Click here for a particularly good essay from my favorite columnist, Paul Krugman of The New ork Times, entitled "From the Mouths of Babes." The reference is to stealing food from the mouths of poor children through an attack on SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as food stamps.
And why must food stamps be cut? We can’t afford it, say politicians
like Representative Stephen Fincher, a Republican of Tennessee, who
backed his position with biblical quotations — and who also, it turns out, has personally received millions in farm subsidies over the years.
The link in that quote refers to an NYT article entitled "Farm Subsidy Recipient Backs Food Stamp Cuts" by Ron Nixon, which includes the following passage:
During debate on the farm bill in the House Agriculture Committee last week, Mr. Fincher was one of the biggest proponents of $20 billion in cuts to food stamps in the legislation. At times he quoted passages from the Bible in defending the cuts.
“We have to remember there is not a big printing press in Washington that continually prints money over and over,” Mr. Fincher said during the debate. “This is other people’s money that Washington is appropriating and spending.”
Scott Faber, vice president of government affairs at the Environmental Working Group, said that Mr. Fincher was being hypocritical. “Not only is he advocating deep cuts to other people’s money while he is getting subsidies, he also voted to increase the subsidies that he benefits from,” Mr. Faber said.
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