The last two chapters in this book have addressed the current social policies serving families in poverty. It was interesting to see how welfare has changed from the original intent of the program to how it exists today. Then we read an overview of each major social program. The one that I would like to comment on is the Food Stamp Program. This is available to both working and non-working people to help supplement their income and provide means for them to feed their families. I hear a lot of complaints about food stamps, mostly from people who claim they have checked out in a grocery store behind someone who was buying filet mignon with their food stamp coupons! I personally have not had this happen to me. I also believe that it does not happen often and does not represent the typical food stamp user. I have checked out behind someone using food stamps. It happens mostly at places like Aldis and Fulmers in
Xenia but rarely at Trader Joes or Dorthy Lane Market. It is my observation that those using food stamps are doing their best to buy the most for their money. They shop at the cheapest stores and buy the lowest quality brands. They also often buy in bulk and buy lots of canned goods. It grieves me to think of hungry children in my neighborhood. The latest report from Earth Times indicates that more and more poor people in Ohio will be receiving less and less food stamps. The good news is that Dorthy Lane and Trader Joes may experience an increase since we are cutting taxes to the people that typically shop there. Another report from Reuters presents the government’s newest attempt to save money: make it harder for people to get food stamps.
Food Stamps for Hungry Families
February 26, 2007 at 7:25 pm (Uncategorized)
John Durkee said,
February 28, 2007 at 4:17 am
I think food stamps are a good program for those in poverty, but I have seen and heard of it being abused as well (the one that first comes to mind is seeing the now deceased, then millionaire, rapper ODB going to the grocery store and buying groceries for his family with food stamps).
However, I would tend to agree that very rarely does something so egregious occur. I greatly appreciate that Trader Joes will be more accessible to those using food stamps as their food is of much higher quality and nutrition than most groceries and the prices are better (sorry for the commercial…).
So anyway, I think that food stamps need the proper checks and balences to make sure that it is not abused, but it should still exist to help people.
brittany smart said,
February 28, 2007 at 6:12 pm
I agree that despite some of the abuse food stamps should still be available to people. There are so many things out there that people will abuse or find ways to abuse things, no matter what you do. Obviously you don’t want to be a catalyst for someone abusing something, but anyone will find ways to abuse whatever it is. I believe if we can help people who are hugry we shouldn’t hold back from serving someone because they MIGHT do something bad with it. How often does it really happen that people abuse these food stamps to the point of where we should stop giving them out?
Ashley Morgan said,
March 1, 2007 at 9:57 pm
I find it disturbing that we are making it harder for people to access food stamps. It helps prevent those who are abusing to not be able to abuse the system, but as Brittany mentioned above, that will happen regardless.
I find it hard to believe that we are cutting down a system that, though restricted and with flaws, still has been able to provide those in poverty with assistance in getting food and necessary items. Why stop a system whose effectiveness is higher than its abuse? I really tend to think that to politicians, these statistics are just numbers on a page. They dont translate into faces of starving children. If politicians do have a good concept of the need, than I feel they don’t understand the necessity- the need is covered up by something that will get them more votes come election time. If helping relieve poverty was REALLY a national priority rather than rhetoric made during speeches, than something would be done to help the overwrought, highly taxed and stretched kind souls that are doing more than their part to help those in need. Seeing food stamps diminish is just another step that says ‘you really aren’t that important to us’.
Anna Reiskytl said,
March 2, 2007 at 3:31 am
It seems to me that politicians are caught between courting the votes of the majority- who want lower taxes- and the needs of the poor. All too often, as our leaders seek ways to cut government spending in order to fund the “latest big thing” in politics, they pick out things that don’t effect the “majority” of Americans. The common belief that foodstamps are abused makes their decision to restrict access to this form of relief more acceptable. However, the fact remains that foodstamps is the biggest government progam targeting hunger in the US, and that many Americans are dependent on foodstamps to feed themselves each moth. As it is, foodstamps alone are rarely enough to provide enough food for a family each month, and children dependent on foodstamps sometimes go hungry at the end of the month. By adding more steps to the program such as requiring people to renew their eligibility for foodstamps, there is a high probability that some of the people currently relying on the program will not receive the help they need. However, as Ashley said, it is a matter of priorities… If Americans are serious about fighting hunger in our nation, they will put pressure on our leaders to fund programs that feed the hungry. If not, programs such as foodstamps may continue to have funding cut as people focus on the more “pressing” needs they see on the nightly news.
Amber Womack said,
March 4, 2007 at 4:55 am
I, too, have heard the argument that food stamps are misused. However, I strongly disagree that we should stop giving them out. It makes my heart break to see a mother in line before me who is counting stamps just to buy milk and bread. It’s easy for us to get selfish because we have a nice middle class life that’s comfortable.
I do think that we need to keep food stamps. I can understand maybe close monitoring of how they are spent, but I think that for some people, it’s their livelyhood.
Brendon Bayley said,
March 5, 2007 at 4:27 am
It’s sad that food stamps will become more “exclusive” or harder to get. It seems that they already fall short of providing a month’s worth of food for the families that are able to obtain them. Reading from the Seccombe text seems to suggest that the amount of foodstamps that the majority of families recieve runs out with atleast a week left to provide food for. Unfortunately for those families, being that they recieve foodstamps, they probably lack the necessary income to subsidize their foodstamp allotment and thereby provide for that remaining week. Why we would like to tighten up the coffers even more, escapes me.