This is probably a lowball estimate.

I just read that government figures have something like 40.8 million people on food stamps or similar taxpayer funded food benefits.

My guestimate of a dollar amount is based on this: some are granted something like $50/month because of other government benefits that put them just over the threshold, of getting a reasonable, monthly budget of groceries, but still below where they can easily afford to feed them selves; others get $300+ per month per family member. I sort of averaged the likely numbers together to guess that people on food stamps average out to around $200/month.

That's $816 million dollars handed out in entitlements, mostly to those who don't understand the difference between needs and wants (like I mentioned in this blog post). Per month.

Now, multiply that by 12. Comes out to not quite $10 billion per year.

Missouri has laws in place where anyone on the dole is subject to random drug tests, and lose benefits if they test positive. That cut some of the worst offenders off the rolls. I don't know if any other states have anything similar, but it should be mandatory nationwide. I'd also advocate cutting luxury foods off what food stamps will pay for--nothing more than canned food, hamburger meat, beans, and rice. Nothing that's ready made or processed.

I'd also advocate cutting off food stamps to any household not on SSI, disability, and without children.

But then again, I'm a heartless taxpayer that thinks that most adults have the responsibility for their own actions, and need to pay the prices for their own choices. It's only when mental (really low IQ, or other cognitive disability--not "emotional disability") disability, physical disability (other than morbid obesity, which--when not coupled with another illness like MS--is a personal choice in most cases I've ever encountered), or age get in the way of being able to make choices to keep one from starving that I think adults should get "free food" from the taxpayer.