The Preamble of the US Constitution is 52 words in length, but its general theme is very much like the four-word line from the Hippocratic Oath for doctors: “First, do no harm.”
It makes clear that the federal government established through the Constitution provides many things to ensure domestic tranquility, including taking up the responsibility to “promote the general welfare.” In today’s America, that includes ensuring the American people can afford to eat.
Approximately 1.8 million New York City residents — nearly a quarter of the entire population — benefit from the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The recipients are among the most vulnerable people in the city, living on low incomes and struggling daily to make ends meet in a city that constantly grows ever more expensive in which to dwell…