I believe SNAP, or what most refers to as Food Stamps is not a waste of taxpayers’ money. The program has played a huge role in ensuring that, low-income families have access to adequate nutrition levels. A research conducted in 2017 by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) revealed that, Food Stamps has helped over 42 million Americans to access nutritious diet (Nchako & Cai, 2020). In that sense, the program has been significant in reducing food insecurity by over 30%, with the major beneficiaries being children (ATD FOURTH WORLD USA, 2018). In fact, by feeding people through Food Stamps, the costs of healthcare are reduced. Households with sufficient supply of food rarely suffer from chronic illnesses such as cancer, heart diseases, and hypertension (ATD FOURTH WORLD USA, 2018). For that reason, people should start looking at Food Stamps as a program that triggers economic growth to some extent. When individuals are healthy and well fed, they become productive and money that could have spent in catering for their health is used on other things (Nchako & Cai, 2020).
References
Nchako, C. & Cai, L. (2020). A Closer Look at Who Benefits from SNAP: State-by-State Fact Sheets. Retrieved from <https://www.cbpp.org/research/food-assistance/a-closer-look-at- who-benefits-from-snap-state-by-state-fact-sheets#Alabama>
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ATD FOURTH WORLD USA (2018). Poverty Myths Busted: Food Stamps Are a Waste of Money. Retrieved from < https://4thworldmovement.org/food-stamps-waste- money/?gclid=CjwKCAjwmMX4BRAAEiwA-zM4Jv3Jqx6BV8fBNmYQldXUe- 6xDpdsiFyZ2qp4TW_K8ArFOicCOjmcQRoCyMAQAvD_BwE >
Social Welfare: Housing- Response 2
I concur that housing is a huge problem in the United States. The government has failed in its mandate of ensuring that house prices are kept within affordable levels. I believe that, if the government had subsidies in place such as tax breaks and vouchers to help low-income earners, you would still be living in the house that you grew in (Dreier, 2018). In fact, policymakers in the government have been unable to offer protection in the housing sectors, and the few units that are available for middle-income earners are sold to the highest bidders (Hoffman, 2016). You cousin must have been very lucky to secure the three-bedroom apartment because for most young families in the United States, the dream of homeownership is already dead. Although the federal government has made efforts of establishing various categories that people can use to secure houses, the situation is not any better. Preferably, policy makers should identify one program that would enable people to access affordable housing. It is improper for people to continue spending half of their incomes in paying rent (Dreier, 2018).
References
Hoffman, A. (2016). To Preserve Affordable Housing in the United States: A Policy History. Working Paper
Dreier, P. (2018). Why America Needs More Social Housing. Subsidizing market prices to make housing affordable is a losing strategy. There’s a better way—on display for a century in Vienna. Retrieved from <https://prospect.org/infrastructure/america-needs-social- housing/>