The federal government has become a big grocery store.
Our dependence on the federal government continues to grow at an alarming rate...not for any emergency assistance it provides, but rather for the results of the dependency. If federal handouts were a narcotic it would be the worst addition our nation has ever endured.
I could list a nearly endless flow of examples, but instead I will focus on one...a very basic service for a very basic need.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture there are 44.7 million Americans on food stamps.
How big is that number? Well consider this, if the populations of California and Connecticut were added to gather it would roughly the same size. You do realize that I said California didn't you?
How big is that number? Well consider this, if the populations of California and Connecticut were added to gather it would roughly the same size. You do realize that I said California didn't you?
USDA statistics show the number of folks using Food Stamps increased 93.4 percent from 2001 compared to President Obama’s first year in 2009. The growth has been even more dramatic since then.
"When President Bush took office in 2001, there were 17.3 million people on food stamps. During his last full year in office, 2008, there were 28.2 million on food stamps -- an increase of 10.9 million – or a 63 percent increase over an 8-year period.
But from the last full year of Bush’s presidency (2008) through 2011, just three years into President Obama’s presidency, the number of people on food stamps increased 16.5 million -- going from 28.2 million to 44.7 million -- an increase of 59 percent in just a 3-year period."
Here's a quote from CNS news that sums up the growing role of the government as the nation's grocery store.
The food stamp program program distributed $50.4 billion in benefits in 2009; $64.7 billion in 2010; and $71.8 billion in 2011.
Let me make it clear. This editorial is not suggesting that people in need should not have a safety net. On the contrary, I believe it is our joint responsibility to help those in need when they need it.
Of course, the key point here is "when they need it."
There is something systemically wrong with a political philosophy that shrinks private sector job growth and dramatically increases government intrusion and subsequent citizen dependence in key areas of life...education, housing, health care and food.
Think about that for a moment. Governments steal the government from the people by becoming the provider of the most basic needs. It is the stuff that dictatorships are born.
The problem with the growing food stamp enrollment rolls is not the sheer number, but rather what the number represents...more people dependent on politicians in Washington.
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About the editor.
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