MaggieD
DP Veteran
- Joined
- Jul 9, 2010
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I just don't see us evolving much between say 1775 and today. The only thing that's evolved is our lifestyle. We're basically the same people who were around back then - farming from dusk until dawn. What's changed is our social and moral values (they've evolved), as well as our standard of living. We're much more used to having "too much" whereas back then, there was never enough. Things like sugar, salt, pepper, fruits ... were not easy to come by. Our bodies only have these cravings because such things are provided to us as toddlers and children. If these things were not given to us and we did not grow up on them - there would be less of a chance to want these things.
Maybe I'm misunderstanding you. We're not the same people who were around back then. You said it right: farming dawn 'til dusk. But we don't do that anymore. For most of us, we don't do much, if any, manual labor. We sit at desks all day. We play on our computers. We drive everywhere we go. Modern conveniences have made our lives soooo much easier and less physical. We aren't burning anywhere near the calories that even the last generation did. Heck, many schools have even discontinued physical education. Our bodies have these cravings because prepared/processed foods are little more than chum to whet our appetites and get us craving more. ESPECIALLY junk food. High salt/fat -- High sugar/fat -- designed to sabotage our brain into wanting more.
Probably not a popular opinion, but I think WIC should be expanded so that every working-class family with children under 18 can avail themselves of it if they want to... and that food stamps should be abolished altogether.
With WIC (currently only available to low-income women with children under five), recipients get coupons for a subsistence-level amount of healthy, basic food- cheese, eggs, whole grain cereal, milk, fruit (formerly juice), dried beans- each month.
In exchange for this, they are required to take occasional health, nutrition, and parenting classes.
The foods they are allowed to get must be WIC-approved; in other words, the least expensive generic or store brands.
We could afford to offer this program to a lot more people, and ensure that no kid and teen in America ever goes hungry, if we did away with the food stamp program.
Food stamps are the reason the poor are so disproportionately fat: they get an unlimited lifetime supply of free Twinkies.
They'd be healthier if they were forced to snack on WIC's multi-grain Cheerios instead.
What a great idea! I have a friend who gets wic but didn't know the details of how it worked.
So really the only differece from that and food stamps is on food stamps you don't have to take classes, your kids can be older and you're allowed to buy junk food and pop?
I bet it could save a lot money.
The title of this thread should be Coming Soon to a Neighborhood Near You.... The food police, because you're too damn stupid to make food choices for yourself and your family. Welcome, you are now entering the Nanny State where you'll have your needs met, from cradle to grave.
I would not support mandates on food from private purchases, but when someone is poor enough that they need help, than they should get proper help and not junk food. I think ideally, the best use of welfare is to give people the tools to make a better life for themselves, not give them free stuff. That would include things like career classes, healthy food, help learning how to find a job and interviewing skills, help with hygeine issues, etc.
We should make food stamps as undesirable as possible. You don't get steaks, you get ground beef. You don't get grey poupon, you get mustard. You don't get soda, you get water. You don't get juice, you get V8. Stuff like that. Make the tastier unavailable and force them to get the less desirable things. This is just supposed to be so people can live, not so that they can be comfortable living on handouts.
I disagree that food stamps should be used to purchase water, either.
Tap water is free, and healthier, as it contains minerals and flouride which bottled water doesn't have.
I read that there's recently been an increase in tooth decay among the children of the affluent; upon further investigation, it was found that they were giving their children mostly or only bottled water, and so their children were not getting the protection of the flouride found in tap water.
I also don't think food stamps should be used to buy either juice or V8.
Neither is as beneficial as fresh fruits and vegetables. Although V8 is superior to fruit juice in that it is not packed with concentrated sugar and calories, it's expensive and unnecessary, and it doesn't have any of the fiber found in fresh or frozen veggies. Give them a bag of carrots and some frozen broccoli instead.
I'd love to see vouchers for fresh produce for everyone.
I don't really think food stamps should be used to buy meat at all- WIC doesn't offer any meat vouchers. Their protein voucher will only get you peanut butter or dried beans.
Actually, some areas at least, still give juice on WIC along with fruit/veggie money vouchers. And breast feeding women also get tuna.
I do agree with expanding WIC overall though. It would be a better alternative to food stamps, even if it doesn't fully replace food stamps. It would probably be beneficial to make it mandatory that to receive food stamps, you must be receiving the expanded WIC, which would include the mandatory classes and checkups that come with it or at least going to similar health and nutrition classes. The biggest problem would actually be from the extra state employees that would be needed to cover it (since WIC requires more visits, most of which have to be face to face with someone). In this area, appointments to initially set up WIC can take 2 to 4 months to get. Food stamps just involves filling out paperwork, that a worker verifies as correct and decides if you are within the financial limits to receive them. It might be a benefit to opening up new jobs though.
Good points. And interesting that they're giving out tuna now.
When I was on WIC and breastfeeding, they just gave out extra vouchers for the regular stuff.
In fact, when I was on WIC, they didn't even give peanut butter: it was dried beans, lentils, or peas. The end. :lol:
I had so many bags of that crap in my pantry, it wasn't even funny.
Here, I believe they've entirely replaced the juice with fruit now; juice has too many calories, and causes too many cavities. It's a bad habit to start kids on. People should drink water, and get their calories from food. Drinking calories is unnatural, and not a particularly healthy habit. It's routine for most of us in the US, but it needn't be. We'd be better off if it weren't.
I wish WIC would give yogurt. I don't like it, personally, but a lot of kids do. It would be good for them.
We should make food stamps as undesirable as possible. You don't get steaks, you get ground beef. You don't get grey poupon, you get mustard. You don't get soda, you get water. You don't get juice, you get V8. Stuff like that. Make the tastier unavailable and force them to get the less desirable things. This is just supposed to be so people can live, not so that they can be comfortable living on handouts.
People need to mind their own damn biz and stop worrying about what is in others shopping carts. Gawd for ****ing bid someone on food stamps slurges a little to get some soda and junk food.
Lets force those awful people on Food Stamps to eat and drink right all the while posting when eating Chips and drinking beer. Right.
People need to worry more about themselves and stop trying to get all pissed off over someone with some food stamps who is buying soda.
People need to mind their own damn biz and stop worrying about what is in others shopping carts. Gawd for ****ing bid someone on food stamps slurges a little to get some soda and junk food.
Lets force those awful people on Food Stamps to eat and drink right all the while posting when eating Chips and drinking beer. Right.
People need to worry more about themselves and stop trying to get all pissed off over someone with some food stamps who is buying soda.
People need to mind their own damn biz and stop worrying about what is in others shopping carts. Gawd for ****ing bid someone on food stamps slurges a little to get some soda and junk food.
Lets force those awful people on Food Stamps to eat and drink right all the while posting when eating Chips and drinking beer. Right.
People need to worry more about themselves and stop trying to get all pissed off over someone with some food stamps who is buying soda.
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