One In Ten Americans Now On Food Stamps

• April 3, 2009

And the obvious reaction from the media/left is to freak out. Blame it all on our greedy, unfair free markets. And then demand an expansion of the food stamps programs as a response to what they’ll undoubtedly be calling a “crisis.”

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A record 32.2 million people — one in every 10 Americans — received food stamps at latest count, the government said on Thursday, a reflection of the recession now in its 16th month.
Food stamps are the major U.S. antihunger program and help poor people buy groceries. The average benefit was $112.82 per person in January.
The January figure marks the third time in five months that enrollment set a record.
“A weakened economy means that many more individuals are turning to SNAP/Food Stamps,” said the Food Research and Action Center, an antihunger group, using the acronym for the renamed food stamp program, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

“Anti-hunger group.” What a hoot. As if the opponents of these groups that endlessly demand bigger and bigger entitlement programs were pro-hunger groups. You can’t oppose the anti-hunger groups, because then you’re pro-hunger.
Convenient, no?
Anyway, the reason we’ve seen a spike in people enrolling for food stamps is because government expanded the entitlement.
The 2007 US Farm Bill changed the name of the Food Stamp Program to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (all the better to fool the taxpayers into thinking this isn’t welfare). It did more than just change the name of the program. It expanded the benefits of the program as well. Not only was the benefits amount of program raised, the qualifying income levels were expanded to. This not only made the program more attractive to people who weren’t already signed up, it also made more people eligible.
And, low and behold, the number of people on food stamps increased.
It’s a bit like arrest numbers going up after more cops are put on the streets. It’s not necessarily indicative of more crime. There’s just more cops available to arrest more people. And that’s not necessarily a good thing. And neither is the food stamps situation.
What this creates is a vicious cycle by which the government expands entitlements, more people use the entitlements, and then the government bureaucrats use that as a justification to expand entitlements even further.
And all the while, we foot he bill.

Tags: Asshats, Domestic Issues, Politics, The Loony Left

http://Array Thomas Jackson

Little wonder all those caring Leftwingnuts can’t give to charity. Its the government’s role to steal from the rich to give to the lazy.

Show me a Liberal and I’ll show you a lazy, envious, loser. Show me a welfare type and I’ll show you three generations of losers.
bill-tb

I think you got it figured out … It’s a positive feedback loop. What happens when we run out of money, a point that is fast approaching.

The best welfare there ever was is a good job.
Hard-working Liberal

Sir, I respect your opinions, but I work very closely with people applying for SNAP, and even with the expanded eligibility, these people are truly in need of a boost! It’s a hand up, not a hand out, and most SNAP recipients are only on the program for a few months while they get their lives back together. The government is just trying to make sure people stay healthy, NOT make them dependent. Studies show that SNAP recipients eat out LESS (read: less fast food) than non-recipients of the same income. And the consequences of malnutrition are MUCH bigger than what we’re paying out in SNAP benefits. Let’s look at the big picture here.

Come on people, we all feel how hard it is! I’m single and make more than the SNAP limit for a 2-person household. That means that even if I had a kid, I STILL wouldn’t qualify for SNAP. And I can barely make ends meet on my own! So maybe, just MAYBE, the fact that 1 out of 10 people are receiving SNAP means that wages SUCK and the working class has been exploited for way too long. Perhaps if the government of the past few decades had been more worried about requiring decent, living wages for its people rather than lining the pockets of corporate giants, we wouldn’t be in this mess.
Hawk

Anyway, the reason we’ve seen a spike in people enrolling for food stamps is because government expanded the entitlement.

It has nothing to do with the economy and unemployment?

You are prohunger because you just don’t give a damn.
2Hotel9

The government runs commercials telling people to sign up for food stamps and welfare, and anyone is surprised both are going up?
jimmypop

Not true, actually. I give a damn. It’s just that I’m smart enough to recognize that making people dependent on the government isn’t helping them.

rob, looks like youre wrong again…. this is not about helping THEM. its about the left getting their slaves back. liberals shouldnt be bothered by things like mowing their lawns or harvesting their food. they are too busy saving the world and making money off made up threats.
http://www.valleydeals.com/cgi-bin/board2/YaBB.pl Kevin

If the government controls your food, it controls you!
http://www.moszer.net/ Moszer

Reminds me of an old joke.

“How do you starve a liberal? Hide his food stamps under his work boots”
Hawk

So Hawk, when was the last time you went hungry? Cut back a bit? Exercised?

When I was in Bosnia, last Saturday I went without dessert (though I did have 2 beers with dinner), I walked my dog this morning.
Mickey

This is a sign of the Obama economy.
2Hotel9

And were you on a government computer when you posted this propaganda? That is against the law. Or are you going to claim ignorance as your defense?
2Hotel9

You had a point, up until you spewed the usual, anti-American socialist shit,”wages SUCK and the working class has been exploited for way
too long. Perhaps if the government of the past few decades had been more
worried about requiring decent, living wages for its people rather than
lining the pockets of corporate giants, we wouldn’t be in this mess.”

What a lying piece of crap.
http://sayanythingblog.com/readers/entry/homosexuality_is_wrong_-_a_compendium move_zig

“How do you break a liberals’ finger?

Kick him in the ass.”
http://www.rabidamerican.net/ Rabid American

The demographics of this would be VERY interesting! Broken down by % of specific ethnic category vs working % for that category, that is….. Then by country of origin…..

but that would be insensitive to the plight of the exploited!
http://SayAnythingBlog.com The_Whistler_ofnd

I’m sure spending our money to advertise that they were giving away free money helped as well.
http://sillytroll.com/ Dino2

Nice to see the ex-welfare and unemployment compensation recipient weighing in on this.

That’s you, Potato.
http://suitepotato.blogspot.com/ sayanything-4808

So Hawk, when was the last time you went hungry? Cut back a bit? Exercised?

Didn’t think so.

Again, it is better to be in favor of a nation so prosperous and wealthy that to be poor takes Herculean effort than in favor of a nation where the best anyone can hope for is to tread water, and that’s what liberalism has in store. A slow breakdown of the world so that effort is less and less rewarded, labor less and less effective, until people just give up.

Screw that.
http://sayanythingblog.com robport

You are prohunger because you just don’t give a damn.

Not true, actually. I give a damn. It’s just that I’m smart enough to recognize that making people dependent on the government isn’t helping them.
WOOFX

Looking for change, send those 32 million
Americans getting food stamps to bed hungry.

SayAnythingBlog.com

One In Ten Americans Now On Food Stamps

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