I feel so badly for the hungry kids. You see them on the streets – emaciated, forlorn, picking through trash bins looking for scraps. It’s a heart-wrenching sight. We have to do something about this.

I mean, how can we expect a single mother of three to feed her children with only $994 per month in SNAP benefits and two free meals a day at school? I’m worried that by the middle of the month she is forced to dip into her welfare cash to buy beans. How will she get her nails done?

That’s why I was so happy to see this free food program advertised on social media and local news. It’s one thing for poor moms to have to feed their kids one meal per day with only $994 per month from SNAP. What will they do in the summer when schools are closed? Especially those 18 year olds – they can work up quite an appetite playing video games all summer.

Seriously, the real crime in all of this is that some people want to be self-sufficient and enjoy the satisfaction and respect that comes from being a productive, working American. But the outsized benefits from socialism destroy the will – even the ability – to work.

How much do you spend on groceries per month? My wife and I are fairly affluent. We rarely go out for meals, and we spend about $350 per month for groceries. I can’t imagine how a mom and three kids can spend a thousand bucks a month at the supermarket. But I do know human nature – we will take all of what is free and will consume every bite of food we purchase. Plus the choices we make with unlimited funds for food will not be based on nutritional health.

According to the CDC, about 45% of low-income American women are obese – that is double the rate for other women. My wife often relates the story of being out to a business lunch with a large group of women. When offered dessert, every one of them turned it down, most saying they are avoiding the calories. But when their server said, “oh, it’s included with your dinner!” every single one of them received and ate her dessert!

I am not blaming low-income women for accepting benefits. I greatly admire those who are self-sufficient. My concern is that this is just one more example of how every time the government meddles in the free market, even with good intentions, it screws up the economy. Some of the unintended consequences of over-generous socialist benefit programs include:

• obesity and health problems lead to higher health care costs
• forced unemployment – job income can’t compete with generous benefits
• chronic, generational unemployment for moms and kids who are physically unable to work and never acquire employable skills
• bloated government benefit programs are susceptible to corruption
• general inflation occurs when govt. spending exceeds private sector spending
• higher grocery prices are caused by artificial demand
• taxpayer cost of administering benefit programs

Contrary to popular opinion, socialism sucks. But it continues to escalate under the guise of kindness and compassion.

Tom Balek – Rockin’ On the Right Side