What are food stamps?

Historic timeline and explanation of food stamps.

http://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/rules/Legislation/tim...

41% of food stamp households have ZERO net income, gross minus allowable deductions is negative.

Within that group, 20% of all food stamps household have ZERO gross income.

http://www.fns.usda.gov/ORA/menu/Published/SNAP/FI...

No work requirements for food stamps in 46 states, mostly done under Bush.

ABAWD regulations suspended for 12 month periods, year after year.

http://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/rules/memo/PRWORA/aba...

http://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/rules/memo/PRWORA/aba...

food stamps in the USA is a carry over from the Great Depression. When Wall street crashed, people had no jobs and could not afford to buy food. Meanwhile food production was not affected, so there was massive over production compared to people's ability to buy. That caused food prices to plummet. Then farmers had no income either, and Banks started to foreclose on farms. Had that continued it would have been catastrophic, because among other things, Bankers don't know squat about how to farm and raise the nations food crop. we all would have perished, much like the Ukraine food crises causing the collapse of the former Soviet Union.

The Department of Agriculture had the foresight to take action. They passed out food stamps, denominated as money but could only be spent on food products. This restored the normal supply and demand prices for food without the need to force price controls and farmers became solvent. The program does not need a crisis to be popular with both people and farmers, but it is more essential to the security of the country in the face of economic woes, like the 2008 collapse of Wall street. In the recent Great Bush Recession, the American farm belt hardly suffered at all, mostly because of food stamps.

We do have charity and free food banks for the poor in America too, but the recent recession was overwhelming private resources. Whether it would be effective in Australia would really depend on how much of your food supply is grown in-country. European countries prefer to subsidize farming and control prices by direct intervention, most likely that is how you do it there too.

the Department of Agriculture has another program call commodities. Certain food products occasionally get over-produced. in order to stabilize the market price, the government buys out the over production. Currently that food goes to schools so they can provide students with lunches. again it is a subsidy to farming, but fills an essential need to insure a future generation does not suffer while learning.

Australia gives out food vouchers to people in need. This is just like food stamps. It's a card, called SNAP, and so much money is placed on the card so that people can use it to purchase goods.

http://www.sa.gov.au/subject/emergency,+safety+and...

It is basically the same thing. It is given to families who are low income who cannot afford to buy food.

its now ebt electronic transfer you can buy foodat the market and restraunts.