Food Stamps

DARBY BOROUGH in Delaware County seems to be making a name for itself — as Pennsylvania's go-to destination for committing six-figure welfare fraud.   Less than three months after the feds busted the owner of Aunty Florence's West African Food Market on Main Street for allegedly converting food stamps into cash — and keeping a nice cut for herself — state Attorney General Linda Kelly on Wednesday announced the arrest of two former Department of Public Welfare employees for allegedly stealing nearly $300,000 in public-assistance benefits.

WASHINGTON - With Republicans badly split over farm subsidies and cutting food stamps, House GOP leaders Tuesday decided to drop plans to extend the current farm program for one year and instead will press for immediate help for drought-stricken farmers. The decision comes as Republicans feel pressure to assist drought-hit farmers and ranchers before Congress begins its summer recess. The party remains stymied by internal divisions between conservatives and farm-state lawmakers on how to proceed with a broader renewal of farm subsidies and the food stamp program.

TRENTON - Nearly one in five New Jersey households that received emergency food stamps after Tropical Storm Irene last year was ineligible for the benefits, a review found - a result of mistakes, confusion, and fraud. The emergency Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (D-SNAP) has been around for nearly 40 years as one of the federal government's ways to provide food in disasters. While other states have used it before, New Jersey activated D-SNAP for the first time after Irene, which caused power outages affecting two million homes and massive flooding when it hit at just below hurricane level last August.

I AM SUBMITTING this opinion in response to Mr. Kraus (letter, July 17) and all others that denigrate Muhammad Ali as a Liberty Award winner based on his status as a "draft dodger. "   What type of soul does a society have that would deny an individual or group of individuals basic civil rights based solely on their race? Further, what type of person would force (draft) the deprived group to fight for their "democracy"? In one voice you are saying you do not deserve to be treated with dignity as a human being .?

WASHINGTON - As record drought conditions continue to plague farmers and send corn prices higher, some lawmakers are pressing House leaders to bring the now-stalled farm bill to the floor. The House Agriculture Committee approved the once-every-five-years legislation earlier this month, but there have been indications that House leaders wouldn't bring the legislation to the floor before the election. House Speaker John A. Boehner (R., Ohio) dislikes key parts of the bill, and many members of his party object to its massive farm subsidies.

OF ALL THE distortions and downright lies about the food-stamp program that have been trotted out in recent weeks, perhaps the biggest howler is the one advanced by the Wall Street Journal editorial page. It said the program is "becoming the latest middle-class entitlement. " The actual fact is that no one within shouting distance of middle class is eligible for food stamps: According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, 85 percent of recipients have incomes below the poverty line — $18,500 for a family of three — with the rest barely above it. Last week, the House Agricultural Committee passed a five-year reauthorization of the farm bill that cuts $16 billion in food stamps while keeping several subsidies for corporate farmers intact.

WASHINGTON - Here is how Philadelphia-area senators voted on major issues last week (House not in session): Senate Federal sugar program. The Senate on Wednesday voted, 50-46, to renew the federal sugar program for five years without changes. The vote tabled (killed) an amendment to a pending farm bill (S 3240) that sought to add free-market reforms to the program, which protects the incomes of growers and producers of cane and beet sugar. The program limits domestic production, restricts foreign imports, puts a floor under growers' prices, and requires the government to buy crop surpluses for sale at a loss to the ethanol industry.

Fingering an orange flash drive like a good-luck totem, Teisha Reynolds took a break from the computer class she hopes will change her life. At a KEYSPOT computer-access center within the Families First/People's Emergency Center in West Philadelphia, Reynolds is enrolled in computer classes to help get off welfare. Reynolds, 36, keeps hearing the whole world is online. That's not entirely true. "When you're poor and without a computer, there's a big gap between you and everyone else," Reynolds said.

WASHINGTON - A five-year farm and food bill that would revamp the federal safety net for farmers and eliminate direct government payments for idle crop fields took its first step toward passage Thursday in the Senate. A 90-8 vote to officially begin debate opens the way for what could be several weeks of attempts to amend proposed legislation that spends some $100 billion a year on crop insurance, conservation and nutrition programs. The measure would save $23 billion over a 10-year period from current spending levels.

IF YOU'RE A welfare recipient in Darby Borough, Aunty Florence's West African Food Market was the place to go — not for the fruits and veggies, but to convert food stamps into cash. That's what U.S. Attorney Zane Memeger is alleging in federal charges filed Thursday against Florence Kingsley, a/k/a Florence Kingsley Mamulu, the store owner in the Delaware County borough bordering Southwest Philadelphia. The feds say Kingsley, 59, whose market had a "small and limited selection of food products," was doling out cash and keeping a healthy cut for herself, processing the fraudulent transactions through the Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT)