Food, Food, Food!!!

There was a map illustrating the increase in Food Stamp usage this year on the front page of the New York Times today. Food Stamp usage in Columbia County, where I’m from, is up 36% since 2007. Across the country the numbers are staggering.

Reading this story brought to mind a road trip I took with my brother two weeks ago. We were listening to the radio for a significant portion of the time in the car (something I haven’t really done since I last had a car in 2003) and I was struck by the contests being advertised on the air. One station was offering the tenth caller a free tank of gas. Another was running a promotion that would dole out free groceries for a year to one lucky listener. The last time I listened to the radio (granted it was a while ago) people were being enticed with offers of concert tickets, cars, and resort vacations. What does it say about our overall standard of living when the driving force behind radio promotions are necessities of daily life?