A record 28 million plus Hispanics in the United States were employed in November, 2019, but from what the Spanish-speaking nets convey, Latinos are – and must remain - eternally dependent on government assistance.
One recent ‘Poor-Latinos’ report was given four minutes and half of combined time between Telemundo and Univision, covering the new rules regarding the federal food stamp program known as SNAP, for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
Watch alarmism dialed up to 11 in this video:
FELICIDAD AVEYEIRA, ANCHOR, TELEMUNDO: Some 700,000 people, many of them Latinos, are going to lose food stamps.
(....)
JORGE RAMOS, ANCHOR, UNIVISIÓN: President Trump's administration is proposing new requirements for getting food stamps, and that would affect nearly four million recipients of that federal aid, many of which are Latino.
While both networks briefly explained the new rules and the rationale behind the change — “the rule seeks to restore the system that Congress conceived when they started the program: to provide assistance, but not to establish a way of life,” to quote Telemundo correspondent Guadalupe Venegas — they also skipped important information.
“688,000 persons between the ages of 18 and 49 will no longer receive assistance in the form of food stamps for more than three months. A new regulation approved today will not allow extensions,” said Vega.
What Vega failed to mention, as did the Univision report, was that the persons affected — able-bodied adults under age 50 with no children or other dependents, represent about 7 percent of the 36 million SNAP beneficiaries nationwide. Nor did they emphasize that children, the elderly and people with disabilities and pregnant women — who make up the vast majority of SNAP participants — are not affected.
In addition, there are numerous ways to qualify, including putting in the necessary work hours through volunteer work, or even that many non-citizens are eligible for the program and that even if some members of the household are not eligible, those who are may be able to get SNAP benefits.
While the nets tried to seek empathy for the dependent community, two Hispanics interviewed by Telemundo agreed with the change: Jorge Rocha, a man who has never received government aid, said that “We have to do everything we can to get a job.”
Hugo Uribio, a former SNAP beneficiary, who was recently released from prison and got “a little help” and found a job, summed his very valid point of view: “To all of those who say you can't, well, truth is they are not trying to get a job.”
Here is the complete transcript of the above mentioned reports. Click on “Expand” to view them:
Noticias Telemundo
December 4, 2019FELICIDAD AVEYEIRA, ANCHOR, TELEMUNDO: Some 700,000 people, many of them Latinos, are going to lose food stamps. This is because the government limited the time they can receive this benefit. Guadalupe Venegas explains.
GUADALUPE VENEGAS, CORRESPONDENT, TELEMUNDO: 688,000 persons between the ages of 18 and 49 will no longer receive assistance in the form of food stamps for more than three months. A new regulation approved today will not allow extensions. Jorge is not surprised because he says that under the current administration it is increasingly difficult to receive government assistance. However, he does agree with the change.
JORGE ROCHA, HAS NEVER RECEIVED GOVERNMENT AID: We have to do everything we can get a job and right now through the internet
VENEGAS: According to the government, the rule seeks to restore the system that Congress conceived when they started the program: to provide assistance, but not to establish a way of life.
The government insists that they seek to encourage work among people. They emphasize that the change would not affect minors, or their parents, or pregnant women over the age of 50 or people with disabilities
According to the latest statistics, national unemployment remains at 3.6 percent, while there are 7 million vacant jobs in the country.
SILVIA HERNÁNDEZ, COMMUNITY ACTION NETWORK: These jobs are limited to the elite, most of them, others to a training system inaccessible to many.
VENEGAS: Hugo says he got out of prison months ago and after getting a little help, he found a job.
HUGO URIBIO, FORMER BENEFICIARY: To all of those who say you can't, well, you know what you don't, the truth they are not trying to get a job.
VENEGAS: But for activists, in a country with low-income communities, free food should never be denied to those who need it most. In Los Angeles, California, Guadalupe Venegas, Telemundo News.
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Noticiero Univision
December 4, 2019JORGE RAMOS, ANCHOR, UNIVISIÓN: President Trump's administration is proposing new requirements for getting food stamps, and that would affect nearly four million recipients of that federal aid, many of which are Latino. Lourdes del Río has the report of those most affected by these changes.
LOURDERS DEL RIO, CORRESPONSAL, UNIVISIÓN: The rule change refers to people between the ages of 18 and 49 who do not have children and are not disabled. Currently this group must work at least 20 hours a week for more than three months in a 36-month period in order to receive food stamps. But some states create extensions to help people who are economically disadvantaged. Now those extensions would be at risk. Organizations that help people with limited resources ensure that changing this, instead of helping, would be harmful.
AIDIL OSCARIZ, CATALYST MIAMI: This is not convenient for anyone, this costs us more in taxes because people get sick more and do not have good food, creates all kinds of problems, they cannot work afterwards. So in the long run it's more damaging.
DEL RIO: But decision-makers say this is a matter of dollars and cents. The Department of Agriculture has said the change would save about $5,500,000,000 over five years. In addition, the government says that creating limits on the time someone can receive aid encourages them to improve themselves. It's about giving them a hand for a while, but not forever.
LUISANA PÉREZ, SPOKESPERSON FLORIDA DEMOCRAT PARTY: It's not that they're in their homes because they don't want to work, it's because sometimes the economy, so many families fall into the fact that someone becomes unemployed and needs some kind of assistance. And only thinking that this is going to incentivize work is not right.
DEL RÍO: Since the changes would redefine the way 40 states automatically receive these programs for families, free school lunches could be affected.
KEYLA MOLINA, CONCERNED MOTHER: It's a great help for low-income parents, and the truth is my girl gets it, I don't know what would happen because I'm a single mother
DEL RÍO: 88 percent of nutritional assistance program beneficiaries that could be affected have family incomes of less than $600 per month. According to the study, nearly 80 percent live alone and the average benefit is $181 per person each month. The Department of Agriculture estimates that more than 1,000,000 people will be affected by this new rule and that at least 200,000 of this would lose the benefits for good. In Miami, Florida, Lourdes del Río, Univision.
