Should people eligible for food stamps take them? Poll

We published a story the other day about a survey that showed Oregon's economy would get an estimated $500 million if citizens eligible for food stamps but not presently taking them suddenly accepted the federal money.

One of the key points of the story was that a Portland-based nonprofit was reaching out to senior citizens, many of whom are eligible for the federal food stamp program but don't apply for the benefits.

This opened a lively debate (nearly 600 comments at last count) about the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, aka food stamps). The conversation strayed into squabbles over big government. But some of the comments offered intriguing thoughts.

We've picked out a sampling from the debate:

foodforall

According to a Hunger in America 2014 study by Feeding America, nearly 66% of households report purchasing the cheapest food available, even if they knew it was not the healthiest option, in an effort to make ends meet. Seniors may be making a choice to degrade their health rather than accept nutritional supplements that would save all taxpayers by reducing health cost. It's time to debunk the myth of nutrition assistance as "welfare." It's a necessary and positive opportunity and intervention for individuals and families experiencing hunger.

You can't support your family or contribute successfully in society if you don't have food that will keep you healthy.

Redditch

"Many seniors say they don't want to accept food stamps because they think they will deprive people who really need the benefits."

Tough to find a more telling example of the generation gap than this, when we think of the hordes of 18-39 year-old Portland and Eugene career layabouts who don't give a tinker's damn who they might deprive.

squigar

@Redditch The majority of food stamp recipients are families with children and/or elderly household members. Spreading misinformation based on your own prejudice accomplishes nothing positive.

samoht1

Lets find these people who qualify especially seniors. They would be more healthy if they had more access to more and better food..The grocery industry also needs to help find them..Many of the rural counties only have a handful of grocery stores that accept SNAP. These counties could use the extra income. The seniors must shop in these stores so advertising about SNAP in the stores would help..Its would benefit the local economies and the people who qualify. The local stores need to find ways to also have a outreach program...Not only does it help the seniors but it helps them.

informan 1 day ago

I grew up in a household in the bottom 8% of per capita income. We never relied on government assistance..we also didn't have any gadgets, cable TV, new toys, etc. No one in our family smoked or drank alcohol or soda for that matter. We had one beat up old car my father fixed in the evenings or weekends when he wasn't working. We walked most everywhere we went or rode a bike we scavenged from other people's garbage and rebuilt--the source of a lot of our "new" items. I've had an income earning job (often pretty meager) of some sort sometime of every year for the entire term of my memory.

Entitlement attitude holds people down.

I later was able to put myself through college with govenment assistance (grants) to supplement my summer and evening earnings. I now pay more in taxes (inflation adjusted) every year than my father made in income.

Government assistance needs to be structured to help people out of poverty rather than perpetually just get them to the next handout.

Vic Blaine 1 day ago

@informan

Hmm.. Let's see if we got this straight...

"Entitlement attitude holds people down."

"I later was able to put myself through college with govenment assistance (grants) to supplement my summer and evening earnings. I now pay more in taxes (inflation adjusted) every year than my father made in income."

First, everybody in your family was broke, but they worked hard.

Then you got "government assistance" (grants) to go to college.

Afterwards, you earned much more money, paid more in taxes (paid back the grants?), and the end result was a net positive for you, the government and everyone else.

So foodstamps are bad?

If you're eligible for SNAP and don't take it you're a chump. However I am convinced that the nationwide utilization of food assistance has had a significant impact on food prices. Food suppliers now have a subsidy that insures them a base and skews the free market.

-- Bryan Denson

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