The first bill introduced by Congresswoman Mary Peltola raced through the committee process and was quickly passed by the House of Representatives in just 10 days. Some are calling the bill the Hooked on Handouts Act, but it’s formally known as House Resolution 8888, creating an Office of Food Security for veterans. Rather than increasing veterans’ pay, it gets them to use government programs to survive.
The bill focuses on encouraging veterans to apply for food stamps, or SNAP benefits, or WIC benefits. It sets up the office in the Department of Veterans Affairs and will create a mini-bureaucracy devoted to getting veterans hooked on government benefits.
The bill now will be considered by the Senate.
If they already qualify for assistance, shouldn’t they just sign up and get assistance like others do? Why spend money on more bureaucracy? How about giving them better access to health care or upping their retirement pay for serving in our all volunteer military?
They are hungry. Can’t gain any other supports if you are dead because you don’t have food.
Few, if any, join the one profession putting your life on the line is a literal guarantee…
…to go on public assistance.
This shouldn’t be brain surgery. But for some it seems to be.
This is so strange to me. I am a veteran. When I was rated at 70%, because of what I made in pension on that rating, I only qualified for $26 a month in SNAP benefits. I am now rated at 100% and I don’t qualify for SNAP because I’m over their income limit. I don’t know who they are trying to benefit here, but it isn’t veterans. It sounds to me like it’s just more bureaucratic nonsense meant to line their own pockets.
They should be paid the same as Congress. All the perks they get. Make it a federal law. Or investors might swarm other countries and tell the US to flock off .
Increasing pay allows independence. SNAP keeps them dependent on Chairman Joe.
We can’t do enough for our vets. They return home mostly changed forever. In Roman times, a slave could gain citizenship by serving. We owe them more than a peg leg or a psych ward.
Peltola’s interest is focused on Native veterans. She has no self-generated interest in helping White people. Congressional committees rushed her bill through the process only because Nancy Pelosi wants to show her level of confidence in Peltola. A complete dishonest joke, recognizable by any thinking person. Pelosi wants to hang on to power in the House with every Democrat she can muster up. Peltola is a willing guinea pig. But, she won’t last past November 8th.
Regardless, the help will come to all vets. How do you know that she’s anti-white vet? Or is that just some sort of a racist view of yours?
She does not have to be anti-white vet in order to place native AK vets at the top of her list.
Cheap shot, Forkner. You know it to be true. Unless you don’t currently live in Alaska and have never been to a Native village. Whites are not really welcomed. Are you a racist?
Funny thing. I’m white, Alaskan, and have worked in both native villages and for native corps. I’ve never been made to feel unwelcome.
Are there some bozos? Of course. But on the whole I’ve found the respect you give is the respect you get in return.
If your experience is different, perhaps a mirror is in order.
I lived in Alaska villages for 20 years. I am native American. Anymore questions?
Yeah. Where do you currently reside, Greg Forkner? Do you still get a PFD?
Jesse is correct. Peltola is a completely used guinea pig by the Democrats, who are hoping to retain her in Congress to bolster their numbers. Peltola got in with 39% of the voters. She should relish her last few weeks in congress because Republicans will rank the red for #1 and #2 in November. Goodbye Peltola.
An “interesting” claim. The implication that Mary has a racial bone to pick with non native vets. Can you back it up with facts?
Peltola, a hard left Democrat, is part of the race bating problem that is being advanced by woke commies. That is, they have been trained to believe Whites have caused them all of these problems, especially White men.
It’s part of the retraining agenda that the Lefties are advancing in the public schools.
The BLM movement has brought it to the forefront of today’s culture. Have you been sleeping for the past few years, Avenger. Time to wake up, bud.
Wha a slam and insult to our veterans. Why forcing them to rely in government entitlement and assistance instead of simply raising their income benefits? And creates another layer of bureaucracy? Pretty disgusting. Peltola now showing her true left leaning colors. Power and control, bigger government.
Vets are used to entitlements. When they joined up, they were dependent upon the government for clothing healthcare Chow and transportation. The fact remains that a lot of vets come back and for whatever reason are unable to obtain or hold down a job and that puts them in a needy category. Being able to feed our vets it’s just a humane thing to do. There’s not a stigma attached to food stamps unless it’s self-imposed. I was on food stamps about 40 years ago and I was glad to have them. My wife was also glad to have WIC when she was pregnant with her sons. Didn’t think anything about it. We were poor and it helped out. Nothing more to say
Funny. Most vets I know would bristle at this comment. Hard.
Active duty, especially those deployed aren’t “dependent” for food, housing, clothing. Those are part of the package they signed on for. Perks, if you will. No different than oil workers on the slope.
It’s a very tough life where you lose a great deal of autonomy. Including the ability to quit if you don’t like where you’re sent.
More than any other part of society, they EARN what you call entitlements.
Don’t claim to champion vets while insulting them in the same paragraph
You don’t know any needy vets then. I see them in wheelchairs panhandling all the time. Desperate for anything.
And more union employees in the VA system.
Veterans (like myself) were willing to give the ultimate serving this great country and the best these clowns can do is insult us and offer food stamps and handouts and create another expensive govt. program. Feel good crap for them and insults to Veterans. Typical politics. I say pass a bill that Congressional salaries should be equal to that of the average salary a veteran earns while serving, or a Veteran earns the average of a congressional salary. Either way would be fine with me.
The Anchorage VA Clinic is a large pool of ineptitude. To add more to this bureaucracy is a bad idea and would turn into a colossal waste of time and resources. Rather than sign up veterans for food stamps at the VA, we need assistance in getting appropriate employment (commensurate with our skill levels and experience). With good jobs, veterans have little need for public assistance like food stamps.
[Note: The Anchorage Job Centers, however, are not equipped to offer any assistance to those of us seeking federal employment and the USAJOBS application process. One state worker told me they do not know about USAJOBS because they are focused on helping Alaskans prepare resumes for jobs like those offered at Bailey’s Home Furnishings.]
Peltola, what myopia! Consider H.R. 8888 as a public service notice to all Alaskans that this is you at your best! You are truly off the “tundra!”
You get food stamps! You get food stamps! You get food stamps! You get food stamps! All of you get food stamps- Meemaw Peltola
Our veterans deserve better then this slapped together! Crap! It’s called get me elected choose me in November!
Right. What we need is more bureaucracy. Why not just keep the promises our government made to our troops?
What a load of excrement Ms Poltola. Is this how the commies in DC are gonna make you look good?
I remember a time when 10% of our service members were on food stamps & that’s ok, some need help.
But a new VA bureaucracy to steer military families to food stamps in the crummy Dem economy we have?
Really?
I know in Bethel, where you are from, EVERYONE works for government, but the whole world doesn’t have to be like Bethel. NOT a good start.
The reliance on government assistance from cradle to grave, as it is in western Alaska, is the root cause for the problems they have.
It’s just a little bit of food people, just a basic necessity of life. I’m not sure why so many people are against this. Is it perhaps that somebody’s getting something that they’re not? Why not try to think about everyone and if someone was so poor as to qualify for this, feel sorry for them but also be happy for them that they’re going to get something to eat tonight. Down in Florida right now, people are digging out and boxing up dead people people some people are complaining that white rich neighborhoods are getting power turned back on before poor Hispanic neighborhoods. Some people are complaining that they suffer without power while they watch people across the street through their windows with the lights on watching television and eating hot food. They don’t understand it all depends on what grid they’re on and how much damage it received but rather than remaining calm and feeling sorry for the less lucky people who survived the storm, people seem to be turning on people. Please don’t make the mistake of turning on our vets for something that they need. Don’t make it political because in some people’s views this is a good thing for the candidate in November. If a representative does something good does it really matter what party they are a member of?
I cannot speak for anyone else, Greg, but I am not “against” it.
.
I am not going to celebrate it either. Getting more people on government handouts is not an accomplishment. It is a failure.
It is treating the symptom while the disease runs rampant.
.
Petola should be ashamed that she was pushed to take this action, not proud of it.
As a society it’s nothing to be proud of. But it’s happened from the beginning of time and I don’t know what the solution is other than in gene roddenberry’s world, money wasn’t the thing that drives us. They had the ability to manufacturer AKA replicate food so there was no reason anybody was hungry. Supposedly they were working for the common good but it took a third world war two accomplish that. We’re not there yet, and we won’t be so long as society doesn’t change. What’s it going to take to convince everyone that capitalism is no longer needed? I believe it’s going to take a change in mentality where people don’t care about what kind of car they’re driving because public transportation is the way to go. If everyone works for the common good of the planet, I think that’s the only way that we can survive as a species. But we may be one or two world wars away from that.
It’s not military people getting food stamps Greg. SNAP benefits are already there & waiting, for anybody who needs them, to apply.
We don’t need a ‘mini-bureaucracy’ created, at tax payer expense, to guide our military to benefits which are open to all Americans. Our military has always had a % of soldiers on SNAP (it was 10% back in the 80’s)
This is nothing but useless & expensive political nonsense; it’s purpose is to ‘highlight’ Congressperson Peltola’s credibility so she will be re-elected.
It is THE PROBLEM w/ our Federal politicians, both liberal & conservative. They use American tax dollars to benefit THEMSELVES & their power.
Do NOT engage in the false comparison of Florida.
It’s low rent and intellectually vapid.
A natural disaster and generational mistreatment of vets are not remotely the same.
Sorry, you’re
Not making any sense tonight. I can’t help you.
Day by day, America is becoming more and more Socialized as a nation.
Comrade, it’s good to see you back on here. As long as the citizens aren’t oppressed, and are happy and provided for similar to drones and worker bees in a hive, The Hive will continue to function and flourish. I know that sounds like communism but as a planet do you really think that we can continue on the current path? And if so for how long? I’m kind of celebrating the fact that Zuckerberg has lost 71 billion dollars recently.. it’s not jealousy. Rather no one person is worth that when others are sleeping in the woods at night under tarps.
Typical attacking the messenger whine from the usual subjects on here. As if this bill is somehow insulting to our veterans-I don’t feel insulted a bit, by the way.
Tough noogies to you all.
I’m not a veteran, but I’ve been so poor that my wife was on WIC, we got a food box once a week from a local church, we had food stamps and yes, we used to go to the local dump to get aluminum cans to recycle and while there thought we hit it big when the groceries truck back then with outdated food. We continued to work through it. It’s not something I’m proud of but looking back it was just one of the many hardships that we endured to get to where we are now. I imagine people coming out of the depression felt similar. You know the old saying if it don’t kill you it makes you strong, well that’s not exactly true. It takes more than that to make you strong, it takes determination hard work and willpower along with a lot of luck.
Did you serve?
Drafted in early 67 (Army).
No. I played football instead.
Now that Ms. Peltola has opened her mouth on what she really stands for, this is a prime opportunity for Mr. Begich to start the ads ripping her policies apart. Also, anyone else seen her ad telling us “we’ve already missed 3 times to vote?” Apparently, she thinks Alaskans are stupid and like all Dems, thinks we don’t know how, or when, to vote. Sorry ma’am, all due respect, we know how to vote, we know how to think for ourselves and we know how to read through BS.
Interesting how every such “improvement” creates a new bureaucracy.
You can call it crisis management if you want to, but like medicine, mostly they are treating the symptoms hoping for a cure or at the very least buying time. I believed that vets when they come home should be assimilated back into society. Most were trained to kill, and many did on our behalf. That affects people emotionally. Even Audie Murphy most decorated person in world war II suffered night terrors and alcoholism trying to put it all behind him. War changes people not for the better. We are responsible for taking care of these folks whatever they need. They fought for us while we were safely back home and we should welcome them back with open arms, rehabilitation if needed, and substance without being shamed or ridiculed.
Good for Mary. I doubt Begich or what’s her name could get bill through congress
What a mixed up thread. Some going out of their way to attribute racial motives to the Representative. Others pimping expanded government welfare as a way to assist vets.
Both sides should be ashamed, but appear to lack the character to do so.
Want to help vets? Two things come to mind.
1-hire them
2-press the government to honor the commitments made to them.
Why not limit government employment to 5 or10 years with appropriate smaller pensions available at 60 years of age, therefore opening the door to more employment opportunity and ending the Deep State feudal power system where 20 to 30 year heads of departments become rich nobility.
This is why you never vote for a democrat. They want to take your money and hand it out as they see fit. Why should I have to pay for someone elses food? If they can’t feed themselves that’s on them (drug adicts). Vote red this november, that’s the only way to get these people out of office. Disgraceful.
One of the worse actions you do to a man is he can’t pay his way for himself or a family member. Or you take that ability away. Or doing too much for him. Whether he a veteran or civilian, he still a man. But i think the low-income, or povery level, men petola thought about as she signed her’s and staff member’s bill are confused men who don’t know what is a man. Real men. They don’t seek hand-outs. They were consistently employed all their life to have a something he earned for self and wife in old age. That’s a man who knows what is a being man instead of living as a boy people taking care of him all his young life, so when he
old he’s still needs money from people.
U.S. soldiers told to get food stamps, while another $12 billion goes to Ukraine so Zelensky can continue to launder money for the Bidens and buy another villa. Sick.
S. P. Peterson for Putin and his “special military operations!” That has a ring of madness. (Imagine, Putin’s war was only touted by the mindless as a limited, special military operation!)
Now a message to Congress: Take care of the troops. Put your dinner forks ‘n’ knives and your wine goblets down and listen. You’re in for a hell of an “awakening” if you think that you can treat our soldiers as dumpster divers as you guzzle your wine by the bottles full and gorge yourselves from high off the hog!
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