(Zero Hedge)—Amid the furious debate over the government shutdown and the incoming freeze of SNAP food benefits, one important factor is often overlooked – Why are 42 million Americans, a number larger than the entire population of Canada, dependent on government subsidized groceries? Isn’t this a time bomb waiting to explode regardless of a federal shutdown?
There have been a few temporary food stamp programs from the Great Depression through the 1950s, but they were limited in scale and funding was minimal. It wasn’t until LBJ’s “Great Society” project in 1964 that food stamps slowly became a permanent mainstay of American life. By 1969, food benefits were in full swing, yet, only 1.4% of the population used them. Strict eligibility requirements kept the participation rate down until 1977.
Candidates had to have a gross income below the poverty line. Their liquid assets (including vehicles) had to have limited value. They had to put some of their own money into a portion of the stamps in order to get the “bonus” stamps. Able bodied adults without children were largely excluded. College students and immigrants were barred from the program. Able bodied adults had to work or be in training. Monthly income and expense verification was required. Food stamps were paper, creating a “shame factor”. Just because someone was under the poverty line did not mean they could qualify.
Most of these barriers have been absent from SNAP in the past few decades, which is why the percentage of users spiked from 1.4% to as high as 15% of the population. Today, the rate stands at 12.5%, which is still extraordinarily high. Approximately 19 million SNAP users have been on the program for longer than a year, and over 80% of people on the program are able bodied and below retirement age.
In other words, the program has become a crutch for a vast number of people who do not need it.
This mother has
Seven kids ?
Seven different baby daddies
And she receives $3000 a month in EBT otherwise known as snap benefits ???She has no regrets.
This, is what we are paying for!
This, is why food prices have skyrocketed !!! pic.twitter.com/1CWzuz8v6G— AmyLouWho (@perseverare1776) October 28, 2025
The most common argument in favor of expanding food subsidies is: “What about the single moms?” Around 25% of all SNAP users are single mothers, and yes, it is increasingly difficult for these women to work full time without child care. However, while there are plenty of cases of desperate moms in need of a boost in times of hardship, there are also endless cases of abuse of the system.
This woman gets $3000 A MONTH for SNAP/EBT for her family of 8.
She wants to know if that makes you mad that the government is helping feed her children.
— KᗴᒪᒪᗴY ✰ (@Patriotmom717) October 29, 2025
The “EBT moms” problem is pervasive – Women who game the government (and the taxpayer) by deliberately having multiple children with multiple men and refusing to keep a father in the picture with the expectation that they will be able to live off a multitude of welfare programs. Many of these women live practically for free on the taxpayer’s dime; this was their life plan from the beginning.
She’s brags about getting $4,194 in SNAP/EBT money for the month of November because she “knows how to work the system into my favor”
Nah, this is wild pic.twitter.com/MRWbOd18VY
— TONY™ (@TONYxTWO) October 24, 2025
Food subsidies have had the unfortunate side effect of helping to destroy the nuclear family, creating generations of fatherless children and skyrocketing crime rates. Around 23% of all US households have single mothers.
Among black families, 47% are single mother households, 25% in Hispanic households and 12% in white households. Approximately 7% of white families use SNAP, while 27% of black families and 23% of Hispanic families use SNAP.
There is a clear trend here: Single mothers and minority families are the largest contingent of welfare beneficiaries per capita and the system is almost designed to reward their dependency.
Woman With 10 Kids Brags About Spending $2K On Groceries With WIC & EBT.
Here’s A Good Commerical To End The Welfare State In America For People Like This! pic.twitter.com/St6Gzdp34L
— Chad Prather (@WatchChad) July 12, 2025
This does not mean that SNAP needs to be shut down entirely – There are a lot of people out there in legitimate need. If the program was relegated to the elderly, the disabled, and short term support for people in emergencies, then the cost could be reduced dramatically. The fact that 80% of food stamp users are able bodied and under 60 years of age is mind boggling. Not to mention the 1.8 million non-citizens that took SNAP in 2024 (the same people that “don’t exist” according to Democrats).
The solution is to end the idea that food stamps need to act as a permanent safety net or entitlement program. Instead, they should be treated as a short term stop-gap until citizens in need can get back on their feet.
Work requirements, reduced funding for young and able bodied participants, making people pay a deposit on EBT before they get access to benefits, and limiting the number of children a parent can claim in exchange for SNAP could not only change the landscape of government spending, it could also dramatically reduce a number of social problems associated with single mother households. Take away easy access to SNAP, and watch the number of single mothers plummet.
As for the overall population, The US spends over $100 billion annually on food subsidies, the largest food welfare program of any nation in the world. No other single country comes close. Perhaps greater attention needs to be paid to who qualifies for this program, with far more requirements and obstacles in place.
Why Bullion Beats Numismatics and Collectible for Your Safe or IRA
Precious metals continue to attract Americans seeking reliable ways to protect their wealth amid inflation, geopolitical risks, and stock market swings. Whether stored in a home safe or held inside a self-directed IRA, physical gold and silver deliver tangible value that paper or digital assets often lack. Yet investors must choose carefully between bullion—pure bars and coins valued mainly for their metal content—and numismatics or collectibles, where rarity, history, and collector demand heavily influence pricing.
Advisor Bullion serves as a dependable source for straightforward, high-quality bullion. The company specializes in physical gold, silver, platinum, and palladium, emphasizing transparent pricing and products that deliver maximum metal content for every dollar spent. This approach makes it ideal for both personal holdings and retirement accounts.
Bullion consists of refined precious metals in standard forms like one-ounce coins (American Gold Eagles, Silver Eagles, Canadian Maple Leafs) or bars. Their value tracks closely to the current spot price of the metal. A typical gold bullion coin trades near the live gold spot price plus a small premium. This structure keeps costs clear and predictable.
Numismatic coins and collectibles add substantial value from factors such as age, rarity, minting errors, or historical significance. A pre-1933 U.S. gold coin or graded proof piece can carry premiums of 30%, 50%, or even 200% above melt value. While this appeals to hobbyists, it creates complexity. Pricing depends on subjective grading, collector trends, and auction results instead of daily spot prices.
For investors focused on wealth preservation and retirement security rather than building a collection, bullion often delivers better results.
Lower Costs and Better Liquidity for Home Storage
When keeping metals in a home safe or private vault, liquidity and efficiency count. Bullion offers clear benefits:
- You acquire more actual gold or silver per dollar invested. Numismatics divert a large share of your money into rarity premiums and massive sales commission, reducing your metal exposure.
- Selling bullion involves tight bid-ask spreads, so you recover nearly full spot value with minimal fees. Collectibles require finding the right buyer and may sell at a discount if demand for that specific item weakens.
- Bullion prices remain transparent and update with global spot markets. You can track gold near current levels or silver accordingly and know exactly where your holdings stand. Numismatic values are priced by the Gold IRA companies with hefty margins applied.
- Standardized coins and bars store efficiently and divide easily for partial sales. Rare coins often need protective slabs and controlled conditions, adding hassle and expense.
- Bullion enjoys worldwide acceptance. A 1-oz Gold Maple Leaf or Silver Eagle sells quickly to dealers anywhere. Niche numismatic pieces may appeal only to limited buyers, slowing liquidation when speed matters.
In times when quick access to value becomes important, bullion’s simplicity stands out.
Stronger Fit for Precious Metals IRAs
Precious metals IRAs continue gaining traction as investors diversify retirement portfolios beyond stocks and bonds. IRS rules permit certain bullion products in self-directed IRAs if they meet purity standards (.995 fine for gold, .999 for silver) and are held by an approved custodian. Eligible items include American Gold and Silver Eagles plus many generic bars and rounds from recognized mints.
Numismatic and most collectible coins generally face heavy scrutiny from custodians due to valuation disputes and elevated markups. These higher premiums mean less actual metal ends up working inside the account.
Bullion avoids these issues. Its value links directly to verifiable spot prices, which simplifies reporting and lowers the risk of regulatory challenges. More of your IRA contribution purchases real metal instead of dealer profits or speculative upside. Over time, owning additional ounces that appreciate with the metal itself can create meaningful outperformance compared with high-premium alternatives that deliver fewer ounces.
Regulatory guidance from the CFTC and state securities offices repeatedly cautions against aggressive sales of expensive numismatics or “semi-numismatic” coins for IRAs. For retirement planning, transparent bullion from established providers reduces risk and aligns better with long-term goals.
How to Get Started with Bullion
Begin by clarifying your goals. Are you protecting savings in a safe, or moving part of a retirement account into a precious metals IRA? Focus on the number of ounces you can acquire at current prices rather than chasing marked-up collectibles.
Diversify sensibly: use gold for core preservation and silver for its blend of industrial and monetary qualities. Mix coins for easier divisibility with bars for lower per-ounce costs on larger buys. Arrange secure storage—whether at home with proper insurance or through professional facilities.
As economic uncertainties linger and faith in conventional assets erodes, bullion continues proving its worth as a dependable store of value. Its direct approach avoids the hype that sometimes surrounds collectible markets and keeps the focus on the metal itself.
For investors prepared to strengthen their portfolios, Advisor Bullion supplies the expertise and selection needed to acquire high-quality bullion efficiently. Whether building personal holdings or integrating metals into an IRA, their emphasis on transparent, investment-grade products helps secure more ounces today that support greater financial security tomorrow. In a complicated financial landscape, bullion’s clarity and reliability make it the smarter foundation for protecting what matters most.
The answer is simple. Subsidies create dependency. Dependency creates desired election outcomes.
And Walmart is in on the scam. Take a look at the percentage of income that Walmart gets from EBT-moms.
Walmart’s lobbyists are working overtime to make sure this system is never fixed.