This story from the Daily Caller about colleges helping kids sign up for food stamps, got me completely depressed. It’s not so much that this is indicative of a bloated, out-of-control government, though it is. It’s more that this symbolizes how the social capital of the nation is being eroded by the moocher mentality. Welfare should have social stigma, it should not be overly generous, and it should not be part of the federal government. As you can see from this excerpt, I’m batting 0-3:
About 20,000 people sign up for food stamps every day, and college students across the country are the newest demographic being encouraged to enlist. Portland State University devotes a page on its Web site to explaining the ease with which students can receive benefits, along with instructions on how to apply. The school says food stamps are not charity but rather a benefit all honest taxpaying citizens can afford. …Traditionally food stamps are for the working poor and single parents, but colleges are trying to make it as easy as possible for students to obtain federal assistance, no matter their socio-economic background. Oregon has a state-wide non-profit which includes a special focus on food stamps for students… The Grand Views, a college newspaper from Grand View University in Des Moines, Iowa, featured a story on students who apply for food stamps because they claim they don’t have time to hold down a job between classes and basketball practices. …Adam Sylvain, a sophomore at Virginia’s George Mason University, recounted a recent conversation with friends in his dorm room. “My roommate told me he applied for food stamps, and they told him he qualified for $200 a month in benefits,” Sylvain said. “He’s here on scholarship and he saves over $5,000 each summer in cash.” “A few of our other friends who were in the room also said if there were able to, they would get food stamps … They think that if they’re eligible it’s the government’s fault, so they might as well,” Sylvain said. …President Obama’s latest budget included $72.5 billion for food stamps — nearly double the amount from 2008. Approximately 38 million people, or 13 percent of the U.S. population is on food stamps. It’s a trend that seems on the rise — Salon recently reported on young, broke hipsters using federal assistance to buy high-end organic food. “I’m sort of a foodie, and I’m not going to do the ‘living off ramen’ thing,” one young man said, fondly remembering a recent meal he’d prepared of roasted rabbit with butter, tarragon and sweet potatoes. “I used to think that you could only get processed food and government cheese on food stamps, but it’s great that you can get anything.”
Beer? Wine? Spices? all being bought and paid for with federal food stamps? College students? Oh MY God what is next now?
You may have seen Mary Katherine Ham’s recent blog post about this: http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/sad-tale-juan-diego-castro
AmeriCorps participants are also encouraged to apply since the stipends are not counted as income for food stamps eligibility.
A main aim of the program, of course, was to increase “self-reliance.” Heh.
this has been going on for years and will go on for years more until one day we wake up and the nation is so bankrupt and the economy is in a depression and Congress crying out for even higher taxes since more and more people are saying “gimmie gimmie”, and then it all crashes down.
Just tell me how to one day be able to move out of the US with my mony , wife and daughter and live somewhere else where i don,t get sick from all the heat like over in Malaysia where my wife is from.
What ever happened to American pride? The American who believed that no one owed him/her a living? Can our nation ever find its work ethic again? Ever relearn the joy that comes from overcoming a challenge, from being self-sufficient?
[...] that make it easier or harder for people to become dependent. There also are some states (and even colleges) that actually try to lure people into signing up for welfare, which also might affect the results. [...]
[...] that make it easier or harder for people to become dependent. There also are some states (and even colleges) that actually try to lure people into signing up for welfare, which also might affect the results. [...]
[...] that make it easier or harder for people to become dependent. There also are some states (and even colleges) that actually try to lure people into signing up for welfare, which also might affect the results. [...]
[...] this is downright reprehensible, perhaps even worse than the story about college students mooching off the program. Shame on Yum! Brands. This is another distasteful example of how big business is willing to rape [...]
@Joe G.
The main aim of the AmeriCorp program is to assist low income poverty level households, kind of like a domestic Peace Corp. Part of the program is immersion – you live among the population you are helping. Your standard of living is really low as your stipend is only $10K year.
[...] this is downright reprehensible, perhaps even worse than the story about college students mooching off the program. Shame on Yum! Brands. This is another distasteful example of how big business is willing to rape [...]
[...] But what got me most upset was the story about college kids mooching off the program. [...]
[...] College kids scamming the program for handouts. [...]
As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, we are taught to be as self-reliant as possible. After we have done all we can do, and we are still not able to make ends meet, we are counseled to turn to our families for support. If receiving help form your family is not possible, we should then turn to our church’s welfare system. It is designed to help people in time of need, but more importantly to get them on the road to self-reliance as quickly as possible. Often times it requires that you give in return You may be asked to volunteer at one of the food assembling facilities, to clean a church meetinghouse, etc. Basically you don’t get something for nothing!
I am married, and both my husband and I are attending a church affiliated University. We have a toddler and one on the way. It seems we are a “minority” in our community because we choose to be self-reliant and leave government assistance for those who are truly in need. It is amazing to me how many of my peers have the exact mentality that you just described. It’s as if there is no other logical answer to living as a poor college student and supporting a family, than to sign up for medicaid, WIC, food stamps, and any other form of government assistance. I have felt that people think I’m silly for even trying to follow the counsel our church teaches of being self-reliant, when there is a much easier way! Thanks for the post and feel free to visit my recent blog post on the topic, leave a comment, and follow if you wish! http://notsosloth.blogspot.com/2012/01/tough-commitment-to-keep.html
[...] has morphed from a handout for the genuinely poor to a widespread entitlement for everyone from college students to the Octo-mom, and for products ranging from luxury coffee to [...]
[...] College kids scamming the program for handouts. [...]
[...] College kids scamming the program for handouts. [...]