One out of nine on food stamps

More Americans are receiving food stamps now than ever before. On Thursday, Reuters reported that June 2009 was the seventh consecutive month in which food stamp rosters set a record:

More than 35 million Americans received food stamps in June, up 22 percent from June 2008 and a new record as the country continued to grapple with the worst recession since the Great Depression of the 1930s.

Considering that the U.S. population is around 307 million, this means that one in nine Americans is unable to provide for themselves without assistance. Yet another symptom of our faltering economy.