After I read in January 2022 that “Congress created the Affordable Connectivity Program, a
new long-term, $14 billion program, with “new ways to qualify for the
Affordable Connectivity Program such as: receiving WIC benefits or
having an income at or below 200% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines
[levels],” then I decided to investigate some of this growing
dependency upon government (which is to be obeyed except when in conflict with the Bible).
Which dependence, among other things, fosters increasing assent to government support of perversions of
what God instituted (including innocent life, as with the unborn, being
protected versus at least 20% of pregnancies ending in murder by abortion,
and with male and female being biological terms, and only these two
being sexually joined, only in marriage, versus fostering fornication
and essentially requiring affirmation of homosexual unions, despite the profound negative effects on individuals and society of fornication, in health, lives, souls and money (extensive documentation).
Note that about the time of this writing, the national debt stood at over 29 trillion dollars (1-15-22 [31.5 in summer of 2023]) and rising, yet partly due to Covid-19 and supererogatory measures (both are judgments from God) to control it, 61% of Americans paid no federal income taxes in 2020.
Reading
“200% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines” promoted me to investigate
that first, and which means, for instance, that while for a household of
three the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) would be $21,960 yet 200% of the FPL would be $43,920 (compared with $29,646 last
year), and would qualify that household for $30 a month discount for
high-speed Internet and “eligible households also can receive a onetime
discount of up to $100 to purchase a laptop, desktop computer or tablet
from participating providers if the consumer contributes $10 to $50
toward the purchase price.” “The $14.2 billion Affordable Connectivity
Program is just a part of roughly $65 billion to improve access to
high-quality, high-speed internet access contained in the bipartisan
infrastructure bill that President Joe Biden signed into law Nov. 15.”
(https://www.aarp.org/home-family/personal-technology/info-2021/fcc-subsidy-helps-broadband-internet-access.html)
However, as reported here, the official poverty measure is based on cash income only, which fails to capture all the resources available to a family including tax credits and in-kind transfers. Also, the official measure of family resources is biased due to under-reporting of certain types of income that are commonly received by those with low reported income.
What are Federal Poverty Guidelines/Levels (FPL)?
The
Federal Poverty Guidelines are federally set “poverty lines” that
indicate the minimum amount of annual income that an individual / family
needs to pay for essentials, such as housing, utilities, clothing,
food, and transportation. These guidelines, also called Federal Poverty Levels (FPLs),
are based on the size of a household and the state in which one
resides. FPLs are the same in 48 of the 50 states. The two exceptions
are Alaska and Hawaii, which have higher Federal Poverty Levels due to
the higher cost of living. As an example, in 2021, the annual FPL for an
individual in Alaska was $16,090, in Hawaii it was $14,820, and in the
remainder of the states it was $12,880...
The exact percentage of the FPL used for eligibility purposes varies based on the program and the state...
The FPL in 48 Contiguous States
# of Persons in Household | 2021 Federal Poverty Level for the 48 Contiguous States (Annual Income) |
| 100% | 133% | 138% | 150% | 200% | 300% | 400% |
1 | $12,880 | $17,130 | $17,774 | $19,320 | $25,760 | $38,640 | $51,520 |
2 | $17,420 | $23,169 | $24,040 | $26,130 | $34,840 | $52,260 | $69,680 |
3 | $21,960 | $29,207 | $30,305 | $32,940 | $43,920 | $65,880 | $87,840 |
4 | $26,500 | $35,245 | $36,570 | $39,750 | $53,000 | $79,500 | $106,000 |
5 | $31,040 | $41,283 | $42,835 | $46,560 | $62,080 | $93,120 | $124,160 |
6 | $35,580 | $47,321 | $49,100 | $53,370 | $71,160 | $106,740 | $142,320 |
7 | $40,120 | $53,360 | $55,366 | $60,180 | $80,240 | $120,360 | $160,480 |
8 | $44,660 | $59,398 | $61,631 | $66,990 | $89,320 | $133,980 | $178,640 |
Add $4,540 for each person in household over 8 persons |
The
Federal Benefit Rate, abbreviated as FBR, is the maximum amount to
which an aged, blind or disabled person who qualifies for Supplemental
Security Income (SSI) is able to receive in monthly cash benefits. In
2021, the maximum FBR was $794 for a single individual and $1,191 for a
married couple...(https://www.medicaidplanningassistance.org/federal-poverty-guidelines)
What programs use FPL guidelines?
Several
programs use either 100% of the poverty guidelines or a percentage
multiple of the guidelines. For example, some programs use 125%, 150%,
or 185% of the guidelines to determine eligibility.
(https://www.medicareplanfinder.com/medicare/federal-poverty-level/#What-programs-use-FPL-guidelines)
[AT LEAST 30 PROGRAMS USE THE FPL.]
Some examples of federal programs that use the poverty guidelines in determining eligibility include the following:
Department of Health and Human Services: Community Services Block Grant, Head Start, Low-Income Home Energy Assistance
Department
of Agriculture: Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP,
formerly Food Stamp Program), National School Lunch Program, Child and
Adult Care Food Program
Department
of Energy: Weatherization Assistance for Low-Income Persons Federal
Poverty Levels do not count Noncash benefits (e.g. food stamps and
housing subsidies)
Department
of Labor: Job Corps, National Farmworker Jobs Program, Workforce
Investment Act Youth Activities
(https://www.irp.wisc.edu/resources/what-are-poverty-thresholds-and-poverty-guidelines/)
Examples of Automotive Help Programs
New Car Program for Those in Need
Bad Credit Auto Loans
Extended Auto Warranties
Job Access and Reverse Commute
Disability Transportation
{https://reliefbenefits.com/government-assistance)
What income is not counted? [for SNAP benefits]
You must meet the SNAP income tests to get SNAP benefits. There is no asset test for most Massachusetts households....
Here are examples of income that does not count for SNAP:
VISTA, Youthbuild, AmeriCorps, and Foster Grandparent allowances, earnings, or payments for persons otherwise eligible.
U.S. temporary Census earnings, for the 2020 Census count.
Lump sum payments...
Reimbursements – money you get to pay you back for expenses,.
Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP)...
Anything you do not get as cash... paid directly to a landlord or utility company...that has no legal obligation to do so....
Veterans Services (M.G.L. c 115) payments made by vendor payment directly to your landlord or utility company.
Money earned by a child under age 18 who..lives with a parent or other responsible adult.
Much more:
https://www.masslegalhelp.org/income-benefits/food-stamps/advocacy-guide/part3/q69-income-not-counted;
Produced by Patricia Baker and Victoria Negus, Massachusetts Law Reform
Institute Reviewed January 2020
[Below
are some more benefit programs and services, but which also include
local, state and federal programs as well as some private
organizations.]
GOVERNMENT ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS OR FINANCIAL HELP FROM LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS...
Government mortgage and foreclosure assistance is available...
Rent help from assistance programs is available from a number of sources.
Government mortgage and foreclosure assistance...
Rent help from assistance programs i..
a variety of additional low income assistance programs ..
Housing Choice Voucher Program...
Disability assistance is administered by most state governments..
Human or social service offices ...
Financial assistance from your utility company may be available...
Telephone assistance programs..
Water bill assistance programs..
Federal government grants are provided to states and local governments as part of low income energy (LIHEAP)...
Free weatherization programs are also available nationwide...
Medical bill assistance..
Prescription drug assistance programs ..
Government funded community clinics..
Find
dental care from free clinics...Many accept both state or federal
government assistance and public health insurance for payment..
Free government health care programs..
Government sponsored welfare programs are available nationally as well as locally....
Free food from assistance programs are offered by the state as well as federal government...
Charities,
churches and other organizations that offer financial assistance or
small amounts of money from the government can sometimes help you with
paying bills or debts...
Older adults and senior citizens.. There are government funded agencies that focus on their needs..
Several federal government agencies are focused on supporting people and helping them find a job or gain new skills. ..
Day and child care assistance is available in all states.... Government child care vouchers and subsidies can be obtained
State & Local Resources[;] Rent Assistance[;]
Free Food Pantries[;] Utility Bill Help[;]
Free Stuff and Money[;] Extra Income and Home Work;
Public
Assistance[;] Disability Programs[;] Section 8 Housing[;] Senior
Assistance[;] Emergency Rent Assistance[;] Free Job Training[;] Free
Money[;] Grants For Bills[;] Free Clothes & Supplies[;] LIHEAP
Assistance[;] elephone Assistance[;] Help with Water Bills[;] Charity
Assistance[;] Church Assistance[;] Community Action Agencies[;] Medical
Bills[;] Free Healthcare[;] Free Prescriptions[;] Free Community
Clinics[;] Free Dental Clinics[;] Loans For Bills[;] Automobile Loan
Assistance[;] Free Cash Loans[;] Debt Help[;] Mortgage Help[;] ...
How much CASH assistance will I get?The amount of cash assistance available in each state listed below varies...the dollar amounts will always change from year to year... 8 highest vs. 8 lowest I found]
Alaska
$923; New York $789; California $704; Connecticut $698; New Hampshire
$675; Wisconsin $653; Massachusetts $618; Hawaii $610';
Mississippi
$170; Tennessee $185; Alabama $215; Arkansas $204; Louisiana $240;
Kentucky $262; Georgia $280; Texas $285
(https://www.needhelppayingbills.com/html/how_much_cash_assistance.html)
Paying For Child Care
Child care subsidies (also called vouchers and fee assistance):
Head Start and Early Head Start:
State-funded prekindergarten:
Military fee assistance programs:
Assistance for high school students:
College or university child care:
Employer-assisted dependent care:
Other employer resources:
Sliding fee scale:
Local assistance and scholarships:
Sibling discount:
Military discount:
American Indian and Alaska Native Assistance:
Native Hawaiian child care and preschool programs:
Child and dependent care tax credit
Earned income tax credit (https://childcare.gov/consumer-education/get-help-paying-for-child-care)
What types of federal student loans are available?
Direct Subsidized Loans .
Direct Unsubsidized Loans
Direct PLUS Loans
Direct Consolidation Loans
(https://studentaid.gov/understand-aid/types/loans)
Eligible survivors include:...
If
a relative of yours died from COVID-19, you may be able to get
reimbursed up to $9,000 for funeral expenses. ..In 2019, the median
national cost of a funeral with a viewing and a burial was $7,640
(https://www.cnet.com/personal-finance/covid-funeral-reimbursement-now-9000-heres-how-to-apply-today/)
Also relevant:
The
Social Security Administration has announced a 1.3% increase in Social
Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits for 2021...The
new SSI federal base amount is $794 per month for an individual and
$1,191 per month for a couple. The SSI payment amounts are higher in
states that pay a supplementary SSI payment....average disability
benefit: $1,277 p>An applicant for
disability benefits through the Social Security disability insurance
(SSDI) or SSI programs must be making less than $1,310 per month (up
from $1,260 per month in 2021) to qualify for benefits. (Blind
applicants can make up to $2,190 per month). Anyone working above those
limits is considered to be doing "substantial gainful activity"
(SGA)....
Over half of the income
made by an SSI recipient is not counted toward the limit, so you can
actually receive SSI until you make up to $1,672 per month (if you have
no other income). However, any income received between $0 and $1,672
will reduce the monthly benefit. (For instance, if you earn $1,500 a
month and have no other income, your SSI check will be only $86.50.) In
some states that make extra payments to SSI recipients, the income limit
for SSI recipients may be higher. The income exclusion amount for
students receiving SSI is now $1,930 per month (up to an annual limit of
$7,770). -
https://www.nolo.com/legal-updates/social-security-and-ssi-disability-and-benefit-amounts-for-2021.html
The Social Security Administration
provides benefits to children with disabilities in low-income households
through the SSI program. More than 1.3 million children received SSI
disability benefits in 2014; 16 percent of those – or 213,668 children
-- are receiving benefits because of primary speech and language
disorders. In the past decade, the size of this group has more than
tripled; between 2007 and 2011, the number of children who began
receiving SSI benefits for speech and language disorders increased by
nearly 40 percent. ...Between 3 percent and16 percent of all children in
the U.S. experience disruptions in communication because of speech and
language disorders. - THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES OF SCIENCES, ENGINEERING,
AND MEDICINE;
https://www.nationalacademies.org/news/2016/01/increase-in-the-number-of-children-who-receive-federal-disability-benefits-for-speech-and-language-disorders-similar-to-trends-in-the-general-population-says-new-report
The Supplemental Security Income
(SSI) program provides income support to needy persons aged 65 or older,
blind or disabled adults, and blind or disabled children. Eligibility
requirements and federal payment standards are nationally uniform. SSI
replaced the former federal/state adult assistance programs in the 50
states and the District of Columbia. Payments under SSI began in January
1974, with 3.2 million persons receiving federally administered
payments. By December 1974, this number had risen to nearly 4 million
and remained at about that level until the mid-1980s, then rose
steadily, reaching nearly 6 million in 1993 and 7 million by the end of
2004. As of December 2019, the number of recipients was about 8.1
million. Of this total, more than 4.6 million were between the ages of
18 and 64, 2.3 million were aged 65 or older, and 1.1 million were under
age 18.
The average monthly
federally administered SSI payment was $566. Payments varied by age
group, ranging from an average of $670 for recipients aged under 18 to
$459 for those aged 65 or older. The maximum federal benefit rate in
December 2019 was $783 for an individual and $1,175 for a couple, plus
any applicable state supplementation.
- https://www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/chartbooks/fast_facts/2020/fast_facts20.html#page24
Statistical Report on the Social Security Disability Insurance Program
[SSDI]. In December 2019, there were 9,765,096 people receiving Social
Security disability benefits as disabled workers, disabled widow(er)s,
or disabled adult children. The majority (85.8 percent) were disabled
workers, 11.7 percent were disabled adult children, and 2.5 percent were
disabled widow(er)s.
https://www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/statcomps/di_asr/2019/sect01.html
The following is indirectly related to SSI: Every
month, 14 million people now get a disability check from the
government...The federal government spends more money each year on cash
payments for disabled former workers than it spends on food stamps and
welfare combined....The vast majority of people on federal disability do
not work.[1] Yet because they are not technically part of the labor
force, they are not counted among the unemployed...
In
Hale County, Alabama, nearly 1 in 4 working-age adults is on
disability.[2] On the day government checks come in every month, banks
stay open late, Main Street fills up with cars, and anybody looking to
unload an old TV or armchair has a yard sale. ..There's no diagnosis
called disability. You don't go to the doctor and the doctor says,
"We've run the tests and it looks like you have disability." It's
squishy enough that you can end up with one person with high blood
pressure who is labeled disabled and another who is not....The health
problems where there is most latitude for judgment -- back pain, mental
illness -- are among the fastest growing causes of disability.
People on disability are not counted among the unemployed. "That's a
kind of ugly secret of the American labor market," David Autor, an
economist at MIT, told me. "Part of the reason our unemployment rates
have been low, until recently, is that a lot of people who would have
trouble finding jobs are on a different program."..disability has also
become a de facto welfare program for people without a lot of education
or job skills. But it wasn't supposed to serve this purpose; it's not a
retraining program designed to get people back onto their feet. Once
people go onto disability, they almost never go back to work. Fewer than
1 percent of those who were on the federal program for disabled workers
at the beginning of 2011 have returned to the workforce since then, one
economist told me....
As I got
further into this story, I started hearing about another group of people
on disability: kids. People in Hale County told me that what you want
is a kid who can "pull a check." Many people mentioned this, but I
basically ignored it. It seemed like one of those things that maybe
happened once or twice, got written up in the paper and became
conversational fact among neighbors. Then I looked at the numbers. I
found that the number of kids on a program called Supplemental Security
Income -- a program for children and adults who are both poor and
disabled -- is almost seven times larger than it was 30 years ago.
Jahleel
Duroc (pictured above) is gap-toothed, 10 and vibrating with
enthusiasm. He's excited to talk to someone new, excited to show me his
map of his neighborhood in the Bronx. He's disabled in the eyes of the
government because he has a learning disability.
When
you are an adult applying for disability you have to prove you cannot
function in a "work-like setting." When you are a kid, a disability can
be anything that prevents you from progressing in school. Two-thirds of
all kids on the program today have been diagnosed with mental or
intellectual problems....
Jahleel's
mom wants him to do well in school. That is absolutely clear. But her
livelihood depends on Jahleel struggling in school. This tension only
increases as kids get older. One mother told me her teenage son wanted
to work, but she didn't want him to get a job because if he did, the
family would lose its disability check....
By Chana Joffe-Walt. More on a problem designed to combat a problem: https://apps.npr.org/unfit-for-work/
Note that in the Bible, under the theocracy instituted by God through Moses, the closest thing to socialism is that as a theocracy which included the Hebrews:
selling themselves (or being sold) into servanthood, (Leviticus
25:39,47ff) with the owner giving generous severance pay in the
seventh year (Deuteronomy
15:9-15) thus fostering self-sufficiency, vs. welfare. And:
not harvesting the corners of the field, leaving them "for the poor and stranger. (Lv. 19:10; 23:22) And
also:
letting the land rest the 7th year with the poor being the
harvesters (meaning work: Exodus
30 23:11). As well as leaving that which dies of itself for the
poor. (Deuteronomy
14:21) And:
at the end of every seven years making a release of every creditor
of his neighbour, or of his brother, excluding foreigners.
(Deuteronomy
15:1-3) And;
giving to every family per tribes a portion of the conquered land by
lot for an inheritance forever. (Numbers
33:53,54)
ever fiftieth year proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all
the inhabitants to return every man unto his possession (in case
they sold it, such as out of need), and every man unto his family.
(Leviticus
25:10)
And personal charity to brethren who waxed poor, and with loans
having no interest, (Leviticus
25:35,36; Deuteronomy
15:7,8; cf. 1 Timothy 6:17,18; 1
John 3:16,17) and:
not keeping overnight what he placed down as collateral/pledge
(Deuteronomy
24:12) And:
paying workers daily. (Deuteronomy
24:15) And with:
the same tax (an half shekel) for rich and poor for the service of
the tabernacle of the congregation. (Exodus
30:15,16)?
A yearly tithe of produce, dough, etc. for the Levites to do the
service of the Tabernacle (Numbers
18:20,21; Leviticus
27:30-31)
The yearly tithe of their increase of the field (being an
agrarian-based society) for the feasts, to eat (or buy food if one
came from far away, who could sell their increase) at the feast unto
the Lord in the place which He would choose to place his name.
(Deuteronomy
14:22-26)
The free-will offerings by inviolable vows, of persons, cattle,
houses, or land, (Leviticus
27:2-25) according to administrative estimation based on value
and ability.
The tithe of thine increase at the end of three years, thus, "the
Levite, (because he hath no part nor inheritance with thee,) and the
stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, which are within thy
gates, shall come, and shall eat and be satisfied; that the LORD thy
God may bless thee in all the work of thine hand which thou doest."
(Deuteronomy
14:28,29)
Thus, while some liberals attempt to invoke the Bible in support of "redistributive social welfare tax," what the Bible describes is simply not analogous to the "social justice" movement of the Left, which not extends to tax money being used for "gender justice" and fostering transitioning beginning with adolescents, and surgery even for prisoners.
And attempts to use the theocracy of Israel as applicable tor civil government today needs to deal with it as part a
whole system, which was opposed to,
a welfare system which subsidizes having children due to rampant
continued fornication. And fosters:
absentee fathers, and:
able persons/recipients who would not seek to be productive. And
a vast penal system, and:
redundant overlapping (federal and "tribal") programs
providing $ignificant aid for a whole host of aspects, including
education, housing, heat, power, health care, utility rates, and a
multitude
of adult health issues as well as children,
and including:
funding the cost of treatment for a disease primarily caused by a
sinful activity the Scriptures only condemns, and even funding so that they may engage in it without becoming infected, as well as for treatment due to a fornicating lifestyle. And:
with the support largely being an impersonal means in the mail or
similar, And:
administered by a vast bureaucracy largely staffed by supporters of
said system (with most likely being socialism-supporting college students).
many of whom are naïve idealistic students of secular schools working to get their remaining debt forgiven by working for the government).
And with those with political power fostering a victim-entitlement mentality, in which all those lack
benefits others earned are told they are victims of injustice, and
have the right to benefits others earned, and who are generally
portrayed as oppressors who need to have more taken from them to
provide what the victims are told is their right (thus working
against the concept of mercy and grace and acts of gratitude), and
by which Communist-type seduction said political powers obtain their power (in the end resulting in dictatorships and the most extreme
economic discrepancy), all of which is
funded by approx. just half the adult population, and:
with certain benefits for the working poor effectively being a
disincentive to work, since recipients quickly lose more benefits
for each additional dollar they earn.
See The Big Picture: who is really running the show in the culture war, and its nature and trajectory
And most importantly, please read on as regards salvation:
* In the Bible, one is saved by penitent, heart-purifying, regenerating effectual faith, (Acts 10:43-47;
15:7-9) in the risen Divine
(http://peacebyjesus.org/deityofchrist.html) Lord Jesus, who was sent by
the Father to be the savior of the world. (1 John 4:14)
who did everything Right, but then took responsibility for all we did
Wrong, paying the price the forgiveness of our sin with His own sinless
shed blood. (Isaiah 53:4–11; Luke 24:47; Luke 24:47; Col. 1:14)
* And 3 days later then rose and ascended to His Father in Heaven as Lord of all, and thus enabling regeneration (John 7:37, 38; 14:24,25; 16:7) when one essentially believes as described above. (Acts 15:7-9; Eph. 1:13; Titus 3:5)
*
And by which faith the redeemed soul is "accepted in the Beloved" and
positionally seated with Him in Heaven, on His account, glory to God. (Ephesians 1:6; 2:6; cf. Phil. 3:21)
And will go with the Lord Jesus to the battle of Armageddon, “ (Jude 14-15)
and also stand before “the judgment seat of Christ” which is only for
believers and who will be judged as to rewards or loss thereof due their
manner of workmanship in building the body of Christ, the church. (Lk. 14:14; cf. 1Cor. 3:8ff; 4:5; Acts 24:15)
And
shall then be rulers under Christ in His literal 1,000 year reign.
“Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on
such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God
and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.” (Revelation 20:6) In contrast to those who were never born of the Spirit or who terminally fall away. (Gal. 5:1-4; Heb. 3:12; 10:25-39)
After which the “great and notable day of the Lord” ‘ (Acts 2:20) culminates in the Great White Throne judgment, with “the resurrection of damnation” (Jn. 5:29b) and their judgment which occurs 1,000 years after “the first resurrection” (Rv. 20:6) the “resurrection of life, (”(Jn. 5:29a) and in which judgment believers will be part of the jury in the judgment of men and angels (1 Corinthians 6:3)
In
which the dead are judged out of those things which were written in the
books, and whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast
into the lake of fire, (Rv. 20:11-5) with their degree of punishment being determined in accordance with how much light and grace was given. (Lk. 10:12-13; 12:47,48)
"
width="200" height="350" alt=" " border="1"> Sources: Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. 