Unit 1/2: Farm Bill Hurts Hungry Americans

http://www.cnn.com/2014/02/05/opinion/stoehr-farm-bill-food-stamps/index.html?hpt=us_mid

Approved by the Senate on Tuesday, house republicans pushed a trillion dollar bill regarding Food Stamps. The farm bill is set to cut $8 billion during the next decade. The bill will also reduce food allotments for more than 850,000 households. Tea Party Republicans were pushing for a 5% cut instead of the 1% that was approved.

 The news story said President Obama is projected to sign the bill because he is such a "pragmatic president". House Speaker John Boehner accused Obama of hurting workers through hurting employers. He said, "We know from increases in the minimum wage in the past that hundreds of thousands of low-income Americans have lost their jobs, and so the very people the President purports to help are the ones who are going to get hurt by this." It is clear now that redistribution isn't opposed by either party. The problem arises when we decide who receives the redistribution.

The topic of redistribution of wealth has become more and more popular among politics. I believe that the cut to Food Stamps was necessary. However, when making the cut, I believe the bill was too forward. As 1% (in comparison to the 5% that the Tea Party Republicans originally pushed for) seems like a minuscule amount, it is actually quite large in the big picture.

The most dramatic part of the whole situation is pointed out in the Utah case. Nearly 40 Salt Lake City elementary students had their lunches taken from them because their balances didn't hold enough money to pay for the meal. This puts a realistic spin on the topic that seems over our heads.

The fact of the matter is that children are going without lunches because they can't afford to eat the school's lunch. By cutting the Food Stamps, we are preventing the misuse of the Food Stamps, but we are also preventing the people that need the Food Stamps from having the necessary amount. All in all, the problem with redistribution is finding a way to achieve successful distribution among the citizens that are in need of the distribution.