Manns Medium

There is an article title “ How to Dramatically Lower the Poverty Rate Overnight ” written by Eric Pianin for The Fiscal Times which has plenty of excellent points about those who qualify not using the programs as established and how that could have greatly reduced the number of Americans living in poverty but they missed one essential link as to why. In the article it speaks about “But a new study by the Brookings Institution argues that it might be a lot easier to significantly reduce poverty in the U.S by getting more people to take advantage of existing anti-poverty programs for which they are already eligible.  In fact, the report asserts,  the poverty rate would have been 20 percent lower in 1998 if all families with children had participated in the programs for which they were eligible, and “deep poverty”– income below half the federal poverty level –would have been 70 percent lower. “Sometimes the best policy is [simply] to make existing programs reach further, ra...

Listen to those in political office and many others who wish to capture some attention and the one constant is how much they love and respect the troops.  Everyone tends to favor veterans especially when it comes to getting face time in front of a camera but few every go further than that when the lights goes out and the cameras stop rolling.  That is except for the majority of those very same veterans who live by that military code daily.   That military code of leaving no man/woman behind. We have individuals claiming to care about the troops while playing games with their benefits, denying their earn rewards and keeping them from even seeing a doctor.  These same lovers of the military speaks to a veteran about what he/she earned as if the assistance that they are seeking is coming directly out of their very own pockets.  Politicians are quick to smile for the camera along side of a veteran but are now where to be found when it is time to put your m...

Recent Congressional Actions have been played in the media as a sign of what certain groups of Americans think and believe about another.   I speak to you today about the recent very deep cut in Food Stamps or the SNAP Program.   To many it may appear that it is no big deal and in their minds and hearts they are justified in their hatred toward those who collect this service.   To the quiet majority of those who accept this form of assistance, we keep our head down and hope that no one learns that we are the ones that those who see it as a “hand-out” will not see our names on that list.   We quake at the thought that those who see recipients as “takers”, lazy, worthless, drug dealers, scammers or cheats, will look at us with those accusatory eyes and label us the same, that all we have accomplished so far in life will be wiped away and the memory of all the good we may have done will be forgotten and replaced by this scarlet brand.   Well I hate to be the be...

Now this is quite rich, an aide tried the Snap Challenge and failed but still deems himself the Snap Challenge Champion after one week, why this is so rich is because he discounts all those who have been surviving on Snap for years.   Take a look at the article written by Igor Volsky for Think Progress titled “Aide to Republican Congressman Fails to Live on Food Stamps for a Week” “An aide to Rep. Steve Stockman (R-TX) failed the so-called “SNAP Challenge” last week, just days after accusing Democrats of “intentionally buying overpriced food and shopping at high-priced chains.” The aide, Donny Ferguson, accepted the challenge in response to dozens of Democrats who lived off the program for a week to draw attention to the inadequacy of the average benefit of $4.50 per day. In a press release issued by Stockman’s office, Ferguson initially bragged that he “was able to buy enough food to eat well for a week on just $27.58, almost four dollars less than the $31.50 “SNAP Cha...

For quite some time now, I have been railing against the ignorance shown when we do not consider the entire story but only select that portions which best suit our purpose.   This selective choosing does not prove our point because after, as Paul Harvey used to say, the whole story is revealed, any point we think was made is completely washed away as well as our credibility and reputation.   It’s the same thing when you hear people quoting back to you Bible verses.   The ones or part of them are used to try and prove their point, it is later shown that this was not the entirety of the passage and had they read further, perhaps they would have gotten a different interpretation.   When this is done, whoever is using that passage is now guilty of attempting to mislead their audience and lie on God.   Lying on God is not a mark of a good Christian, in my opinion.   It’s a good indication that they person from whom this lie comes are doing Satan’s work and n...