Record Number of Americans Now Using Food Stamps
We've been told by the financial experts for months now that the U.S. recession is officially over. That may be what the calculations say, but it certainly doesn't feel that way for the millions of Americans struggling to keep their heads above water, or their mortgages away from the financial cliff, or any of the other dozens of cliches we've created to try and keep stories about financial woes at least marginally distinguishable from one another. To wit: In June, 46.7 million people used food stamps in America. That's roughly one out of every five adults and more people than have used food stamps in the program's 50-year history.
To his credit, reports the Huffington Post, President Obama has slowed the explosion in food-stamp recipients, despite the fact that his stimulus also made it easier for unemployed, childless adults to have access to the benefits:
Obama at least can take credit for overseeing slower growth in food stamp use, which spiked 23 percent during his first year in office, according to the USDA. In contrast, between June of last year and June of this year, food stamp use grew only 3 percent.
Where the GOP is concerned, if Republican vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan gets his way, America's food-stamp program (now called the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program) will be slashed by tens of billions of dollars.
