So I am excited, let me explain. Even before Covid, I had started not wanting to be “out in the world”. But after Covid hit, we stopped going out at all. But Randy came to visit from far away and we all went out to eat. I had a good time, but it was outside on the water and I got cold. So Randy and his folks are coming up and we are going back again. I love it. Ron went into his closet and found a heavy coat / jacket for me. It is only 67 outside. To me, that is call out the national guard weather. So I am excited to see Randy and his folks again. Last time we ate there, I got just the quesadillas and I could only eat two of them. I gave the other two to Randy. I really want to try the chili, so I am not sure what I will order. So at some time I will stop responding / blogging and you will know we went out to eat. Hugs. Scottie
TALLAHASSEE — Time is running out for Florida to opt into a new federal program that would provide $248 million to help feed 2 million children next summer who might otherwise go hungry.
But it isn’t likely to happen as the state agency best equipped to run the program said it wouldn’t be pursuing the funding for it.
“We anticipate that our state’s full approach to serving children will continue to be successful this year without any additional federal programs that inherently always come with some federal strings attached,” Mallory McManus, spokeswoman for the Department of Children and Families, wrote in an email 30 minutes after this story went online.
The Summer EBT Program was approved by Congress last December. It would provide healthy meals while school is out to children who receive free or reduced-cost lunches during the school year. So far, 25 states, territories and tribes have signed on.
It’s administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly called food stamps.
After discussions between state officials and childhood hunger advocates, Florida has not designated a lead agency to administer the program. The deadline to apply is January 1.
Sky Beard, Florida director of No Kid Hungry, an advocate for programs to help end child hunger, called DCF’s decision “incredibly disappointing.”
More than three-quarters of Floridians reported it was harder to buy food this year than last, she said, and summer is the hungriest time of the year when children lose access to consistent and nutritious food provided by their schools. That money would have helped them buy groceries and other essentials at local stores across the state, she said.
“Not only does this hurt nearly 2 million children in our state but it also disregards the economic boost this would have provided many hardworking families,” said Beard, who added that her organization had been in conversations with House and Senate leaders about the program.
The state would have to provide a 50% match for administrative costs to participate, which comes out to about $12 million a year, Beard said. The state budget has no money approved for such an expense.
Spokespeople for the governor, Senate president and House speaker did not reply to requests for comment.
DCF was first asked for comment on Monday but did not respond until McManus’ email Thursday. It said the state already runs programs to make sure “children have access to nutritious meals.”
Those include free and reduced lunch programs at school, SNAP benefits to families who qualify, and Summer Break Spot programs administered by the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
Florida has a record of culling the ranks of those receiving food assistance. It opted out of a COVID-19 food benefits program two years before it expired in March, costing the state $5 billion. Also in 2021, Gov. Ron DeSantis decided not to enlist in a pandemic food aid program for about 2 million children from low-income families that would have brought Florida $820 million.
And with one in seven homes short on food to feed their families, Beard said, agencies like hers “are looking for as many tools in the toolbox as we can find. This would be a huge missed opportunity.”
In a letter to Washington in July, Vianka Colin of the agriculture department said her agency wasn’t “the best equipped” to run the program, and that DCF would be better suited to the task.
“At this time, the FDACS does not have the necessary infrastructure and legislative directive to administer the Summer EBT Program,” Colin said.
DCF does have the infrastructure as the state agency in charge of running SNAP and providing customer support services, she said. The agriculture department helped DCF issue Pandemic EBT cards in the past, and would be willing to do the same with Summer EBT cards, Colin said.
“We look forward to our continued partnership to ensure that children in our state have continuous access to nutritious food throughout the summer,” she wrote.
The full quote perfectly describes the Republican mindset.
“At this festive season of the year, Mr. Scrooge,” said the gentleman, taking up a pen, “it is more than usually desirable that we should make some slight provision for the poor and destitute, who suffer greatly at the present time. Many thousands are in want of common necessaries; hundreds of thousands are in want of common comforts, sir.”
“Are there no prisons?” asked Scrooge.
“Plenty of prisons,” said the gentleman, laying down the pen again.
“And the Union workhouses?” demanded Scrooge. “Are they still in operation?”
“They are. Still,” returned the gentleman, “I wish I could say they were not.”
“The Treadmill and the Poor Law are in full vigour, then?” said Scrooge.
“Both very busy, sir.”
“Oh! I was afraid, from what you said at first, that something had occurred to stop them in their useful course,” said Scrooge. “I am very glad to hear it.”
“Under the impression that they scarcely furnish Christian cheer of mind or body to the multitude,” returned the gentleman, “a few of us are endeavouring to raise a fund to buy the Poor some meat and drink, and means of warmth. We choose this time, because it is a time, of all others, when Want is keenly felt, and Abundance rejoices. What shall I put you down for?”
“Nothing!” Scrooge replied.
“You wish to be anonymous?”
“I wish to be left alone,” said Scrooge. “Since you ask me what I wish, gentlemen, that is my answer. I don’t make merry myself at Christmas, and I can’t afford to make idle people merry. I help to support the establishments I have mentioned–they cost enough; and those who are badly off must go there.”
“Many can’t go there; and many would rather die.”
“If they would rather die,” said Scrooge, “they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population.”
To republicans in government being poor is a sin, it is the poor person’s fault. I guess they should have chosen to be born in a wealthy family. The republicans love the phrase pull yourself up by your bootstraps which is impossible to begin with, but even more impossible if you don’t even have boots. The governor won’t say why he is refusing the assistance for poor kids but normally these programs come with nondiscrimination clauses, but also the state would have to pay an estimated 300,000 dollars to administer it. It would keep an estimated 150,000 kids from going completely hungry when school is out, but the governor said there were other places the kids could go to get food, like summer camps. But normally the only free camps are religious sponsored ones that preach the bible and Jesus to kids. Is this the governor’s way to get the kids into churches? Hugs. Scottie
“If it’s an ideological issue, how can deciding that economically disadvantaged children are better off going hungry make moral sense?”
Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen’s administration has decided not to participate in a new, more permanent Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer program aimed at supplementing other efforts that target child hunger. (Courtesy of Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Gov. Jim Pillen’s administration has decided that Nebraska won’t be participating in a new national child nutrition program that could have delivered an estimated $18 million in grocery-buying benefits next summer to kids and their families.
The decision comes despite a months long effort by food banks and other advocates to persuade the governor to opt into the Summer EBT program.
A sign noting the acceptance of electronic benefit transfer, or EBT, cards that are used by states to issue benefits is displayed at a convenience store in Richmond, California. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
States across the nation face a Jan. 1 deadline to let the federal government know if they intend to be part of the summer electronic benefits transfer program.
Pillen spokeswoman Laura Strimple, responding to a query from the Nebraska Examiner, said free meals continue to be available to youths during the summer through the U.S. Department of Agriculture and summer camp programs, schools and community centers.
“In addition to in-person meals, those locations offer recreational, educational and other enrichment opportunities, as well as resources, that are of added benefit to kids and important for their development,” Strimple said.
She offered no additional explanation.
Nebraska Appleseed and area food banks were among groups urging Pillen to opt into the program. Eric Savaiano, Appleseed’s food and nutrition access manager, said the nonprofit was “deeply disappointed” and found the decision “difficult to understand.”
“Come summer, we know that more families will struggle with food insecurity because of this decision,” Savaiano said.
Appleseed estimated that 150,000 Nebraska kids would have benefited next summer if the state had opted into the new program. Modeled after pilot projects and a nationwide pandemic-era initiative that’s now ended, Congress authorized the more permanent summer program through the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023.
The program offers an electronic benefit transfer (EBT) card to children whose household income makes them eligible for free and reduced school lunches during the school year. Each of those Nebraska youths would have received a card loaded with $120 to help buy food during months that school is out.
Based on Nebraska’s participation in the pandemic program, Appleseed’s review showed that Nebraska would have to pay up to $300,000 annually to administer the Summer EBT program, which was a change from the pandemic-era program, where the federal government paid all administrative costs. States would be tasked with outreach efforts and would facilitate collaboration among involved agencies.
Said Savaiano: “If it’s a money issue, how can spending a mere $300,000 in state funds for administrative costs and receiving $18 million — a 60-fold return on investment — not make financial sense?”
State Sen. Jen Day of Gretna. (Courtesy of Craig Chandler/University Communication)
He added, “If it’s an ideological issue, how can deciding that economically disadvantaged children are better off going hungry make moral sense?”
A group of 15 state senators, upon learning of the decision, sent a letter to the Department of Health and Human Services asking the administration to rethink the situation. The letter said that while the governor has the final say, DHHS and the Department of Education “also have decision-making power on this matter.”
“So many Nebraskans are struggling with the cost of living right now and, as a result, people are growing hungry,” said Sen. Jen Day of Gretna, who led the letter-writing effort. “Opting into this program is imperative and not doing so is a huge moral and economic failure.”
In addition to Day, those signing the letter: Sens. Carolyn Bosn of Lincoln, Jana Hughes of Seward, Machaela Cavanaugh of Omaha, John Cavanaugh of Omaha, Megan Hunt of Omaha, Eliot Bostar of Lincoln, Tony Vargas of Omaha, Terrell McKinney of Omaha, George Dungan of Lincoln, Jane Raybould of Lincoln, John Fredrickson of Omaha, Danielle Conrad of Lincoln, Lynne Walz of Fremont, Carol Blood of Bellevue.
The funding for the program through the U.S. Department of Agriculture is intended to supplement, not replace, existing programs that help families, including summer meal sites and the year-round SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program).
According to the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service, which oversees such nutrition programs, more than 29 million children across America could benefit from the 2024 Summer EBT program.
I have 374 open tabs in 5 windows. Some from about a month ago. But more important than responding or reading them I need your suggestions, your ideas. I make great spaghetti red sauces. Ron and I love them. I make my base with three 28 oz (1 pound 12 oz) 794g cans of normally Dei Fratelli cans of tomato sauce but sometimes use Hunts if I can not find those. I find Hunts far sweeter, and we often don’t like our red sauce sweet. I never measure the seasonings I put in which includes the onion / pepper / celery that Ron chops to the size he likes for me to put into the sauce. Plus I use a lot of minced garlic. Often I start with three teaspoons of it to then after add another three as it cooks. Yes, we love garlic. We once used chopped garlic cloves that Ron chopped for me, but we found it was easier and more favorable to just get minced garlic from the store. That also includes the amount of hamburg he gives me to use, which might be between one pound and two plus pounds. Also I used to use ground sausage, which was a change from me peeling Italian Sausage links and slicing them. I would rather just put sage into the sauce than the sausage, as sausage makes a red sauce greasy. My red sauces often come out different each time due to all that not measuring but going on feel / smell / taste, which we both like to cook that way. We make a large amount every couple weeks, normally about four days or so from when we finish the last of it. Plus while we say each time this batch we will freeze some for later, we use it for other things and eat it too soon to do that. As I said we enjoy it and it is something in our budget we can afford. We use it to make many different things. This batch along with the pasta I cooked (because when I cook I make far too much as you might notice. Ron doesn’t complain because my former therapists say it is because of how often I went hungry, begged for something to eat, and once ended up in the hospital in critical care and then went into clinical death due to malnutrition. Sorry but while my heart stopped and nothing worked I did not see any gods, but I did feel a great sense of relief and lack of pain as it was happening. Which came back as I was being shocked and handled to return to life) Anyway this batch is already slated to be used with a large baking container of baked Ziti. Trust me, we will find something to do with the rest. Oh did I mention the 40 to 60 homemade meat balls Ron makes. He uses the small cookie scoop and they are about just larger than bite size and so grand. He makes so many because often he will go into the fridge when I am not looking and eat a bunch as a quick snack, and we both love them in hoagie rolls as meatball subs with my sauce. So all total it takes about 3 to 4 pounds of hamburger for each sauce I make.
Now with all that over information and long intro (I keep getting reminded / chastised recently that I am too long “winded”, that I use too many words to say what others could do shorter. Sorry that is me and I am not going to change, but if it bothers people they either shouldn’t read what I write or I shouldn’t comment to their blogs)
Anyway the reason for this post is I need your suggestions … for making a good chili. Every time I make mine I start it like a red sauce but instead of the those seasonings I use for that, I use more beef ones, like fajita such seasonings. I also add a lot of kidney beans, often three cans of them. I have tried making them thick and liquid juicy. And while they always taste good and we eat them, they lack what we get when we get a good chili when dining out.
Please don’t send me to cooking videos. I just can not get anything out of them. One of my favorite podcasters has a second cooking channel, yet when I try to watch his videos even though he was school trained and is a great / was a professional chef I just lose interest. I can not follow or remember and find my self more interested in his surroundings or cookware. When I try to tell Ron about it later, I can not explain how to cook the dish itself.
But I really want to make a good thick chili that is mild but able to be seasoned up with the individual hot sauce Ron and I use. I like Crystals myself. It is labeled as from Louisiana, but who knows? I am willing to make small amounts to try them. Ron and I have even resorted to eating a couple brands of canned chili, they are thick and brown rather than made with the tomato sauce base I use. But while good enough if I could recreate them and add my seasonings to them it would be better, yet I can not seem to recreate them.
So if you have a favorite chili recipe you like to make, please put it in the comments. I will give it a try. We love chili, and often went out to restaurants that we knew had great chili we enjoy, but since 2020 we have not been out to eat yet. Yes we should but …
Anyway this is my very long winded / typed request for all of you to send me your favorite homemade chili recipes. I will let you know if we try them. I am hungry just thinking of them. Hugs. Scottie
Since the Oct. 7 attacks in Israel, extremist settlers in the West Bank have been emboldened, displacing more than 1,000 Palestinians, according to the United Nations.
You told me I lived in the Land of the Free but seek to force me to pray to your God.
You told me I lived in the Land of the Brave, but you fear the love of two men, two women.
You told me I lived in a land of laws, yet you refuse to hold the powerful to them.
You told me not to ask what my country can do for me, but you take hand over fist.
You told me how mighty our military stand, yet you undermine, pauper, and deny the soldiers.
You told me how great my country is, yet restrict education, price me out of healthcare, refuse school lunch programs, deport the homeless, ignore the mentally ill.
You told me to love my country, then told me to hate my neighbor because he believes differently, speaks differently, dresses differently, loves differently, lives differently.
You told me my country loves me, but I think you are a liar.
[Chorus]
What about us?
What about all the times you said you had the answers?
What about us?
What about all the broken happy ever afters?
What about us?
What about all the plans that ended in disaster?
What about love? What about trust?
What about us?
[Verse 2]
We are problems that want to be solved
We are children that need to be loved
We were willin’, we came when you called
But man, you fooled us
Enough is enough, oh
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[Chorus]
What about us?
What about all the times you said you had the answers?
What about us?
What about all the broken happy ever afters?
Oh, what about us?
What about all the plans that ended in disaster?
Oh, what about love? What about trust?
What about us?
[Post-Chorus]
Oh, what about us?
What about all the plans that ended in disaster?
What about love? What about trust?
What about us?
[Chorus]
What about us?
What about all the times you said you had the answers?
So, what about us?
What about all the broken happy ever afters?
Oh, what about us?
What about all the plans that ended in disaster?
Oh, what about love? What about trust?
What about us?
[Outro]
What about us?
What about us?
What about us?
What about us?
What about us?
What about us?
Ron is still struggling with his leg, and today I needed to order my morphine. Florida is so regressive that you can not use any pharmacy computer system to refill morphine, which is a drug so old it is one of the most researched drugs of all time, but you must personally call in the refill on the right day and then pick it up on that day.
I called it in and from the fact that I got sent right away to the over fill call line instead of the actual pharmacy, which happens a lot because Walgreens is so understaffing and over whelming their store staff. They take the information and then transfer me to the pharmacy of the store I go to, which is just down the road. I wish they would just let the phone call go through to the store I use, as I then have to repeat every thing again.
So several hours later I get the notice the drug is ready, so I go in to get it. Then the first of many things happened that will stay with me. I am waiting in line as a woman is complaining that batteries for her blood pressure cuff wear out too soon and are far more expensive than she can afford. I understand that. But the person behind the counter while understanding can not change the price for her.
So I take the time to explain to her about lower cost rechargeable batteries and recharges that are reasonably priced. She keeps complaining while putting back five different packages of large numbers of batteries. I explained she needed to make sure the rechargeable batteries and the charger were the ones she needed for her blood pressure machine.
Then I step up to the counter, the person behind the counter who was a single mother who I am friendly with as I am almost all the pharmacy staff, simply because I am patient and care about them. She already had my morphine package ready, so I asked if she had a good day off yesterday and how her son had enjoyed the holiday. She rolled up her sleeve and her entire upper arm was bruised and swollen. I immediately became concern and asked her about it and if she was OK. Remember, I worked in an ICU and our concern was always if a patient felt safe at home.
She started to tear up, her lips trembling as she struggled not to cry. Now my entire focus was on her, fuck my morphine. She said it was her son. Now I was totally focused and concerned. I asked her if she was OK, if she felt comfortable talking, or if she would rather not tell me. She replied that her son has mental illness. I told her is she wanted to talk about it, I was here and would listen. Sadly, as she was thanking me, other people stepped up in the line behind me. She sadly shifted to her duty.
I talked to her as she processed my payment. Gave her my thanks and told her she was wonderful, and again if she needed something she had my contact information and “I gave her permission to contact me with it”! The last was important and with in hearing of her coworkers. I am serious, she could contact me and I did not want her in trouble for doing that. So after she thanked me, I left.
I went to the grocery story next door to get a few things. I won’t bore you with the stresses in there. But the most important thing is not the people I talked to in the store, but what happened after I put my stuff in my car, put my cart away, (I am disabled and some days need a walker to walk, but it pisses me off the people who just leave carts in parking spaces or in such a way they hit or will be hit by other cars. Several weeks ago I got so pissed at a woman who was clearly able-bodied who after putting her groceries in her car, left her cart next to my car almost touching it. I had been about to back out, but instead got out, walked around to the passenger side, walked up to her door looked in at her, then took the handle of her cart she left there, and put it in the space for them nearby. All while showing her I was walking with a cane. I then returned, looked into to her car, made an exaggerated shrug motion, and got back into my car. She backed out and left, never even acknowledging the event)
As I was about to open my car door when an elderly woman pushing a cart with a few things stopped almost behind my car. She and I were in direct sight. She was very elderly, had very white hair, had very white pale skin, with bright red pouches under her eyes. She had her left hand up to her brow and was moving it back and forth. By my dogs that love gravy, I was immediately concerned.
Mam’m, are you OK, I asked as I turned fully to her. She stood there a moment wiping at her brow and then turned to me and in a shaky voice said “Oh I am so tired, I am just very tired”! Oh crap, alarm bells are going off in my head. She then went on to say she was going home to rest.
Long story short, which my conversation with her was not. She rambled on about how she lived along but her brother was with her now. Oh, visiting I asked as I said I understood how having other in your home could be disruptive? Nope, and then came 20 minutes of the brother being a long haul truck driver and every part of the rest of her life for the last few years. I went over to her, again trying to assess if she needed assistance or not. She seemed in her senses, she knew what was going on, what year it was, the president, and she just wanted to talk it seemed. But she kept repeating she was very tired. I kept asking if she needed help, was there someone I could call for her. Nope she was not far from home she just wanted to tell me she was very tired, about her brother staying at her home right now, his job, her home, her other stuff.
As far as I could tell she was OK, but yes tired. But really only wanted to talk to someone, even a stranger in a parking lot of a grocery store. I must have talked to her for 20 minutes. My own legs had gone numb and I was leaning hard on the car. I really was stumped what to do, I had nothing I felt would raise red flags for the store if I asked them to help her, and I really felt she was just really lonely. So lonely she was willing to tell her story to a stranger who asked her if she was OK in a store parking lot. I was torn, but my own needs were screaming at me. So I said OK then, if you are sure you’re OK and don’t want me to call anyone or get the store to help, I need to go home. She said her goodbyes, happy weekend and pushed her cart forward.
When I got home, I talked to Ron. He really is the medical person, he spent nearly 20 years in ICU’s giving medical care. He told me I did everything right, I assessed her as best I could. He asked more detailed questions on her skin, her stance and other things I really couldn’t answer. He told me that as she seemed in her right mind, competent and did not ask for help, I really couldn’t have done more. Still I worried. Then I got angry. This old woman lived alone for a long time, she told me, that is why the brother visiting caused her issues. Why is the US so damn hard on older people who are alone? The wealthiest country on earth, number 1 In the GNP and military might, and a little old lady is standing in a parking lot telling a stranger how very tired she is. Hugs. Scottie. And now I am going to bed!
Scottie's Playtime 