The Food Stamp Solution

The GOP's hacking at food stamps isn't just wrong, it's also totally stupid.

Food stamps are essentially a subsidy to agricultural interests, particularly the small family farmers. Traditionally, the small family farmers are part of the Republican base. By cutting food stamps, they are virtually guaranteeing a small downturn in demand for farm products next year.

If the Dems had any wits, they would push this issue really hard.

What we should be doing is creating a special food tax, and creating a food stamp program for every single person in the United States. It could be a part of Obamacare or something like that.

For example, employed, single adults making over 30k per year should be expected to pay around ,000 per year to the food stamp program. In return, they'd get back around ,000 in food stamps.

People earning less would pay less taxes, and get a the exact same amount (,000) back in food stamps. People earning a lot more would pay more taxes, and get that same allocation. People with kids would get a little more money in food stamps.

The food money you get back would not be taxed, of course.

The rules for spending that food stamp money would be the same as ever - it can be used to buy food at a store. While some of us would prefer it doesn't get spent on chips and sodas... we can tackle that part later.

The key point here is that everyone would have to spend the money at stores. That would function as a subsidies to stores, and people who might otherwise eat only at a restaurant would have to spend the money at a store. Or they'd could maybe sell credits to someone else to use at a store.

This would create a transformation in the inner city, where small shops would expand their food offerings. They already have a bunch of food stamp customers, but they would gain many customers who, after earning some money, stop patronizing the stores and opt to eat on the run.