More snark on SNAP

Thanks to a good friend and reader of this blog, it has come to my attention that I left out something important in yesterday's post, which is copied below in italics.

In it, I contrasted the cost of a good meal for one at the Greenbrier resort, owned by WV's governor and wealthiest person, with the average amount daily SNAP benefits.

The occasion for the post came after the governor failed to veto a mean-spirited SNAP bill that will result in thousands of low income West Virginians losing food assistance, take millions of dollars out of the state's economy and stress already stretched charities. During Holy Week, which is kind of tacky.

Anyhow, in the post I did the math--always a dangerous thing--and found out that the cost of a big meal for one person would cover SNAP benefits for an adult for 39 days.

My friend pointed out that I neglected the tip, a major faux pas on my part since I'm all about not stiffing working people. At 20 percent, that would come to $31.40. When you add that to the total, it comes to $188.40, which adds another eight days to the total.

It may or may not be a coincidence that the number of 47 days is exactly one day longer than the penitential season of Lent (if you count the Sundays), which ends on Easter Sunday. Traditionally, Lent was observed with fasting.

Living on $4 in food assistance a day, those lucky ducks on SNAP get to observe Lent every day.

No, I'm not over it.

Here's yesterday's post minus the links:

Contrasting SNAP benefits with a meal at the Greenbrier

I'm wondering whether anyone else sees the irony or something when the richest person in the state, who also happens to be governor, refuses to veto a bill that will take away food assistance from thousands of West Virginians with very low incomes during Holy Week?

The governor, by the way, owns the Greenbrier resort, at which many of you may not have stayed or eaten (I know I haven't). I poked around the interwebs and found the following menu options for dinner for one there:

Red wine, mid-range,           $48
First Course bisque                 $9
Second course risotto             $15
Entree lamb shank                 $49
Chocolate souffle dessert       $14
Dessert wine                           $17
Cappuchino                              $5


That comes to $157.

 Hmmm....SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits for low income people amount to around $4 per day.

That means that for the cost of one big feed for one person at the Greenbrier is equivalent to what someone on SNAP gets to live on for slightly over 39 days. 

I don't want to sound like a hatchet man, but put that in your tackle box and smoke it.