Check out today's New York Times Editorial:
Published: February 24, 2009
In seeking an instant jolt to the economy, almost nothing beats food stamps. Hungry people who get federal food aid don’t horde it. They don’t put vouchers under the mattress. They rush out and spend their share at the corner grocery or deli or bodega — sustaining not only themselves, but also the local economy.
For those reasons, Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s cramped food-relief policy makes little sense. The federal stimulus plan allows one big category of food stamp recipients — able-bodied single adults without dependents — to remain eligible to receive stamps until Sept. 30, 2010. Present law limits these recipients to three months of food stamps in a three-year period.
Mr. Bloomberg insists that these recipients must, in effect, work for their supper. He is under no obligation to extend benefits to anyone not enrolled in the city’s workfare program, which offers some training, some internships and some low-level work.
States and cities are allowed to require recipients to participate in such programs. But forcing people to take make-work jobs to qualify for food assistance takes valuable time away from the search for a real job. That’s counterproductive.
Moreover, by limiting eligibility, the city also reduces the amount of money it receives from Washington — a decrease of $750,000 a year, by the city’s estimate. Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum puts the loss far higher — in the millions of dollars over the next 17 months.
At a time when the mayor is supposed to be counting every dollar, $750,000 matters. And if he sticks to his job requirement, Mr. Bloomberg would have to expand his workfare program. This would also add to the city’s bill.
As Washington is bailing out banks and businesses, it is important not to lose sight of how food stamps save people. As the economy worsens, the number of hungry New Yorkers will only grow. There was a 19 percent increase in food stamp recipients in New York City in 2008 alone, according to the city’s data.
We can understand the mayor’s ideal of “work, not welfare,” but this is not a time to be stingy with food, especially if Washington is picking up the tab.
No one reads the New York Times. What does the NY Post say about this?
Posted by: A Non | February 25, 2009 at 01:19 PM