Instead of cutting food stamps, Congress should spend less on wars
As Congress attempts to correct deficits around the nation tough decisions have been made. One of the most critical and questionable however, has been the decision to cut $12 billion from food assistance programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Granted, they say that this money has been redirected to other programs such as education, fire, and police departments, but is that just rhetoric?
Current numbers show that nearly one in every seven Americans receives benefits from food assistance programs. At least two families on your block are surviving with assistance from the government. At current rates, each family receives roughly $134 dollars per month. After the recent cuts, they will receive $59 less per month by 2013.
Though Congress tells us that it is meeting state and local needs, are we not forgetting about something much larger the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Virtually no one can forget the wars that were started by, and led to the Republican Party’s downfall and the rise of Democratic leadership. The major campaign promise from President Obama was to end these wars, rectifying the errors of the past administration.
At the end of July, Congress passed a bill which allocated $33 billion to continue the same war the administration promised would end at the exact same time. Isn’t that an odd coincidence? We were told that at the end of July that only “combat” troops were being removed. That rhetoric changed however, as “administrative” troops were moving into the region in their place. If you take out the not-so-catchy adjectives, this administration has decided to withdraw troops and replace them with troops.
Furthermore, troops aren’t replacing weapons with paperwork, so it would appear that our military presence in the Middle East is unchanging contrary to the Obama administration’s promises.
So it’s up to your imagination as to where that money is going. Sure, it looks nice if you say that your tax dollars fund projects such as education or the local fire department, but since all dollars are created equal (and arguably of less value everyday), one can just as easily say that his/her neighbors are being forced to give up eating so that our country can continue to fight a war that we should have never been involved in and were promised would end.
Given the basic numbers presented, if Congress had given an extra $21 billion to fund the war, there would be no need for any cuts to food service programs and we could still provide for state deficits and needs. With the unemployment rate 10 percent nationwide and calculated at well above 17 percent when including those not reporting and working less than full-time, isn’t it time we stopped funding unnecessary international projects and started to help those who are in need here at home?
