If the Texas House Speaker race was any indicator, the 89th Session is already off to an interesting start. State Senator Mayes Middleton proudly announced SB 379, which, if passed, would ban people from using food stamps on junk food. In an alleged hat tip to RFK, Middleton proclaimed his desire to “make Texas healthy again.”
While a likable idea, it’s not the first time this proposal was filed in the Texas Legislature. In 2021, Rep. Briscoe Cain and then-Rep. Kyle Biedermann wrote HB343, which would’ve also restricted food stamp recipients ability to spend taxpayer money on junk food. Sadly, it died in committee.
Though this bill is likable, and is a good measure for both fiscal and social discipline, SB 379 may have another overall benefit: lowering people’s dependency on entitlements.
Alarmists will go around warning of an EMP or some other attack that’ll fry our electric grid, ending life as we know it. In reality, our society is so decayed that destroying the grid won’t be necessary; just shut off all the EBT cards, bounce all welfare checks, and every Texas city would burn to rubble in riots.
Observe what occurred eleven years ago when Clayton county, Georgia ran out of food stamps, where altercations nearly erupted over something fixed relatively quickly (much faster than the DMV). Now, imagine what would happen today if these entitlements were stopped for 72, if not 48 or 24 hours.
Should Middleton’s bill pass, those on taxpayer food assistance would may start looking for work. Don’t think entitlements can last forever. Whether it’s America officially going bankrupt, or a cyberattack targeting our SNAP/EBT system, state-sponsored freebies will eventually halt.
Another benefit of Middleton’s bill would be that we can rest assured this will never be Texas’s state anthem.
Senator Middleton took the song: "Rich men north of Richmond" song to heart.
For those that don't remember the lyric:
"Lord, we got folks in the street, ain't got nothin' to eat
And the obese milkin' welfare
God, if you're 5 foot 3 and you're 300 pounds
Taxes ought not to pay for your bags of fudge rounds"
I say, a post-apocalyptic film about a welfare collapse would be hilarious (hopefully directed by Sam Hyde.)