Free Food for Millionaires

A book club I was a part of a number of years back read a book by the title, Free Food for Millionaires. If memory serves, the title came from a conversation at an office on Wall Street. A catered lunch was  delivered for all of the wealthy Wall Street types and in a discussion with the protagonist of the story, a young second generation Korean immigrant, he coined the phrase "free food for millionaires."

I have been thinking a lot about this lately. The thoughts were sparked by the comments of a colleague who participated in a SNAP awareness program. For those who are unaware of what SNAP is, this is the food subsidy the government offers to those who are poor in America. It is designed to run out before the end of the month...and true to design, that is exactly what happens. My colleague lived on $5 a day, the allotted SNAP subsidy, for a week. One of her reflections were that she didn't realize how often in her own life food is readily available for free - at catered work meetings, or reimbursement for work lunches, etc. This is what sparked my reflection. It led me to the conclusion that I live a subsidized life.

While many criticize those who rely on such safety-net programs as SNAP, the majority do so without appreciating the abundance of their own privilege or acknowledgement of the subsidies they enjoy. I took stock of my current subsidies and here is a short list that I came up with:

• Like those in the story - I am the lucky recipient of many lunches or dinners paid for by my employer or partnering institutions in the course of my work. While it doesn't happen every day, it does happen at least once per month and usually more frequently than that.
• My employer offers mileage reimbursement, which subsidizes the expense of auto fuel for my vehicle. I have a fuel efficient vehicle so the reimbursement rate is generous.
• My employer picks up a portion of my cell phone bill. While there is also an expectation that I use this for work purposes, and I do, that reimbursement amount is a subsidy that I receive, because I would have a cell phone bill with or without the job.
• While there are IRS rules that restrict this and I am always VERY conscious of not appearing to receive favored treatment or to compromise  integrity - I do receive invites to events and meetings that may have an entrance fee for others. That is a subsidy.

These were just the subsidies I encountered in the course of a week, while it was on the forefront of my mind. While I am far from being a millionaire, and do not aspire to such, I do receive generous subsidies that allow me to do other things with my money.

In the past I received even more benefits: a corporate car where I had zero financial obligation and a housing allowance that covered living expenses.

I post this, because I want to maintain a position of gratitude for my good fortune. I do not want to take my blessings for granted. And, I have no place to judge those who rely on assistance for survival when I am benefiting from assistance myself. The source of my aid may not be from the government, but it is a subsidy just the same.

just Sheri, a subsidy recipient