The trouble isn’t that too many people receive food stamps, it’s that they don’t buy healthy food with them – at least that’s what the USDA says. The agency, which runs the nation’s disastrously large food stamp program, convened an “expert panel” to come up with ideas to promote healthy choices among shoppers. These include talking shopping carts to advise on purchases, better store lighting for health foods and a points system that would reward shoppers for good choices with things like free movie tickets. (Rewarding free food with free movie tickets – really?) Such nannyism is almost inevitable, and in a sense justified. If taxpayers are forced to buy food for other people, why shouldn’t the USDA enforce some standards? On the other hand, it reveals the dark side of government charity – control. More…