(NaturalNews) As economic recovery continues to prove dismal if not
illusory, American families are signing up for food stamps in record
numbers, showing signs that poverty is increasing and the job market is
far from recovering.
According to official U.S. Department of
Agriculture (USDA) numbers, households on food stamps increased by
45,900 in one month, hitting a staggering new high in June of 23.117
million households, with an additional 125,079 individuals signing up
for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, a near-record 47.76 million people that is just below the December 2012 peak of 47.79 million.
More
than 80% of those families receiving food stamp benefits are at or
below the poverty line, with more than 61% of households drastically
below the poverty line, making less than $14,648 in a year per household
of three.
These numbers reflect a bigger trend that is all but abysmal in scope - that more than 22 million people have been added to the government dole
since December 2007, at the onset of the economic crisis that has
spiraled into near depression levels. According to Zero Hedge, more than
2.2 million jobs are needed to reach equilibrium with Fall 2008 levels
of employment and cost of living affordability.
Worse, many of
the new employment opportunities only offer part time or low wage jobs,
threatening the viability of more and more households. So many of the
unemployment numbers do not accurately reflect the health of the nation,
and, in fact, have helped to hide the decline.
The USDA has been aiding this by promoting its SNAP food
stamp program to persons above - but near - the poverty line,
essentially acknowledging that their prospects in the economy are dim
despite cheerleading from the Obama Administration to the contrary.
While food stamps
officially benefit those working part time or for low wages, the
unemployed, welfare recipients, the elderly and disabled as well as the
homeless, taxpayer-funded advertisement campaigns have been recruiting
struggling families still earning a living to sign up for SNAP rosters
as well. The USDA has specifically targeted children from low income
households, Latino immigrants with Spanish-language soap operas embedded
with appealing messages as well as individuals from America's heartland
who suffer from "mountain pride," a term deliberately coined to combat
"self-reliant" attitudes and entice individuals and families resistant
to hand outs to take on benefits, and with it, increased government
dependence.
Outwardly, of course, this a hand-up to those facing
hard times. But put together with data revealing a non-existent job
recovery and the new norm of subpar employment (a combination of part
time and low wage jobs), it offers families barely getting by little
hope of ever really getting out of poverty.
By actively driving
up food stamp numbers, the Obama Administration is temporarily staving
off the implosion of a clearly unsustainable economy and plugging the
hole of an all-but-exploding dam. But behind the scenes, those who still
have jobs and pay taxes are getting hit harder than ever, while those
receiving benefits are scraping by with less as well.
At the same
time food stamp recipients have climbed sharply - reaching numbers
nearly double those seen December 2007 before the collapse set it - the
average benefit has declined. This forces those at or near poverty to
stretch their food dollars even thinner, putting more items out of reach
and lower quality items in the basket, as inflation touched 9.4% in
recent weeks. Households received an average of only $274.55 under SNAP
in June 2012, as compared with $293.89 per month as of October 2009,
while individuals enrolled in SNAP received average benefits of $132.89
per month in June 2012, a statistical drop from $134.60 in October 2009.
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