‘El!r Fortiani» (Obstruer
Page 8
lune 12. 2013
New Prices
S
Effective
May 1,2010
Martin
Cleaning
Service
Carpet & Upholstery
Cleaning
Residential &
Commercial Services
Minimum Service CHG
$45.00
A sm all distance/travel charge
m ay be applied
CARPET CLEANING
2 Cleaning Areas or
more $30.00 Each Area
Pre-Spray Traffic Areas
(Includes: I sm all H allw ay)
1 Cleaning Area (only)
$40.00
Includes Pre-Spray Traffic Area
(Hallway Extra)
Stairs (12-16 stairs - With
O ther Services): $25.00
Area/Oriental Rugs:
$25.00Minimum
Area/Oriental Rugs (Wool):
$40.00Minimum
Heavily Soiled Area:
Additional $10.00 each area
(Requiring Extensive Pre-Spraying)
UPHOLSTERY
CLEANING
Sofa: $69.00
Loveseat: $49.00
Sectional: $ 109 - $ 139
Chair or Recliner
$25 - $49
Throw Pillows (With
Other Services): $5.00
%
ADDITIONAL
SERVICES
• Area & Oriental Rug
Cleaning
• Auto/Boat/RV Cleaning
• Deodorizing & Pet
Odor Treatment
= v
• Spot & Stain
Removal Service
• Scotchguard Protection
• Minor Water Damage
Services
SEE CURRENT FLYER
FOR ADDITIONAL
PRICES & SERVICES
Call for Appointment
(503) 281-3949
Expand Food Stamp Program, Don’t Shrink It
Being well-fed
is good for the
economy
J ill R ichardson
I n ev er paid m uch attention to
the food stam p d ebate in C ongress
before. B ut I'm on food stam ps m y ­
se lf these days, so I'm tuning in this
tim e around.
O fficially called S N A P — the
Supplem ental N utrition A ssistance
P rogram — food stam ps are one o f
those things that deficit-conscious
law m akers alw ays w ant to cut and
h u n g er advocates alw ays w ant to
increase.
T he H ouse w ants to slash food-
stam p spending by $20 billion. The
Senate's angling for a $4 billion cut,
w ith a tw ist: D avid V itter (the L o u i­
siana R epublican w ho w as cau g h t
patronizing prostitutes, but so m e­
how hung onto his S enate seat)
w ants to prohibit "convicted m u r­
d e re rs, ra p ists, and p e d o p h ile s"
from receiv in g food stam ps fo r life.
T alk about fam ily values! If this
m easure becom es law, I can't wait till
it backfires, and som ebody robs a
gro cery store at gun p o in t for a box
o f C h eerio s and a carton o f m ilk.
H ow did I get on food stam ps?
By being poor. A m agazine I w rote
fo r w ent bankrupt, a book deal fell
through, and the next thing I knew ,
by
I w as broke.
In go v ern m en t-sp eak , you m u st
earn under 130 percent o f the federal
poverty line and have less than $ 100
in liq u id assets to qualify. T h is
m eans m ost o f m y incom e goes to
pay m y rent, and w ith the few dollars
left over, I struggle to pay for pre-
scription drugs, gas, food, utility
bills, and anything else I m ight need,
E n ter food stam ps. A fter p ro v id -
stam ps gen erates ab o u t nine dol-
lars in econom ic activity. The m oney
I receive doesn't only b en efit m e —
it helps the store w here I buy staples
like oatm eal and beans, and it helps
every b usiness that bro u g h t those
products from the farm to that store:
food m anufacturers, truckers, w are-
h ouses, and m ore. T hose com pa-
nies m ake purchases and pay w ages.
T h e ir em p lo y ees use th eir w ages to
For my money, I ’d rather help
people buy healthy food while
stimulating economic growth instead o f
letting them suffer hunger or subsist on
junk food. The costs o f diet-related
illnesses, like diabetes, are many times
greater than the cost o f healthy food.
F ortunately, I ’m b ack on m y feet.
I'll be b ack to b u y in g m y ow n food
all by m y se lf in short order.
Som e w ho receive food stam ps
are, like m e, g o in g th rough b rie f
tough tim es. O thers are chronically
poor. T h ere are 5 0 m illion A m eri­
cans w ho still d o n 't get en o u g h to
eat w ith the S N A P b udget w here it
is. T h a t m ean s th e g o v e rn m e n t
should ex p an d the fo o d -stam p p ro ­
gram , not shrink it.
T hese benefits average $ 1.46 per
m eal — hardly en o u g h to purchase
healthy food. F o r m y m oney, I'd
rath er help p eople buy h ealthy food
w hile stim ulating econom ic grow th
instead o f letting them suffer h u n ­
g er o r subsist on ju n k food. T he
costs o f d iet-related illnesses, like
diabetes, are m any tim es greater than
the cost o f h ealth y food.
B ut here's an o th er th o u g h t to
help u n d erstan d the larger issue:
As long as o u r eco n o m ic slum p
persists, tax rev en u e w ill be dow n
w hile d em an d for food stam ps w ill
be up.
W e need to stim ulate the econom y
in w ays that put A m ericans back to
w ork so few er o f us need food
stam ps. T hat's the best w ay to b a l­
ance the budget.
ing U ncle Sam w ith a heap o f d o cu ­ buy w hat they need, and so on.
m entation, I w as aw arded a w h o p ­ E co n o m ists call this a m u ltip lier e f­
ping $70 p er m onth in assistance. fect.
It's not unheard o f fo r A m ericans to
F ood stam ps are ju s t about the
spend that m uch at a restaurant for best w ay to stim ulate the econom y.
ju s t one m eal, but that's w hat I get
K eeping o u r population w ell-fed
fo r an entire m onth. W hen you're also m akes us m ore p roductive.
that poor, it m akes a big difference. H ungry people can't w ork as hard,
S N A P does w ork as advertised and hungry children learn less. A f­
— the pro g ram does help hungry ter the G reat D epression, U ncle Sam
O th e rW o rd s c o lu m n ist J ill
people. Y et, I feel its im pact as an realized this w as even a national Richardson is the author o f Recipe
econom ic stim ulus is even m ore security pro b lem w hen you n g m en fo r America: Why Our Food System
im portant.
w ho grew up m alnourished w ere Is Broken and What We Can Do to
Every five dollars spent in food unfit to fight in W orld W ar II.
Fix It.