Food Stamps, Nutrition, and Obesity

Want to read something shocking? [quote]The share of adults who are “overweight” or “obese” rose from 56 percent in the late 1980s to 70 percent today.[/quote] [quote] the government takes obesity so seriously that it funds a $78 billion program for people to buy any type of food they want at 250,000 retail stores nationwide[/quote] (sarcasm implied) [quote]The program subsidizes 46 million people to buy items such as “soft drinks, candy, cookies, snack crackers, and ice cream.”[/quote] [quote]The government has grown so vast that its policies work against each other in a myriad of ways. The Women, Infants, and Children program, for example, gives away huge amounts of free baby formula, even though the government advocates that mothers use breast milk.[/quote] [quote]The food stamp program is one of the government’s biggest hypocrisies. The program ballooned in size during the administrations of George W. Bush and Barack Obama. The number of recipients rose from 17 million in 2000 to 46 million by 2015. The costs quadrupled from $18 billion in 2000 to $78 billion in 2016.[/quote] [quote]Food stamps were created to tackle hunger, but Harvard University’s Robert Paarlberg notes that on a typical day less than 1 percent of households now face “very low food security.” That low figure contrasts with the 18 percent of U.S. households that receive food stamps.[/quote] [quote]The main food-related health problem for low-income households today is not hunger, but obesity. CDC data shows that, on average, people with low incomes are more obese than people with high incomes.[/quote] [quote]Food stamps can be used to purchase just about any edible item in grocery and convenience stores other than alcohol, vitamins, and hot food.[/quote] [quote] the government will not release detailed data on food stamp spending. The public pays the cost of the $78 billion food stamp program, but the government will not let the public know how their tax dollars are being spent.[/quote] [quote] food stamp secrecy “runs contrary to President Obama’s promise of government transparency, and stands in sharp contrast with practices at other federal agencies….With any federal program, but especially one as large as SNAP, records should be public unless there is a compelling reason to hide them.”[/quote] [quote]The USDA did release a study in 2015 showing that 40 percent of food stamp recipients were obese compared to 32 percent of low-income individuals not on food stamps. Both adults and children in food stamp families are more obese than other Americans.[/quote] [quote]The USDA has also found that food stamp recipients scored lower on a “healthy eating index” than other individuals with either lower or higher incomes. Food stamp recipients are less likely to consume whole grains and raw vegetables, and more likely to consume regular soda, than other people. So it is ironic that SNAP is called a “nutrition” program.[/quote] This is all pretty surprising, and both the American Left and Right can find something that they disagree with. Conservatives might be ashamed to realize that "one of their own," George W. Bush, kicked off the SNAP Program snowball effect. President Obama has been more than happy to keep the ball rolling. Liberals (progressives, actually, but I'll play along) might be ashamed at the lack of transparency in the Obama administration, especially considering the fact that the administration has allegedly been taking steps to be more transparent (thank you, Snowden). With all of this information in mind, I don't want anybody to be accused of "wanting people to starve" after suggesting that benefits like this should be reduced. It's clear that starvation isn't a big threat in the U.S. And since I know somebody will bring it up -- no, 1 in 5 children in the U.S. don't struggle with hunger. That myth can take its place next to the wage gap. (http://www.forbes.com/sites/paulroderickgregory/2011/11/20/are-one-in-five-american-children-hungry/#46701b55cdb2) Anyone interested in topics like this is encouraged to check out the group Liberty Hub. No admin approval required.