Editing 76-17-A1 (section)

= Food Stamps =

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=== Transcript ===
As the U.S. Congress began watching the clock on the last day before the
Memorial Day recess the people took something of a beating. Rushing to adjourn,
the Senate passed and sent to the House the "Food and Agriculture Act of 1977"
Included in the act was a two-year extension of the Food Stamp program.

Now I, for one, have advocated a thorough overhaul of the food stamp caper
for some time; even had a task force work on a plan for reform my last year
as Governor. But, what I had in mind was somewhat different from the changes
the Senators made.

The Welfare lobby, with the President's blessing, ended the requirement
for purchasing food stamps. The stamps are now free. In the past there was
some effort to recognize the extent of need. Some people received stamps
free, others paid on a sliding scale based on their income and need. But,
even at the top of the scale, the stamps were a bargain. Now they are more
than a bargain. They are free for everyone but the taxpayer.

Senator McGovern has long advocated doing away with the purchase part of
the program as a -- QUOTE -- "First step" UNQUOTE -- toward a guaranteed
annual income.

The Senators didn't change that part of the program that made strikers and
college students eligible for food stamps. I remember a student at one of our
state universities who had quite a deal worked out. He was allowed to buy
$25.00 worth of food stamps for 50¢. Another convenience in the program was
recognition that you couldn't always make your food stamp purchase come out
to an even $25.00 so the stores could give a small amount of cash for the unused
stamps. In his case it amounted to 47 cents. The first week of each month
he'd buy $25.00 worth of stamps -- get $24.53 worth of supplies and 47 cents
change. The second week he'd put 3 cents with the 47 cents and repeat. By the
end of the third week he'd have a total of $73.59 worth of groceries plus
another 47¢. Putting in his 3 cents again, he'd make his fourth week buy of
food stamps which he then sold to friends for $15.00. For a monthly investment of
59 cents, his "take" each month was $15.00 in cash, plus $73.59 worth of food.
When I first learned about him, I didn't know whether to stop what he was doing
or hire him as State Finance Director. Now, of course, he doesn't even need
the 59 cents.

Free food stamps are intended for the poor. But, in establishing whether
a recipient qualifies, they use net, not gross income. Therefore, the real
cut-off point for a family of four is about $10,600 and for larger families it
is much higher.

If you aren't irritated yet -- try this for size. Senator Carl Curtis
proposed an amendment to at least halt or reduce chances for fraud. He wanted
the Department of Agriculture to issue I.D. cards containing the recipient's
photo, set up an earnings clearance system to check reported income with
employers and a cross-check to prevent recipients from picking up more than
one set of food stamps.

On May 24th the Curtis amendment to prevent outright cheating was defeated
in the Senate 57 to 37.

This must go down in the records as a sad day for those who toil and pay
taxes -- indeed for America.

This is Ronald Reagan.

Thanks for listening.
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=== Details ===
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<TR><TD WIDTH="150">Batch Number</TD><TD WIDTH="150">{{PAGENAME}}</TD></TR>
<TD>Production Date</TD><TD>07/??/[[Radio1977|1977]]</TD></TR>
<TD>Book/Page</TD><TD>[https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/public/2024-07/40-656-7386263-014-006-2024.pdf#PAGE=3 Online PDF]</TD></TR>
<TD>Audio</TD><TD></TD></TR>
<TD>Youtube?</TD><TD>No</TD></TR>
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===Added Notes===

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