Welfare abuse: As American as baseball, hotdogs and whoopie pies
The national food stamp program was originally designed to provide nutritional foods for folks who can
by Ben VanMetre
Senior Budget and Tax Policy Analyst
The national food stamp program was originally designed to provide nutritional foods for folks who can’t afford to buy them on their own – fruits, vegetables, meats, eggs, cheeses and similar products.
So when individuals wanted to use SNAP cards (food stamps) to purchase her whoopie pies at the local farmers market, Anrea Taber, owner of the Ever so Humble Pie Co in Walpole Massachusetts, balked. “What we make are a luxury or a gourmet dessert,” she responded, “which does not fit that criteria … I just don’t believe that taxpayers’ money should be spent on buying luxury or gourmet desserts for people who are having trouble putting nutritional food on their table in the first place.”
Ms.Taber hit the nail on the head. And it’s inspiring to see someone stick to their principles instead of giving in to the prolific waste and abuse that exists in government welfare programs.
During 2011, SNAP served roughly 45 million people, or about one in seven Americans.
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program is supposed to help “low-income families buy the food they need for good health.”
How does SNAP work? Households with a monthly gross income less than 130 percent of the Federal Poverty Level, roughly $2,422 for a family of four, can receive SNAP benefits. The monthly benefits are provided in the form of an electronic debit card. In Illinois, this is called a “Link card.”
The card is used to purchase food, seeds and plants at authorized retailers. There are some restrictions, though. SNAP benefits cannot be used for ready to eat foods, foods intended to be heated or eaten in the store, vitamins, medicines, pet food, alcohol or tobacco.
Snacking on fudge brownie bars, take ‘n’ bake pizzas and “Kake that tastes as good as it looks” are just a few examples of how SNAP benefits can be used in some of Illinois’9,212 SNAP authorized stores, three of which include:
- Papa Murphy’s in Springfield: Take ‘n’ Bake pizzas are eligible for Link card purchase. But to some it was a real shocker when pepper shakers and pizza cutters didn’t make the list.
- Eve’s Treats in Carbondale: “A specialty treat company, where quality is priority.” Their menu consists solely of cookies, fudge brownie bars, artisan bread, heart healthy granola, muffins and mini-loaves.
- Krazy Kake House: “It’s the Kake that tastes as good as it looks.”
The abuse that takes place in the SNAP program is one of the many ways in which taxpayer dollars are wasted in Illinois. Keep your eyes open for more examples of waste in the forthcoming 2012 Piglet.