Four adults and not even one of them is working? I am a liberal democrat and I have no sympathy for these people. They don't deserve benefits.

I'm a democrat too and I firmly believe that sometimes people need a little help, but dude, being a new mom doesn't preclude you from working. Unless you're on medical bedrest you work until that baby is born if you need to. And you come back at six weeks if that's what it takes. I've had one of my own and I know how much that reality stinks, but you do what you have to do.

How about stop having kids if you're poor. How about stop having kids with irresponsible men who aren't financially stable. How many stories are there of single mothers with 4 and 5 kids living off food stamps. I know a 22 year old Mexican girl with 3 girls and no job. Their father gets deported back to Mexico 3x a year. She's never even had a bank account. How do we stop this? Is it going to take making a law that limits the children you can have based on your income? Do we cut off entitlements until people get the hint and standby while their children suffer? What are we gonna do about this America?

I wish more people understood that it is 100% IRRESPONSIBLE to bring a child into a world where you cannot provide for it. Honestly I mean this is going to hurt the child more than anybody. If four adults cannot earn enough to pay rent on one house, how are they going to raise children?

What these people hold is a partial Christian view. They don't believe it's immoral to be fornicators, to have sex outside of marriage, but they do believe it's immoral to abort the child. I blame the Christian movements who just focus on "save the baby", and leave out everything else.

REPORTS OF EBT used for TATTOOS, Casinos, strip clubs and traded for drugs and gas! Stop the abuse.

DEMOCRATS are addicting people to HEROIN so when all of us become JUNKIES, we have to vote for them in order to GET OUR FIX!----REPUBLICANS are like the family on the Intervention TV Show trying to get their JUNKIE into rehab. They eventually go but they usually relapse since they'd rather SLEEP IN THEIR OWN VOMIT!

Great point and best analogy I've heard yet. There is a box to register to vote on the EBT application and being that the Republicans want reform, which will take away many benefits, these "junkies" will vote for anybody but a Republican. Intentionally putting people into a cycle of perpetual poverty should be deemed the sickest political ploy since our independence and reminiscent of the USSR and Cuba.

Totally agree but there lies the dilemma. Which "JUNKIE" would vote for anyone who would cut off their "FIX?" Democrats are intentionally putting all of us in the poor house for a vote since who would "bite the hand that feeds them." "Mission Accomplished."

Please Sir! Corporate welfare pummles what regular folk get. Just because you are getting a hand out in a high rise office in a $1000 suit it is still a hand out. I have not known a person who received millions on welfare. But many companies get this on a regular with loop holes and subsidies. So bring it down a notch.

You can't get anything like that on EBT. You are seriously on crack. You
haven't used a food stamp card in your life. You can only get food with
it.

EBT can be used for cash withdrawl and this was brought to light by the fact that the ATMS used were located in casinos, strip clubs, etc. Who is on crack now?

Oh ya. Oh well. It's either food or cash. Not everyone can get cash. Cry me a river. You can't get ebt cash unless you have a kid anyways.

EBT is not Food stamps. You said EBT cannot be used for illicit activities which clearly it can. Food stamp cards have been showing up for sale on crags list and through facebook with people willing to sell the balance for 50 cents on the dollar. Cry me a river

You can either have just cash benefits or just food stamp benefits.

Ya. It IS!

Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) is an electronic system that allows
state welfare departments to issue benefits via a magnetically encoded
payment card, used in the United States and the United Kingdom.[1]

Common benefits provided (in the United States) via EBT are typically
of two general categories: food and cash benefits. Food benefits are
federally authorized benefits that can be used only to purchase food and

non-alcoholic beverages. Food benefits are distributed through the
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly the Food
Stamp Program. Cash benefits include state general assistance, Temporary
Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) benefits and refugee benefits.

Wikipedia anyone?

It definitely can be used for illicit activities. My bad.

This is true. There's a lady here where I live that was being taken to jail for failure to appear and her bond was $500. The officer on-scene (I work for a police department) watched her give her EBT card to her boyfriend and tell him to go to the ATM and get her the $500 to get out of jail. So, we all just paid to bond someone out of jail. Let THAT burn in deep when you think about it.

"According to the Bos-ton Her-ald, which first reported the veto, the governor (Deval Patrick, Democrat) berated the legislature’s stab at banning the purchase of specific items like manicures, tattoos, guns, po-rn, body piercings, jewelry, and bail by saying the move was “political grandstanding” at a time when such reforms are already on track elsewhere." He vetoed that measure by Repubicans? Ever try google search? There are so many links detailing abuse.

I blame a Gov't that's giving them an 800$ a month payment for food! That's almost double my family grocery budget! At what point is it more profitable to quit your job? There is no incentive to be responsible when you don't have to foot the bill for your new baby.

Agreed - a system that give a family of 5 twice what I pay for the same is a problem.

A priority system that recovers jewelry at 50% loss when there are still bills to be paid (the bank isn't forclosing for the fun of it) is a problem.

A family of four adults that is breeding out a second child without any employment is a problem.

The guy who PROVES that handouts prevent employment by asking for a pay reduction so that he can earn less and take more is a problem.

CNN is trying to make us pity these people - but sadly, all they are inspiring is contempt.

I'm not sure how big a family lives on $400, but my small family of four spend around 8-900 on food and we are in the top 5% of income earners.

Case in point, Confused. You are in the top 5% of earners and spend $800 - $900 on food for a family of four. The article said they received $800 to feed four adults and an infant. The infant will get food supplies from WIC, quite apart from the food stamps. So, our food stamp program allows for a food budget equivalent to someone who is in the top 5% of the earning echelon? I definitely need to explore the options of quitting and getting on these welfare programs. I want to live like a top percenter instead lower middle class.

That's what I was thinking. I think I could make more off the government, then I can working. Time for some early retirement

amen

Granted, location is a large factor as grocery prices fluctuate from market to market. If you're in the top 5% of income earners there is no reason you shouldn't spend whatever you want on groceries, it's your money.

I have a family of 5 and we spent approx $550 per month on groceries and we eat healthy. we also grow some veggiex months. $800 for a family of 4 sounds high to me except during the holidays.

I know WOW $800! I can easily do some side jobs and for cash a few hours a day and make another 1000 a month and live like a king.

There are plenty of ways to avoid having or raising a child without having an abortion. I think you're just looking for a reason to bash religion.

It deserves to be bashed -- it is a cancer. What basis would there be to advocate FOR it? If the old testament doesn't provide enough of an answer as to it's LACK of validity as a reasonable philosophical guidance for life -- I don't know why anyone would follow it. Just take ONE of the Old testament laws -- cutting off the hands of thieves -- doesn't THAT create MORE reliant people? Religion, on ALL levels -- IS A CANCER. It deserves all of the negativity it gets.

religion is a cancer? Christianity is based on the resurrection of Jesus Christ; not a cancer but a hope

A cancerous crutch -- that IS what it is. The ultimate welfare system.

I disagree. It has a value system that our nation was built on. For one thing, it gives a purpose and a meaning to life beyond "just please yourself". A man seeing his chief purpose in life as being to lead his wife by loving her, and supporting her in every way, and both parents loving their children and teaching them values about people, work, sex, marriage, and achievement. Those are all found in a Christian worldview.

I'm not saying that a non-Christain can't have those same values. Looking at Asians, they are some of the most prosperous people in America, because they value things like family and achievement, usually totally apart from Christianity.

What I am saying is that the amoral secular progressive movement here in America has worked tirelessly to dislodge our society from the more Christian worldview and value system, and yet, it has no worthwhile values to put in it's place. Values like saving the earth from global warming by driving an electric car, putting equal signs on your facebook profile to show you think right, and working to elect progressive democrat leaders only goes so far in a persons life. What about family? What about the value of life? The meaning for these things is becoming lost, because the values that gave meaning to them are going away in our culture.

I guess I'm arguing, that we NEED Christianity in America. Real, hard core, committed Christianity. It is the glue that made America great.

Right. See, we do have a system that was based, somewhat on the bible. And MORE specifically, the old testament. We may NOT cut the hands off of thieves, PHYSICALLY anymore -- but, they are incapacitated just the same. We create RELIANT people. So, in that sense YOU are right. On the same page, in fact the same side of that coin -- the bible says to forgive those as I have forgiven you -- BUT WE DON'T DO THAT WITH OUR SYSTEM DO WE DADDIO? For those we put through our 'justice' system -- there is NO forgiveness -- it is just a scarlet letter. Which I personally don't have -- JUST SAYIN'!

It is a dysfunctional system. And it costs A TON OF MONEY -- and is void of any real humanity.

I agree, the penal system in America is more focused on punishment, rather than the restoration of the person. I'm not sure that you could call the failure of that system a reflection of Christian or biblical values. It sounds like you are saying it's Jewish, being OT? There is a thread of the need for a redeemer running throughout the OT.

It is though. That's where it came from...? All it is is eye for an eye, just, not in a physical way. And see, why it is Christian, and SOOO many Christians don't even understand this -- is this reason; Jesus dying -- DID NOT CHANGE LAW! It didn't CHANGE what qualified as sin. It is simply an opt out of responsibility to that sin....Gee, you wanna do, whatcha wanna do? Jesus died, so you could sin? Sounds ridiculous, right? In essence, that's EXACTLY what he did. So -- since the laws didn't change, and the punishment didn't change (EXCEPT for those who take Jesus...uhhh, gift!)......THE OLD TESTAMENT IS THE LAW of a Christians universe.

So we keep the penal system of the OT -- and take away Food benefits for poor people, because we don't like that poor people have kids -- and yet some of us want to lay claim to and retain this Christian morality compass? REALLY?

Yes, Christianity does teach that Jesus paid the price for the sins of those who believe in him. There are 2 parts that you are leaving out though. first off, the bible specifically teaches that true believers don't continue to go on giving themselves over to sin, and that the new relationship with Christ is transformational to them. That they are "born again" and that includes with a heart to desire what God desires.

It's nonsense. And now you are right back at the beginning; OT laws are still IN EFFECT. Say you are sorry, but, follow the law. No pig, church on saturdays -- ten commandments ALL of it. Cut the hands off thieves. The only thing that is different, is the sacrificing of INNOCENT lambs............everything else -- the same. No jewelry. No Makeup/tattoo's (Face painting) On and on and on. Slaves are OK. Just, treat them good....Lol....it's just, TWILIGHT ZONE material.

Well you don't know the bible. The Bible teaches that Jesus didn't come to abolish the OT laws, that is true, but he came to fulfill them. So, Now Christians owe him allegiance not the law. They belong to Him. He bought them with a price, and He leads them, and transforms them.

Yes I do. I am the way, and the light blah, blah, blah -- it DOES NOT TAKE anything away from the old testament: The Hypocrisy, the barbaric torture of human creatures (Job, Isaac, Abraham and on and on!) those things STILL happened. So, sorry -- the whole thing -- is a cancer. We have had mothers MURDER their babies -- claiming, like Abraham did with Isaak -- that they were acting on God's wishes........I think that is a VERY big clue. So -- even IF Jesus is leading, he is leading AWAY from the old testament. Against HIS very own father. Yet they are one and the same? And perfect? A perfect being, made THAT plan? I don't think so. It's a very easy LIE -- to rip out of the darkness -- because let's face it -- anyone who claims to be a God of Love -- and instructs his creations to sacrifice his own son, only to back out at the very last second, torturing the child AND father -- CAN'T be real. There is NO way.

Praise the Lord! The Republican'ts are fulfilling the Great Commission by starving the poor into submission! How can we ever thank them enough? It must make Jesus so happy to see children and working, struggling families endure more unnecessary GOP manufactured hardship so 99% of America can be called good soldiers in Christ. Hallelujah! Thank God for millionaire Congressmen and Senators, who know what's best for everyone else except themselves!

But you are ignoring the fact that many Christians are very charitable with their own time and money with the poor. What you are describing is a different view than you. A view that would say that some people need financial help, but more people need a job, and a kick in the pants to provide for themselves. You are ignoring the fact that too often welfare has destroyed initiative, and harmed lives in the process. If you can't see that, then you are not being honest.

It's a good thing Jesus was born rich! Wait -- what?

you mean stolen from the jews, then try to wipe them out?

Unfortunately, I don't think there is anything I can do to change your ignorance or sway your hate. There are valid criticisms of Christianity - of all religion for that matter - but if you truly can't identify any good that comes from it all, then I really do pity you.

If you are locked in the old Testament AND DO NOT OBEY, then you suffer the same fate. The new Testament tells us to love one another as God loves us and that leaves no room for the things you seem to think occur.

You can try to spin this away ALL you like -- but IF there is NO reason to be found in the old testament -- the precursor, then NOTHING that follows has ANY real world value -- as an all encompassing model. It's ALL the same. But different. But the same.

I think you have to be under the assumption that the old testament is gone and the new testament took its place

What Christian church does not believe fornication is immoral? I as a Roman Catholic was raised to not have sex before marriage. I do it all the time of course, but it's not like the Church doesn't address it. It's one of the first things you're taught about sex in a Catholic school.

Besides, you don't have to be unmarried to have an abortion. Married status may be an indicator but it a requirement for abortions. There is however a conspicuous absence of fathers in this article so it is definitely something worth noting what sh!tbags American fathers are nowadays and how foolish women can be to let them have sex with them.

I hear you, but there is some sort of a teaching gap here. Somewhere, either the church has lost focus, or parents did not listen and teach their kids the right values, and we have more and more people with a worse and worse set of values.

The thing I see about the Catholic church is that they are more focused on membership than they are the actual worldview of the independent adherent.

Are they teaching men to be men, and to lead by committing to love their wife and children, and to have a passion to teach them right from wrong? or do they just teach them to look to the church authorities for teaching, and leadership? The same goes for the protestant church.

There is a failure of leadership here from the church. They all teach the idea of a top down authority real well, but they never emphasize the individual leadership in the home. I guess they could see that kind of independent leadership could undermine their own authority.

I have been taught many of these values in Catholic school, so yes. Most Catholics however go to public schools. That is the teaching gap. Trying to raise a family Catholic in a secular country. I wouldn't blame the Church for not stressing the issue enough though, I'd blame the parents for not instilling in in their kid.

Kinda hard to tell your kid not to have sex when Miley Cyrus is twerking all over their faces, sexual messages are everywhere nowadays.