Baltimore Sun reader Stas Chrzanowski opines that SNAP is a crutch upon which too many have come to rely in their family budgeting (“How to reform the SNAP program,” Nov. 5). He says the government should slowly wean citizens off SNAP and encourage them to rely upon their own hard work.
Mr. Chrzanowski is woefully unrealistic. My young adult friend is working her tail off and still cannot scrape together enough each month to feed herself and her daughter. She is not alone. In Maryland, nearly 700,000 receive SNAP benefits, and many of them are likely in her very situation.
The Sun’s co-owner Armstrong Williams points out that SNAP has fraud and theft issues (“The uncomfortable truth about SNAP,” Nov. 4). I heartily agree; those issues should be fixed. Indeed, The Sun has covered efforts to reduce theft and fraud. Earlier this year, improvements were introduced to make new EBT cards more secure. These improvements should continue.
Mr. Armstrong states that Democrats “believe people should remain on these programs [meaning SNAP] for as long as they want, not as long as they need.” Does Mr. Armstrong know anyone who receives SNAP? Does he realize what a headache applying for SNAP is? Would anyone undertake the burdensome process unless they truly needed the food?
Before anyone promotes ending SNAP, our society needs to address the underlying problems with common-sense solutions. What about livable minimum wages? Universal financial literacy classes? Enhanced emphasis on and awareness of apprenticeship pathways to careers? Until everyone has alternatives to working for pennies at fast food restaurants, SNAP is a vital safety net.
Sens. Angela Alsobrooks and Chris Van Hollen, and all Maryland members of Congress including my representative Kweisi Mfume, please insist that the administration pay full SNAP benefits now. Go back to D.C. and address the above-mentioned problems (and many more) facing our country.
— Jan Kleinman, Baltimore
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