Sunday, October 20, 2013

Food Stamps are out of Control

There is no other social welfare program growing faster than food stamps.  President Obama has expanded the program at an alarming rate adding tens of millions of dollars to our monstrous national debt. During the Obama presidency, enrollment has increased from 31 million to 46 million Americans. Budgeted spending for the program is now at $78 billion per year.

“This program has expanded rapidly over the last decade in a way that is not justified by the recession that we went through," said Michael Turner, a senior fellow at the Cato Institute. “Increase in both participating and spending were bigger during this recession than in previous ones.”

The study notes that most SNAP participants are enrolled in the program over a significant period of time. Only 10% of participants are enrolled in the program for less than six months, and 56% of participants have been enrolled in the program for over five years.

That's right.  Over five years.  Those aren't needy.  Those are habitually lazy.  Socialist programs like food stamps do not promote social progression.  Instead they promote laziness and lack of productivity.

The Cato Institute study reports that 17% of participants are living above the poverty line, but the real world usefullness of the poverty line formula has long been debated.  It is time for Americans to once again take responsibility for themselves rather than have an inefficient government provide for them.  Our great nation was built on hard work not laziness.

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