I am automatically suspicious of the veracity of anything I see online, so I don’t necessarily believe this is a real receipt.
But it could be, and that’s what’s disturbing. There are very few restrictions on the use of food stamps, so there’s nothing to stop a recipient from buying porterhouse steaks and lobster.
So what should be done about this type of scam?
Well, I’ve already posted about the growing burden of food stamp dependency.
And I’ve posted about fast food restaurants trying to sign up for the program and the Obama Administration’s crazy policy of bribing states to create more food stamp dependency.
But what got me most upset was the story about college kids mooching off the program.
I remember selling my plasma twice a week while in college, and the $15 I received was enough to buy food for seven days. So I’m not exactly brimming with sympathy for kids who want “high-end organic food” and “roasted rabbit with butter, tarragon, and sweet potatoes.”
The right policy, though, is not to have the federal government tell people what they’re allowed to buy. The right policy is to end the federal government’s involvement in redistribution programs and let states decide who should receive subsidies and what form those handouts should take.
And, most important, let states be responsible for financing those programs.
