THE US PUNISHES THE POOR AND PROTECTS CORPORATE INTERESTS

Los Angeles, 23 Rabiul Akhir 1435/23 February 2014 (MINA) – Press TV has conducted an interview with Rodney Martin, former US congressional staffer, Los Angeles about welfare cuts for 50 million Americans who now depend on food stamps.

The following is an approximate transcript of the interview, Press TV reported as quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA):

Press TV: It is quite clear that more and more US are dependent upon the SNAP program and food stamps so to speak. Why then scale it back?

Martin: There is actually no reason to scale it back. It’s interesting that the Republican Party has accused President Obama as being this food stamp president demanding cuts in welfare; however, there has been no discussion – no serious discussion of cutting corporate welfare.

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The Republicans are quite willing to subsidize and provide welfare for their corporate benefactors, which are paid for by the taxpayers, which is far more costly to the taxpayers than food stamps.

Let’s understand that the primary recipients of food stamps as your report indicated – members of the military, you have soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq who have been sent to fight special interest warfare while the families are at home on food stamps needing that to eat.

People on food stamps are marginalized. They don’t have lobbyists and they don’t have big corporate interests to lobby on their behalf.

Press TV: For an economy that is so dependent on consumer spending, is it even a smart move to remove these safety nets?

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Martin: It’s not a smart move politically when you have a hungry populace – it tends to destabilize the populace… it’s not a smart move to have a destabilized populace who’s hungry.

When people are hungry they tend to take desperate measures. And again as indicated there is no serious discussion. The food stamp budget is miniscule compared to the corporate welfare budget.

The problem with food stamps is that it is an indicator of a much more systemic problem with the American economy. The American economy is a special interest economy, it is a corporatist economy.

Until the American population makes some serious changes in their voting patterns we’re going to continue to have more and more people dependent on food stamps and we’re going to have a ruling class, ruling elite, punishing people who are hungry so they can continue to provide their benefactors i.e. corporate interests with benefits.

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Press TV: So you would say there is no chance as far as reinstating this program?

Martin: Well, I think under the current political dynamics, it’s not going to happen. You have the 2014 congressional elections and quite honestly people are really looking ahead to the presidential elections in 2016 where you have a wide open race.

So I think as usual in the American political scheme, the poor, the marginalized are going to be punished as usual.

And until we solve these systemic problems in the American political system and the American economic system there is not going to be any substantial change. (T/E01/IR)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)