Food Stamps
I am all for helping people out. That is what it means to be human. One way this country does this is through food stamps. That being said, it may be too much of a good thing. The Food Stamp program is now called, if you didn’t know, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and enrollment in SNAP has surged 70% since 2008, reaching a record 47.8 million Americans in December. What this mens is that 15% of the country receives the benefits which is nearly double the rate as in 1975. I will let the smarter people decide why this is program is exploding but it is really disturbing. Want to hear some more disturbing news. Monster Beverage has changed its labeling so that it can qualify for food stamp purchases! To me, as a physician, this is the biggest issue. We bend rules so crappy food is allowed to be purchased via a debit card on the SNAP program. This leads to more obesity and more costs. What may be the most vile part of this scam is that SNAP claims to have no statistical breakdown on the types of foods purchased! Even though every item has an SKU number and every person on SNAP has a card number, this governmental behemoth pretends that it can’t calculate and give results of what people are buying! Of course they have the info and they do not want the public to know because the amount of empty calories, like Monster drinks, would blow you away.
It would be nice if you gave a complimentary year subscription to each congressman and senator.
Oh you have hit a nerve here. Every time I am in the checkout behind someone using their Illinois LINK card for junk food I seethe inwardly. Especially if there are children in tow.
Too bad they don’t pay the grocery stores 40% of charges like MA and Medicare do to us. John Parkin M.D.
AWESOME IDEA!!
Gross abuse and corruption of the food stamp program SNAP have been going on for decades, long before the spike in 2008. One solution would be to follow the WIC supplemental food program. Which provides coupons for specific basic healthy food for families. specifically the WIC (women, infant children food program) provides free milk , eggs, peanut butter, cereals, and. Fresh produce ONLY, which facilitates healthy food and eating habits .
Why hasn’t the U.S. chosen this easy solution, by converting SNAP to the WIC, who knows?
The answer to that question is simple and straightforward. SNAP is corporate welfare, not individual welfare. With $74.6 billion (2012 expenditure) to lose, the corporations will bring serious pressure to bear to make sure nothing changes and the public knows as little as possible about what is actually happening.
Except in a post-disaster, short term sense, the federal collective has NO proper role in feeding anyone. Local areas should handle their own munchies, affording a far, far better degree of accountability. Too many times I’ve been behind an overfed dependent puying food with EBT, then smoke with “their” money.
And for that matter, what’s the matter with bread lines, where approved staples are handed out freely? Is the answer preventing hunger, or protecting self-esteem? It may be humane to feed the hungry,but punishing some for the benefit of others is just the opposite.