Food Stamps Pros And Cons

Food Stamps Are Contributing to Our National Debt

With our national debt rising every year, there are many things that are contributing to it. Programs like food stamps benefits are meant for poor people; however, there are many that will take advantage of this program throughout history. Alex Roarty, claims that since the great depression over forty millions of people use food stamps benefits because of the loose eligibilities required and suggest that forty-one percent of people believe that it is due to edibility requirements and our own economy (“Most Americans Want Tougher Food Stamp Requirements”). With the nation’s debt soaring into the negative trillions, setting up piles of debt for our younger generation and developing poor eating habits this program is in jeopardy of deteriorating.

Lloyd Grieger, and Sheldon Danziger, investigated the food stamp program and discovered it started during the great depression, which took place during 1939-1943 in the United States. Food stamps were known as the SNAP program which benefited thousands of families living in poverty (1601-1614). At this time the program worked great for the thousands of Americans that did not know where their next meals was coming from, and even though most participants were jobless they could at least provide food for their

families. In 1961, the food stamp program began making changes and modifications, and by 1964, the Federal Food Stamp Act even though the program was not available everywhere until 1971. Since 1971, the recipients of food stamps have increased from fourteen million to thirty-nine million in December, 2009 (1601-1614).The eligibility requirements were very loose and even immigrants qualified for the program.
In the summer of 1996, President Bill Clinton, signed an act called the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation of 1996. This act was designed to change food stamp benefits with better restrictions and eligibility requirements. Within the first year of signing this act the government was planning on spending over fifteen million dollars for this program. By 2002, the federal funding for the new block was at a fixed base of a little over sixteen billion annually (“New Welfare Law Reduces Food Stamps Benefits”). This act was also supposed to cut back fifty billion dollars over a six year time frame. With twenty plus million being saved just from cutting back on food stamps, by not allowing illegal immigrants the same availability they once had. Currently over five percent of food stamp recipients are immigrants. Immigrants are allowed to get benefits for the first five years they live here. (“New Welfare Law Reduces Food Stamps Benefits”).
There are many people that take advantage of this program and this does not help because then that person is contributing to senseless debt to our nation. This will become a problem in more way than one, and people will abuse the program. With the signing of the new act it also penalized any fraudulent behavior and trafficking of food stamps. It is hard to believe that this would be a concern, but sometimes people will sell or trade their benefits for other things they might need for the month. If a person on benefits gets caught doing fraudulent activity they will be double penalized and will be permanently removed from the program for ten years (“New Welfare Law Reduces Food Stamps Benefits”). According to Forest Jones, one in seven Americans is using their food stamps for their form of payment at the grocery store. Food stamps have always had a lot of attention and many proposals to lower the deficit (“One in Seven Americans Rely on Food Stamps”).
Charles Baum, suggests throughout history, people have struggled when buying food, he feels this changed with the food stamp act of 1964, a program designed to prevent hunger.

Since the passing of this bill obesity has been on the rise (77.3). Many people on this program will over indulge on food simply because they get a limited amount of money to buy their groceries for the month, and they tend to buy groceries with high sugar and fat. Baum, researched and found that since the food stamp program started, people who were recipients of the benefits became obese. This caused obesity to climb thirty percent, making that a hundred percent increase since 1971

(77.3).
With our national debt rising every year, many things contribute to this debt, with the nation’s debt soaring into the trillions it’s setting up piles of debt for the younger generation. The Snap food benefits program started with great intentions that poor people can provide food for their household. It has been modified and rebuilt a few times, and the nation’s debt is also on a rise. Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Massachusetts said, “There is a real risk that we could lose some of these programs that provide a circle of protection to people who are poor.” With having to worry about people committing fraud, over eating, and miss using programs like food stamps, make it harder for those who actually may need it. Rep. Jim McGovern said, “Budgets are moral documents. They reflect our values.” With the nation’s debt mounting into the negative trillions, it is setting up piles of debt for the younger generation and increasing poor eating habits, and this program is in jeopardy of deteriorating over time from potential miss use.