“We weren’t good at it when we were in control,” Congressman Kelly Armstrong (R-ND) said, in response to a Plain Talk listener question, of controlling budget deficits. The questioner was specifically asking about President Donald Trump’s tax cuts and their impact on the nation’s budget deficit and national debt. Asked if the Trump tax cuts…
Podcast: Work Requirements for Food Stamps, Eliminating the State Income Tax
On the radio show today, Kristina Rasmussen from the Foundation for Accountability in Government was on to discuss the issue of work requirements in the House version of the farm bill. She noted that Democrats have supported work requirements for social welfare programs in the past (notably under former President Bill Clinton) and that some…
Stop Touting the Economic Benefits of Food Stamps
“Cuts to SNAP would increase strain on local food bank resources,” reads a headline over a letter to the editor from Great Plains Food Bank CEO Steve Sellent and his board members. The argument, as I’m sure you’ve gathered, is that we ought not reduce federal spending on food stamps. Of course, it seems we’re…
60 Percent Of North Dakota Is Struggling To Buy Food? UPDATE: Not So Much
These numbers are a little hard to buy in a state that has lead the nation in personal income growth for six out of the last seven years and just hit a new high for obesity: Increasing numbers of North Dakotans are making tough choices about whether to spend money on food or on other necessities,…
Update: Energy Drink Ads Targeting Food Stamps Recipients Perplex Retail Industry
Last weekend I wrote a post based on some pictures SAB readers had sent in of energy drink advertising targeting people who have EBT (Electronic Benefits Transfer) cards that food stamps recipients use to access their benefits. Since then I’ve done some more research and found out that the tactic is pretty new – retail…
Energy Drinks Marketed To Food Stamps Recipients In Fargo
A reader sends along the picture above, saying it was taken at the Stop-N-Go on South 25th Street in Fargo. The advertisement is for Rockstar Energy Drinks, and at the bottom it indicates that all of Rockstar’s drinks are eligible for EBT. EBT standing for Electronic Benefits Transfer. According to this definition, it “means that…
One In Five American Households Now Receive Food Stamps
Not surprising in this era of record-setting government dependence: (CNSNews.com) — A record 20% of American households, one in five, were on food stamps in 2013, according to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The numbers also show that there were a record number of individuals on food stamps in 2013 and that…
We Can Blame Cramer For The Farm Bill, But Not Heitkamp For Keystone?
Yesterday I was pretty critical of how Rep. Kevin Cramer was handling the farm bill. Instead of standing on principle and talking about the legions of problems with that bill – not the least of which is the fact that controversial food stamps spending comprises roughly 80% of the appropriations in it – he chose…
Kevin Cramer: We Have To Pass A Farm Bill Because The Free Market Is Scary
Back during campaign season I did an interview with Rep. Kevin Cramer, and we talked about the farm bill. Then, as now, the legislation was stuck in the midst of partisan bickering and I asked Cramer if there was really a lot of urgency to pass a farm bill (I quoted a NDSU farm management…
Congressional Aid Lives On Food Stamps Budget, Finds He Has Money Left Over
Democrats are attacking Republicans for making cuts to the SNAP (food stamps) program which, in recent years, has reached record levels of spending. Part of that attack is an attempt to live off of a food stamps budget, which they claim can’t be done. To which I have two responses: First, it’s called the Supplemental…