Fincher Rep
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<span class="field field-name-field-sources field-type-node-reference field-label-hidden"><span class="field-items"><span class="field-item even">===<br />not to be confused w/ alec </span></span></span><br /><span class="field field-name-field-sources field-type-node-reference field-label-hidden"><span class="field-items"><span class="field-item even">Rep. Chad Fincher (AL R-102), Alternate<sup id="cite_ref-EDUTASK_29-1" class="reference"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Education_Task_Force#cite_note-EDUTASK-29">[30]</a></sup></span></span></span></div><div class="byline story"><span class="field field-name-field-sources field-type-node-reference field-label-hidden"><span class="field-items"><span class="field-item even">===</span></span></span></div><div class="byline story"><span class="field field-name-field-sources field-type-node-reference field-label-hidden"><span class="field-items"><span class="field-item even"><div class="print-site_name">Published on <em class="placeholder">Alternet</em> (<a href="http://www.alternet.org/" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">http://www.alternet.org</a>)</div><p /><div class="print-breadcrumb" style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.alternet.org/" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Home</a> > Is America Teetering on the Edge of the Hunger Cliff?</div><hr class="print-hr" style="border: 0px; height: 1px; width: 1047.199951171875px; color: rgb(158, 158, 158); background-color: rgb(158, 158, 158);" /><div class="print-content"><div id="node-905651" class="node node-story view-mode-print clearfix" about="/food/america-teetering-edge-hunger-cliff" typeof="sioc:Item foaf:Document" style="position: relative;"><div class="byline environment"><span class="field field-name-field-sources field-type-node-reference field-label-hidden"><span class="field-items"><span class="field-item even"><a href="http://alternet.org/" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">AlterNet</a> <span class="print-footnote" style="font-size: xx-small;">[1]</span></span></span></span> / <em>By</em> <em><a href="http://www.alternet.org/authors/richard-schiffman" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Richard Schiffman</a> <span class="print-footnote" style="font-size: xx-small;">[2]</span></em></div><div class="story_comments"><span class="small"><img border="0" alt="comments_image" src="http://www.alternet.org/sites/all/themes/custom/alternet/images/talk_box_environment.jpg" style="border: 0px;" /><span class="environment comments_link" /></span></div><div class="headline"><h1 property="dc:title" datatype="" class="node-title">Is America Teetering on the Edge of the Hunger Cliff?</h1></div><div class="the_body body_environment clearfix"><div class="story-date"><em><span class="field field-name-field-date field-type-date field-label-hidden"><span class="field-items"><span class="field-item even"><span class="date-display-single" property="dc:date" datatype="xsd:dateTime" content="2013-10-04T10:41:00-07:00">October 4, 2013</span></span></span></span> </em> | </div><p><span style="font-size: 12px;">One in six Americans will go hungry this year because they don’t always have enough cash on hand to buy the food that they need. </span></p><p>It’s a national disgrace. Yet Republicans in Congress are proposing to make it worse. All but 15 GOP members in the House voted last month to<a href="http://http//www.nytimes.com/2013/09/20/us/politics/house-passes-bill-cutting-40-billion-from-food-stamps.html" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">slash</a> <span class="print-footnote" style="font-size: xx-small;">[3]</span> the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, aka food stamps) by $40 billion over the next 10 years. Their bill would knock nearly four million people off food stamps in the first year alone, according to the Congressional Budget Office.</p><p>This controversy has focused the spotlight of national attention on questions that usually get little coverage in the press. Who exactly are America’s hungry? Why have their numbers been increasing in recent years?</p><p>Forty-six million people are currently enrolled in SNAP, more than double the number who were receiving benefits in 2001. The program’s Republican critics claim the system is rife with fraud, and that many of these enrolled in it are lazy and mooching off the system. Never mind that a disproportionate number of these “moochers” live in traditionally Republican districts in rural areas and in the South.</p><p>Representative Stephen Fincher (R-Tenn.), who voted to shrink the SNAP program, represents a <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2013/09/30/republicans-miss-major-opportunity-in-fight-over-food-stamps/" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">county</a> <span class="print-footnote" style="font-size: xx-small;">[4]</span> where 17.8 percent of residents don’t have enough food, according to the group, Feeding America. As I <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/view/2013/05/24-8" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">reported</a> <span class="print-footnote" style="font-size: xx-small;">[5]</span> in May, together with his father and brother, who farm over 2,500 acres for cotton, Fincher has received roughly $8.9 million in federal farm subsidies over the last 10 years. Yet while he fights to allow rich farmers to remain on the public dole, the congressman would deprive hungry families of dollars a day to keep food on their tables.</p><p>Fincher and other Republicans argue that now that the economy is recovering, it's time to scale back food programs for the poor. He quotes from the Book of Thessalonians: "The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat." </p><p>Perhaps Rep. Fincher didn’t notice that the so-called “recovery” has been anemic and not yet helped many at the bottom of the totem pole who were hit the hardest. </p><p>“Wall Street is in hyper-overdrive, but America in terms of job creation, in terms of poverty is not in recovery,” Joel Berg, executive director of the New York City Coalition Against Hunger told me. Berg says that poverty rates have not gone down, and that hunger in our country may be at its highest levels since the Great Depression.</p></div></div></div></span></span></span></div><div class="byline story"><span class="field field-name-field-sources field-type-node-reference field-label-hidden"><span class="field-items"><span class="field-item even"><br /></span></span></span></div><div class="byline story"><span class="field field-name-field-sources field-type-node-reference field-label-hidden"><span class="field-items"><span class="field-item even">---<br /><br /><a href="http://www.dailykos.com/">Daily Kos</a> <span class="print-footnote">[1]</span></span></span></span> / <em>By</em> <em><a href="http://www.alternet.org/authors/justin-doolittle">Justin Doolittle</a> <span class="print-footnote">[2]</span></em>
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<h1 class="node-title">GOPer Who Got Millions in Farm Subsidies Thinks the Poor Should Starve Rather Than Get Food Stamps</h1>
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<div class="story-date"><em><span class="field field-name-field-date field-type-date field-label-hidden"><span class="field-items"><span class="field-item even"><span class="date-display-single" content="2013-05-20T10:43:00-07:00">May 20, 2013</span></span></span></span></em> | </div>
<p><a href="http://inplainsight.nbcnews.com/news/2013/05/19/18307642-ax-hovers-over-food-stamp-program-as-costs-grow?lite" target="blank">Stephen Fincher</a> <span class="print-footnote">[3]</span>,
a deranged<font color="#FF0000"> Republican congressman from Tennessee</font>, is very angry that
the federal government is committed to preventing poor people from
starving to death:</p>
<div><blockquote>Republican Congressman
Stephen Fincher of Tennessee, who supports cuts to the program, had his
own<font color="#FF0000"> Bible verse </font>from the Book of Thessalonians to quote back to Vargas:
“The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat,” he said.</blockquote></div><p>The
program in question is SNAP, better known as food stamps. Fincher and
his ultra-right-wing friends in the House are furious about the fact
that the worst economic crisis in 80 years has resulted in more
Americans needing food stamps. The whole point of programs like SNAP and
other automatic stabilizers, of course, is that they kick in when the
economy is struggling and people need help. Fincher is shocked and
horrified by this heinous policy of ensuring that poor people and their
children don't starve. Food is to be earned! Sure, this is the richest
country in the history in the world, but if we provide our citizens with
food to eat, then freedom is obviously dead.</p><div>He
fulminates about people who are allegedly "unwilling to work" sucking
off the government teat with impunity. This is a patently dishonest
representation of the <a href="http://mediamatters.org/research/2012/09/18/hannity-omits-the-food-stamp-facts-most-recipie/189991" target="_blank">SNAP</a> <span class="print-footnote">[4]</span> program.
Most people who receive food stamps cannot be dismissed as losers who
are "unwilling to work." Nearly half (47%) of all food stamp recipients
are children. Another 8% are 60 years of age or older. The "working
poor" - people who live in a household with income from work - represent
another 41%. Between children, the elderly, the working poor, and
people who want a job but cannot find one - someone should tell Fincher
that there are <a href="http://www.labor.ny.gov/stats/job-seekers-per-opening.shtm" target="_blank">still</a> <span class="print-footnote">[5]</span> more
than 3 unemployed job seekers for every 1 opening - that leaves very
few people who can be accurately described as being "unwilling" to work.
It's also worth noting that the average monthly SNAP benefit is a
whopping $287. It takes a deeply disturbed person to crusade against
providing this class of people with food to eat, when the economy is
this battered, and when the <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-05-06/best-stimulus-package-may-be-food-stamps.html" target="_blank">broad economic benefits</a> <span class="print-footnote">[6]</span> of the program have been so well established (at least in the reality-based community). </div><div> </div><div>Now,
this would not normally be worthy of mention. Hardly a day goes by
without some Republican sadist expressing fury that poor people have it
so good. Devising new ways to make the peasants suffer is what makes
Republicans wake up in the morning. What's fascinating about this
particular case, though, is Fincher's background. </div><div> </div><div><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">The
reason this is even more egregious than the usual Republican class
warfare is that Fincher himself is a poster boy for government
dependency. It's not just that he's benefited here and there from some
government help. That sort of low-level hypocrisy is almost to be
expected from these types. But Fincher has received millions - <a href="http://m.commercialappeal.com/news/2010/jun/07/fincher-faces-anger-over-farm-subsidies/" target="blank">$3.2</a> <span class="print-footnote">[7]</span> million as of June 2010 </span>- in federal crop subsidies. The people who refer to themselves as <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/01/AR2010040101930.html/" target="blank">Tea Partiers</a> <span class="print-footnote">[8]</span> threatened
to derail his candidacy over this, but then they realized that they
have no principles, and supported him anyway. He's now a member of the
"Tea Party Caucus," which, amazingly, is something that actually exists.
Fincher's brother and father also snatched another $6.7 million in
subsidies as Stephen geared up to run for Congress on a platform of
eliminating "wasteful government spending." The "wasteful spending" that
he had in mind, of course, was that which serves policy aims with which
he disagrees, such as keeping poor people alive. </div><div> </div><div>House
Republicans are on a mission to slash the SNAP program by $20
billion over the next decade. A Senate committee, just last week, voted
to cut it by "only" $4 billion. If some sort of vicious "compromise" is
reached between the sociopaths in the House who are demanding human
sacrifice on a massive scale, and the "moderates" in the Senate who are
only comfortable with letting some people starve, it will not be pretty.
This is not hyperbole, either. SNAP really does keep poor people,
including millions of children, from going hungry, and it's under attack
from ultra-right-wing ideologues. This program deserves the support and
activism of progressives as much as any government program in
existence.</div>
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<em>See more stories tagged with:</em> <div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden">
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<a href="http://www.alternet.org/tags/gop">gop</a> <span class="print-footnote">[9]</span>, </div> <div class="field-item odd">
<a href="http://www.alternet.org/tags/republican-0">republican</a> <span class="print-footnote">[10]</span> </div> </div></div> </div>
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<div class="print-source_url"><strong>Source URL:</strong> <a href="http://www.alternet.org/goper-who-got-millions-farm-subsidies-thinks-poor-should-starve-rather-get-food-stamps">http://www.alternet.org/goper-who-got-millions-farm-subsidies-thinks-poor-should-starve-rather-get-food-stamps</a></div>
<strong>Links:</strong><br />[1] http://www.dailykos.com/<br />[2] http://www.alternet.org/authors/justin-doolittle
[3] http://inplainsight.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/05/19/18307642-ax-hovers-over-food-stamp-program-as-costs-grow?lite
[4] http://mediamatters.org/research/2012/09/18/hannity-omits-the-food-stamp-facts-most-recipie/189991
[5] http://www.labor.ny.gov/stats/job-seekers-per-opening.shtm
[6] http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-05-06/best-stimulus-package-may-be-food-stamps.html
[7] http://m.commercialappeal.com/news/2010/jun/07/fincher-faces-anger-over-farm-subsidies/
[8] http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/01/AR2010040101930.html/
[9] http://www.alternet.org/tags/gop
[10] http://www.alternet.org/tags/republican-0
[11] http://www.alternet.org/%2Bnew_src%2B
===
<ol id="rso"><li class="g"><div data-hveid="44" class="rc"><h3 class="r"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Alabama_ALEC_Politicians">Alabama ALEC Politicians - <em>SourceWatch</em></a><span class="wrc11 wrc_injected" style="padding-right: 16px; width: 16px; height: 16px;" /></h3><div class="s"><div><div class="f kv" style="white-space:nowrap"><cite>www.<b>sourcewatch</b>.org/index.php/Alabama_ALEC_Politicians</cite></div><span class="st"><span class="f">Apr 1, 2013 – </span>From <em>SourceWatch</em>. Jump to: navigation, search <b>...</b> Chad <em>Fincher</em> (R-Mobile); Rep<wbr />. Victor Gaston (R-100); Rep. Richard Laird (D-37)); Rep.</span></div></div></div></li><li class="g"><div data-hveid="50" class="rc"><span style="float:left"><h3 class="r"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Education_Task_Force">Education Task Force - <em>SourceWatch</em></a><span class="wrc11 wrc_injected" style="padding-right: 16px; width: 16px; height: 16px;" /></h3><div class="s"><div><div class="f kv" style="white-space:nowrap"><cite>www.<b>sourcewatch</b>.org/index.php?title=Education_Task_Force</cite></div><span class="st">From <em>SourceWatch</em> <b>...</b> 10.1 Related <em>SourceWatch</em> articles; 10.2 References; 10.3 External resources; 10.4 External <b>....</b> Chad <em>Fincher</em> (AL R-102), Alternate; Rep.</span></div></div></span></div></li><li class="g"><div data-hveid="55" class="rc"><span style="float:left"><h3 class="r"><a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Club_for_Growth">Club for Growth - <em>SourceWatch</em></a><span class="wrc11 wrc_injected" style="padding-right: 16px; width: 16px; height: 16px;" /></h3><div class="s"><div><div class="f kv" style="white-space:nowrap"><cite>www.<b>sourcewatch</b>.org/index.php/Club_for_Growth</cite></div><span class="st">From <em>SourceWatch</em> <b>....</b> David Schweikert (AZ-05); Joe Miller (AK-Sen); Tim Griffin (AR-02); Todd Young (IN-09); Stephen <em>Fincher</em> (TN-08); Ken Buck (CO-Sen) <b>...</b></span></div></div></span></div></li><li class="g"><div data-hveid="60" class="rc"><span style="float:left"><h3 class="r"><a href="http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/sep/12/rep-stephen-fincher-introduce-bills-block-epa-rule/?partner=RSS">Rep. Stephen <em>Fincher</em> introduces bills to block EPA rule, suspend <b>...</b></a></h3><div class="s"><div><div class="f kv" style="white-space:nowrap"><cite>www.commercialappeal.com/.../rep-stephen-<b>fincher</b>-introduce-bills-bloc...</cite></div><span class="st"><span class="f">Sep 12, 2011 – </span>Environmentalist claims <em>Fincher's</em> bill would cause the premature deaths of 340000 Americans. <b>...</b> http://www.<em>sourcewatch</em>.org/index.php?</span></div></div></span></div></li></ol><div class="entry-content">
<p><em> Editor's note: An earlier version of this story misstated the amount of capital gains taxes collected in 2009. </em>
WASHINGTON -- U.S. Rep. Stephen Fincher<b> introduced legislation
Monday that would delay for 10 years an EPA rule to curb sulfur dioxide
and nitrogen oxide pollution crossing state lines.</b>
The freshman Republican from West Tennessee also introduced a bill
that would suspend collection of the capital gains tax for 10 years.
"Penalizing families for selling their homes, farms or investments
has had an overall negative effect on our economy," Fincher said in a
prepared statement.
The Environmental Protection Agency is set to implement the
Cross-State Pollution Rule in January. It affects 27 mostly eastern
states that cause air pollution that drifts into adjoining states.
Tennessee is such a state; Mississippi and Arkansas are not.
"By further delaying the time this new rule goes into effect, we are
able to provide additional certainty for energy production and costs,
which will help the economy and encourage job creators to invest in new
employees and grow their businesses," Fincher said.
But it would also be "morally irresponsible" and "genuinely
outrageous," said John D. Walke, clean air director for the Natural
Resources Defense Council, a Washington environmental think tank.
"This step would cause the premature deaths of 340,000 Americans,"
Walke said. "We believe it would be morally irresponsible. A 10-year
delay would also cause 4 million asthma attacks and 150,000 heart
attacks that this important safeguard will prevent."
The House Science, Space and Technology Committee is scheduled to
hold a hearing on the rule Thursday. On Monday, a Texas energy company
sued in the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington asking the court to
review the rule, which it said would cost it 500 jobs by 2020.
-- Bartholomew Sullivan: (202) 408-2726</p>
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