May 10, 20152 min read

* Charles Bothuell update

Bookmarks: Charles Bothuell update • Gwyneth Paltrow’s food stamps demonstration • About mental illness: Read this. • Woman accused of cutting baby from womb will stand trial

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2015-04-17: Police defend fast-food stop for Michigan boy held in basement 2015-04-17: Police: Basement wasn’t completely searched before boy found 2015-04-29: Detroit boy found in basement says his home was ‘terrible’ 2015-05-06: Detroit boy in basement: Stepmother put me there for 11 days 2015-05-07: Michigan boy held in basement says stepmother led him to hiding spot 2015-05-21: Boy found in basement: I liked results of intense exercise I think this dooms the prosecution.

Previous post: Bizarre child abuse case

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Gwyneth Paltrow doesn’t understand how America’s poor live. But unless you’re poor, neither do you.

A lot of people presume to complain on behalf of the poor, when the poor aren’t complaining themselves.

On the one hand, I don’t recall ever hearing someone say he or she can’t get by on food stamps, and I’ve lived primarily among food stamps recipients for a long, long time.

On the other hand, something’s seriously wrong with the formula by which food stamps benefits are determined. At the end of my time as an assistant manager of a dollar store, I was making $9 an hour, and my food stamps benefit was about $9 a month. Every penny of that was precious. When I became completely without an earned income, my benefit increased to $189/month, and there was no way in the world I could possibly spend that much on eligible foods.

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