Read it all here.
The Agriculture Department announced Wednesday it will encourage grocery stores and other retail outlets that accept food stamps to post signs reading “We Welcome SNAP Benefits.” The move is part of an effort to decrease the stigma of using government food assistance in a tough economy.
Attempts to reduce such stigmas have been ongoing for years. SNAP is an acronym for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, a recent name change designed to get away from the loaded phrase “food stamps.” Electronic Benefits Transfer, or EBT, is an electronic way of paying for items so it just appears that a customer is using a credit card.
“Underscoring that SNAP benefits are welcome, rather than merely accepted, signals an important change in the way both retailers and program participants view these benefits,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.
Really? And what is that important change? That this is not a lifeline, but rather, a new way to live?
If you remove the stigma of accepting handouts, might some people decide that is just an okay way to live?
Ya think?
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