Reply #21: Austerity nation – 45 million Americans on food assistance programs

[Demeter]

http://www.mybudget360.com/austerity-nation-45-million-... /

From November to December of 2010 487,000 Americans were added to the food stamp program. Keep in mind this all occurred while the stock market continued to soar and has rallied nearly 100 percent from the lows reached in March of 2009. Working and middle class Americans barely have enough to pay for the monthly bills so speculating in Wall Street is likely the least of their concerns. The data on food stamp usage usually trails the current calendar date by one quarter. The latest data we have is from December of 2010. However, we are adding roughly 300,000 people per month to the food stamp program called SNAP. If that is the case, as of today we now have 45,000,000 Americans participating in the food stamp program. We’ve noted trends in the economy where people line up at mid-night during certain key dates in the month at Wal-Mart locations waiting for their debit cards to refill so they can purchase food for their families.

One of the troubling aspects of this recession is the hidden aspect of the financial pain that it is causing. Many people have no idea their neighbor is in foreclosure until the home is taken back by the bank. It is hard to see this in action and people don’t speak up because of embarrassment. Also with the media thumping its chest about recovery many blame their own failings for their misery. And with the movement of food stamps from embarrassing paper coupons to debit cards, many have no idea how many of their fellow Americans are receiving food assistance. The debit cards blend in with most any other piece of plastic Americans carry in their wallets. The reality however is that 14 percent of our entire population (man, woman, or child) is on SNAP. There has been little stopping this trend. And this is something that has been going on for well over a decade but not many were paying attention because of the massive credit induced housing bubble and the lack of a voice for this group: