wkmac
Well-Known Member
In 2011, a record 46 million people - or 1 in 7 Americans -- participated in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), better known as Food Stamps.
The increased use of Food Stamps is a huge social and political issue for America, and it's also big business. In 2011, the U.S. government spent $72 billion on Food Stamps.
Among the beneficiaries, food producers such as Cargill, PepsiCo. (PEP), Coca-Cola (KO) and Kraft (KFT), as well as retailers like Wal-Mart. Of course, Wall Street gets a cut too, led by JPMorgan Chase (JPM), which administers the SNAP benefits in 24 states.
Marion Nestle on The (Big) Business of Food Stamps: “Here’s Where the Profits Come in”
If you completely ended the Food Stamp and associated public assistance programs, how would this change the profit lines of many big name corporations?
If those profit lines were a negative, would the negative be large enough to sway Washington Corp. lobbyists and insiders to move gov't to keep and maintain the status quo of public assistance programs? Even grow it?
Does a steady if not a growing underclass dependent on public assistance become a necessary in order to maintain and grow profit lines in order to meet Wall Street demands?
If public assistance is bad and the capitalism of Corp. America good, for those who follow this thinking, how do you resolve the conflict that the latter benefits and profits from the former?
If public assistance grows gov't and Corp. America profits from public assistance, for those who believe in smaller gov't and oppose public assistance, does this make Corp. American and Corp. Capitalism a foe and not a friend?
If regulation brings about these public assistance programs of which Corporations benefit, are the Corporations paying lip service in declaring regulatory gov't as bad when the truth is that Corp. America love regulation and has been behind such from day one under the guise of regulatory capture?
Would the Tea Party be better served in Zuccotti Park opposing Corp. America and the Occupy folks better served at the Glen Beck and Sean Hannity rallies celebrating Corp. America or are these just fictions of more circus to add to confusing the American public so they don't catch on?