The pissiness on this thread is shocking! We’re not talking about the people who are forever on food stamps, but many people who have never been on them before. We’re in a serious recession (some might call it a depression). The TOTUS has declared a war on business, thus jobs. I’m pretty sure that many of the new recipients are people shocked to find themselves in need of such help.
Even worse. The welfare roles are growing, and with every dollar handed out without having any labor exchanged for it, the incentive of the "unemployed" to actually look for work lessens. Why work when you can get what you want without working?
Atlanta got a batch of Katrina people, and 24 months after the storm there were still 70,000 families (mostly singly mother famblies) from New Orleans still in taxpayer funded housing.
You make a good point. But on the other hand, the trajectory of spending on all entitlement programs is UP. The demand for free stuff is always unlimited. I would bet you $100 that Food Stamp spending does not decline much, or at all, when recovery comes.