Food stamps

I remember someone saying once that liberals define success as the number of people which use government programs, while conservatives view success as the number of people which don't have to use such programs. I thought about that when I saw this in today's New York Times:

Although the [food stamps] program is growing at a record rate, the federal official who oversees it would like it to grow even faster.

“I think the response of the program has been tremendous,” said Kevin Concannon, an under secretary of agriculture, “but we’re mindful that there are another 15, 16 million who could benefit.”

Nationwide, food stamps reach about two-thirds of those eligible, with rates ranging from an estimated 50 percent in California to 98 percent in Missouri. Mr. Concannon urged lagging states to do more to enroll the needy, citing a recent government report that found a sharp rise in Americans with inconsistent access to adequate food.

The country will no doubt be even more successful when 100 percent of us are enrolled in a government-run health insurance program.