The federal food stamps program allows people of low-income to purchase the foods of their choice at grocery stores. But lately that program has come under fire by President Obama and Congressional Democrats for the same reasons they oppose school voucher programs that would allow low-income parents to choose where their children go to school.“Education is essential to development, but so is food,” said Obama at a rally organized by food-choice opponents. “If we can’t trust low-income parents and profit-making companies to educate our children with taxpayer-funded vouchers, how can we trust those same people with vouchers used for food? The government, not individual citizens, should be doing the choosing.”
Teachers and prisoner food service unions joined forces to attack the food stamps program, which has helped those of limited incomes to choose meals for their own families since the 1960’s.
“Food vouchers create a two-tier system in which people who are incarcerated have to rely on government-provided food services, while those living freely on limited incomes are able to choose the food vendors of their choice,” argued one protester holding a “Support Public Foods” sign. “That unfairly drains money from prison and other government-run institutional food providers.”
Another protester said “How can we go forward with a food voucher program when there’s an ongoing debate regarding whether or not food choice leads to better outcomes in nourishment?”
Other protesters pointed to the separation of church and state, saying “Under the food stamp program, low-income beneficiaries who follow religious dietary laws can use taxpayer funds to pay for foods based on religious teachings. How is that constitutional?”
And yet another protester added, “Come to think of it, why can someone buy a religious text with a welfare check? Down with welfare programs!”
Associated articles: Daily Caller; http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124147923132785121.html; http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124148314511885437.html; http://www.ij.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1537&Itemid=282; http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/19/AR2009041901882.html; http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123604286020215187.html; http://washingtontimes.com/news/2009/oct/29/dc-voucher-program-fights-to-survive/; Wall Street Journal
Associated videos: Reason TV; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gGMfGnvrD4; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EX7nHeevRlQ&feature=channel_page; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V34kYMm82oo&feature=ch; Institute for Justice
