The Truth About Welfare

With all the talk about the food stamp glitch in Atlanta, and the discussion as to whether food is a human right, I thought I would explain my views on welfare.

First off let me say that I am a conservative libertarian, and am against the "nanny state".

But let's look at the current socialist welfare state, starting with food stamps.

The poor are given food stamps, which they use to buy food at grocery stores. The grocery store then bills the government for the amount of food stamps used in the store. The store receives the money from the government, which it uses to buy food, typically from large agribusinesses. So in this example, the poor receive food, and the businesses get the money.

Let's look at housing. Many poor people live in privately owned housing, much of which is corporately owned, that is paid for by section 8 vouchers. Again, the poor get the voucher, turn it over to the landlord, and the landlord turns it in to the government and receives money. The poor get a place to live, and the property owner gets the money.

So, in both of the above examples, the money is actually going to corporate interests, not the poor.

The poor are simply a conduit through which money is taken from middle class taxpayers, and given to corporations. So all of you who are mad at the poor, might want to consider if that is the proper place for your anger. You might want to look at the corporations who lobby congress for more and more welfare, knowing that the money will end up in their pockets.


As with most things in life, follow the money and you will find the answer.