Poverty And Energy Prices Soaring In Tandem In California

In September the state of California hit a new high in food stamp benefits, crossing the 6 billion dollar mark on an annualized basis. Over the past year in California alone the total number recipients of the federal SNAP program (supplemental nutritional assistance program) rose by 16.3%. In many of the big counties of California however, food stamp usage rose even faster.

As previous readers of this blog understand, it’s useful to look at the car dependent regions of southern California as they are emblematic of the state’s post peak-oil, economic breakdown. After all the food stamp program is really a food and energy program, which frees up household cash for gasoline. In San Bernardino County, for example, with its population of two million the number of SNAP recipients has now crossed the 300,000 level. Yes, a full 15% of that county is now on food stamps.

But the growth rate in usage is even faster now at 22.7% since last year and has showed no sign of slowing down.


Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/poverty-soars-in-california-2010-11#ixzz168zpbyxQ

as it was originally considered to be a farm subsidy program as well as support for the poor.

Just follow the money though from poor/working poor to ubiquitous low quality food, to farmers locked into commodity agriculture to fuel and chemical intensive agribusiness and you can see why even R's supported it.

The net effect had been a general subsidy for low wages, so I disagree that it needs to be considered simply an energy subsidy. Cheap gas had its own set of causes.

And people thought Mao and Stalin were bad.

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