COMMENTARY | Last month, Huma Khan of ABC News reported that even as a record number of Americans are relying on handouts from government entitlements, Congress is under pressure to cut the rapidly rising costs of the federal government's food stamps program.
On May 23, the House Appropriations Committee released the subcommittee draft of the Agriculture Appropriations bill for fiscal year 2012, which was marked up by the Agriculture Subcommittee the following day. The bill included $71 billion for the agency's "Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program," more commonly referred to as SNAP. While the amount allotted for SNAP was a 9 percent increase over that of 2011, it was $2 billion less than President Obama wanted. Given the size of the massive budget deficit, critics still believe the dollar amount earmarked for the entitlement is still too high.
"For our part, the Agriculture Subcommittee has sought to begin making some of the tough choices necessary to right the ship," said Agriculture Subcommittee Chairman Jack Kingston of the bill. "Our members have worked to root out waste and duplication and, where they have strayed from their core mission, we rein in agencies so they may better focus on the responsibilities for which they are intended."
Despite the claims of Chairman Kingston that the Agriculture Subcommittee aimed to "rein in agencies" and " to root out waste," the Associated Press reported that the Agriculture Department announced around the same time that it would encourage grocery stores and other retail outlets that accept food stamps to post signs reading "We Welcome SNAP Benefits." The move was part of a federal effort to decrease the stigma of using government food assistance in a tough economy.
Likewise, the Los Angeles Times reported that officials in California changed the name of its food stamp program to CalFresh "to encourage more people to apply for the nutrition benefit." Back in April, I wrote an article called "Here's An Idea to Help Reduce Government Waste and Fraud - Cut Food Stamps!" wherein I reviewed the various ways the program flushes tax dollars down the proverbial toilet.
Additionally, I discussed the efforts of both federal and state officials to actually pump up the number of people on the food stamp dole by changing the name of the program. As noted by the Daily Caller, "Renamed the Supplemental Nutrition and Assistance Program (SNAP) in 2008 - for the purpose of making the receipt of food stamps more user/social-friendly - the Obama administration began pushing states to give federal food aid to people without verifying their finances."
The associate administrator for SNAP, Jessica Shahnin, sent a letter to all regional offices stating that "applicants will not need to provide documentation verifying their resources." Shahnin said further, "when a household is categorically eligible, it means that the state agency does not use certain program rules, such as asset and gross income limits." Additionally, anybody who receives some other entitlement - such as Medicaid - is automatically qualified to receive food stamps in most states. They call this little waste pump "categorical eligibility."
Shahnin also described how the new SNAP initiative qualifies most - if not all - U.S. households to receive food stamps. According to the limbo-low standards of this new "Broad-based categorical eligibility" initiative, literally anyone who simply asks for an informational pamphlet or dials some 800-number to inquire about federal assistance is automatically eligible for SNAP.
Today, a record number of Americans rely on the federal government's food stamps program, and its rapid expansion has become a politically explosive topic. The revelation that a Michigan man who won a state lottery game has been collecting food stamps for 11 months after striking it rich will likely not help to promote public support for continuing, let alone expanding, the entitlement program.
One year ago, Leroy Fick, a 59-year-old resident of Auburn Hills, won $2 million in the state lottery TV show "Make Me Rich!" As reported by the Detroit News, regardless of Fick's well-publicized wealth, the state's Department of Human Services determined he was still eligible for food stamps. Eligibility for food stamps is based on gross income and follows federal guidelines.
Curiously, lottery winnings are considered liquid assets and don't count as income. Regardless of the balance of his bank account, as long as Fick's gross income stays below the eligibility requirement for food stamps, he can legally continue feeding himself at taxpayer expense. Fick's attorney, John Wilson of Midland, said Fick had told DHS officials that he had won $2 million but was told he could keep using the Bridge Card issued to him to buy groceries.
"If you're going to try to make me feel bad," Fick told WNEM-TV in Saginaw, "you're not going to do it."
Opponents of the SNAP program argue that, in light of the increasingly lax requirements, money from the food stamps budget should be shifted to other programs such as education and child nutrition. The program's supporters argue that during a time of economic decline, such welfare programs are even more important to try to keep Americans from spiraling into poverty.
True. No one wants those who are truly in need to suffer. However, when Americans are struggling to put food on their own tables, the idea of knowing we paid $68 billion last year to feed people like Leroy Fick is not going to raise sympathy levels. Watching the recent National Geographic reality television show about Stanley Thornton Jr. isn't sitting too well with cash-strapped taxpayers either.
There's something quite disturbing about watching a 30-year-old man wearing diapers and lounging in an oversized crib. Learning that Stanley is enjoying his baby role-playing fetish at the expense of hard-working Americans is nothing less than obscene.
After the airing of National Georgraphic's "Taboo" episode, Junior came to Washington's attention as well. In fact, Oklahoma GOP Sen. Tom Coburn was so unsettled that he challenged the Social Security Administration to probe into how the baby bottle-guzzling 350-pound man qualified to receive federal disability benefits in the first place. Further raising public ire was the additional revelation that Thornton's adult roommate, Ms. Dias, the former nurse who has indulged Thornton's baby role-playing for the past decade, is also collecting taxpayer-subsidized paychecks.
The Washington Times reveals that Stanley Junior threw a quite a tantrum when his government teat-sucking was called into question. "You wanna test how damn serious I am about leaving this world," the 30-year old baby squalled, "screw with my check that pays for this apartment and food. Try it. See how serious I am. I don't care."
"I have no problem killing myself," the fat, lazy, self-centered, oversized nappy-wearing ninny threatened. "Take away the last thing keeping me here, and see what happens. Next time you see me on the news it will be me in a body bag."
FYI Stanley; According to the government's official Social Security website, the average disability benefits check is $ 1,068.90 per month. According to another website , we can buy USA Body Bags for around $25 a pop.
Sources:
Huma Khan, "Congress Mulls Cuts to Food Stamps Program Amid Record Number of Recipients", ABC
"Appropriations Committee Releases Fiscal Year 2012 Agriculture Appropriations Bill", Committee on Appropriations/U.S. House of Representatives
"Agriculture Subcommittee Mark Up Summary Table"
Patricia Campion, "Here's An Idea to Help Reduce Government Waste and Fraud - Cut Food Stamps!" Associated ContentAleksandra Kulczuga, "Record numbers receive food stamps as USDA turns blind eye to recipients' finances", The Daily Caller
Mary Clare Jalonick, "Feds try to take away stigma of food stamps", MSNBC
Alexandra Zavis, "California food stamp program renamed CalFresh", The Los Angeles Times
Ron French, "$2M Michigan lottery winner defends use of food stamps", The Detroit Free Press/Yahoo News
"Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Participation and Costs" USDA
"Monthly Statistical Snapshot, April 2011" Social Security Online
"Wholesale Body Bags Proudly Made in USA Buy American!", USA Body Bags
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