With unemployment in the double digits, one in eight Americans are now supplementing their budget with food stamps. With the widening use of the program—every day, there are 20,000 new enrollees—and a prior push by the Bush administration to change the name from "food stamps" to "nutritional aid," the stigma long associated with the program seems to be fading. But is that a positive development? (Watch a report that says half of U.S. children use food stamps during their lifetime)
The stigma is useful: "Seems like there ought to be a stigma attached to" any kind of welfare, says John J. Miller in National Review. Providing those in need with “access to food” may seem like the federal government is "doing people a favor," but it's actually a "disservice," robbing them "of the motivation necessary to break free from dependency." To that end, "a little bit of shame can go a long way."
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