Luncheon of the Gods

Walking up and down the aisles of Stop & Shop all I can do is wonder how poor people can even afford to eat. Everything just seems so expensive now a days. How can the heads of big families survive? 

I walk past many items I wish were in the budget. A succulent lobster teases me from the salt water tank. The shrimp in their pink shells gloating at the fact that it will not be me the one who is eating them tonight in a shrimp scampi or a delicious “pincho de camarones”.

Alas, I collect a couple more items from my grocery list and proceed to check-out.

As I stand there at register #17 I notice how some of these people have two carts full of snacks and food and all types of great goodies. 

“These people must be lawyers or engineers.” i think to my self as I reluctantly look at my measly rice and some cans of beans plus my avocado.

I watch as they sluggishly throw the items on the conveyer belt and bicker amongst themselves as to what brand of cereal is the best. 

“That’ll be $378.56.” said the voice of the passive-agressive teen behind the register.

Without giving it a second thought the obese lady, owner of the two full carts of food, pulls out her little blue EBT cards and with a diligent swipe the account was paid in full. 

My eyes almost bulged out of my head. 

As a working dad; a tax payor, I am required to forfeit a big chunk of my salary to the government for their various projects and programs. On top of that I have to pay a full rent and all of my bills…in full…every month. 

I know that many people are going to argue that the stereotype is only perpetuated by a few people and that some people really need the service. Other people might argue that corporate welfare takes away from the tax payor significantly more than the EBT (or any other food assistance) program in America. 

The fact is that I don’t see corporate welfare in real life settings on a daily basis. I do, however, see plenty of people in my daily affairs who not only perpetuate the stereotype of “the fat american on food stamps who doesn’t want to work” but rather they work the system in a way to receive without having ever to put into it. Instead, assholes like me go to work 50 weeks a year to keep this system of feeding the lazy alive and kicking. 

In my opinion, the EBT system, as it is administered right now, is a slap in the face to the everyday american who gets up in the morning to get on their hamster wheel 5 or more times a week only to find themselves in line with a half full basket behind a bunch of overweight unhealthy bunch who were able to afford the luncheon of the gods due to the hard work and contribution of others…in fact, it IS a proverbial slap in the face. 

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