The Scientific and Ethical Arguments for Ending Food Stamps

For most of human history, the rich were well-fed and rarely worked whereas the poor were often overworked and underfed. Yet in 21st century America, many of our poorest citizens resemble the rich of the past because they rarely work and suffer from the ‘Diseases of Affluence’ — obesity and diabetes (Fig. 1). This unprecedented reversal in the relation between labor, diet, and disease is an unintended consequence of America’s ‘War on Poverty’.When our nation’s poor were overworked and underfed, it was sound public health policy — morally, physiologically, and economically — to provide food and material support. However, as...