Changing the Food Stamp Program, Changing Lives Are food stamps saving lives or making them worse? The Federal Government has funded the food stamp program, SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), since the 1960’s to keep low income families from starving. However, today’s food stamp program has morphed into something much bigger. This change is not necessarily better. (“EDITORIAL: Start small in reforming food stamp program”) Over the decades, the changes that have been made allow recipients to purchase soft drinks, “luxury” items, and sugary snacks. This is only heightening the obesity in America. Per the article, “Food Stamp Programs Cause Obesity:”
As the program has grown, so has the percentage of Americans who are obese-from …show more content…
In fact, there have been stories of people selling their food stamps to support their drug addictions and there have also been accounts of TVs purchased with the EBT card during a Black Friday sale. The use of food stamps need to be monitored more closely with tighter restrictions on what can be purchased with the EBT card. The program’s restrictions are not much of a restriction at all. Leslie Bridgers says in her article “Bill to limit food stamp purchases: Is it junk?,” “The program currently prohibits the purchase of alcohol, tobacco, prepared fast foods and non-food items, such as toilet paper, with food stamps” (Bridgers). When there is not much of a limitation or not enough restrictions on these programs, people will start abusing the system to fund their addictions, wants, and bad …show more content…
We need to see Americans growing, not completely depending on the government. I believe food stamps are a great help to many Americans, although to illuminate the abuse of the system, restrictions must be made now. These restrictions will encourage recipients to work harder for the benefits they receive, and drop the rate of obesity greatly. Now, if we don’t stop the fraudulent use of food stamps and the heightening of obesity; the result will be, more deaths because of obesity, over dependence on the government, and American’s tax money wasted on recipients ringing in the benefits but not willing to work for them. Although, if we work together to solve this problem, there will be more working resulting in more spending that will boost the economy, more recipients will be moved off food stamp benefits because of the work requirement, and ultimately less abuse of the system because of the new software in the EBT cards. If Americans want to see a change in the food stamp program, then we need to push now to see this change
As the program has grown, so has the percentage of Americans who are obese-from …show more content…
In fact, there have been stories of people selling their food stamps to support their drug addictions and there have also been accounts of TVs purchased with the EBT card during a Black Friday sale. The use of food stamps need to be monitored more closely with tighter restrictions on what can be purchased with the EBT card. The program’s restrictions are not much of a restriction at all. Leslie Bridgers says in her article “Bill to limit food stamp purchases: Is it junk?,” “The program currently prohibits the purchase of alcohol, tobacco, prepared fast foods and non-food items, such as toilet paper, with food stamps” (Bridgers). When there is not much of a limitation or not enough restrictions on these programs, people will start abusing the system to fund their addictions, wants, and bad …show more content…
We need to see Americans growing, not completely depending on the government. I believe food stamps are a great help to many Americans, although to illuminate the abuse of the system, restrictions must be made now. These restrictions will encourage recipients to work harder for the benefits they receive, and drop the rate of obesity greatly. Now, if we don’t stop the fraudulent use of food stamps and the heightening of obesity; the result will be, more deaths because of obesity, over dependence on the government, and American’s tax money wasted on recipients ringing in the benefits but not willing to work for them. Although, if we work together to solve this problem, there will be more working resulting in more spending that will boost the economy, more recipients will be moved off food stamp benefits because of the work requirement, and ultimately less abuse of the system because of the new software in the EBT cards. If Americans want to see a change in the food stamp program, then we need to push now to see this change