do you feel the definition of low income needs to be reevaluated with current cost of living?

Question

With today's high cost of living from utility bills, food prices and medical costs. Do you feel that the state's should change the qualifications for assistance and if they don't change that they need to help those already struggling without penalizing them ? such as elderly (FIXED INCOME) on SSI, low income families trying to make it paycheck to paycheck. (Many don’t have credit cards or family to help) for example a family of 5(both parents together) making 19,000.00 a year gets 259.00 in food assistance and that’s with their definition of utility allowance of 240.00 a month which is a combined gas electric and water on the utility allowance. I don’t know about yall but 240 is one bill by itself where I live. Plus I don’t know about yall but I send more than 259.00 a month for food and I am that a family of 5. If I work we have the added expense of daycare, which is also high, and assistance programs disqualify my family from that help. before the hikes and food costs we were fine

Answer 1

I totally agree that "we" need to revisit the issue of proverty in this country. I'm middle class but, I had to choose today whether to go visit my grandchildren (buying a tank of gas) or purchasing prescriptions. I can't imagine how SSI, low income (not that I'm that high anymore) do it. Between utilities, meds, groceries, gas childcare and rent, it's ridiculous. My father recently died and my mother's income dropped more than half. Thank God her house is nearly paid for but the rest of it is difficult. I can barely work but I can't afford not to work despite health issues. I have no retirement, no disability and social security benefits, please! I have been turned down from aid, even when I was umemployed for a time. I am frustrated with all the illegal alien stuff, all the aid US gives to every country....What about us, the americans that work, pay taxes and support this nation. In God we must trust. There is nothing else or no where else to put our trust. Govenments crumble, people will fail you, systems collapse. May we all humble ourselves and pray and find hope in a future that will feed our hungry, take care of our elderly and families.

Answer 2

I think even a normal laborer is considered low income, and it's BS that MO has a law that we MUST carry car insurance, ok lets see, even at 8or 9 $ an hour when you figure in rent, electric these retarded gas prices and food, whats going to be the last thing that gets paid, car insurance. So eventually you get pulled over, hauled into court, your license can be taken you might lose your job ect. People do what they have to to survive and we create criminals with these kinds of laws that don't actually help the average person.

Answer 3

I am the wrong person to ask.. I feel that assistance should be reduced drastically this year.. by(for example) 25% and then in two years, anotehr 25%, etc. The people who are supposedly needing assiatance are the same people who voted democratic and they deserve what they voted for.

Answer 4

i dont have a solution to alot of these problems, but i agree somethign needs to be done with the whole low income thing, they say a car is a luzury, which it is to a certain point, but its either live in a drug infested neighborhood with drug addiction problems that yoru trying to cope with, or move to a safer better enviornment that probably doesnt have public transportation and get a car to go to work

Answer 5

I agree with you...

norman7774: I'm not sure what you're saying?

you said voted democratic... yet the states that have the highest levels of assistance are in the south which voted for Republicans, for the majority?

it sounds like you don't know what you're talking about?

and if they voted "democratic"... Repubicans are in office, so they didn't get what they voted for... so again... I'm confused by your coments?

Answer 6

I couldn't agree with you more. How do we get this
quesion to the people who can do something about it?
I stated my whole financial situation in one answer - looks
like I didn't get best - maybe it was too shocking to the
person asking. I'm not alone, your question proves people
are aware of it.