Senate Set to Extend Jobless Benefits
Hat tip Calculated Risk: The WSJ reports Senate Set to Extend Jobless Benefits. This is an extension of the qualification dates for existing tiers of extended unemployment benefits, not additional weeks of benefits.
How many folks on food stamps?
The number of Americans receiving food stamps reached 39.68 million in February 2010, the highest number since the program began in 1962. As of June 2009, the average monthly benefit was $133.12 per person. As of late November 2009, one in eight Americans and one in four children are using food stamps and the program rate is growing at 20,000 people a day. Recipients must have at least near-poverty incomes to qualify for benefits.
This NYT story includes some interesting graphics. The percentage of Americans receiving food stamps starts ramping up sharply at around the year 2000. In fact it maps pretty closely with the 2 term presidency of George W. Bush. And yes, correlation does not prove causation.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/11/us/11foodstamps.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all