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 Michael Medved

The Crushing Cost of "Free" Food

April 24, 2012 @ 5:06 pm (Updated: 9:28 am - 4/25/12 )

A recent report shows nearly one in six Americans depend on federal money through the food stamps program, while costs of the giveaway more than doubled in the last four years. In part, that's because the Obama administration loosened restrictions and boosted benefits as part of its so-called "stimulus" package.

It's illogical to think subsidized meals stimulate economic growth, and even more illogical to suggest hungry families must rely on far-away Washington instead of local or state programs, not to mention private charities. Moreover, current costs for the food stamps program--$72 billion a year-exceed the most optimistic estimates of all new funds the president seeks by hiking taxes on the rich.

Inevitably, the middle class must help pay the bills, with higher taxes or deepening debt, for their neighbors' food entitlements-which now include fast food like pizza, hot dogs and French fries!

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  • calapete wrote...
    Nice work Anton
    April 25, 2012 2:01 pm
    Great analysis.

    Besides, what is the other option? Let them starve? Typical cold hearted, selfish, me first mentality of the right.

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  • jhosford4 wrote...
    Calapete----not let them starve....comunity
    April 25, 2012 2:44 pm
    I'm not cold hearted for not trusting the government to take care of people with my money. I would love to help people MYSELF, but i can't afford it cause it all goes into TAXES. The "selfish" mentality of the right is to teach a man to fish, not give my own fish to the government to cut out all of the good stuff and give the tail to the hungry person....
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  • HPD 5-0 wrote...
    ...selfish, me first mentality of the right.
    April 25, 2012 3:48 pm
    Ahahahaha...thanks for the laugh. I give more to charity each yr than you probably do. But that's not good enough. Nope. Not for the socialists. The liberal "gubment" must TAKE it from me too.....
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  • Forrest wrote...
    5-0 is a socialist government employee
    April 26, 2012 8:18 am
    With all his benefits negotiated by a socialist union paid for by taxpayers.
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  • HLC wrote...
    Hey calapete you've got it.
    April 25, 2012 2:08 pm
    If they can't work help them, if they won't work, starve them and I'll bet their laziness goes away and they start being a productive member of this country instead of a drain.
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  • Saltchucker wrote...
    How many of those 1 in 6 work at WalMart?
    April 25, 2012 2:38 pm
    Most employees hired by the ol wally store recieve a food stamp application with their new hire packet. This is after your local communtity built infastructure and offered tax breaks to bring the mega store to town in the first place! So, spend local wealth to create jobs that recieve food stamps to get by...hmmmmm.
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  • Sportfisher wrote...
    Saltchucker
    April 25, 2012 6:08 pm
    A better question is, how many of those who get food stamps, shop where prices are the lowest? Its not Safeway or QFC, for sure. To be sure, some of the recipients on food stamps or shoppers at local food banks don't really need the stamps. Fraud exists. In regards to Walmart, take a look around and see who is working there. How many skills do they have? Where did they work before and in which country. To some, minimum wage may be a lot of money. Or really, is your problem with Walmart, the fact that the union can't get in?
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  • Schmitty wrote...
    To Anton (and everyone else)
    April 25, 2012 2:40 pm
    I've seen the argument that every dollar of food stamps SPENT creates $1.74 of economic activity, and I concede that this is probably true... but what is the government overhead in creating that one dollar? I suspect it is somewhere around $5-6 dollars. If you take into considering that various taxing authorities, nd the different levels in all of the state and local redistribution agencies, there is a lot of bureaucratic waste. I haven't been able to locate any way of breaking out the cost of this yet. Any help would be appreciated. On the other hand, if you gave $1 to a poor person (sans government), then your argument would hold up much better.
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  • kata wrote...
    @Schmitty
    April 25, 2012 3:39 pm
    this is one of the reasons why I tell everyone I can to participate in food drives and contribute to the food banks. Avoid as much as possible the waste and abuse that is inherit in government programs -- and get it to the people who really can use it.
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  • Schmitty wrote...
    Yes, yes, yes
    April 25, 2012 2:41 pm
    I realize the typos. Try to stay on the topic though.
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  • Anton wrote...
    a matter of perspective..
    April 25, 2012 2:44 pm
    Look, I don't believe all conservatives are cold-hearted and definitely don't believe that all Democrats (or government for that matter)have the best plans for all. However, I have a problem with lumping all people on food stamps in together with each other when you KNOW that there are people who actually need it. Yes, I admit there a lot of people who shouldn't receive it! Let go down the list though...

    Should the people who's houses, families, or lives got destroyed by hurricanes, tornadoes and floods be lumped in there with the "lazy, good-for-nothing" folks who got government aid? (it all goes to that Obama debt, remember? There seems to be no separate bucket or consideration for millions added to the debt for disaster relief according to some.)

    How about the younger kids that account for a large portion of the food stamps? Before you say, "..well they shouldn't have had kids they couldn't afford", let me remind you that perhaps before a couple decided to have kids they COULD afford to have them and then they lost their job / income? (This argument can also be applied to the housing collapse, but that's another story).

    How about the elderly? The ones that are too old to work? How about the disabled?

    I'm just saying that there's more to consider than a generic "Let them starve" attitude. I don't doubt that many conservatives are rugged individualists who wouldn't mind starving themselves to make a point about government help, but seriously...would you make that decision for your entire family?..kids and all?

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  • kata wrote...
    @Anton
    April 25, 2012 3:55 pm
    I am glad to see someone that isn't falling over themselves trying to convince themselves that anyone who isn't for government solutions is someone who is for outright killing off the elderly and letting children starve -- and for that I applaud you. But after that, I'm afraid that you lost me.
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  • HPD 5-0 wrote...
    Food stamps are a racket.
    April 25, 2012 3:46 pm
    I see it constantly. Doper, criminals, the scum of the earth...using them to pay for food I can't affor myself or trading it for dope. "But it's for the children...."
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  • forbes wrote...
    Free Food
    April 25, 2012 4:28 pm
    Maybe we should prioritize our "giveaways" and terminate the 50 billion dollars we send to Israel every year. Charity begins at home has special meaning when this subject is brought up. Shalom
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  • roomtemp wrote...
    The crushing cost of free money...
    April 25, 2012 4:34 pm
    These discussions of 'stimulating' the economy with debt are beyond laughable...

    90-95% of new money is created through the fractional reserve lending system. Put simply, banks are allowed to loan 9 dollars for every 1 dollar in assets that they actually own. (In our 'little fish' world that would be called fraud and land you in jail, but that's digressing. These people buy so many politicians they get bulk discounts.) Most people don't realize that every time they take a loan from a bank that they are literally creating new money based on their promise to repay the debt.

    If virtually all new money is created as debt with interest, repayment becomes a mathematical impossibility. When you compound this with worthless derivatives and rehypothecated assets, well, shell game over.

    Stay tuned for QE3 this summer, where they print lots more money, rack up more debt and devalue the dollar in the name of stimulation. I know you'll appreciate the stimulus that your devalued dollar will bring. Yes, it's an effective cut in your pay, yes it's a reduction in your standard of living. It's for the greater good, just not yours.

    Go look at a chart of the dollar value since the Fed took over. 97% of the value (purchasing power) is gone in a hundred years. How long do you think the last 3 percent will take? The end result of fiat currency is always the same, and it's always bad...

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  • Sportfisher wrote...
    Michael,
    April 25, 2012 6:19 pm
    I was listening when you talked to Mary. You have all kinds of facts and logic, but on radio, you don't have the time to deal with that subject. Perhaps if you did a series of days. Unfortunately for Mary, she can't connect the dots like you do. But she can connect you and other conservatives to Republicans and Romney. So if you want to stir a hot fire, make sure its not going to set your neighbors house on fire. Doug
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