Only the federal government could be this stupid.
We have two very big problems in our nation.
o First, we have a giant, bloated federal government that is spending too much money, putting us at serious risk of a Greek-style fiscal crisis at some point in the future.
o Second, the social capital of our society is eroding because dependency and sloth are slowly but surely replacing independence, self-reliance, and the work ethic.
So what do the morons in Washington do to address these problems?
They find a policy that simultaneously makes both problems worse. More specifically, they implement a policy that gives states more tax dollars as a reward for luring more people into the food stamp program – even though that policy will exacerbate the fiscal crisis and further weaken the nation’s social capital.
This is one of those this-can’t-possibly-be-true moments. But this is not a joke. Here’s an excerpt from a news release from Oregon’s Department of Human Services.
Oregon’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) has again ranked among the best in the nation, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced this week. The state earned one award for ensuring that people eligible for food benefits receive them and a second recognition for its swift processing of applications. The two awards combined bring a $5 million performance bonus to Oregon.
I actually wrote about something similar early last year, and groused that, “there apparently is a program that gives states ‘bonuses’ for putting more people on the dole.”
Much to my dismay (but not to my surprise), my fears were warranted.
