A record number of Americans -- 42.2 million (1.37% of the population) will use food stamps this Thanksgiving.

A Sunlight Foundation study found that average participation in the program has increased 70 percent since 2007, with costs reaching $72 billion.

According to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), “almost two-thirds of the growth in spending” on the food stamp program between 2007 and 2011 “stemmed from the increase in the number of participants” as the federal government has actively recruited individuals to put on the program.

The record number of Americans on food stamps is reflective not only of a slumping economy but also of a permanent political class, mostly compose of Democrats, that want to keep lower-income Americans dependent on food stamps to have a constituency dependent on government services. 

In addition, corporations in the financial sector with embedded interests and lobbyists in Washington, D.C. also benefit from increased food stamp usage by raking in fees associated with EBT cards. 

These are reasons why the federal government has aggressively attempted to put more individuals on food stamps and that partly explain why 10 million more Americans have gone on food stamps since 2009 even as the unemployment rate has slightly dropped.