Who Gets Food Stamps?
Filed under: Blog Entries, Community, Politics, Society & Culture
Whenever I hear the words “food stamps” or “WIC”, I have this image in my mind. I don’t know how it got there, but it’s there and for some reason I can’t seem to shake it. I know others have that same image and over the years, the “welfare system” has become a hot topic on the Republican debate trail. People are going crazy over a program that helps those in need and I’m sure the majority of those complaining have no idea who the system is helping. While reading through some posts at factcheck.org, I found the following:
The most recent Department of Agriculture report on the general characteristics of the SNAP program’s beneficiaries says that in the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, 2010:
- 47 percent of beneficiaries were children under age 18.
- 8 percent were age 60 or older.
- 41 percent lived in a household with earnings from a job — the so-called “working poor.”
- The average household received a monthly benefit of $287.
- 36 percent were white (non-Hispanic), 22 percent were African American (non-Hispanic) and 10 percent were Hispanic (Table A.21).
We don’t argue that the program is either too large (as Gingrich does) or too small. It has certainly reached a historically high level, and may or may not grow even larger in the months to come. But the plain fact is that the growth started long before Obama took office, and participation grew more under Bush.
Now, I don’t want you to think I’m blind to the fact that there are people abusing the system. Just like the tax code is abused, I’m sure there are many getting over on the good ol’ US of A. But for the most part, in my special world, I’d like to think it’s beneficial to those who need it most.
As an added bonus, I thought I’d add a link to the WIC PARTICIPANT AND PROGRAM CHARACTERISTICS 2010: SUMMARY.
The Fires in Bastrop County and How You Can Help
Filed under: Blog Entries, Business, Community, General, Society & Culture
I received this information from one of my fraternity brothers who used to live in Bastrop. If you haven’t seen the news the people in Bastrop County are in need of help in a major way. More the 25,000 acres have burned and 476 homes have been destroyed. Currently, there is zero containment of any of the fires. In a press conference with Rick Perry, he said this is one of the biggest fires he’s ever seen.
Press Conference: Bastrop County Judge Ronnie McDonald
If you want to help or if you know someone near Bastrop that can help, please forward this information:
Bastrop County Office of Emergency Management ( Like them on Facebook)
Financial needs are great and donations can be made through the Bastrop Christian Ministerial Alliance: 512-332-8661 or 512-332-8977.
Donation needs - Supplies needed at this time- new pillows, bed sheets, blankets, towels and toilettries. These donations are being accepted at Trinity Zion Church @ 151 Shiloh Rd., accepted until 7p tonight then beginning at 9am Tuesday. Call these numbers for donations information: 512-332-8661 or 512-332-8977.
VET HELP!! - A vet in Bastrop trying to do triage out in the fields for the Bastrop animals and she is in desperate need of help. She needs vet or medical people to help her, bandages, meds, whatever she can get. Please contact Christy at 512-796-0327 Pls. leave a msg. if she does not answer!”
Angel Care Ambulance - In need of non-perishable items, ex: can foods, bottled water, diapers, personal hygenie items, blankets, etc. If you would like to help, please drop off items at Angel Care Ambulance. 1105 W. Corpus Christi. We will deliver the items by this weekend. Any questions please contact Micki @ (361)542-9117, SHOES AND CLOTHES OF ALL.
For additional news coverage on this situation visit:
http://austin.ynn.com/content/top_stories
Please pray for all the leaders, emergency crews, assisting crews and people in Bastrop County. This is a devastating fire and the dry weather isn’t helping the situation. If I receive any additional information, I’ll post it here.
Employment Opportunities at TDLR
I know, I know. I haven’t been using this site recently like I should have. Things have been pretty busy, but more posts are coming soon. Here’s one that I received in an email last week. With the unemployment situation the way it’s been, I thought this would be something people could use. If you know of any other companies hiring, send them to me and I’ll post them here.
The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) announces the following job openings:
Compliance Field Inspector (Inspector IV) – South Region (El Paso and surrounding area)
Posting Number: 0604-11
Group/Step: B15, Position 229
Opening Date: 06/23/11
Closing Date: Until Filled
$31,729 – $37,500 annuallyBoiler Inspector Team Leader (Boiler Inspector III) – Austin (North Campus)
Posting Number: 0801-11
Group/Step: B22, Position 109
Opening Date: 08/05/11
Closing Date: Until Filled
$50,002 – $53,448 annuallyBoiler Inspector Team Leader (Boiler Inspector III) – (East Region - Houston)
Posting Number: 0802-11
Group/Step: B22, Position 46
Opening Date: 08/05/11
Closing Date: Until Filled
$50,002 – $53,448 annuallyTDLR provides a total compensation package that enables us to attract, motivate, and retain highly skilled and talented employees, including a merit system, full use of salary ranges, performance awards, retention
and recruitment bonuses. TDLR is ranked as one of the Top 25 mid-sized employers in Greater Austin.Please visit TDLR’s employment page for more information on these positions, how to apply and all other current openings.
Take Control
Filed under: Blog Entries, Community, Education, Society & Culture
If you can control a man’s thinking, you don’t have to worry about his actions. If you can determine what a man thinks you do not have worry about what he will do. If you can make a man believe that he is inferior, you don’t have to compel him to seek an inferior status, he will do so without being told and if you can make a man believe that he is justly an outcast, you don’t have to order him to the back door, he will go to the back door on his own and if there is no back door, the very nature of the man will demand that you build one. – Carter G. Woodson.
60% of Texas students disciplined by expulsion or suspension
For some reason, this quote from The Mis-Education of the Negro really stuck with me. Sometimes we forget how powerful the mind really is. We’re born into the world as blank slates and our life experiences build who we will eventually become. I hate to see articles like the one above because after a while the students and community start to accept these actions as the norm. It’s at this point where their thinking can be controlled by their surroundings.
In reading books on slavery, I always wondered why a plantation full of slaves allowed one person to control them. They easily outnumbered their slave owner, but never came together to overtake him. This is what happens to some communities and it’s only when the people have had enough, that they make up their mind to change their situation.
President Obama’s National HIV/AIDS Strategy
Filed under: Blog Entries, Community, Health, Obama, Society & Culture
On July 13, 2010 the White House released the National HIV/AIDS Strategy, which was the country’s first roadmap to addressing the domestic epidemic. In recognition of this important milestone, the White House created the video below and a pdf update of their implementation strategy.
We may not think of this as a really big deal, but according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in 2006, black men accounted for two-thirds of new infections (65%) among all blacks. The rate of new HIV infection for black men was 6 times as high as that of white men, nearly 3 times that of Hispanic/Latino men, and twice that of black women.
So think about that as you watch the video.
Texas TV TakeBack Bill Signed
Last week Gov. Rick Perry signed a new law requiring television manufacturers to take back and recycle unused television sets in an effort to keep toxic materials out of our landfills and water.
Why is this a big deal you might ask? One, because pollutants in the water is just nasty. And two, because I feel it’s important to take care of the environment and do what we can to keep it safe for generations to come. The small things matter and when they make it easy for us to recycle any type of item, we should take full advantage of it.
I grew up in a neighborhood where we had to work to recycle stuff. Crushing cans and loading the car with paper and plastic bottles was a family affair for us. We would take it up to the community recycling bin and make multiple trips during the day if we couldn’t pack all of it in on the first trip. Now, all I have to do is throw my recyclables in a bin and put it on the corner during our recycle day.
While the bill has been signed by the governor, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality still has to design rules to implement and enforce the law. Until then check out the articles below to learn who current offers recycling programs for electronics in Texas.
What Texas’ new television recycling law means for consumers
President Obama’s Weekly Address – 06/18/11
Filed under: Blog Entries, Community, Family, Life, Obama, Relationships, Society & Culture
I thought this video was a great example of what father’s job should be.
On Father’s Day weekend, President Obama reflects on his experience as a parent and discusses the challenges and necessity of being a good father.
Change
Filed under: Black Blogger Postings, Blog Entries, Business, Community, Education, Entertainment & Sports, Family, General, Health, Laughable, Legal, Life, Monday Motivation, Music Reviews, My Thoughts, My Utterz, MyBlogLog, Obama, Our Rights, Personal Finance, Photo Phinish, Podcasts, Podcasts - Tha Brothas, Politics, Relationships, Society & Culture, Technology, Think Global, Twitter
It’s been a while since I’ve posted on theotalks.net and I’ve had it on my task list to do this for a while. I’ve been debating it for some time, but I really think it’s time to start fresh. I’ve mentioned in other posts that blogging is hard work. If you’re not dedicated to the cause, you can easily suffer burnout. I’ve seen it before from some of my favorite sites and if you look at the last date I posted, you’ll see it here.
But despite the lack of posts, I still get a decent amount of hits and readers are still leaving comments on some of my older posts. I’m not the most prolific writer and I don’t consider myself to be well-versed in a lot of the stuff I blog about. But there’s something about this blogging thing that keeps sucking me back into it. I’ve grown to love the black blogger community and it has allowed me to meet some amazing people. There are a lot of people out there with some strong opinions about society and the world as they see it. Those are the people who I like to showcase and support.
I’m making some changes to the blog and what I blog about. I love the current theme and focus of theotalks, but I want to remove the restraints and give myself the opportunity to be all over the place. The new theme of the site is “Random thoughts about everything and nothing”. While it may be a little vague, that’s how I want to run the site from now on. My current theme of focusing on the black community is great, but there are so many other great bloggers out there consistently doing it. It takes time to put those posts together and right now, I’m at a different place in life.
So from here on out, expect the unexpected. As I feel moved, I’ll post about whatever is on my heart at the moment. I’ll also be showcasing some of my favorite bloggers and will work to get some of the guest writers back (you know who you are) to help a brotha out.
I haven’t decided if I’m going to start the podcast back up, but I might try my hand at video blogging. Only time will tell. Thanks to everyone who supports and reads this blog. It definitely keeps me motivated to stay at it.
God Bless.
Theo
Once Again It’s On!
Filed under: Blog Entries, Community, Education, Family, Health, My Thoughts, Obama, Politics, Society & Culture, Technology, Think Global
Earlier this morning President Obama began filing papers to seek re-election for President in 2012. The first thought in my mind was “here we go again”. I was surprised the first time he sought election and shocked when he beat out the Clintons for the Democratic nominee. But watching him over the past couple of years has shown me Obama can handle the critics and is willing to complete the tasks he promises to those who elect him.
Sure we don’t have our American utopia critics felt he promised in 2008, but let’s remember the downward spiral our country was going in before he was elected. Money was being thrown all over the place to fund the Iraq war, the housing sector was trash and companies who were too big to fail were in the corporate welfare line waiting for their share of the taxpayers’ money. It wasn’t pretty and I til this day can’t understand why he wanted to run for office in the first place. But he won and the country has never been the same since.
Our previous president told us that holding the office of Commander in Chief is hard work and I agree. I couldn’t imagine having to be responsible for making decisions that affect millions of people, but I feel President Obama has done what he feels is best for America and deserves a second term. I feel confident that despite all the political bickering, he thoughtfully considers every decision and moves after he’s heard all the options. Yes, not every decision is effective. But what president, CEO or executive can make the claim that all of the decisions they’ve made have worked? In the end, he’s the one held responsible. So let’s give him four more years to see if the laws he’s implemented work.
Texas PTA Legislative Action Alert
Filed under: Community, Education, Family, Health, Politics, Society & Culture, Technology
I received this email from our PTA. Earlier this week during a youth Bible study class, one of the students asked us to pray for their teachers in Plano ISD. Over 400 of them were losing their jobs and 40 were just let go from her school that week.
This is sad and shows how much our representatives in Texas care about the future of our youth. While my kids might not personally benefit from all of these programs, there are a lot of kids who will. For those parents who might not have the money to send their kids to private school or get outside help for their kids, these programs and grants are needed. If you live in Texas, take a little time to call your representative and ask them to fund public education.
—————————————————————————————————–
WE NEED YOUR HELP!!!
PLEASE CALL YOUR REPRESENTATIVE TODAY
ASK HIM/HER TO FUND PUBLIC EDUCATION
IN HB 1
THE BUDGET BILL FOR 2012-2013
CALL TODAY!!!
What you need to know:
Friday, April 1, the Texas House of Representatives will vote on the budget for the next two years. The budget on which they will vote makes deep cuts to public education.
- HB 1 proposes giving $7.8 billion less to the Foundation School Program (FSP), the main source of funding for local school districts. This is 18% less than is required by current law.
- Depending upon how a local school district chooses to address this reduced funding from the state, Texas could expect layoffs of thousands of school employees.
- In addition to cuts to the FSP, HB 1 cuts or severely reduces funding for
- Reading, Math and Science Initiatives
- Pre-Kindergarten Early Start program
- Early Childhood School Readiness Grants
- Science Lab Grants
- Texas Advanced Placement Incentive Program
- Virtual School Network
- Middle School Physical Education Grants
- Juvenile Justice Alternative Education Program
- Extended Year Programs
- Limited English Proficiency Student Success Initiative
- Communities in Schools Programs
- Student Success Initiatives
- High School Completion and Success Initiative
What you can do:
CALL YOUR STATE REPRESENTATIVE TODAY
ASK HIM/HER TO SUPPORT AMENDMENTS TO HB 1
THAT INCREASE FUNDING FOR PUBLIC EDUCATION
To find contact information for your state representative, visit http://www.fyi.legis.state.tx.us. Enter the requested information into the fields listed (this includes your street address and ZIP code) and then select “HOUSE” from the District Type pull-down field and click the submit button. You will be taken to a page that lists the name of your state representative as well as their Austin (512) phone number. This is the number you should dial to register your concerns about HB 1.
Partnership For A Healthy Texas Conquering Obesity
Members and Friends of the Partnership for a Healthy Texas -
Both the Steering and Legislative Committees have been quite busy of late reviewing legislation, serving as issue area experts and making sure the Partnership priorities are both promoted and reflected appropriately in the budget and in legislation. We appreciate your patience during our lack of communication.
We have developed two documents; one, outlining the bills that fall into the Partnership’s legislative priority areas and; another, outlining the bills related to obesity and nutrition that the Partnership is tracking (click on the links to download each in PDF format). Below, is a rough outline of the budget as it relates to our issues. As you are probably well aware, the Senate version of the budget is still being hammered out while the House will discuss HB 1 on the floor tomorrow.
We anticipate calling upon our membership more as the process moves along. In the meantime, let me know if you have any questions.
TEA – HB 1
HB1 would cut $66 million from School Health and Safety, which includes implementation of coordinated school health, counseling and mental health, physical activity, nutrition, and health education, and health services. This is a 70% reduction in funding compared to the current budget.
In addition to the 70% reduction in School Health and Safety, HB1 would end the state’s investment in:
- Prekindergarten grants and Early Childhood School Readiness programs (down $223.3 million), meaning 144,000 fewer children would benefit from quality-assured public prekindergarten and school readiness programs each year
- Middle School Physical Education grants (down $20 million), resulting in 425,000 middle school students no longer having access to programs proven to increase performance on Fitnessgram physical fitness assessments and with demonstrated positive correlation with TAKS Reading and Math scores
- Life Skills Teen Parenting (down $19.7 million), meaning that 26,000 pregnant and parenting teens will have supportive services for graduating high school and learning healthy parenting skills
- School Bus Seat Belt grants, reduction of $10 million that would have gone to assist school districts acquire school buses with three-point seat belts
- Communities in Schools (though $9.7 million in federal TANF funds remain). 64,000 fewer students at risk of dropping out of school each year would no longer receive services that connect them to community resources that supports their success in school and beyond
The HB1 proposed cuts would be on top of reduction already made to the TEA budget in the current biennium:
- $2 million cut to the Education Service Centers that provide technical assistance for implementing coordinated school health
- $3.5 million cut to Communities in Schools
- $41,000 for School Lunch matching
- $850,000 for AVANCE family support
DSHS cuts
- Community-based obesity prevention (HB1: 53% cut equaling $15.6m to all chronic disease prevention, SB1: same)
- WIC Nutrition Supplements and Farmer’s Markets (HB1: $33.5m cut, which is 25,500 fewer recipients on monthly WIC Nutrition caseload, a 1% caseload cut, SB1: same)
TDAg budget recommendation:
There is a rider in the TDA component of the budget supporting the Texas Department of Agriculture’s capacity to coordinate existing farming resources and expand the Farm-to-School program by raising the Department’s full-time equivalent employee cap. This will allow the Department to create a Farm-to-School Coordinator position that will not require any appropriation of state funds. This coordinator position represents an opportunity to support the health of Texas children in a Legislative Session where cuts to children’s health services are endemic. A Texas Department of Agriculture Farm-to-School Coordinator position would additionally help support the growth of Texas farms, increase the availability of quality of food in Texas schools, and create valuable opportunities for nutrition education amid a costly obesity epidemic.
Carrie Kroll
Partnership for a Healthy Texas Chair
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