According to a segment I just heard on the BBC 1 out of 8 Americans is on food stamps (I doubt they made it up). Seriously I do not even know what to say about this one. The argument could be made (not sure if I agree) that giving some people a helping hand now and then is a good thing for the government to do. However 1 out of 8 people seems pretty ridiculous to me. Then again since 1 out of 10 (either a slightly fat one at 10.2 or missing a part of a limb at 9.7) workers is unemployed maybe it is just that our economy is doing horribly.
Green Shoots! How do you prepare green shoots in order to eat them? Because in addition to being unemployed apparently lots of folks are hungry.
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1 out of 8?
Holy cow - that is worse than I thought.
Think it is getting better?
Rourke
The "welfare state" over here is getting out of hand. We need more self sufficiency and less "Why won't the government do something?" Something's going to happen, I can feel it.
You know what I think is really interesting (and sad).....if 1 out of every 8 Americans is on food stamps then shouldn't Americans be experiencing a malnutrition/insufficient weight problem? Why is it that Obama is pushing this whole "let's fight obesity" thing? Shouldn't it be the opposite? If 1 out of every 8 actually *qualify* for and *receive* food stamps then how many more are on the *precipice* of qualifying? That's rather frightening to think about. I must confess that for a short time I received food stamps back in the mid 1990's. The situation was beyond my control.....please don't pre-judge me. Believe me.....food stamps are NOT enough to live on. I was forced to go to the food shelf to supplement my food needs. I always bought the basics - rice, beans, cheap chicken, oats, pasta, etc. I barely weighed 110 lbs. So what are people buying these days with food stamps? Junk food? Junk food is extremely expensive and has no nutritional value. If all you bought was junk food with food stamps you'd blow thru them in a week or two. I don't know......I thought about this blog post all day. I don't know how to explain the obesity problem in America if 1 out of every 8 qualify and receive food stamps. Any theories?
I have always thought that when decent people are down on their luck, as so many are today, there's no shame in using the social safety net. After all, working people pay for it, so they should be able to use it if they need it. The problem arises when people get to like it, don't make any effort to get back on their feet, and get sucked into a lifestyle where they have public housing, public money and food stamps to support them for their whole lives. Generations get stuck in that miserable position. I suppose it's like liquor. A little bit of it doesn't hurt you and even makes you feel better, but if you get hooked on it the games over. This topic came up at lunch the other day and the other folks are the table all took the "crummy welfare bums" tact, lumping everybody into one bag. My views were not appreciate. Fortunately, I am not overly concerned about the views of these folks.
I believe a significant number of food stamps recipients are serving in the military, or are dependents of serving members.
I think another shameful area of food stamps is the number of widowed and divorced mothers that fall into poverty. That situation used to be handled in the community by pairing up shattered families with unpartnered breadwinners. Now we leave women with children to scratch on their own. Would this be gender equality, women's rights, enforcement of nonsense patriarchal notions, community intrusion into personal lives? Dunno. What we are doing sure doesn't make sense. Letting courts negotiate child care and alimony continuing payments after ruling the end of the marriage sure doesn't make sense. If a man wants to keep custody of his children, he should be able to keep their mother satisfied to be with him, and vice versa. And it cannot always feel fair, for a community to draft a guy working away mostly happy with his life, to take on a houseful of dependents and a (stressed!) woman to partner.
Divorce sending women into poverty is the single most common reduction of people to poverty in America.
When you look at the unemployment figure, recall recent reports that suggests that the way they estimate unemployment has ignored one in seven (1 of 7) people actually losing their job, since about 2007. When you look at going from 6% to 10% unemployment, consider that is 4% of the workplace no longer producing product, service, or income for employers, no longer paying taxes. That reduces tax revenues by 4% from employer-contributed portions and employee income taxes. That reduces taxes paid on income to the employer, for production that no longer happens. That reduces taxes paid on reduced dividends from corporations to stock holders. That also reduces tax revenue from interest on retirement, savings, and stock income and interest that are not being consumed to pay debts rather than serve as assests in the economy.
I wonder if the 1 in 8 figure includes extra school meals for low income kids.
Democrats have been buying votes with government dollars for a lot of years.
Brad K, I think among lower enlisted who have multiple children, particularly if the spouse doesn't work or is otherwise out of the economic picture, the rate of food stamp use is notable.
As for the divorced or otherwise separated single mothers. You have a point that in many ways our welfare structure encourages women to at least on paper keep the man out of the picture. Short of people making better choices I am unsure of a good answer.
I do not know what is more troubling - the fact that I am paying for so many people to have food stamps or the fact that the U.S. Army pay at the lower grades is so bad that service families have to get food stamps to get by. In both respects it reminds me how messed up things are right now.
SED
".....I am unsure of a good answer."
What if we brought back the traditional "poor farm" of the early 1900's? Would that solve a few of of the problems on the food stamp and unemployment front?
Samantha
theotherryan,
I believe that families left behind during overseas rotations are also more likely to need assistance.
If I recall, the senior President Bush and a Republican Congress pushed through a welfare reform that was intended to limit assistance to a couple of years, focus on getting people working. This was reversed when the Democrats got back in power, and they continue to buy their votes with welfare dollars.
Anonymous 4:19,
I think some people have other income that goes to providing the heavier calories. Or they are using food stamps to supplement the pantry where they are living, with someone that has other income. For many, without the food stamps to contribute, they wouldn't find shelter.
And not all food stamp eligible food is the healthiest. I imagine it is quite possible to get overweight on too little exercise and too much cheese and beans and bread and butter.
I think it is the lack of responsibility, the lack of investment in a trade and an obligation to serve the community that is most at fault for being overweight, maybe especially so for those on assistance.
Labor unions, a caretaker, big government, and modern advertising all conspire to separate the person from the sense of participating and serving the community. They make instant gratification the sole virtue in today's world. Hence, the pleasure of the meal, the next portion or the next bite, is the point of a meal, instead of to prepare for the next hours' work.
There is a public service announcement over here that quotes that same 1 out of 8.
I have no problem helping when people are down. I do have a HUGE problem with the government taking my money and then dispersing AT THEIR DISCRETION who gets it and who doesnt.
I give to my church pantry, a couple non-profit pantries and then I personally will pack up a box and deliver as I see fit.
If this was taken out of the Government's hands, if the people had their OWN MONEY BACK, more people would be fed. It is cheaper for me to purchase food with my own money and give it out than for the Government to pay someone to collect it, buy it and then give it out.
Also - those that deserve and truly need this food would get it. It wouldnt go towards beer and cigarettes or sold on the down low for cash and used for whatever.
There would also be an accountability that the Government cannot provide. Asking for help is hard - it would also set up those that help to do more as in hire people, find odd jobs and get people to be able to support themselves.
It would also do TONS for the apathy that has befallen our consumerist society. Priorities get readjusted when you see what it really is to be in want. It would do the "youth" and the "Me" generation a heck of a lot of good to help someone else out during a difficult time.
Sorry for taking so much of space with this rant :) You poked a nerve!
And it TOTALLY PISSES ME OFF that someone who serves this Country has to be on assistance to feed their family - THAT IS ABSOLUTELY WRONG!!!!
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