Poor Uncle Sam. What a future.....

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http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2009/11/03/20091103food-stamps...

Half of U.S. kids eventually must use food stamps

69 comments by Lindsey Tanner - Nov. 3, 2009 12:00 AM
Associated Press

CHICAGO - Nearly half of all children in the United States and 90
percent of Black youngsters will be on food stamps at some point during
childhood, and fallout from the current recession could push those
numbers even higher, researchers say.

The estimate comes from an analysis of 30 years of national data, and it
bolsters other recent evidence on the pervasiveness of youngsters at
economic risk. It suggests that almost everyone knows a family that has
received food stamps or will in the future, said lead author Mark Rank,
a sociologist at Washington University in St. Louis.

"Your neighbor may be using some of these programs, but it's not the
kind of thing people want to talk about," Rank said.

The analysis was released Monday in the November issue of Archives of
Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine. The authors say it's a medical issue
pediatricians need to be aware of because children on food stamps are at
risk for malnutrition and other ills linked with poverty.

"This is a real danger sign that we as a society need to do a lot more
to protect children," Rank said.

Food stamps are a Department of Agriculture program for low-income
individuals and families, covering most foods except prepared hot foods
or alcohol. For a family of four to be eligible, its annual take-home
pay cannot exceed about $22,000.

According to USDA report released last month, 28.4 million Americans
received food stamps in an average month in 2008, and about half were
younger than 18. The average monthly benefit per household totaled $222.

Rank and Cornell University sociologist Thomas Hirschl studied data from
a nationally representative survey of 4,800 American households
interviewed annually from 1968 through 1997 by the University of
Michigan. About 18,000 adults and children were involved.

Overall, about 49 percent of all children were on food stamps at some
point by age 20, the analysis found. That includes 90 percent of Black
children and 37 percent of White children. The analysis didn't include
other ethnic groups.

The time span included typical economic ups and downs, including the
early 1980s recession. That means similar portions of children now and
in the future will live in families receiving food stamps, although
ongoing economic turmoil may increase the numbers, Rank said.

An editorial in the medical journal agreed.

"The current recession is likely to generate for children in the United
States the greatest level of material deprivation that we will see in
our professional lifetimes," wrote Dr. Paul Wise, a Stanford
pediatrician. Wise said the Archives study estimate is believable.

"I find it terribly sad but not surprising," Wise said.

James Weill, president of Food Research and Action Center, a Washington,
D.C.-based advocacy group, said the analysis underscores that "there are
just very large numbers of people who rely on this program for a month,
six months, a year."

"What I hope comes out of this study is an understanding that food-stamp
beneficiaries aren't 'them,' " Weill said "They're 'us.' "