Chris Coons on Welfare & Poverty

It's not dependency to rely on food stamps during recession

O'DONNELL: How would you explain what is happening when unemployment is leveled out, but more and more people are on food stamps? We've got to ask ourselves, what do we want Delawareans to be receiving, food stamps or paychecks? I say paychecks.

COONS: Obviously paychecks. We'd like to have Americans able to receive the benefits they need to get through incredibly difficult times But to simply denounce people as being dependent because they're applying for and receiving food stamps in the worst recession in modern times is frankly slandering people who are in incredibly difficult times.

O'DONNELL: I'm not the person who would cut the tax benefits for disabled and low-income senior citizens, as you did as county executive. You have said that you will stop the tax cuts for the so-called rich. What you fail to realize is the so-called rich are the small business owners.