One in Eight Americans Now Receives Food Stamps

If you stopped giving out food stamps, in a generation or so there'd be few enough American's left to fit the labour market you currently have. Waiting for all the poor people to starve to death is much easier to implement than any attempts to introduce some kind of commie system whereby the tax dollars of hard working 'Merkins are handed out willy-nilly to lazy bums, right?

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Maybe a system of cake stamps could be implemented instead?

How ya doing, buddy?

The benefits trap as it's known here is even harder to get out of in the UK. I'm living off benefits myself at the moment and whilst I know full well I can waltz into a high paid job once my leg heals, I can easily see how someone would prefer to sit on their arse watching telly all day and pull in the same amount of cash as a minimum wage job, if not more. Even with no kids and a partner in full employment I'm getting my rent and council tax paid for me and just over £100 a week to live off, which is more than enough frankly.

Personally I aspire to more than just getting by on benefits but when one sees so many chav families decked out in labelled clothing, with full Sky subscriptions, a brand new DS for each kid and five dogs, one can't help but feel a bit resentful. I'm not advocating forcing people to live in hardship but having more kids to increase your benefits payouts shouldn't really be allowed to be such an attractive lifestyle choice. It's that more than our drinking culture that's fucking up Britain at the moment, although I suspect our benefits are far more generous than in the US so I may not be comparing like with like.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Originally Posted by Bradylama

Of course! We should just let those parents stay ignorant, low-income earners so their kids can be too when they grow up. Somebody's got to flip my burgers.

I believe that's what's known as The American Way.

How ya doing, buddy?

Originally Posted by Zephyrin

Free education does sound appealing, though.

We used to do that and were world leaders in probably everything. Now we've started adopting US style charges for university and are rapidly turning into a nation of retards. Some bright spark in governement will probably decide charging for healthcare is a good idea next.

I was speaking idiomatically.

If I'd have had to pay what kids do these days to go to Uni I certainly would have tried to actually learn something while I was there, rather than just getting hammered for three years.

How ya doing, buddy?

Originally Posted by Denicalis

Okay, so now education is free. Anyone can go to post-secondary institutions. Now where does the money come from to accomplish this? Health care? Public works? University isn't high school. A proper university is expensive as fuck to run if you want a decent quality of education. You need to pay a fair amount to attract bright minds to teaching, you need money for the very expensive science equipment, you need money for grad students and research grants. You can't just magic that into existence. Some places can pull this off when they have a lower population and a high income, but big countries it just isn't feasible.

Don't get me wrong, what Americans charge for education is fucking ludicrous, especially when you set that side by side with the quality of education you actually receive. But to expect the government to pay for all of it is bloody asinine as well. I'm all for subsidizing education and making sure the best and brightest get the best education, but not everyone needs or belongs in a university. If they really want an education, I hear community college is cheap and accessible.

The system isn't perfect, but if you think education can be free and held to high standards, you're living in a dream world.

And this is coming from a man with four degrees.

FELIPE NO