From a report Tuesday by Fox 2 reporter Paul Schankman:
From 2001 to 2006, the average number of households on food stamps in the city of St. Louis went up 35%. In St. Louis County, the number went up by 70%. In St. Charles County, it was an 82%. And in Jefferson County, the average went up 88%.“People at even higher income levels these days it seems like are finding that they need help to get by,” says Janel Luck, from the Missouri Department of Social Services.
Financial analyst Juli Neimann says the rich are getting richer, but middle class wages are dropping. Combine that with Missouri’s rising unemployment rate and steep increases in the price of gas and basics like eggs and milk and a lot of new faces start showing up at the food pantries.
Still, the Missouri Department of Social Services claims the increase in food stamp usage is largely the result of a statewide initiative to make sure everyone who is eligible is enrolled.
A key part of this problem is that Missouri does not invest in human capital, thus our state is not attractive for high tech companies. The Quality Jobs Act will do nothing when only 22 percent of our citizens 25 and older have a bachelors degree. The solution isn’t to lower taxes but raise them and invest in quality education for our children and young adults!
Posted by Doug Duckworth | 05. Dec, 2007, 8:26 PMMaybe those at ‘even higher income levels’ need to decide what priorities are: cable or food, computer internet or heat.
Posted by Morris | 05. Dec, 2007, 10:39 PMOr maybe they’re dealing with $400/month gas bills in the winter because they live in old homes, and spending $100 at the pump every week going back and forth to work and hauling their kids around to private schools.
Posted by Antonio D. French | 06. Dec, 2007, 1:23 AMDon’t you mean poorly constructed new homes and commuting to and from work? The counties sited have been growing at a fast pace.
Posted by Morris | 06. Dec, 2007, 9:58 PMSince when did the state of Mizzery not invest in human capital? It always have been a slave state. Human capital is incarcerated and working full time just as they did prior to 1865!
Posted by Po Righteous Teacher | 10. Dec, 2007, 4:45 PM