One reason I'm glad The Nation told this story is that it brings to mind a tale Elmore Leonard told on a Detroit radio station several years ago. It was almost word for word the same story Ronald Reagan tells in the piece above.
Elmore Leonard was a semi-regular guest with Warren Pearce of WJR and one time out of nowhere he rants about some lady using food stamps at a Detroit area Kroger. He went on about her having a fur coat and then saw her getting into a Cadillac in the parking lot.
So right at the time I heard this a couple things came to mind. One it sounded suspiciously like the myth that Reagan and others on the right had perpetuated. Secondly, and more importantly, why the fuck do you care? I'm pretty sure Elmore Leonard, between his books, movies and Justified tv show, was doing alright.
Going on the assumption he actually saw this and hadn't just internalized some right wing fever dream. Maybe that lady had bought those things before she had a bad run of luck. Especially considering this was around the time of the 2008 housing bubble.
No matter how someone ends up like that I'm happy there are safety nets to help people get through. Not to mention I doubt most people want to go on food stamps. Glad I finally got that off my chest.
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