One In Seven Americans Lives On Food Stamps

By on August 6, 2011 in News 41

viewerSad statistic of the day from IANS via Yahoo News:

Believe it or not, one in seven Americans – 15 percent of the country – now need government-provided food stamps simply to survive, according to latest government figures.

Nearly 46 million Americans receive food stamps out of a population of some 311 million people, the US Department of Agriculture, which administers what’s officially called the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Programme reported Thursday.

The continued high unemployment and the weak US economy have contributed to the explosive growth of the food stamp programme with no end in sight to the monthly increases, CNN said noting that 27 million people were dependent on food stamps in October 2007…

[continues at IANS via Yahoo News]

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  • Rex Vestri

    Gee, the supply-side economics/trickle-down/tax cuts for the “small business owners that create jobs” that we’ve had in the US for the last ten years sure are working mighty fine, aren’t they!   Just look at how wonderful the country is doing! 

  • Emc

    Let’s just go ahead and give the other 6 out of 7 Americans food stamps and assistance and everything will be ok then!
    That’s how it works doesn’t it?

  • Andrew

    Nice straw man.

  • Anonymous

    Not really.

  • Haystack

    I think the best thing they could do at this point would be to raise the minimum wage, so people could survive on what jobs are actually available. That’s also money that would go directly back into the local economy, since the working poor will spend the money on groceries and not overseas investments. 

    Or, on the additional cost healthcare they’ll be forced to buy in a couple years. 

  • Haystack

    I think the best thing they could do at this point would be to raise the minimum wage, so people could survive on what jobs are actually available. That’s also money that would go directly back into the local economy, since the working poor will spend the money on groceries and not overseas investments. 

    Or, on the additional cost healthcare they’ll be forced to buy in a couple years. 

  • Bigdickmegaherz

    This sucks, We have become a democratic-socialist society which is ok. We need to employ people. We need some social work programs so we can get something back as a nation and feed people. Remember the conservation corps? How bout a urban development corps?

  • Bigdickmegaherz

    I don’t think he was making a straw man. I think he was just jokingly voicing frustration. 

  • Anonymous

    universal healthcare, universal education k-post grad.

    that would alleviate a lot of US poverty.

  • chinagreenelvis

    This reminds me that I need to apply for these.

  • Anonymous

    No, you were being a raving jackass.

  • Mr Willow

    We have become a democratic-socialist society

    What? 

    If we lived in a democratic-socialist society we would have universal healthcare, universal education, a stronger emphasis on workers rights, and a government that actually cared about the well-being of its citizens. 

    The reason we don’t have jobs is because the main purveyors of employment—corporations—are shipping them to nations that have very little in the way of human rights, so they can basically set up sweat-shops. Nothing is made here anymore except for weapons—both military and civilian—and lighters.

  • Mr Willow

    We have become a democratic-socialist society

    What? 

    If we lived in a democratic-socialist society we would have universal healthcare, universal education, a stronger emphasis on workers rights, and a government that actually cared about the well-being of its citizens. 

    The reason we don’t have jobs is because the main purveyors of employment—corporations—are shipping them to nations that have very little in the way of human rights, so they can basically set up sweat-shops. Nothing is made here anymore except for weapons—both military and civilian—and lighters.

  • http://voxmagi-necessarywords.blogspot.com/ VoxMagi

    shit…sane property values and a return to usury laws that prohibit exploitative lending would do the same…if half our incomes weren’t goin to keep roofs over our head and the other half to credit card bills where people are paying 5 grand for the use of 1 grand…we’d be out buying goods and services instead of applying for aid or filing bankruptcies. 

  • http://voxmagi-necessarywords.blogspot.com/ VoxMagi

    shit…sane property values and a return to usury laws that prohibit exploitative lending would do the same…if half our incomes weren’t goin to keep roofs over our head and the other half to credit card bills where people are paying 5 grand for the use of 1 grand…we’d be out buying goods and services instead of applying for aid or filing bankruptcies. 

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Zachariah-Crossen/1434947176 Zachariah Crossen

    More socialism will cure socialism’s problems?

  • Anonymous

    All of those things as well;)

  • Anonymous

    That’s not socialism. That’s called empathy, value for the humanities, human rights, and the evolution of civilisation,

    And the system as it stands is not even CLOSE to socialist. nice try though.

  • ?!

    yeah everything thing sounding remotely humane they brand it as socialism. This country is a mix of governing systems branded as capitalism. Look around everything looks the same all the houses, the middle class is socialist and all the system works if there is no selfish parasitic luxurious elite sucking up everything. Im with the ninja on this one 

  • ?!

    and the rest are not using food stamp out of pure pride. This free for all is fucked the government is just another failing industry. 

  • Curumim

    Plutocracy.

  • Anonymous

    Actually you are both correct and the word for that is Plutarchy.

    which is a combination of rule by the wealthy and rule of the corporations.

  • Sjszabo2

    Hey socialism has seemed to work real well in Europe, right?! It only took 60 years or so and the whole place is going down the toilet. Seems like promoted it here is a fabulous idea.

  • Anonymous

    lol. just lol at your stupidity.

  • Bigdickmegaherz

    What the fuck are you talking about? For defending someone from drive by trolling by a person who can’t understand sarcasm I’m a jackass?

  • Bigdickmegaherz

    You guys are awesome at red herrings and such.. so what about my urban restoration corp idea?

  • Anonymous

    Just remember though, fully 25% of those people don’t think they benefit in any way from any kind of government program.

  • Anonymous

    Fuck you too buddy.

  • Tuna Ghost

    You don’t actually know what socialism is, do you?  You hear that word used on conservative talk shows and think it means social welfare programs, but in actuality the word means something else.  Go do some fucking research already, it takes like ten seconds online.  

  • Tuna Ghost

    *sigh*

    Until you actually learn what socialism is, you don’t get to use the word to refer to things like food stamps.  

  • Tuna Ghost

    I wouldn’t mind seeing something like that attempted in Detroit.  Its the perfect place for social experimentation, I mean you really can’t make things any worse.  

  • Andrew

    Feeding poor people is tyranny.

  • Anonymous

    How did i introduce a red herring?

    And for urban restoration corps- if you lost the corps at the end, i’m all for it.

  • Bigdickmegaherz

    Retarded troll. By the way quite pretending to be former military bitch. Ive already seen holes in the lies you post. You sure as fuck weren’t infantry.

  • Surrealias

    The cost of the food-stamp program is a only a fraction of the cost of a 1% tax-cut to the top 1 percent of the U.S.

    If poor people get to eat decently, there’s a good chance they can get themselves out of poverty. Not eating at least some nutritional food is so very detrimental to the human body.

  • Anon

    There’s a funny feeling how the food stamp program sounds hip, like the rapper saying of “o’snap”

  • Anon

    There’s a funny feeling how the food stamp program sounds hip, like the rapper saying of “o’snap”

  • Andrew

    Healthy people–those who eat well, sleep well, have decent health care–are better able to work.

  • Surrealias

    Was that not at least partly implied by what I said? Are you just agreeing with me? Cause I agree with you, haha. If you’re able to eat well, then you’re much better able to find a job and a decent place to live

  • Fyouandy

    Sarcasm is a tool of the weak minded.

  • Andrew

    Read further down in the thread.  I don’t understand sarcasm.