Randolph T. Holhut recently wrote an article about the shame of the federal food stamp program in the United States:
The federal food stamp program has never been known as being particularly generous, but the combination of budget cuts and inflation has made it even less so.
For all the talk you hear from economists saying the “core rate” of inflation is stable, you have to remember that the figure excludes two things all of us have to buy — food and energy. A trip to the grocery store or the gas station will tell you that prices are rising higher and faster than the 3 percent inflation rate we hear about.
It’s been 11 years since the food stamp program increased its benefits. It’s been a decade since the federal minimum wage has been increased. Meanwhile, the price of everything has gone up and the poorest among us are the ones who get squeezed the worst.
If you are poor enough to qualify for food stamps, the average benefit per person is about $3 per day per person. That’s $21 a week for food.
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A truly just nation would ensure that no one goes hungry. Unfortunately, there always seems to be money available for war, but Congress too often cries poverty when more money for social welfare programs is sought. This is simply not right.
What is $3 a day supposed to do for a person? It won’t do much to end hunger. How will children born into poverty escape poverty when they only have $3 a day for food? They likely won’t. With stomach pains from hunger and associated troubles, a child won’t get the education needed to get a job that pays sufficiently.
Frankly, society cannot afford to continuously subsidize the food of the poor. We have to help poor people escape poverty and achieve self-sufficiency. To do that, we have to provide more than just food stamps. We need to provide them with education, job training, and job placement. We can ensure that they gain self-sufficiency and no longer need food stamps, by ensuring they end up having a job that pays more than enough for sufficient food, clothes, shelter, and healthcare.
To do that, I propose only giving out food stamps to people who go to school or have a job. Instead of handing out food stamps at social service centers, I suggest handing them out at schools.