Re “Federal limits on food aid to begin today” (June 1): Tax cuts for the rich and program cuts for the poor — the implementation of food stamp eligibility restrictions and eligibility re Medicaid-funded health care access — has resulted in a $1.5 billion reduction in funding, about the same amount as the $1.5 billion in tax cuts for those earning over $500,000, according to Food Research and Action Center data. More than 40% of the 5.5 million people on food stamps in California are working families. More than 61% are in families with children; and more than 19% are in families with older adults or disabled individuals. And 59% have incomes below the poverty line.
As John F. Kennedy reminded us in his Jan. 20, 1961, inaugural address, “If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich.” Any country that forces people to work in order to obtain food they cannot afford to buy deserves our condemnation, not commendation.
— Rosemary Johnston, San Diego