59 Percent Increase In Food Stamp Recipients Over Last 3 Years: 1 In 7 Americans Now Qualify Due To Expanded Eligibility

From The Wall Street Journal Opinion, "Food Stamp Fiasco: The Senate refuses to cut $20 billion out of $770 billion:"

But thanks to eligibility changes ... food stamps are becoming the latest middle-class entitlement.

A record 44.7 million people received food stamps in fiscal 2011, up from 28.2 million as recently as 2008. The cost has more than doubled in that same period, to $78 billion, and is on track to account for 78% of farm bill spending over the next decade. One in seven Americans now qualifies.***Some 39 states have no real asset test for food stamps, which means wealthy families without anyone in the job market are eligible