Leran

To commemorate Holocaust Remembrance Day let’s truly live up to “never again”. Not only when violence rises to genocidal levels in another country, but also when agents of our government violate laws and morality to abuse, kidnap, and kill our neighbors.

open.substack.com/pub/leranmin...

I don’t think Democrats should necessarily campaign on the economy. As a middle class white guy, I hear economy and I don’t think you’re talking about me. That’s for old money or finance/tech bros.

Cost of living, though, now I’m listening.

The real reason your children can’t avoid added sugar - The Boston Globe New federal dietary guidelines call for children to avoid added sugar until their 11th birthday. But we’re raising children in a food environment where added sugar is almost always the default.

“…policymakers need to strengthen and fully support healthy school and child-care meal programs as a cornerstone of any effort to reduce kids’ sugar intake. With such programs reaching more than 30 million children each day, they are among the most powerful levers to shape kids’ diets.”

For a family of four, shifting to the low-cost food plan would be about a 10% boosts in benefits. This would be $2.99 per meal per person (no snacks) so this would still inadequate according to Secretary Rollins.

How to improve diet and health for low-income Americans in 3 easy steps

1) Repeal OBBBA SNAP cuts
2) Increase SNAP benefits from the current Thrifty Food Plan to AT LEAST the Low-Cost Food Plan**
3) Fully fund food is medicine programs for Medicaid and Medicare patients

The one other this is hanger and sadness

Whether it’s Democrats putting their pronouns in email signatures or Republicans shooting and killing unarmed drivers, both sides have taken actions that the other side finds threatening.

Trying out the Substack thing and sharing my thoughts on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans including some recommendations on how we can truly ensure everyone has access to "real food".

lnkd.in/ee7_ztvw

I'll leave it the experts in nutrition science to comment on the make-up of the new Dietary Guidelines for Americans, but a friendly reminder that the DGA isn't worth anything if we don't increase supports like SNAP, boost funding for child nutrition programs, raise wages, and bring down prices.

Started The Painful Truth about Hunger in America. Couldn’t agree more w @marianachilton.bsky.social:

“Responsibility for hunger in America lands in wallets, laps, hearts, and minds of the wealthy, who create inequality for their own profits. To solve it, we have to focus on ending inequality.”

My name is Leran and I wholeheartedly endorse @salaambhattiva.bsky.social. (FWIW)

It’s the guns.

Malicious incompetence

This is petty, but Brooke Rollins is who I would cast as Cruella Deville in a community theatre production of 101 Dalmatians. She has the look and the vibe.

Also, this is illegal and absurd.

The shutdown was an excuse, not a reason, to go after SNAP.

SNAP recipients have to re-apply either every 6 months or year. Onerous process, with almost no fraud.

There are no shutdown-related requirement for SNAP renewal. But it would predictably result in low-income families going hungry.

Aside from the fact that SNAP participants already have to periodically recertify for benefits — usually every 6 or 12 months — SNAP rules also prohibit states from arbitrarily shortening a household's certification period to force them to reapply early.

a group of men are sitting in chairs with a guitar and a newspaper . ALT: a group of men are sitting in chairs with a guitar and a newspaper .

Was Wonderwall next?

We’re minding the shop while you take care of yourself. At least the best we can in this bonkers banana pants world.

still a mess but the CR included full year appropriations for USDA so should *should* be solid footing through October 2026.

But still a waste of time and energy for them to prepare their systems for partial payments in November 2026 if somehow we’re back here

And FWIW that memo is like 5 memos ago. This week has been a decade, my friend.

*gov

They had a piggy bank that like a petulant child they refused to use. Finally they were told the had to use it. But it only had enough for partial payments. Court told them there were other piggy banks and they were even more petulant.

now that fed tov is open they are paying it all

Huge thanks to @projectbread.org for stepping up to help families impacted by President Trump's SNAP benefits freeze.

Our team worked quickly to get benefits back on EBT cards — so if you’ve got funds, go get those groceries.

And if you still need help, ask. You are not alone.

This spending bill is a fundamental betrayal of the people, and I voted NO.

Shame on every member of Congress who voted to deny a child their medication or to tear away life-saving cancer treatment.

The people deserve so much better, and this fight isn't over.

I'm a SNAP recipient... for the last month I was tightening my belt, doing my best to eat cheaper and eating less so I'd have a little left over to help get me through when payments were cut. It was all for nothing. Fuck the dems who supported this.

So we’ll know by Wednesday just what extreme this administration wants to take to starve people and punish states for trying to help them.

And that’s why you have my endorsement

Double apology!

Nor should you accept it without an explanation and an apology!

The average SNAP benefit per month is $177 a person.

The average ACA benefit per month is up to $550 a person.

People want us to hold the line for a reason. This is not a matter of appealing to a base. It’s about people’s lives.

And working people want leaders whose word means something to them.