There was a recent article in The New York Times titled, As Jobs Vanish and Prices Rise, Food Stamp Use Nears Record. Once again, the media is attempting to grab our attention with headlines that are only half-true.
Estimates are that 28 million Americans will use food stamps in 2008 - that is the highest number ever. However, that number is a poor measure; it doesn’t provide context.
What this article doesn't tell you is the percentage of the population that is on food stamps. Guess what? It's 9.2%. Something else? 1993, 1994 and 1995 were the years the with the highest percentage of the population on food stamps - 10.4% in 1993 and 1994, and 10% in 1995 (which for those of you paying attention was during the Clinton administration). Although the headline is accurate, it is misleading.
So why the sudden increase in the use of food stamps? I'd be a fool if I attempted to minimize our current economic issues. Yes, people are paying more for fuel and groceries, and I have no doubt there are those that need a little help.
Here's my question though - if the need is so great - if there are millions of Americans going without food, why did the USDA have to launch a $3 million advertising campaign this winter? Not only were there old-fashioned jingles blaring across radio stations, but several states launched TV commercials attempting to coax people to apply. Surprisingly (not), applications for food stamps went up after the advertising blitz. Were these really people who were in dire straights, or were they people who discovered there was such a thing as a free lunch and the Government was handing it out?
It used to be that being on food stamps was somewhat of an embarrassment. You actually had to pay with coupons that resembled something similar to a scarlet letter on your forehead. Was that such a bad thing? Is it possible that the "shame" of taking a handout motivated people to do more for themselves?
We've made it easy to depend on the Government for help. We spend millions of dollars advertising social programs on television and radio and we give food stamp recipients an Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card so that no one will be able to tell that they are on food stamps. What happened to shame? What happened to encouraging people to do for themselves rather than encouraging them to be dependent on the Government?
