Democratic and Liberal political analysis and commentary

The economy is undoubtedly puttin' the hurt on people. New numbers are showing that food stamp use is at an all-time high, reaching deep and wide into new groups of people who never thought they'd use government assistance.

The combination of the housing crisis, credit crunch and record low savings levels for Americans at all income levels has proven dangerous for those living close to the edge. As someone who lived paycheck to paycheck for years, I can relate to those who have to make daily decisions. My mother calls those decisions "robbing Peter to pay Paul." (Was that Peter, Paul and Mary or Peter and Paul the apostles? Hmmm...)

Iowa was one of the last states to switch over to the electronic debit cards from the old packets of "stamps" that were clearly identifiable by the bright yellow envelope they came in. I always used to feel sorry for the women who came through my grocery line with those envelopes. Now I hope the people who are down on their luck can get enough food stamps to carry them through the looming recession.