This is a good example of why I don't support free-reign foodstamps

[X Factor]

I had a fit of stupidity on food stamps. I didn't think to tell them I was working, and the stamps kept coming. When they caught up with me, I had all the stamps in my top dresser drawer, and returned them. They still did mugshots, fingerprints, and hit me with a $600 fine (which I promptly paid). Certainly one of the most humiliating moments of my life.

Where I live, that would be considered welfare fraud and would actually be a felony. Be glad it was only a $600 fine.

 

[Kal'Stang]

I think we've found an issue on which everyone agrees: People should not be allowed to buy junk food and/or luxury items on the taxpayer's dime.

Wow. Can it be? universal agreement on DP?

Perhaps you did not read the sarcasm in my post? Post #23 in case you missed it.

 

[Aunt Spiker]

Perhaps you did not read the sarcasm in my post? Post #23 in case you missed it.

That's ok, apparently a lot of people are for paying on people's nasty bad habits.

 

[shintao]

I swung into the dollar general, today, to buy some ivydry stuff.

The lady in front of me bought various junk food items like 2liter bottles of soda, bulk bags of candy, frozen pizzas, icecream, several funpacks of chips . . . and so on - lots of stuff. She spent over $70.00 on all the stuff she bought - all on EBT (foodstamps)

She was also obese.

My store sells real (healthy) food items such as fruits, veggies, lean cuts of meat becaues it's the only store in town - it's not like it only sells these items.

In my view - all of that crap should NOT be purchaseable with any sort of foodstamp or food voucher program. I favor the wic-setup where only certain pre-approved items are permissable.

Recently they've begun to slowly crack down on things that are not purchasable with EBT. In my store there is a sign stating "you cannot buy Energy Drinks with your EBT card"

So - why are people allowed ot buy candy, soda, chips and icecream? All of these are main elements in an unhealthy diet.

If people are going ot be reliant on my dollar to feed their kids - it better be salads and fruits and other healthy items.

If someone wants crap - they should have to buy the ingredients and make it themselves.

First, the whole idea of allowing receipients to buy foods, is to give stores more business, while reducing government labor. As we can see, allowing the private sector to distribute food is a failure and waste of their profits dealing with it. All the BS about regulating which foods the poor can buy, is nothing more than taxpayers being vindictive to those with less power and who are weak. Kick them while they are down syndrome has no bounds among cons.

Second, if we were really concerned about fat people & weight, the surgeon general would be applying it to everyone in the nation. We would be banning known fat foods and trimming meat, while pushing vegetables.

Third, if anyone is serious, the obvious answer is government food stuffs distributed from government warehouses in proper porportions for the recipient's family needs. Works in Africa!!

 

[shintao]

I had a fit of stupidity on food stamps. I didn't think to tell them I was working, and the stamps kept coming. When they caught up with me, I had all the stamps in my top dresser drawer, and returned them. They still did mugshots, fingerprints, and hit me with a $600 fine (which I promptly paid). Certainly one of the most humiliating moments of my life.

Unbelievable! A person trying to make it and get on their feet, and then they beat you down. It is a good reason to carry AK47's when going to the welfare office.

 

[Dittohead not!]

First, the whole idea of allowing receipients to buy foods, is to give stores more business, while reducing government labor. As we can see, allowing the private sector to distribute food is a failure and waste of their profits dealing with it. All the BS about regulating which foods the poor can buy, is nothing more than taxpayers being vindictive to those with less power and who are weak. Kick them while they are down syndrome has no bounds among cons.

Second, if we were really concerned about fat people & weight, the surgeon general would be applying it to everyone in the nation. We would be banning known fat foods and trimming meat, while pushing vegetables.

Third, if anyone is serious, the obvious answer is government food stuffs distributed from government warehouses in proper porportions for the recipient's family needs. Works in Africa!!

Just what we need. A big daddy government telling us what we may or may not eat. Are they going to tell us where to live, what clothes to wear, and what movies to watch as well?

 

[Kal'Stang]

All the BS about regulating which foods the poor can buy, is nothing more than taxpayers being vindictive to those with less power and who are weak. Kick them while they are down syndrome has no bounds among cons.

:applaud:agree

 

[mxjsims]

Not to offend any one, but just about every one in this post needs to read our constitution, go through some economic, government, and pre law classes. As for my self, I need to take a grammar class!

 

[katiegrrl0]

I do think it should be a pre-approved food list. Why should everyone be paying for junk food. A certain amount or designated value would be okay but not that much.

 

[Harry Guerrilla]

I swung into the dollar general, today, to buy some ivydry stuff.

The lady in front of me bought various junk food items like 2liter bottles of soda, bulk bags of candy, frozen pizzas, icecream, several funpacks of chips . . . and so on - lots of stuff. She spent over $70.00 on all the stuff she bought - all on EBT (foodstamps)

She was also obese.

My store sells real (healthy) food items such as fruits, veggies, lean cuts of meat becaues it's the only store in town - it's not like it only sells these items.

In my view - all of that crap should NOT be purchaseable with any sort of foodstamp or food voucher program. I favor the wic-setup where only certain pre-approved items are permissable.

Recently they've begun to slowly crack down on things that are not purchasable with EBT. In my store there is a sign stating "you cannot buy Energy Drinks with your EBT card"

So - why are people allowed ot buy candy, soda, chips and icecream? All of these are main elements in an unhealthy diet.

If people are going ot be reliant on my dollar to feed their kids - it better be salads and fruits and other healthy items.

If someone wants crap - they should have to buy the ingredients and make it themselves.

It has been my observation, that a great majority of EBT users, abuse the system.
I could be wrong but I see near on daily.

Convenience stores allow people to buy beer and cigs with it, among other none food things.

That doesn't even include the other social costs it has.

 

[mxjsims]

I do think it should be a pre-approved food list. Why should everyone be paying for junk food. A certain amount or designated value would be okay but not that much.

It's up to stores to choose what people can buy with government money, not the government. Everyone is equal to the same quality of life, even if they cannot afford it. Sure buying junk food with EBT is a little on the unethical side of things, but there is good and bad in everything, and nothing is perfect. Most people on food stamps, that are not on there temporarily, usually have psychological issues that bar them from making comprehensive, even ethical decisions. What they do with their life and social benefits is up to them, it is up to us as a community to give everyone mentally capable or not to have the same equality. I hate to say it but there are other things to worry about when it comes to your tax dime than EBT. Like planned parenthood, they get a little over a trillion a year to fund abortions.

 

[tessaesque]

It's up to stores to choose what people can buy with government money, not the government. Everyone is equal to the same quality of life, even if they cannot afford it. Sure buying junk food with EBT is a little on the unethical side of things, but there is good and bad in everything, and nothing is perfect. Most people on food stamps, that are not on there temporarily, usually have psychological issues that bar them from making comprehensive, even ethical decisions. What they do with their life and social benefits is up to them, it is up to us as a community to give everyone mentally capable or not to have the same equality. I hate to say it but there are other things to worry about when it comes to your tax dime than EBT. Like planned parenthood, they get a little over a trillion a year to fund abortions.

You aren't guaranteed a "quality of life", nor should you be. Your quality of life is dependent on your choices and nobody else's.
Secondly, to say "most on food stamps have psychology issues" is (I'm willing to bet) blatantly false. An over-generalization with no basis doesn't help your argument. Additionally, stores don't decide anything. The SKUS are loaded into a database and run against a list of acceptable SKUS as decided by the government. If the SKU doesn't match a SKU in the database then the item doesn't qualift. Also, equality of rights does not equate to equality of living conditions. Living conditions are not rights, no more than food stamps are a right. You don't have a right to take from other people and abuse what you've taken because you have "less" than those you're taking from.

 

[Dittohead not!]

It's up to stores to choose what people can buy with government money, not the government. Everyone is equal to the same quality of life, even if they cannot afford it. Sure buying junk food with EBT is a little on the unethical side of things, but there is good and bad in everything, and nothing is perfect. Most people on food stamps, that are not on there temporarily, usually have psychological issues that bar them from making comprehensive, even ethical decisions. What they do with their life and social benefits is up to them, it is up to us as a community to give everyone mentally capable or not to have the same equality. I hate to say it but there are other things to worry about when it comes to your tax dime than EBT. Like planned parenthood, they get a little over a trillion a year to fund abortions.

I suppose someone who believes that Planned Parenthood gets a trillion dollars a year to fund abortions is entitled to have opinions on other issues as well. The rest of us are entitled to read such opinions and say, "What? Where did they get that idea?"

 

[mxjsims]

You aren't guaranteed a "quality of life", nor should you be. Your quality of life is dependent on your choices and nobody else's.
Secondly, to say "most on food stamps have psychology issues" is (I'm willing to bet) blatantly false. An over-generalization with no basis doesn't help your argument. Additionally, stores don't decide anything. The SKUS are loaded into a database and run against a list of acceptable SKUS as decided by the government. If the SKU doesn't match a SKU in the database then the item doesn't qualift. Also, equality of rights does not equate to equality of living conditions. Living conditions are not rights, no more than food stamps are a right. You don't have a right to take from other people and abuse what you've taken because you have "less" than those you're taking from.

What you are arguing is ethics, it is unethical to spend federal money on junk food in my opinion. There are a lot of statistics that go a long with what I said. Everyone that is a citizen pays taxes, to give to the federal government, and they choose how it is spent. We vote people in office that represent our voice, so that they spend that money on things that we support. So, the EBT system Is taking nothing away from anyone, it is given by the federal government, to people that are considered to have a lesser opportunity to have three meals a day. As far as who says what you can or con not buy on EBT, it is the individual store that decides what food items can and cannot be purchased via EBT. That is why you can buy some items ( energy drinks would be a prime example ) at some locations with EBT, and others you can't. The only thing the government specifically says no to is fast food, resturaunt or fresh cut deli foods. About the planned parenthood, forgive me for my exaggeration, the house of representatives passed a bill that would cut 330 billion of that spending last febuary through September of 2011. Mentally incapeable can be anything from autism, to not have the ability to understand how to make a simple decision. Also, yes, our government was created to give everyone the chance to Life Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. Even those that are unable to do it for themselves. Why do you think we have Braille on drive thru ATM's, because it's easier to just make one type of button? No because it is law of equality. If everyone were born with the exact same chances for success, we wouldn't need EBT, unfortunately not every one has the understanding, education, and lively hood that was given to people like myself that have the ability to make life successful.

 

[tessaesque]

What you are arguing is ethics, it is unethical to spend federal money on junk food in my opinion. There are a lot of statistics that go a long with what I said. Everyone that is a citizen pays taxes, to give to the federal government, and they choose how it is spent. We vote people in office that represent our voice, so that they spend that money on things that we support. So, the EBT system Is taking nothing away from anyone, it is given by the federal government, to people that are considered to have a lesser opportunity to have three meals a day. As far as who says what you can or con not buy on EBT, it is the individual store that decides what food items can and cannot be purchased via EBT. That is why you can buy some items ( energy drinks would be a prime example ) at some locations with EBT, and others you can't. The only thing the government specifically says no to is fast food, resturaunt or fresh cut deli foods. About the planned parenthood, forgive me for my exaggeration, the house of representatives passed a bill that would cut 330 billion of that spending last febuary through September of 2011. Mentally incapeable can be anything from autism, to not have the ability to understand how to make a simple decision. Also, yes, our government was created to give everyone the chance to Life Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. Even those that are unable to do it for themselves. Why do you think we have Braille on drive thru ATM's, because it's easier to just make one type of button? No because it is law of equality. If everyone were born with the exact same chances for success, we wouldn't need EBT, unfortunately not every one has the understanding, education, and lively hood that was given to people like myself that have the ability to make life successful.

Again, the stores do not decide what is covered.

Eligible Food Items

 

[liblady]

I don't mind people taking time and putting in effort to make anything - cake mix, eggs, frozen fruits, butter, flour - all these things are common ingredients in desserts but buying that doesn't bother me at all. It's also a staple of many different dishes.

I'll snide a lot of people I know by saying this but it's truth: often people who rely on foodstamps are too lazy to make their own anything. Which is why ingredients are never considered and quick-fix foods like frozen pizzas, hotdogs and mac and cheese are always in the cart.

It's all about food choices and dedication. People want crap - they buy crap. They don't really care or want to eat healthy or be healthy - that is far from their social norm and realm of comfort. I use to be like that and so was everyone else I knew who was reliant on the government. I didn't learn how to cook with fresh or frozen veggies, etc, until long after our foodstamp dependence ended.

Which is why I favor the wic-approach where all the foods that are *ok* must meet nutritional guidelines before it's covered by the program.

you have no proof of any kind that people who get foodstamps are too lazy to cook. this whole thread is so self righteous it makes me sick.

sorry, but seriously.

 

[ManofthPeephole]

Meh, while we're at it why not just ban the use of anything that isn't a green car on the roads. Afterall, these gas guzzlers are bad for the environment and use up more tax money since they are also normally heavier than say the prius. That's bad on the tax payers roads. Especially those rotten humvee's!

if someone was discussing a plan to hand out government vouchers for free cars you might have a point, and it would be the same principle. But we are not talking about how people can dictate the use of their own funds, but vouchers handed to them by the government

 

[mxjsims]

Again, the stores do not decide what is covered.

Eligible Food Items

Again, stores do not have to meet these requisites, this is just saying what the government will pay for. Private Sector stores have the ability to limit what is eligible, even saying that they would not accept EBT altogether. There are signes on stores that would let you know whether or not they do accept EBT. Stores can keep brand named foods from being EBT eligible. Federal government does not force the private sector to accept EBT, though that can vary on the state level. I'm not questioning anyones intelligence here I can tell you are a intellectual individual, but you need to reaquaint your self with our government, and it's politics. Law classes will definitely help you when understanding the political world. I apologize for the grammatical fallacies here, I am typing on my tablet and it kind of makes it difficult to reference my material, and give accurate punctuation, and spell correct drives me crazy!

 

[mxjsims]

you have no proof of any kind that people who get foodstamps are too lazy to cook. this whole thread is so self righteous it makes me sick.

sorry, but seriously.

Thank you! Let's be serious, there are more important things that we can discuss when it comes to taxes being used inappropriately. caws.org

 

[tessaesque]

This is Interesting...

 

[ricksfolly]

The lady in front of me bought various junk food items like 2liter bottles of soda, bulk bags of candy, frozen pizzas, icecream, several funpacks of chips . . . and so on - lots of stuff. She spent over $70.00 on all the stuff she bought - all on EBT (foodstamps)

Basing your belief on one cherry picked event is non productive, in no way a consensus, and reveals your lack of compassion for those who desperately need help. The only way to atone for your sin is to give the next homeless person five dollars and smile, no lecture, no preconditions.

ricksfolly

 

[Harry Guerrilla]

This is Interesting...

Ha! that's one of the more blatant examples.

How about people who "cohabitate" with kids but game the social services system to get state aid.
It's ridiculous.