link "Nearly 47 million people – one in seven Americans – rely on food stamps for some of all of their daily sustenance" I don't know how much truth is in this article, but the 1 in 7 number really makes me say WOW! I'm all for helping my fellow man and would hate for anyone to go hungry, but maybe its time to overhaul the system. I'm not saying not to help those in need, but make it harder for for those taking advantage of a flawed system.
12 million unemployed plus their families plus those employed but living below the poverty line - 47 million not improbable.
You ever been in line at the 'grosh behind some teenage girl when her parents' food-stamp debit card or whatever they use nowadays doesn't work through the scanner? Nobody would use this if they didn't have to. That's all the hedge you need against "taking advantage."
if everyone else just eats a bit less everyday and give the saved food to the rest, then there is no need for them food stamps. everybody will be healthier as well. win win situation.
I'm far more concerned with the availability and affordability of healthy food for people on food stamps than I am with them being on food stamps.
It is time to overhaul the system. Nixon had it right and he almost got it passed Give all Americans a guaranteed income and get rid of food stamps and welfare of many different types There is a lot of waste in the bureaucracies to be constantly determining eligibility and continuing eligibility. A good side effect would be its effect on the working conditions of lower paid jobs.
Like in Scandinavian countries? If we ever did this...and also enforced an understanding of either 8th grade level math or statistics, people would realize how gross and exceedingly wealthy the .01% are. They alone match the remaining three quintiles in net worth. There be dragons to slay. Peasants are getting roasted. And yes, I realize a good chunk of the pop doesn't pay income taxes, except some of the same political persuasion are calling for sales tax only regimes (so rich can act like the lazy poor yay!) which the poor still contribute. The rationale behind 'the poor dun pay taxes' is getting people to pay their fair share. Otoh, I wonder how much do people truly earn 500k a day on average for an entire year and call it a fair days work. Numbers and scale. That's all it is. Individual stories, parables, dogma, and examples easily cloud what's truly going on
I like how the first thought out of many people when seeing this statistic isn't "Wow we have a problem with poverty and access to basic food." Instead many think, "oh people are probably scamming the government." It's amazing how Americans seem to believe that we are incapable of having poverty and that this is clearly just a product of fraud. The truth is that we have one of the most unequal distributions of income in our country's history at a time when we just had the greatest economic collapse since the Great Depression. Of course, Americans are going to need assistance. But instead of acknowledging that and re-orienting policies to combat this problem, we close our ears and start pretending that a secret society of moochers is stealing all of our tax money.
I remember reading how during the Great Depression, people who still had jobs would go about their normal lives watching movies, buying fancy trinkets, and glamorizing movie stars. I forgot whether it was 20 or 25% of the workforce that was unemployed, and during that time there were several migrations across the country that swept a majority of them under public view despite the fact that there were lines across some city blocks waiting to get their lunch. It's a lot different now despite being the same problem. An economist made the point that food stamps have replaced those bread lines. You can see 'normal people' at the stores and only realize they're 'one of those' when they bring out their food stamps. On the other hand, one can't move to another location and restart that easily anymore. Did everyone just forget that we're in the midst of what is likely a 10 year recovery from the largest loss in public and private equity since the Great Depression? At least 5 trillion dollars, expected and real, vanished in 2008. As long as the bread and circuses continue, Rome will triumph for another day.
Brilliant! Was going to say this. America is one of the most individualistic societies and that does not bode well for Americans with a common problem, because when it comes time to sort out issues which require societal cooperation, everyone seems out to get there own. Obviously this happens to an extent everywhere, and there are plenty of Americans who are not very individualistic, but it is a long-studied quality of Americans' culture and while it works exceedingly well for some things, it definitely is a fantasy for people in power looking to manipulate a crowd.
Care to Extrapolate? What is the Flaw? IS it . .. that 1 in 7 are getting Food Stamps or Is it that 1 in 7 REQUIRE/Need Food Stamps? Rocket River
