Food Stamp List Swells To Record 32.2 Million

[Purveyor]

Source: Reuters

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A record 32.2 million people -- one in every 10 Americans -- received food stamps at latest count, the government said on Thursday, a reflection of the recession now in its 16th month.

Food stamps are the major U.S. antihunger program and help poor people buy groceries. The average benefit was $112.82 per person in January.

The January figure marks the third time in five months that enrollment set a record.

"A weakened economy means that many more individuals are turning to SNAP/Food Stamps," said the Food Research and Action Center, an antihunger group, using the acronym for the renamed food stamp program, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

The U.S. unemployment rate was 8.1 percent in February, the highest in 25 years. Weekly claims for jobless benefits totaled 669,000 last week, the highest in 26 years, the government said on Thursday.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSTRE5314B320090402

[tomm2thumbs]

1. shocking - just shocking -- how many more are in need but too scared to ask for help

and the Republicans want to retroactively cut spending - they are R I D I C U L O U S L Y undersmarted by this administration.

[Supersedeas]

12. the CNBC nutbags don't even bat an eye

[LynnTheDem]

2. GUESS WHAT! The REPUBLICS want to CUT FOOD STAMPS!

That's their great "Republic Road to "RECOVERY".

Yeah, republics are the stupidest MFers ever.

[tonysam]

4. You Have to Be Utterly Destitute to Qualify.

Being merely unemployed doesn't cut it for qualifying for the program.

The Republicans are trying to use divide and conquer, this time between those who are destitute and those who are still employed. It keeps both in line.

[prolesunited]

6. No kidding

I looked into it and discovered we are "rich." You can't even have a car that has any value, even if it's paid for. If I hadn't built up a food pantry when times were better, we would definitely be scraping. Now I just shop loss leaders and mostly items for which I have a coupon.

We're planting a really big garden this year, and I still have some canned goods from the fall.

[Scairp]

9. Not actually

In the old days, almost all military enlisted families qualified for food stamps. They had signs in the commissary about them. It turns out, I could have gotten both food stamps AND WIC when I was married to my first husband and the kids were little. I can't imagine anything has changed.

[chill_wind]

8. Vile and stupid GOPoliticians. Disgusting. n/t

[saigon68]

11. Their Attitude is let the poor starve

As I was checking out at the grocery store a woman with 3 small children was checking out with foodstamps.

When she left the woman behind me made the comment that if the food stamp woman would get "Fixed" the line would move quicker because the govt wouldn't need to support her life style.

[Stuart G]

3. Kand R

[Betty]

5. isn't that like over 10% of the total population???

we are fucked.

[Supersedeas]

7. but but but didn't Kraemer say that the worst is over,....rrrr....for the investor class

[underpants]

10. That is roughly 10.7333 % of the population

using 300,000,000 as the denominator