My website is dianeravitch.com. I write about two interconnected topics: education and democracy. I am a historian of education.
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Diane Ravitch's blog 
TODAY ran a piece that included clips from the cut 60 Minutes CECOT piece that aired in Canada.
ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIRm7JDnY9Y
Using pull quotes from TV news is generally legal under the doctrine of fair use in U.S. copyright law, provided the use is for purposes such as commentary, criticism, news reporting, or education, and the portion used is brief and attributed.
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Now Trump is going to build a “golden fleet” of “Trump class” battleships for the Navy, the first of which will be called ‘The Defiant’. He’s flexing his big bully muscles and seems to be itching to go to war –as long as he can stay safely at home to nurse his (fake) bone spurs.
But who does he plan to go to war against? Battle ships would be overkill for fighting “drug lords” in fishing boats from Venezuela. And it sounds very expensive –especially for something that’s for show and not really needed –except to feed his ego. I fear there is a bigger war plan that he’s not mentioning yet –like the way Hitler simultaneously built up his military and signed peace pacts with the UK and Russia before he started World War II… OMG https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/u-field-trump-class-warships-224701178.html
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He’s so impulsive and stupid that it’s impossible to figure out what he intends to do. His obsession is renaming everything for himself.
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That naming stuff is the terrible 2 year old in him who wants everything he sees, says “mine” repeatedly and grabs it all, taking ownership without regard to anyone else or how they feel.
That explains his internal drive for expansionism, like his claim yesterday that the “US ‘has to have’ Greenland” (See: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ckgmd132ge4o) It sounds like he plans to attack the native people who live in Greenland, as well as Denmark, in order to get it. Does he know that Greenland is the country which is vastly covered with snow and ice and that it’s Iceland which is the country that’s green? So why does he want it –to give it as a gift to Putin? Doesn’t he realize that Putin only wants it so that he can have easy access to us and then he can take over our country –because he’s got expansionist goals as well? Yes, “stupid” is right on target!
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I can’t say for sure, but I think Greenland has a lot of “rare earth minerals” underneath all that ice. Wanting it is old-fashioned colonialism.
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It’s true that there are rare earth minerals, as well as the possibility of opening a previously frozen ocean transit route as climate change melts the tundra. But don’t lose sight of the ambitions of the techbros to establish one of their Network States, free from governmental interference. Seems impossible, but the billionaires backing Trump don’t inhabit the same reality as the rest of us.
https://www.thenerdreich.com/tech-billionaires-want-to-build-a-network-state-in-greenland/
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Wow.
What was the South American city-state you wrote about?
Or was it Honduras?
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Yes, it was Honduras, where techbros established the city of Próspera, on the island of Roatan, under the corrupt president Juan Orlando Hernández. The current government of Honduras is trying to oust the billionaires. Trump’s flagrant pardon of drug lord Hernández is thought to be tied to those billionaire interests.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/28/magazine/prospera-honduras-crypto.html?unlocked_article_code=1.408.berh.DF1EFaX4tj0c&smid=url-share
Sadly, it was under Hilary Clinton’s watch as Secretary of State that the Hernández coup of Manuel Zelaya occured.
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Denmark is a member of both NATO (since 1949) and the European Union (since 1973), playing an active role in both security and economic integration, making it a key Nordic nation in Western alliances. It is a founding member of NATO and is involved in many international efforts through these organizations, focusing on peace, security, and global challenges.
If Trump and his fascist MAGA KKK regime stays in power long enough to attempt grabbing Greenland by force using the US military, that means the US may end up in a war with NATO and the EU, which includes Canada.
Also, if that happens, I think many if not all of the blue states might break away from Trump and the red states he controls and join Canada, NATO and the EU to fight Trump’s regime.
WWIII
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He said it’s not about natural resources, and that it’s due to the need for national security –as protection from RUSSIA and China! As if we are all as dumb as he is and would fall for that nonsense!!! It sounds like a bad joke… (“Stupid is as stupid does.”
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Turmp revealed his goals when he let us know he wants Canada and Greenland, which are both NATO nations. If he starts a war to take them, he will be going to war against NATO and the EU because Greenland is a Denmark territory and Denmark is a member of both NATIO and the EU.
I think Trump and his extreme right billionaire allies do not want NATO and the EU military alliance to be able to use Canada and Greenland for military staging areas once they start the next World War.
What’s happening in Venezuela, the $40 billion to Argentina, the prison in San Salvadore deal, and Trump’s threats to take back Panama and attack Mexico fit into that plan. Trump and his regime are planning to go to war if needed to dominate all of the Americas and build an empire for the Trump Dynasty to rule over.
“President Trump’s administration has formally articulated a goal to reassert U.S. “preeminence” and “dominance” within the Western Hemisphere, a strategy framed as a modern interpretation of the Monroe Doctrine.
“A primary objective is to counter the influence of “adversarial powers” like China and Russia that have increased their trade, investment, and military presence in the region.
“The administration emphasizes that a secure Western Hemisphere is essential for securing the U.S. homeland.
“The strategy calls for a larger U.S. military presence, including “targeted deployments” and the potential use of lethal force, to combat migration, drug trafficking, and criminal organizations (such as cartels).
“The “Trump Corollary” to the Monroe Doctrine specifically highlights the importance of guaranteeing U.S. access to key hemispheric locations like the Panama Canal and Greenland for national security and economic reasons.
“The overall approach is driven by an “America First” foreign policy that aims to ensure every action makes America “safer, stronger, and more prosperous,” which has led to critiques from allies and foreign policy analysts.”
All while destroying the US alliances with the other NATIO nations and moving closer to Putin’s Russisa.
If the Toxic T stays in power as he plans for the rest of his life long past 2028, I expect the United States will get a name change to TRUMP.
England
France
Poland
Germany
Canada
TRUMP
Russia
Ukraine
Sweden
Finland
Iceland
Mexico
Brazil
et al.
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Important points, Lloyd! We are being led to believe that both Russia and China are our enemies though, and yet our countries have many of the same goals and we are even working towards achieving some of them together. Weird stuff!
Maybe it’s a matter of “Keep your friends close and keep your enemies even closer”? That can be rather confusing though, and those involved are so self-centered that I highly doubt what they are doing is to the world’s advantage…
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I do not believe for one second that Trump and Putin are adversaries. I think whatever Putin wants, he will get from Trump and vise versa, probably because Putin’s got something on Trump (Why else would their relationship look so much like a bro-mance?) See: “Putin nods to Trump plans to seize Greenland” “https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c7432451el7o“
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Of course Putin would approve of Trump seizing Greenland, destroying trust between allies. Serves Putin’s interest in sowing discord.
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Lloyd, Wow, there are so many ways we need to shore up our Constitution, as suggested by all that has been noted here, because the Founding Fathers never envisioned the two party system, let alone where one of them goes rogue and is led by a greedy billionaire class that can never satisfy their desire for more money, land, natural resources and power.
“I think many if not all of the blue states might break away from Trump and the red states he controls and join Canada, NATO and the EU to fight Trump’s regime.”
I live in a blue state and I’d hate to see another Civil War, let alone WWIII, but I would vote to secede from the union and join Canada/the UK in a New York minute if it was possible to do. So I think we need to consider how we can add a legal way for individual states to secede, without having to go to war and physically fight against our own country.
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I researched this and there may be no legal way to leave the union.
Still, without a working US Constitution, I don’t think there would be anything to stop states from leaving. After all, it is the US Constitution many (like me) swore an oath to defend against enemies like Putin and Trump and Trump’s loyalist MAGA KKK hate cult.
If it takes leaving the union, Turmp controls as a dictator, to save the US Constitution from Trump’s autocratic, greed and hate based Project 2025, I think the states that leave would be justified in leaving, taking the US Constitution with them. Then adding amendments to get rid of the Electoral College and strengthen voting rights, the first amendment and correcting the 2nd amendment.
“The U.S. Constitution doesn’t explicitly mention secession, but it implies a perpetual union, forbidding actions necessary for separation (treaties, alliances, etc.) and the Supreme Court ruled in Texas v. White (1869) that states can’t unilaterally leave, calling the Union “indissoluble” except through revolution or consent.
“While the Declaration of Independence speaks of a people’s right to alter government, the Constitution established a more permanent federal structure where secession is generally considered unlawful, with the Civil War settling the matter militarily and legally.”
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From what I have researched, the states that might leave hold about half the population of the current United States.
About one hundred and seventy million people.
If that US stays in NATO, then they’d still led by the US Constitution and would be more than able to defend itself because of Canada with another almost 42 million people. Most of those states also share borders with Canada or are connected to states that do.
Who knows, Mexico might join that United States. Especially after Trump renames the United States he controls as TRUMP.
The following pull quote comes from Gregory Waleed Kavalec on Quora.
In the end, the blue states combined like that would still be able call themselves the United States vs TRUMP, after he renames the red states after himself.
Trump would probably try to start a war over that split, but I don’t think he’d be able to get it off the ground. His billionaire supporters would lose too much wealth if the blue and red states split and ended in a bloody Civil War.
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Lloyd, you wrote: “the Supreme Court ruled in Texas v. White (1869) that states can’t unilaterally leave, calling the Union “indissoluble” except through revolution or consent.”
I looked but couldn’t find the answer to this: Who may provide “consent” for a state to leave the union? SCOTUS or Congress??
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I lost my first reply. WordPress does that all the time. I type very fast and often lose what I type without knowing why it’s happening, which is why I can’t stand WordPress anymore. Before the Block Editor the site was much easier to use.
Anyway, I think the states will decide what that means when the time comes. The Constitutional oath my play a significant role in those decisions.
Just happened to me again. Lost another paragraph.
Trump is dismantling the US Constitution while getting rid of the separation of powers between the three branches. I don’t think the states will need the permission to leave when the separation of powers doesn’t exist anymore and Trump rules through Executive orders for every branch.
The US is already moving in that direction. Recently I read that Trump has ignored about a third of the lower court rulings against him and nothing seems to happen to his regime. If they have to pay a fine, they don’t pay. The taxpayers do. The DOJ, which is not Trump’s Department of Revenge is supported by taxpayers. ICE agents acting like they are working for Hitler are also support by taxpayers.
How that money is supposed to be spent, should be up to Congress, which Trump is also ignoring.
I think the states that keep the US Constitution and support it be breaking up with Trump’s regime will have the support of a vast majority of their citizens.
Trump on the other hand, keeps losing support as he continued to erode the division of powers and implement Project 2025.
If it comes to a violent Civil War to break up with Trump, I think Trump’s loyalist MAGA KKK fascist army will get slaughtered since they will be outnumbered, outspent, and outfought on all fronts.
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Virtually everything pointed out in this thread by people blogging here and by Diane is very possible and, I think, cuts into the meat and the very heart of what’s going on in the world right now!
Of course Trump et al would deny current billionaire and national interests in exploiting natural resources, as well as opportunities to colonize and profit from that without government interference –regardless of how they try to obscure their intentions and actions. Great job everyone! Stay alert because it doesn’t end in Antarctica.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/china-condemned-trump-venezuela-blockade-101142469.html
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“Zombie Ship Shows US Targeting Darkest Corner of Oil Fleet” https://www.yahoo.com/news/finance/news/zombie-ship-shows-trump-targeting-071930230.html
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Whatever they can get away with in the Arctic, they”re going to try elsewhere as well, regardless of environmental protections, since exploiting natural resources for free $$$ and colonial powers are their primary objectives –and they’ve already been trying. See: Antarctica: What’s the big deal over resource exploitation?: https://www.dw.com/en/antarctica-whats-the-big-deal-over-resource-exploitation/a-67131242
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As Llyod mentioned, the people running our government, in this Administration as well as other government workers such as the military, took an oath and swore to uphold the Constitution. The president swore to “preserve, protect and defend” it, however, as a dictator-wannabe. he and his posse have been allowed to ride roughshod over the separation of powers and other important aspects of our Constitution –and it’s those very things that distinguish our nation as a democratic republic. But that is being torn asunder now, so it sounds like if states want to secede from the union, not having a Constitution in force anymore might be a justifiable reason for doing so, but then again, maybe not.
Probably most Americans don’t want to see blood shed and lives lost over this, so I think there has got to be a better way than revolution to resolve this issue, such as the 2026 vote. If Trump does not let it occur, that will be because he does not want to lose control of either house in Congress, as typically occurs after the election of a president, especially since he currently controls both houses. Then that will be another matter, so I think we should wait to see how this plays out.
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Meanwhile, we need to do what we can to make sure that citizens are able to and do vote in 2026.
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See this: https://substack.com/@borowitzreport/note/c-192037004
Rendition of a renamed battleship consistent with the current zeitgeist, but including a fitting twist from Andy Borowitz.
So who is going to pay for all the self-flattering glitz, when taxes for the poor billionaires (who just can’t get enough money) are being cut? YOU are, my friends!
And meanwhile, people like me, who get poverty level Social Security Retirement Income, just got a cut in SNAP benefits because of the annual Cost of Living Adjustment that comes each January. This has happened to me every year, but makes absolutely no sense, especially in this economy when the cost of groceries remain high. Gotta hope voters remember it all come November…
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“Donald Trump‘s proposed “Trump-class” battleships would be large surface combatants, displacing 30,000 to 40,000 tons, up to 880 feet long, making them bigger than current U.S. destroyers but smaller than historical Iowa-class battleships, yet equipped with advanced weapons like hypersonic missiles, railguns, and lasers. While described as the largest surface combatants since WWII, they’re smaller than older battleships but aim to be far more powerful, featuring nuclear-armed cruise missiles, and potentially 20-25 ships built, according to recent announcements in late 2025.”
Considering how long it takes to build ships like these, they may never be completed or even launched during what’s left of Trump’s life, and even if they are completed, I suspect there will be a name change, with Trump’s name deleted just like it will vanish from the Kennedy Center.
Construction on the new “Trump-class” battleships is projected to begin in the early 2030s, with estimates suggesting the first ship could be commissioned in the early to mid-2030s, taking around a decade from design to completion due to the novelty, scale, and complexity, despite promises of faster timelines (around 2.5 years) made by President Trump. The lengthy process involves years of design, systems engineering, and then several years for construction, far exceeding the 30-month figure mentioned, as even smaller destroyers take years to build.
If Trump rushes the launch dates to get them built before 2028, they will not function and will probably sink the same day they are launched.
It think it is guaranteed that the cost overruns and fraud will be enormous, all with Trump’s blessing.
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Lloyd,
I look forward to the day when Trump’s name is deleted from every place he has attached it. Maybe his grand gilded ballroom will be torn down and the East Wing will be restored.
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BTW, my monthly SNAP benefit now amounts to $4.74 per day for food. Do the billionaires who believe that people like me (retired indigent seniors) shouldn’t be getting SNAP (at all) think THEY could ever live on that? People can’t even buy a sandwich for that in my neck of the woods!
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I don’t want to bash all billionaires, but for sure, those that support the Toxic T. don’t think about the working class in terms of being human, or care if they have a place to live, medical care, or food.
They see the other 99% as tools (as numbers without names) to father their power and wealth.
Those billionaires, like the Toxic T, only care about themselves, their mansions, private jets and yachts, their power to control the lives of the working class, and that their wealth keeps growing no matter what happens to the middle class and people living in poverty.
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Well, a lot of those billionaires, like Jeff Bezos, can thank people like me for a huge amount of their online food sales. That’s because when the Pandemic was raging and we were all stuck at home, NO companies had permission to sell food to SNAP recipients online, so a very large number of us had no way to buy groceries! I immediately contacted both federal and state representatives and begged them to approve online SNAP sales –and they did do it! Amazon was the first to be given permission and gradually other places were approved as well, such as grocers I buy from through Instacart.
So: “You’re welcome, billionaires! I bet you didn’t think there were any highly educated, intelligent problem-solvers who depend on SNAP!” (I signed my notes to all the government representatives I contacted with my professor title and real name so they would take me seriously and get right on it –which they did do and they let me know it in their replies to me!)
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It never occurred to me before that someone had to be uneducated to apply to SNAP, so curious I just asked Google and here’s the reply.
“While exact recent figures vary, around 1.1 million college students relied on SNAP (food stamps) nationally as of late 2025, with data suggesting millions more are eligible but don’t receive it, showing a significant portion of higher-ed students facing food insecurity, despite many having some college education or degrees. Recent data from 2020 found 3.8 million college students experienced food insecurity, with significant percentages of those with higher education levels (like some college or even Bachelor’s degrees) also participating in the program.”
A college education doesn’t come with a guarantee that when they retire or have to stop working due to health issues, they will automatically have a living retirement wage.
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Lloyd, Your last paragraph is exactly right!!!
I didn’t just have a bachelor’s degree though, I earned an associates, masters and doctorate, too, and I spent the last 25 years of my career training people to get all of those degrees at several different colleges.
Also, eligibility for SNAP is based on income, not educational level, but I don’t think a lot of people know how underpaid teachers are when they’ve never had an opportunity to belong to a union (like me –for all 52 years of my teaching career!)
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I should warn people what happens when I’m triggered. What follows is the result.
For sure, “a lot of people (do not) know how underpaid teachers are when they’ve never had an opportunity to belong to a union (like me –for all 52 years of my teaching career!)”
Labor unions make a big difference when they have teeth, but they are dying.
The psychopaths who happen to be billionaires, just like Trump, hate anyone, who dares to challenge their power and threaten the unlimited, never ending growth of their bloated wealth, which explains why Jesus Christ said this about the wealthy:
Matthew 19:23-26 American Standard Version (ASV) And Jesus said unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, It is hard for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven. And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
The Bible has a lot to say about the super greedy like Trump and his billionaire allies.
“The Bible presents a nuanced view of rich people, acknowledging that wealth isn’t inherently evil and God blesses some, like Abraham and Job, but warns sternly that riches often lead to pride, idolatry (loving money over God), and spiritual danger, making it difficult for the wealthy to enter heaven (Matthew 19:23-24). Key themes include using wealth for good, being generous, avoiding arrogance, trusting God instead of riches, and serving God rather than money, with scriptures emphasizing stewardship and warning the rich to care for the poor.”
What about the Quran?
“The Quran teaches that wealth is a trial from God, a blessing to be used for good, not a sign of His favor; the wealthy are expected to be grateful by spending in His path (charity, helping relatives/poor) and avoiding greed, extravagance, and hoarding, as it can lead to arrogance and distraction from faith, with true richness being contentment in the heart and good deeds.”
Buddhism?
“Buddhism views wealth neutrally, seeing it as a tool that can either foster suffering through greed or bring happiness when used wisely and ethically, emphasizing that true wealth lies in spiritual qualities like faith, virtue, generosity, and wisdom. Wealthy individuals are encouraged to acquire it honorably, use it to support themselves, their families, and the less fortunate (monks, the poor), and avoid attachment, greed, or misuse, understanding its limitations and focusing on spiritual growth.”
Confucius?
“Confucius taught that wealth and honor are desirable only if obtained through virtuous means; gaining them in an unjust or corrupt society is a disgrace, as true honor comes from integrity, not riches. He believed wealth gained improperly is fleeting, like “floating clouds,” and true fulfillment comes from living according to the Dao (the Way), even in poverty, like his devoted disciple Yan Hui. For Confucius, moral character and right conduct were paramount, not material gain.”
Daoism?
Daoism views great wealth with caution, not inherently evil, but warns against the attachment, greed, and ego it fosters, which lead away from the natural flow of the Tao (the Way) and true inner richness found in contentment, simplicity, and generosity. The focus shifts from possessing things to possessing peace of heart; the wealthy should use their resources to benefit others without attachment, acting with humility and moderation to avoid corruption and societal imbalance, seeing true wealth as inner well-being, not accumulation.
Since Christianity didn’t exist as an organized religion until a few centuries after Jesus Christ’s death, and the fact that Jesus was a Jew from birth to death, what he said reflects the Old Testament.
Jesus explicitly stated in Matthew 5:17, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish them but to fulfill them,” indicating his teaching was meant to complete, not contradict, Old Testament law, though he often deepened its meaning and revealed its true spiritual intent, even while upholding its authority until “heaven and earth pass away”.
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Thanks, Lloyd, for all the detailed info about different religious perspectives on greed etc. –a lot of which I did not know! Jews are supposed to give a tithe of their income (among other things) as mercy, especially to those who are unfortunate.
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When I entered the workforce in the late 60s and early 70s, I saw how lots of union jobs with pensions were disappearing in America. I went to Europe a few times then and was amazed that they had flourished over there so much that, in England, seniors were called “pensioners.” They are still called that there, but the number of union jobs have since declined over there as well.
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Very funny, ECE!
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Lloyd, FYI, I just asked the Search Assistant (AI) in Duck Duck Go, “What are the educational levels of people on SNAP?” and it gave the following reply:
Many participants in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) have varying educational backgrounds, with a significant number being adults without education beyond high school. However, data shows that about 1 in 7 recipients are college graduates, indicating that individuals with some form of post secondary education also rely on SNAP benefits.
nasfaa.org Wikipedia Educational Levels of SNAP Participants
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) serves a diverse group of individuals with varying educational backgrounds. Here’s a breakdown of the educational levels among SNAP participants:
General Educational Attainment
Educational Level Percentage of Participants
High School Graduates Majority of participants
Some College Experience Significant portion
College Graduates About 1 in 7 recipients
Less than High School Not specified
Key Insights
This data highlights the broad socioeconomic range of individuals who depend on SNAP, reflecting the program’s role in supporting those facing food insecurity, regardless of their educational background.
Wikipedia nasfaa.org
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Impressive details. Duck Duck Go! I’ve used them before. I may start using them more often. Thanks for sharing.
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Sorry, Lloyd, I see now that the formatting in my above post got lost after I clicked the Reply button here, but two key points are that:
1 in 7 (or 14% of) people who get SNAP completed their bachelor’s degree. (It didn’t say anything about people who have earned graduate degrees –either masters or doctorates.)
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Still, it proves that SNAP is meant for everyone who qualifies, regardless of education level.
“The average SNAP participant receives around $188-$192 in monthly food assistance, though this varies by household size, income, and location, with higher amounts for families and seniors; benefits are calculated to supplement, not replace, income, meaning higher earnings generally lead to lower SNAP amounts, but deductions for expenses like rent or medical costs can increase benefits.”
So, Trump and his billionaire butt buddies, who are all psychopaths, like Trump, resent even this small sum, which isn’t enough to eat all month, going to someone who needs it if that money could help increase their wealth and power.
“The average cost to feed one person for a month in the U.S. varies, but generally falls between $300 and $500+, depending heavily on budget (Thrifty to Liberal), location, and eating habits, with USDA data suggesting around $392-$465 for moderate home-cooked diets and broader figures including dining out reaching $572 or more. For a thrifty approach (mostly cooking at home), expect closer to $300-$375, while a moderate plan might be $400-$500, and liberal/dining out can push costs much higher, notes Instacart, Ramsey Solutions, and the USDA, via {Link: PocketGuard, SoFi, and Move.org, respectively.” I’m still using Google. I want to try Duck Duck Go.
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I get $147 per month in Snap –which does not go very far (and even though my income is considered to be below the poverty level.)
Also, in Reform Judaism, as I was raised, we believe very strongly that we are responsible for Tikum Olam –which means healing the world, including ameliorating the human condition.
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cx: s/b Tikun not Tikum.
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