterous crowd at a retirement community here, President Obama played the seasoned campaign veteran, unbowed by his opponent Mitt Romney’s negative ads even as the two trade barbs over each other's records and rhetoric.
“Frankly, I'd be worried if this were my first campaign. But I've been to this rodeo before,” Obama told a crowd of 675 at the Century Village retirement community on Thursday.
He joked that the crowd should just mute the negative TV ads inundating this crucial swing state, and acknowledged that their visual impact wouldn’t be too appealing either.
“Some of the pictures of me will be unflattering. Now, my face is all distorted, one eye's all droopy,” he said, imitating what some of the images in the ads would look like. “Right? I'm looking all grim,” he continued as the crowd roared with laughter.
The group of seniors and their family members, packed into a low-ceilinged clubhouse, was particularly rowdy, frequently shouting words of encouragement over the president and breaking into chants of “four more years!” whenever he paused.
The president seemed to feed off the crowd, especially after he made his way to the podium having waded through a crowd of senior women who were particularly excited to see him.
“That’s the most kisses I’ve gotten at any campaign event!” he said as he reached the stage.
Later, as an audience member’s phone rang, the president joked that it was his wife Michelle calling because she heard he was getting so much affection at the event.
Obama tailored his speech to fit this crowd, hitting similar notes as he did earlier at an event in Jacksonville - criticizing Romney’s plans for Medicare (he says Romney’s changes would cost seniors up to $6,400 more) but also appealing to the group’s strong support for Israel.
He condemned the “barbaric” terrorist attack in Bulgaria that killed five Israelis.
“I know a lot of people in this community care about the state of Israel. And we are heartbroken,” he said of the bombing.
He added that the rapid changes in the Middle East and the bloodshed in Syria meant that “now's the time to make sure we're doing everything we can to protect Israel's security.”
The president continues his campaign swing through Florida Friday with stops in Fort Myers and Orlando.
Leave a Comment:
Gem, if you stop by this thread, I'm over on the top political article about Obama and Romney calling off the attacks because of the shooting.
The best HOPE for our Country is to CHANGE presidents in November.
NOBAMA2012... NEVER send a "community organizer" to do a CEO's job!
elliot-3020456 Comment collapsed by the community
Unlike 0bama, Romney realizes that the president works for every citizen
..........Yeah, right, as long as that citizen has lots of money and capital investments, he keeps telling us he will drop the top tax rate from 35% to 25% for the wealthy, but has he ever said what he will do for the Middle Class tax rate?
As far as GM goes, it was headed for complete shut down, now it's back on its feet, has re-hired people, the Michigan economy is doing better than most of the rest of the country, and GM is making big sales in China, bringing some of those dollars back home, but people like you refuse to accept that, it just doesn't fit your warped sense of reality.
Elliot, go find ET, maybe he can explain it to you.
NOBAMA2012... NEVER send a "community organizer" to do a CEO's job!
....and never send a company looter to run the country, considering what CEO's have been doing these past few years, who the hell wants one for President?
Osama
Community Organizer 1
Bush 0
Promised hope and change
The ACA Act - HE CAME THROUGH AND IT HAPPENED
Hey Sarah
Pssst. Hopie changie worked :) :)
Grandma doesn't want to haggle with for profit health insurance companies all day -neither does grandpa for that matter
Obama/Biden 2012
EUTHANASIA! Slippery slope if you ask me - lambs being led to their slaughter! The constitution be damn, Presidential Executive Orders can overcome, the voters will, in the short time. and leave the Congressmen, & Senators, to agree - to disagree? [:-(]
From today's MSNBC article Obama campaign raises $46M in June; Romney takes in $33M:
And from CBS/NY Times today:
Romney and Obama in Statistical Tie in NY Times/CBS Poll
By Don Frederick on July 19, 2012
To me, this is great news! Obama's campaign is bleeding money and he can't keep up with Romney!!
President Romney 2012! Lean into it!!!
Reince Priebus, the chairman of the Republican National Committee, announced today at a gathering of high profile Republicans and Wall Street executives that the GOP is formally divorcing reality on grounds of irreconcilable differences.
Priebus explained, “This was a difficult decision, we’ve been married to reality for over 150 years but we’ve just grown apart. We rarely go out together nowadays and we never seem to be able to agree on anything anymore. We’re constantly at odds over little things, over big things and frankly, I think we’ve just outgrown reality.”
Among the many reasons given for this split up, Priebus admitted that there was jealousy on the GOP’s part over Progressives’ familiarity with reality. “We believe in the sanctity of marriage which is why we are filing for this divorce,” Priebus stated with a straight face.
“Since the Nixon years, things just started to go downhill in our relationship. It had gotten to the point that whenever we spoke on talk shows, aired campaign ads or gave stump speeches, reality would get into a conflict of some kind with us. I mean, you just can’t go on like that indefinitely,” said Priebus. “When we were younger, it was easier and though we’d have our little disagreements, for the most part we got along. People sometimes change over time, we’re not who we were and we found that we were just becoming incompatible.”
Asked about what the final straws were that drove the GOP to this divorce, Priebus mentioned that reality wouldn’t be polite to their friends. “We’d have Paul Ryan and his budget over for dinner and reality would act as if it was an imposition. Recently we had been invited to attend a big fundraiser for Mitt Romney and when Romney spoke, there was an empty seat next to me, reality wasn’t anywhere to be found in the room.”
“When we’d talk about where we wanted to go, like to the White House and The Senate, we could never agree on how to get there,” Priebus complained. “When you’re in a marriage, you need to know that the other is right behind you, supporting you no matter what. Yet for years now, whenever we’d go on Fox News or talk about economics, reality wouldn’t be there for us.”
Priebus was remarkably candid about the relationship. “There hasn’t been any real intimacy between us for years, the passion for reality just isn’t there any more for us. Look, we haven’t been saints, we’ve gotten into bed with deception before the divorce but by then, the marriage was already over. The thing is, reality just didn’t understand us. Deception knew exactly where we were coming from, for us it was like finally meeting our soul mate.”
The GOP and deception have been together since the GOP’s separation from reality and Priebus claims that the GOP has never been happier. “Everything’s easier now, we can express ourselves dishonestly and be on the same page, we never argue or have any conflicts, things just feel right now,” Priebus beamed.
“Of course, there’s the custody issue we’ll have to deal with now, who will get the American public. We know that typically, reality would be awarded custody but we’re going to fight tooth and nail to get sole custody. We’ve hired Karl Rove and the Koch Brothers to argue the case for us and with the support of deception, we feel very confident that we could prevail.”
Priebus said that the GOP doesn’t harbor any grudges against reality. “We wish reality all the best in the future and even though we will never be together again, we will never forget the many good times we had together. However, where we’re at now is looking to the future and appreciating the relationship we’re in now with deception. In fact, we hadn’t planned to announce this publicly yet but we have already become married to deception!”
The issue of bigamy was discounted by Priebus, “We may have been cheating on reality but in our minds, we’ve been divorced from reality for some time and whether that is formally recognized or not, it is the truth. So our being married to deception isn’t a betrayal of reality because we’re no longer connected to reality.”
Reality was asked to comment on the divorce and simply replied, “Que sera, sera.” In response to being asked how it felt about having stolen the heart of the GOP away from reality, deception replied, “I didn’t, really. It was Obama’s fault.”
The GOP and deception are now happily married and living together in what deception describes as “a golden castle in the clouds where money rains down from the sky and everyone is happy and healthy…and all Americans can move there if they just vote for Romney.”
tonybeeerm Yep, Jan 20, 2017
correction nobama January 20th 2013
vote
I don't know about that beside the ACA, when Obama eventually says "Mission Accomplished" he will mean it
2003 Mission Accomplished speech
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2003_Mission_Accomplished_Speech
I would like to remind everyone just what real American people really thought of it at the time and still do.
http://www.nesn.com/2011/05/fans-chant-usa-during-philles-mets-game-in-a-moment-that-transcends-sports.html
This argument is getting old, just another right wing false propaganda to keep the bickering going.
Do you really know what this amount is or for, don't you keep up or don't you really give a crap.
This money was not taken from Medicare, this money is what will be saved because of getting rid of waste, fraud and abuse of the Medicare system, double and triple testing and x-rays, more then one stay in hospital for same illness because first time it was not done correctly, over charging, Ordering unnecessary tests, and closing fake clients that got Medicare numbers and are sending bills to Medicare for drugs and medical supplies that no one used because they know Medicare will pay.
read this and you will know where the $500 Billion is going to and coming from
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2011/jun/16/mitt-romney/500-billion-medicare-obamacare-romney-says/
Yes ! Of course! That's as true as the Price Tag will only be $900 Billion, OOPS! CBO has determined instead it will be $2.6 TRILLION ! By the rules of mathamatics, what ever you do to one side of the equal sign must also be done to the other side, $500 Billion becomes $1.4 TRILLION !
Just how are you going to make that dog hunt ?
Your feeble attempts to make the truth a lie are emphasized by your inept attempts to use a web site funded by George Soros to prove your lie.
It's a good thing that these old folks are retirees and that the only continuing damage they can wreak is by voting for this chameleon. I hope the room was filled with Alzheimer's patients, it's the only way to explain the chanting of "four more years." They appear to be as detached from reality as the fool at the podium.
Medicare in Florida and elsewhere would suffer the greatest under Obama care. Hundreds of billions of dollars would be taken from Medicare. Romney has absolutely no plans to attack Medicare. Romney plan is to enhance Medicare. Possibly remove any Copay's and eliminate supplemental insurance.
What fools we are when first we practice to deceive.
Here is Romney plan for Medicare, health Care and anything that anyone has that is making below $100,000
He Loves Paul Ryan’s budget, said it is marvelous, he hopes that it will be on his desk first day in office so he can sign it.
Ryan's plan is his proposal to transform Medicare into a system of subsidized private insurance plans
Cut:
Welfare
Housing assistances
Farm subsidies, Agricultural subsidies ($30 billion)
Federal workers
Transportation
6 percent less on science, space, and technology
Education Services
Poisons
Border Protection
Student loans
FEMA
Student loans
Unemployment
Food stamps
13 percent less on veterans
But, Ryan wants to "shower the wealthiest few Americans with an average tax cut of at least $150,000 on top of what they are getting now
Oh yes! Romney should be so swollen with pride; the top 1% has finally given him their endorsement. It looks as if Wall Street, Big Banks, the Oil Companies, Insurance Companies and Pharmaceutical Companies have found their candidate.
OOOOW! Good application of Comrade Alinskys Rule Ten !
None of that is a written down, hard and fast rule but we know what Obama is and wants because it is in all his bills he has forced on the American people, especially the AHC horrible bill.
The Founding Fathers thought of the House of Representatives as the "Peoples' House" and gave the House of Representatives all of the authority to originate any bill dealing with taxing or spending.
This is who the GOP in the house are really working for, the top 1%. It is no longer the peoples house. It is for people like Romney
One has to wonder, while watching the Obama supporters and their attempts to prop up his lies.
Mr Obama has now been called a liar by almost every major publication and still they continue to attempt to support his lies.
Are a few bucks a week, in freebies, worth your morals and integrity?
John - anyone lecturing us about morals, integrity and truth should not be getting behind Willard Romney. The guy is entirely void of all of the above.
Romney is a pathological liar. This is well documented. He has no solutions. His only game is to distort and mislead.
UPSET------- Ah yes, Okay upset, now defend Obama.
In virtually every instance, when any derogatory is said about Mr. Obama the rebuttal is almost always in the form of attacking some one else.
The facts are that the dems have on concern freebies, things that some one else pays for.
Every thing else, is smoke and mirrors.
I don' think very much of Mr. Romney, however, that is not material, I would vote for a dead snake to get the inept megalomaniac out of the white house.
John - with health care, the Obama plan requires people to buy insurance instead of freeloading. The republican plan is to allow continued freeloading. I don't know about you, but if some idiot without health insurance gets stabbed tomorrow, I don't want to pay for his medical care. Do you? This common example seems to work against your entire argument. your hate is apparent and I doubt any logic will change your mind. Good luck with that.
That's total BS. Obama still encourages freeloading by making the penalty a pittance compared to premiums. Obamacare is a stealth tax system and the penalty is one of 21 new taxes in the bill.
Distort and mislead, Upset...PUHLEASEEEE. Blowbama is the Deceiver-in-Chief. He runs on the 3-D principle...Deceive, Divide and Deflect. So much for his promise of transparency in the White House. The Vacationer-in-Chief is as transparent as a brick wall, and about as smart as one.
Hey Bo Peep...I found another one of Jokebama's sheep and his name is Upset.
Libtard blowhard.
Neither Obama or Romney, Wall St or Unions, Democrats or Republicans will stop the inevitable ;America will move ahead or perish. This election is a defining moment--Will we become a Fascist plutocracy with Wall St and Corporate America in command or will we stumble ahead one step at a time to a return to true democracy ? This Texas Independent has two choices ; take my chances with a stumbling POTUS who has all Americans at heart , or get ready for the next American Revolutuion if the GOP buys their way into Congress and the White House !! Sad ! For the very first time in over 60 years of voting I will vote a straight Democratic ticket !! God have mercy on America, it has been bought by the Wall Street Satans !
Jay
You might consider a little research into Obamas self admitted mentors and associates before you decied on his intentions .
Frank Marshall Davis , " Upon whos knee I spent many a happy hour "
Father Pfleger
Jeremiah Wright
Saul Alinsky
Bill Ayers
Bernadine Dohrn
After reading the ideaologies of these people, if you still feel that Obama truly " has all Americans at heart ", join hands with your fellow Comrades and march hand-in-hand into your Obama Utopia. The borders are still open so I believe I'll just leave it too you !
Jay----- Just curious, what sort of logic, do you engage in, that, allows you to
think that, the people you are currently robbing to pay for the programs, that Mr Obama is trying to implement, will just continue to work and pay a little more of their income every years to pay for programs for those people unwilling to pay for them, themselves?
Why do you not think, that at some point and that is a likely scenario, they will simply sit down with you and demand their freebies?
Who pays, then?
If you vote for Obama, God WILL have to have mercy on us because he will continue to work for our country's downfall. He has to be stopped.
With Obama's Medicare, your healthcare will be rationed and you will die!
Obamas intentions for not just the elderly, but also the young and disabled, can easily be ascertained by googling Ezekiel Emmanuel, Rhams brother, a Bioethicist and Chief advisor to Obama on PPACA !
In a 2009 article published in The Lancet, Emmanuel explained his ideal Health Care Plan. It's based on what he called a " Priority Curve " He stated it this way " Individules aged roughly 15 to 40 get the most substantial chance (at medical services ), whereas the youngest and the oldest and the disabled get ' ATTENUATED' chances. " His rational to support this " [the] youngest have recieved little or no educational investments " and " The older have already had more life-years "
In other articles he explains the "Attenuated " chances are based on " The individuals worth to Society " The alternative solution to providing sufficeint health care was to be the " End of Life Councils " that were in the original health care bill ( Section-1233 of HR-3200), untill Sarah Palin exposed their existance ! The test market for these has been Oregans " Death With Dignity Act" passed in 1997 !
Going to be very interesting, I know a number of people, that if I were a government official, I would hate to tell their parents they weren't going to get treatment because they are old.
I really think that, those who would use denial of services and product as an economy measure as does every UHC in the European continent , really need to remember the 2nd Amendment.
Exactly. Obamacare allows no treatment for cancer after age 75. Of course, that only applies to us, the peons. All those who were exempt from Obamacare will still receive good medical care.
Elvis and Ozzie have to be brothers. The same idiocy comes out of both their mouths. Hey guys, how many gov. teats are both of you sucking on? Big Al in vegas, only three more months to rig the voting machines in Vegas. Are you up to the task?
Are you talking about Big Al the oyster king ?
Yep, Riverman...they are Libtard blowhard Jokebama sheep joined at the hip.
Trolls in the extreme, to say the least.
If you are a senior, and depend on Social Security and Medicare, you have to know that the Republicans have those two programs in their cross hairs. They opposed them in the beginning, and have always hated them. It seems a little cold blooded to advocate another 700 billion in tax cuts for wealthy Americans who put their money into foreign accounts, just as Romney does, and to propose billions more spending on the military, corporate subsidies, and foreign aid to third world dictators, while wanting to cut benefits to elderly people who are living on the edge, and often have to make a choice between eating or buying their medication. Harry Truman at one time said " We Democrats work for people who need help. That other party, they work for people who don't need help. That's the difference." True then, still true today.
We continue tom hear that particular assertation, It was a dem president with a super majority, that robbed the SS fund to pay for the huge welfare program and funded medicare, you know the one that is going broke.
The dems with a super majority have funded two major programs, bother are in deep financial trouble, and still you people want to give them another large program to ruin.
Keep all of this in mind, we can promise you that when the prices go up on the insurance program and they will, we will not allow taxes to be raised to help you pay.
The dems are responsible for this and you are going to end up paying the price, that is a promise.
It was Obama and democrats that stole $500,000,000,000 from Medicare, not republicans. That was our money, not the governments to do with as they pleased. If you don't think us seniors will remember that in Nov you are sadly mistaken.
Nice thought, Old Barge...Libtard blowhard. You DUMBocrats think that "working for people who need help" and giving the freeloaders handouts are the same thing. Typical Socialist ideology. I am sick of hearing it and the rest of America is wise to Blowbama's FAILED presidency and his slick, feckless rabble.
Hey Bo Peep...I found another one of Jokebama's sheep and his name is Old Barge...
Obamacare is much worse with their death panels.
If you are a senior, and depend on Social Security and Medicare, you have to know that the Republicans have those two programs in their cross hairs. They opposed them in the beginning, and have always hated them. It seems a little cold blooded to advocate another 700 billion in tax cuts for wealthy Americans who put their money into foreign accounts, just as Romney does, and to propose billions more spending on the military, corporate subsidies, and foreign aid to third world dictators, while wanting to cut benefits to elderly people who are living on the edge, and often have to make a choice between eating or buying their medication. Harry Truman at one time said " We Democrats work for people who need help. That other party, they work for people who don't need help. That's the difference." True then, still true today.
Well said Sarge. Thanks for your service.
Old Barge - The ONLY reason you need help is because of Blowbama's monumental FAILURE when it comes to the economy, jobs, Jokebamacare, etc etc etc etc etc etc etc ..... Man up, Old Barge. Handouts are the straigt path to SOCIALISM...but I guess the free unicorns and trips to the moon that the Vacationer-in-Chief promised you are just too tempting to pass up. (But only if you vote for him.)
You and Upset enjoy standing in the bread line for your rice and powdered milk...........
Romney will eliminate medicare Co-pays. Saving people billions on supplemental insurance.
Sure he will. Just like he will trim the deficit by giving millionaires an additional 700 billion in tax cuts.
More feckless Libtard rabble from Old Barge.....
All the voters should see thru Obama's lies about Romney, for some Facts check out Fact Check.org and thier research. Obama has no morals!
FactCheck.org
: Obama’s ‘Outsourcer’ Overreach
FactCheck.org
: FactCheck to Obama Camp: Your Complaint is All Wet
The dems are not interested in truth they want freebies and that is their only concern, all of the other verbiage, simply smoke and mirrors, the dems have always had only one concern and they will trade their morals and integrity for them.
Whatever. Same old Faux Noise bull@!$%#. I am willing to bet that I make more money than 90% of you repub idiots posting this kind of bull@!$%# on the internet.
I think that unlikely, only for one reason, if you did, you wouldn't be on the net begging and whining or some one else to pay your way.
You haven't a clue. I guess you must be on welfare since you're on the internet. My income is mid six digits, and I'm a Democrat. I laugh my ass off at the silly little Repubs. In one statement, you say all Democrats are on welfare, and want a handout. The next, they're intellectual elitists living in an ivory tower. ( Presumably college professors and the like, with high five digit incomes at the minimum. ) Meanwhile the Blue states are the higher income states who carry the Red states, who get more in federal taxes than they pay. Stupidity abounds among the Faux News crowd.
Hey Old Barge...you are the one bragging about being in the "1% Club". Why don't you go take your meds and get ready for the early bird special at the old folks home... I heard it was salisbury steak today. Yummy... Maybe you and Hidin' Joe Biden can have a nice chat about your halcyon days during World War I.....
Libtard blowhard.
Lisa- you are one of the venomous little idiots who soak up the Faux News crap aren't you. You are pathetic. Crawl back under your rock, consevatard. Or crawl back into that bottle of cheap bourbon. Whatever.
I'll be voting for Obama in November, but I'm not so enthused about it: his and Bernanke's moves to help the banks and economy have come at the expense of the Seniors: getting next to no interest on CD's and bonds because of artificially low interest rates, below-real-inflation COLAs, and yet not benefiting from lower payroll or FICA taxes.
But I have so much fear of the far-right, it's attack on "compromise" -the most necessary component of a republic- and it's callous attitude toward the middle class that I'm stuck with Obama.
Interesting, the last survey conducted by the NFIB, tells us that 6% to 7% of the businesses, that can travel, have options on sites outside the USA and will take those options if Mr Obama is reelected.
Can you explain, why, you think that, business will stay here and continue to exist, produce and earn to pay a little more for your freebie programs every year?
Or better yet, tell me why they WOULDN"T simply wave goodbye to you on their way out of the country?
The "rich" are also leaving in a steady stream now, to the point where small business is having a very difficult time getting loans.
Doesn't it seem to you, like, we have to do something different.
I don't really expect to convince you, I expect that you will continue on until the economy implodes, but once in a while I ask that question.
I have made my plains and made my peace with myself, I am resigned to leaving if Mr Obama is reelected.
Mick - glad to see the rational thought. Obama is not perfect, but Romney outright scares me.
Romney OUGHT too scare you, Upset...no more handouts for you Libtards. You may actualy have to DO something with your life instaed of just collecting the welfare check every week....I know that seems scary, but opportunity CAN be scary, when you know of nothing else for the last WASTED 4 years...
Libtard blowhard.
The above was taken from "Letters to the editor" in a small town newspaper.
I don't see Willard Romney's policy improving this matter any. The middle and lower classes are screwed if this guy gets carried into office on hatred for Obama and corporate money. If it happens, we'll have brought it on ourselves.
UPSET, when you resort to the classic left manifold for you p[osts, your credibility, erodes.
The spread of wealth has been with in 3 % since 1979.
Between, 34% and 37%, your statement is from the quasi scoialist in the white house.
And if you John would just do a little more research on your own and not rely on the false propaganda by the top 1% and GOP puppets you would know more creditable facts to post.
John - You are living in an alternate reality apparently, and your reply doesn't make much sense. Do you also speak in forked tongue, improper English and misleading garble?
Actually, the quote is from a socialist from Vermont in the Senate - you seem to have missed that part (in the first sentence).
By the way, what is the "classic left manifold"?
"Classic left manifold?" Sounds like car talk.
John...these Libatd DUMBocrats are scared that their freeloading days will be over soon....what happens when you corner an angry rat and try to take its food (stamps) ? Socialist ideology at its finest, indeed....
Hey Bo Peep...I found 3 more of Blowbama's SOCIALIST sheep...and their names are Upset, Ranmarie and Old Barge.....keep clinging to the Jokebama bandwagon as the Vacationer-in-Chief steers it right over the cliff.
When this country's economy is running smoothly and the way it should be, there is only about 1-4 million people on Medicaid, welfare and/or food stamps and these are the severely handicapped, disabled, mentally challenged, and children with special needs and now you can add the disabled vets to this list.
Most people on food stamps are what some refer to as the working poor, the ones that make less than 40,000 dollars a year in this country, works 40-60 hours and when the food stamp program is the largest is when multitudes of people are not working. Do you really think these people want to use food stamps to feed their families NO they want a job?
But the GOP on the hill has literally stopped every bill that would of helped to create any jobs in 2009-2011, matter of fact the leader of the house said this about their policies that would eliminate jobs "so be it"
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/02/boehner-if-jobs-are-lost-as-a-result-of-gop-spending-cuts-so-be-it.php
People yelled we want smaller government, we want people off government jobs, we want States to lay off teachers, healthcare workers, policemen and firemen anyone in a union or is getting a pension or may make a little more than everyone else, fine we got our wish now we have to pay to feed these people. If we replace all the state and government workers laid off that I just listed it would put about 1 million people back to work, our food stamp program will be reduced.
This is what the top 1% wants the people doing their bidding for them, fighting to get everyone the same wages so that 80% of this country will be at or below minimum wages, and then they can do this.
Eliminating minimum wages
http://worldnewsvine.com/2010/10/gop-plans-to-eliminate-unemployment-extensions-jobs-creation-and-now-minimum-wage/
Believe me these people are not only going to vote for President Obama or are democrats these are all Americans that have found themselves in a situation that they could not control.
Remember another thing- Food Stamps (Or SNAP) stimulates the economy as well as helping the poor. The Food Stamp program has always been thought of as a farm subsidy by farm state congressmen and senators. It helps farmers, distributors, processors, and retailers. I grew up on a farm. My father was a businessman farmer, and when the food Stamp Program came into being, his business increased significantly as demand for produce went up. These assistance programs like this one and others are the only reason we have avoided a catastrophe like the Great Depression in the current slump.