The Halfs and the Halfs Not
Even if you hate the time change, you have to admit this lighting better fits our national mood. The latest dark turn is the Trump administration’s refusal to dole out SNAP benefits to the 42 million Americans who receive food stamps. Days after a judge ruled that the payments can’t simply be stopped, the administration has agreed to release the funds. But not all of them. About half. NYT (Gift Article): Trump Administration to Send Only Partial Food Stamp Payments This Month. At this point, even such a half hearted measure might surprise you on the upside. So maybe you see the glass as half full. But I’m guessing about 42 million people will experience this as a glass half empty moment. And, in the short term, it could be full empty. It “remained unclear when food stamp recipients might actually receive their aid, since the Trump administration itself had acknowledged previously in court that there could be substantial delays in provisioning SNAP on a partial basis during the shutdown.”
+ SNL’s Michael Che had some thoughts about the SNAP cut-off and the perception being spread by certain politicians that it’s used by people trying to rip off the government. “I grew up on free cheese and powdered milk and waiting for your friends to leave the store so they wont see me pay with stamps. That shit aint as glamorous as it sounds. I promise.”
+ Of course, none of those same politicians complain about the wealthiest Americans who use every accounting trick in the book to reduce the amount of taxes they pay. For them, the glass is never full enough. Yes, that’s capitalism and those are the rules of the game. But do 42 million people really have to go hungry during a period when the investor class is experiencing relentless market gains? It would be almost like holding a Great Gatsby-themed Halloween party as SNAP benefits were due to be cut off. (Maybe it’s fitting. Make America Great Again isn’t all that far off from one of Gatsby’s famous lines: “Can’t Repeat the Past? Why, of Course You Can!”)
