Two decades ago, Sara Carlson, then a mother of three, was newly single because of a traumatic event, and the US’s food stamp program, now called the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (Snap), helped her feed her children with free food supplies.

“I wouldn’t have been able to afford to live,” said Carlson, 45, who lives in Rochester, Minnesota, and now works as an operations manager for a wealth-management firm and serves on the board of Channel One Regional Food Bank, which works to increase food access.

While the food stamps helped her, the government cut her off after a couple years because she started making too much money, which meant she again had to worry about having enough food.

Now, nearly 42 million people around the country could face the same fate if the federal government shutdown continues and funding for Snap is cut off on 1 November.

  • unexposedhazard
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    3 days ago

    If almost nobody is following laws, then thats anarchy in my book. Im not saying that its immoral or bad for people to steal under these circumstances but that doesnt change the fact that its anarchy from a societal standpoint. Even if the state and its laws still exist, the outcome is the same as if they didnt.

    • whiwake@sh.itjust.works
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      3 days ago

      They are following the laws. They are just disobeying one, which is going in and stealing food. That is the only law they are breaking. They won’t stop paying taxes, they will relatively drive the speed limit, they won’t kill people (Except maybe their neighbors for food), No one will go around raping or stealing televisions.

      When you say almost nobody, that’s the incorrect part in my opinion. The vast majority of people aren’t going to be doing any of this. The vast majority of people can afford food – even if they cannot afford much else. The people who are actually affected by this are a relatively small amount of people. And the number of people who will actually die of starvation inside the United States because of snap shutting down will be absolutely zero.

      • unexposedhazard
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        3 days ago

        I mostly agree with everything you said, but

        The vast majority of people can afford food

        that might still be true now, but not for long. Unless something drastically changes the US is heading for a complete market crash. Without government intervention in the food industry, people will either starve or steal. If people keep stealing en mass then the store closes and then it gets very serious very quickly.

        • whiwake@sh.itjust.works
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          3 days ago

          It will get serious, but no citizen GROUPS will attack the government. At best, it’s a few angry people sprinkled about that will amount. There will be no revolution. There will be no uprising. It will be business as usual for most people.

          Everyone keeps saying it’s about to happen, and then when it doesn’t happen they say the next thing it’s gonna do it, and then the next thing, and then the next thing. It is never ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever going to happen.