Amish and Latino Welfare Queens

[BPSCG]

Amish first...

Two northeast Ohio counties are being ordered by the state to try to boost the number of Amish receiving food stamps.

Geauga and Holmes counties plan to start advertising campaigns to encourage Amish to enroll in the subsidy program. Holmes may use a billboard to get the message out.

State officials saidt's important that the Amish know the benefit is available.

But county officials question whether the effort is a waste of time and money. Amish oppose accepting government assistance.

The head of the Geauga Department of Job and Family Services says no matter how much they do, the Amish won't sign up.

...and the Latinos:

...those who enroll the poor in the federal food stamp program say they've struggled for years to get immigrant Latino families signed up.

Now a Spanish-language news report and television ad campaign have spurred thousands of immigrants in Orange County over the last several weeks to contact a nonprofit organization that offers a Spanish-language class called "Food Stamps in Four Hours."

The stream of immigrants contrasts sharply with what was going on just a few months ago when only a handful of immigrants would attend the free course.

The news report and ads were heard throughout Southern California, but those who responded in Orange County were directed to a nonprofit organization. Most other callers to the toll-free number were directed to county offices.

The Orange County strategy has been lauded throughout the state as a way to reach immigrants who are reluctant to get help from the government.

"They won't come on their own," said Jerry Sanders, food bank manager of the nonprofit Community Action Partnership of Orange County in Garden Grove. "They come from countries where they think the government isn't to be trusted. They figure there's a catch to free food."

Advocates say immigrants, if here illegally, are also worried about being deported if they apply for food stamps. Or they fear jeopardizing a pending application for residency or citizenship. Illegal immigrants can apply on behalf of their minor children here legally.

Other immigrants say they were simply embarrassed.

"The Mexican man is macho. He doesn't want to come to this country and beg," said Alfonso Chavez, the Community Action Partnership's outreach coordinator. "I tell them this is a program that will help the children. The kids are American-born, and they have a right to this program."

A Los Angeles County Department of Social Services task force is looking at ways to find eligible families to enroll. County workers have signed up families at food banks with only minor success.

People want to work hard and be self-sufficient, and the government and social agencies want to turn them into wards of the state.

 

[Mephisto]

Why thanks, BPSCG. - this certainly dispels the popular notion that;

A. the Amish want our help, and

B. all (illegal) immigrants are a willing drain on our society.

It's also worthy to note that in the midst of the furor over illegal immigration the government is trying to push benefits on people unwilling to use them.

 

[HarryKeogh]

It's also worthy to note that in the midst of the furor over illegal immigration the government is trying to push benefits on people unwilling to use them.

They are unwilling to use them because they are afraid to use them for fear of deportation or felt too proud to use them and the government thinks it's more important for their kids (American born and entitled to them) to have enough food to eat.

A government social program looking out for the welfare of its citizens? That's crazy!

 

[gtc]

Why thanks, BPSCG. - this certainly dispels the popular notion that;

A. the Amish want our help, and

That is a popular notion?

 

[Mephisto]

They are unwilling to use them because they are afraid to use them for fear of deportation or felt too proud to use them and the government thinks it's more important for their kids (American born and entitled to them) to have enough food to eat.

A government social program looking out for the welfare of its citizens? That's crazy!

My family also has a distrust of government programs and this especially includes any kind of government aid. Registering for ANYTHING has long been considered dangerous by indigenous cultures in the SW. Somehow, they can't shake the notion that they'll be rounded up and put on reservations or be deported altogether.

I'm sure they'd also question your assertion that the government cares enough about their children to ensure they have enough to eat.

 

[Dave1001]

What's interesting about latinos in America is that I think they actually have lower infant mortality rates than white Americans. If I remember correctly, there's speculation that this is due to a greater emphasis on the family and perhaps on breastfeeding than in the white population.

This is despite fear some of them may have of deportation if they request benefits.

 

[russingram]

They are unwilling to use them because they are afraid to use them for fear of deportation or felt too proud to use them and the government thinks it's more important for their kids (American born and entitled to them) to have enough food to eat.

A government social program looking out for the welfare of its citizens? That's crazy!

if you think government welfare programs help people, you don't know any that are on welfare. their lives are usually disasters, and out of the dozen or so I've known, not one of them was incapable of supporting themselves. they would have been so much better off if they had - they would have had to get into a daily routine, and wouldn't have had near as much time to get into trouble.

 

[russingram]

They are unwilling to use them because they are afraid to use them for fear of deportation or felt too proud to use them and the government thinks it's more important for their kids (American born and entitled to them) to have enough food to eat.

A government social program looking out for the welfare of its citizens? That's crazy!

oh, and the pride thing is important to - all of the welfare recipients i knew were severely deficient in it. not sure which came first - lack of pride, or welfare, but i think the welfare caused a greater lack of pride.

 

[BPSCG]

More on this, from today's Washington Post:

The income they pull together from their jobs is pumped into work-related expenses and living essentials, putting 90 percent of their earnings back into the U.S. economy, according to the IDB. Most of the rest of their incomes they invest in their homelands as remittances.

The IDB report found that immigrants will send home approximately $45 billion in remittances in 2006,

Huh? That $45 billion is only ten percent of what Hispanic immigrants in America earned in 2006 (and the year ain't over yet)? That means Hispanics earned $450 billion in the U.S. in 2006?

That doesn't sound right.

Provocative article, though.

ETA: The IDP report says that Hispanic immigrants - about 17.3 million - have annual U.S. income of about $500 billion.

If that's accurate, the average annual per capita earnings for Hispanics in the U.S. is nearly $29,000.

 

[shemp]

Here's my take on it: These agencies want more people to sign up for their services so that they can make the case that they need bigger budgets and more employees. It's just another example of managers trying to increase their power and influence.

 

[Rob Lister]

More on this, from today's Washington Post:
Huh? That $45 billion is only ten percent of what Hispanic immigrants in America earned in 2006 (and the year ain't over yet)? That means Hispanics earned $450 billion in the U.S. in 2006?

That doesn't sound right.

Provocative article, though.

ETA: The IDP report says that Hispanic immigrants - about 17.3 million - have annual U.S. income of about $500 billion.

If that's accurate, the average annual per capita earnings for Hispanics in the U.S. is nearly $29,000.

That sounds about right. A bit lower than average but within the margin.

 

[BPSCG]

That sounds about right. A bit lower than average but within the margin.

Really? Because per capita means kids and grannies are included in the average. It sounds high to me. Not as off-the-wall high as the Johns Hopkins estimate of Iraqi dead, but still high.