Paul Krugman Gets Food Stamps Wrong by a Factor of Ten
Dean Baker
reports:
OKay, I am not really writing this to make fun of my firend Paul Krugman for whom I have enormous respect. The point here is that we should be trying to express budget numbers in terms that are understandable to their audience.
Krugman was apparently misled by news accounts (like this one) reporting that the Republicans wanted to cut food stamps by $40 billion which did not point out that this cut was over ten years, not one year.
I'd like to totally eliminate all federal transfer payments, both to individuals and corporations. Involuntary servitude is supposedly not legal in the country.
ReplyDeleteAnyone familiar with the Farm Bill understands the proposed cuts, whether it be $20 billion or $40 billion, are implemented over ten years. Mr. Krugman was not in error, and he also understands that cuts of this proportion equate to loss of nutrition assistance for 2 million people and loss of access to school lunches for 200,000 children, immediately. This is at the cut of $20 billion. Mr. Krugman's intention was to illustrate the draconian level of hardship being dealt by these cuts. You seem to have missed that.
ReplyDeleteHave you ever eaten public school food? THAT is the draconian hardship.
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