mick silver
5th August 2011, 09:29 AM
http://www.thedailybell.com/2765/Daily-Bell-Briefs ...
It's hard to believe, but one in seven Americans – 15% of the country – now need government-provided food stamps simply to survive. ... Nearly 46 million Americans receive food stamps out of a population of some 311 million people. That's the highest number on record. ... The continued high unemployment and the weak U.S. economy have contributed to the explosive growth of the food stamp program – with no end in sight to the monthly increases. – CNN (javascript:showWindow(500,800,'/floatWindow.cfm?id=2607');)
Dominant Social Theme: Without government assistance, millions would starve.
Free-Market Analysis: Don't believe us, believe your senses.
Test #1. Walk down the street in any U.S. city. Note the people who are especially slender. Are many of them are well dressed? Do many of them appear prosperous? Of those who appear financially strapped, how many look to you as though drugs, alcohol or poor mental health are the heart of the problem?
Test # 2. Walk down the street in any U.S. city. Note the people who are undeniably overfed. Do you find that many of them are shabbily dressed or bear other signs of poverty?
In other places and at other times, poverty and lack of food went hand in hand. Today in the U.S. they are only occasional companions.
Millions accept food stamps because under the government's rules they are eligible, and food stamps are tantamount to free money. The government's cheerleaders then uses the high number of recipients to "prove" that there is an enormous need for food stamps, which "proves" that hunger is an enormous problem
It's hard to believe, but one in seven Americans – 15% of the country – now need government-provided food stamps simply to survive. ... Nearly 46 million Americans receive food stamps out of a population of some 311 million people. That's the highest number on record. ... The continued high unemployment and the weak U.S. economy have contributed to the explosive growth of the food stamp program – with no end in sight to the monthly increases. – CNN (javascript:showWindow(500,800,'/floatWindow.cfm?id=2607');)
Dominant Social Theme: Without government assistance, millions would starve.
Free-Market Analysis: Don't believe us, believe your senses.
Test #1. Walk down the street in any U.S. city. Note the people who are especially slender. Are many of them are well dressed? Do many of them appear prosperous? Of those who appear financially strapped, how many look to you as though drugs, alcohol or poor mental health are the heart of the problem?
Test # 2. Walk down the street in any U.S. city. Note the people who are undeniably overfed. Do you find that many of them are shabbily dressed or bear other signs of poverty?
In other places and at other times, poverty and lack of food went hand in hand. Today in the U.S. they are only occasional companions.
Millions accept food stamps because under the government's rules they are eligible, and food stamps are tantamount to free money. The government's cheerleaders then uses the high number of recipients to "prove" that there is an enormous need for food stamps, which "proves" that hunger is an enormous problem