The use of food stamps, the federal program, has increased dramatically during the recession, reports the New York Times. Food stamps pays benefits to individuals and families making around the poverty level — around $22,000 for a family of four. Like the rest of the nation, use of food stamps is up in New Mexico, state officials have said.

The Times story is full of interesting observations, such as this one: “This is the first recession in which a majority of the poor in metropolitan areas live in the suburbs, giving food stamps new prominence there. Use has grown by half or more in dozens of suburban counties from Boston to Seattle, including such bulwarks of modern conservatism as California’s Orange County, where the rolls are up more than 50 percent.”

Among the people the writers quote are individuals recently enrolled in the program who never thought they’d need such help. In most cases, they have lost jobs and consider themselves hard-working. They say they always thought the food stamp recipients were lazy and abusing the system. The help they are receiving has complicated that worldview somewhat.

The program still has its critics, who say it stifles hard work. But the program is feeding one in eight Americans.

Meanwhile, amid talk by economists of a jobless recovery and states struggling historic budgetary shortfalls despite federal help, President Obama plans a “jobs summit” at the White House for Thursday, reports Stateline.org. But talk of a second stimulus package is likely to be muted by the federal budget deficit, as well as next year’s midterm congressional elections.

Internationally President Obama plans to lay out a time frame for winding down the American involvement in the war in Afghanistan when he announces his decision this week to send more forces, but it likely won’t be a firm date, according to the New York Times.

Who had free tickets to last week’s Iron Bowl – the annual gridiron clash between the University of Alabama and Auburn University? Every Alabama state legislator, that’s who, reports the Birmingham News. OK, I couldn’t resist including this item, seeing as how college football is the greatest sport on earth and my dad was an Auburn fan.

Also, for the first time since Gerald Ford was president, Jim Lehrer will not have his name on next week’s PBS newscast, notes Howard Kurtz of the Washington Post. That’s right, Lehrer is making room for a “dual-anchor format with a rotating set of correspondents that will change the look and feel” of the News Hour with Jim Lehrer, one of the capital’s most enduring journalistic institutions.