There’s no such thing as a ‘free meal.’ If you go into a grocery store with your Food Stamp Card, and the government says, “This is on us, we’ll give you an allowance, and you can buy whatever you want- tax free,” it is important to understand that there is more involved in the process.

First, the grocery store is a business, and like all businesses, there is overhead, or the cost of doing business. These costs can include inventory, labor, electricity, properties purchased or rented, legal fees, government licenses, government inspections, and even advertisements that may have drawn you to the store to begin with.

Each of these things costs the grocery store money, and they try to take in more than their expenses to turn a profit. Since you are using welfare to purchase your groceries, the grocery store will be receiving money for the goods and services provided. They are able to turn a profit, and you can go home with your ribeye steaks and lobster tails. Everybody is happy.

Where did that money come from, though? It certainly wasn’t yours because you didn’t do anything to earn it other than to ask the government for assistance with buying food. Obviously, the government pulled the money out of the financial accounts that they posess, or if you are an Obama supporter, they pulled the money out of “Obama’s Stash.”

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ojd13kZlCA]

The truth is, the Federal Government is not a business. They do not sell a product or service to make money. They do not worry about profit margins, or balancing budgets. If they reach the agreed upon debt ceiling, they will just vote to raise it. Their system would be completely unethical, illegal, and non-functional in the real world, but without any oversight, the government is able to get away with what they are doing.

Now onto ‘your money’ that you used to buy groceries. That money came from a tax-payer’s wallet or purse. Somebody, just like you, but who is legally obligated to pay a portion of their earnings to the government. Failure to pay can result in the imprisonment of the individual or the confiscation of their property.

Millions of Americans are dependent on the welfare system, and there is widespread speculation of fraud and abuse. Others have become addicted to the government assistant programs that, in some cases, allows them to receive just as much in benefits as they would by working a full time job. Some states have even cracked down on the system with welfare reform measures.

The important thing to note is that the money on the Food Stamp Card was not the holder’s to begin with, but was once earned by a member of the American people. That’s why you should not thank the government for your ‘free-meal,’ but the tax-payers who actually provided it.