246,000 more on Food Stamps

A record 38.2 million Americans were enrolled in the food stamp program at latest count, up 246,000 from the previous month and the latest in record-high monthly tallies that began in December 2008.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/feedarticle/8933161

 

The article has a typo - is it 32.8 or 38.2? Look at the article's title and subsequent first paragraph.

 

http://usdebtclock.org/

According to that site, there are 38.7 million people now on food stamps, which is 12.5% of the population.

 

I found a reuters article dated January 12, 2010 that said the recent count was at 37.9 million - one in eight Americans (US pop is 308 M). So, it makes sense that the figure is over 38 million now.

 

an earlier thread stated 1:6 on stamps, last week an FS advocate said on BNN
the Obama administration expects the total to rise to 43M this year - more debt

 

If this illiquidity in the small cap mkt continues, i think i am going to become one of them

 

I was on the Dept of Agriculture website earlier to check stats. They now call the program SNAP (supplemental nutritional..blah blah)

Anyway, funds have been allocated to it thru the Recovery bill stimulus. They are encouraging people to use this as a stimulus measure. I think there was a program set up to expand its use in California.

God forbid people grow their own food - it wouldn't count in GDP figures! (well except the one time shovel and seed purchase)