Starting today, We the Overtaxed People will give food stamp recipients less money each month because a “temporary” $5 billion stimulus has expired. Those funds, along with certain COBRA and ERRP benefits and more, came from the 2009 Recovery Act.

One in seven Americans, or about 47 million people, depend on SNAP (the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) to pay some or all of the cost of their groceries. The average beneficiary received $133.41 in food stamps per month last year.

“A family of four will lose $36 per month!” my retired newspaper editor buddy Lido “Lee” Bruhl said.

No.

That family of four simply had an extra $36 per month to spend for a little while. Kind of a windfall. My buddy Lee has always wanted to tax windfalls at 120%. Or more.

One wag wondered, “if obesity is the problem the left claims it is, then they should be happy.”

Heh. I do note that most food stamp recipients buy better cuts of meat than I do, but that’s not the right question.

The Food Stamp Act of 1964 appropriated $75 million to 350,000 individuals in 40 counties and three cities. By April of 1965, participation topped half a million. Participation topped 1 million in 1966, 2 million in 1967, 3 million in 1969, 4 million in February, 1970, 5 million one month later, 6 million two months later, 10 million in 1971, and 15 million in 1974. As of 2013, more than 15% of the entire U.S. population receives SNAP assistance. Washington D.C. gives SNAP to 23% of its population.

The $75 million Food Stamp Act of 1964 had grown to $78.4 billion and the 350,000 to 47 million in 2012.

The right question is, why do liberals think it’s better to enslave our population (47 million and growing and growing and growing) than it is to teach them to fish?