Remember back when we didn’t have ugly political arguments in this country over whether or not Americans should have food to eat?
That was when both parties still believed government could improve the lives of all Americans instead of just a privileged few who amassed large enough fortunes to purchase their own politicians.
That’s how the bipartisan federal food stamp program began in the ’60s.
The fight was led by ideological opposites—liberal Democratic South Dakota Sen. George McGovern and conservative Republican Kansas Sen. Bob Dole, both of whom went on to become their parties’ presidential nominees.
It made sense that both were farm state senators. That added strong economic incentives to the compelling moral argument that no child should go to bed hungry in the richest nation on earth.
In the years since, the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), known as FoodShare in Wisconsin, has successfully fed millions who would have gone without and boosted the nation’s economy when it was needed most.
During our worst economic crises, families of those unemployed through no fault of their own continued to eat, farmers continued to sell their products and the nation’s food distribution system continued to function and provide jobs. It was a win-win-win.
That was before Republicans were mean-spirited, anti-government extremists who opposed government spending to help anyone other than themselves.
Few realize what a radical change that really is and the enormous gulf it has opened up between the two major political parties.
Previously, both parties judged the success of major government programs such as Social Security and Medicare the same way—by how many Americans benefitted. The more universal the benefit, the broader the political support.
In the debate over the Affordable Care Act, a drastic transformation became obvious within the Republican Party. Republicans fought furiously to prevent Obamacare from succeeding precisely because it could benefit most Americans by making health care more affordable for everyone.
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Republican leaders warned that as millions began signing up for government benefits, it would become impossible to kill such a successful program. They didn’t explain why anyone would ever want to.
But in the upside-down new Republican Party, the success of a government program is no longer determined by how many Americans it benefits, but by how few. The fewer helped, the better.
That vile philosophy is now literally taking food out of the mouths of hungry people.
Ryan and Walker’s Leaner and Meaner Government
The problem is exacerbated in Wisconsin as two of the nastiest new Republicans—U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan, leading Republican congressional sabotage of President Obama, and Gov. Scott Walker lusting after the presidency himself—try to top each other in showing just how much leaner and meaner they can make government.
It’s our misfortune that Ryan’s savage cuts of billions of dollars from the federal FoodShare program are kicking in just as Walker is eager to demonstrate to the nation’s angriest, hate-filled voters—tea party Republican presidential primary voters—just how heartless he can be toward those in need.
That’s why Beverly Baldwin, a 70-year-old diabetic with high blood pressure, high cholesterol and mounting bills in Milwaukee, is now joining more than 255,000 low-income households in Wisconsin that are losing most of their FoodShare benefits.
The aging, disabled woman was initially shocked when she thought $96 a month in food assistance was being cut to $60. She’d misheard. It’s actually been cut to $16 a month.
Anyone who’s been in a grocery store lately knows how little that buys. She won’t need a shopping cart. Maybe not even one of those little hand baskets. She’s lucky she’s not being drug tested.
Wisconsin used to provide additional utility and food assistance though a federal program for cold-weather states called Heat and Eat. But Walker’s legislative Republicans no longer support frills such as heating and eating for people who need it in Wisconsin.
Meanwhile, Walker is eager to begin on April 1 putting to work “able-bodied” adults receiving food stamps. Well, he won’t exactly provide those people with jobs. He’s terrible at that. Walker’s Wisconsin remains one of the worst states in the nation at creating jobs.
But new Wisconsin FoodShare rules require able-bodied adults to be automatically enrolled in a job search program. But whether they get any work or not, they’re limited to only 90 days of food assistance in any three-year period.
That means in three more months a whole lot more people won’t be getting food to eat. That’s what Republicans call a really successful government program.
It’s sure a lot easier and cheaper to create government programs that don’t help very many people.
It’s much harder to create government programs that successfully deal with America’s real problems, such as reducing our rapidly growing income inequality, expanding equal rights and economic opportunities, and creating high-quality education for every child.
And, yes, definitely making sure all Americans have food to eat.
