Perhaps we should also eliminate any soda consumption by congress since we pay their salaries.
As a practical matter, I’m all for putting as few restrictions as possible on how people live their lives and spend their money. As a public health matter, I feel pretty strongly that money appropriated to meet family nutritional needs should meet family nutritional needs. More nutrition, less obesity causing junk. Nothing in any of that demonizes SNAP recipients or perpetuates the Welfare Queen stereotype. Anyone reading that into the posts saying that there is a problem that needs to be fixed is projecting.
If the analysis is correct that 20% of the food budgets of SNAP families goes to soda and junk, that sounds like a problem. If your income is so low you can get through the red tape to qualify for SNAP, you don’t have 20% of your food budget to waste on junk.
The FEDEX truck just pulled up to my neighbors house and delivered a couple of boxes of diapers, probably from Amazon. (And by the way, lack of money to pay for diapers is a major contributor to family stress and child abuse, but that’s another story.) So people in my neighborhood can grab their iPhone and order diapers, which is not an option for most SNAP recipients. But maybe there are other options that would make sense, like bringing food (yes, rice and beans and lentils and kale and pureed peas, for instance) to food deserts in urban areas. Wednesday afternoon at 2, come by and use your SNAP card or debit card in the Square reader to buy food from the mobile food truck that will be at the post office, for instance. Or maybe there are other ways to make it more practical for families to get good nutrition.
People tend to be kind of lazy. Not just poor people, all people. Making it easier to make good choices and harder to make bad choices (whatever you consider good and bad to be) is one way to improve behavior. Any other suggestions? Or shall we just keep saying that anyone who thinks appalling nutritional choices are a problem to be addressed is a big heartless judgemental meanie?
Totally this ^. Well said.
@HRSMom In fact, the federal government is cutting off financial aid to programs which are shown not to provide students with the skills necessary to pay off their student loans. Ninety-eight percent of these on a recent list were for-profit schools, but the other two percent were non-profits, and included a program at Harvard.
http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2017/1/17/art-will-freeze-admissions/
Agreed, and it extends beyond just soda IMO. Some people use programs like SNAP, etc. to essentially subsidize their purchases on luxury items like new smartphones, TV’s, etc.
I am all for programs that help out the poor, but it really pisses me off when I see someone on food stamps going out and spending $1000 on a new tattoo or a new smartphone. Just think how many more people could be helped out by these programs if we could cut down on the waste/fraud/abuse.
this may surprise some, but I’d be in favor of slightly expanding the fed subsidies to the poor to include soap products, such as bar soap, dish soap and clothes detergent.
That is to say, if I felt subsidizing the poor by taking from working taxpayers was legal. I’m not sure its provided for. There prob isn’t anything in the Constitution about the feds collecting taxes to buy detergent for less fortunate people. Personally, I would be much more accepting of such programs if there was a time limit or community service required. I don’t think anyone working wants money taken from the forcibly by taxes to serve as a lifestyle for the recipient. Nevertheless, since this thread really isn’t on the legality but rather on the practicality of the program as it stands now, that’s how I feel.
I oppose the use of SNAP or food stamps for the purchase of sodas for a couple of reasons. First, it’s junk food and certainly the government has a right to dictate whether or not it is included in the program. Second, as practical matter, in many parts of the country SNAP recipients spend a substantial portion of their benefits on cases of soda at the first of the month which they immediately sell for 50 or 60 cents on the dollar to restaurants. This is especially common in eastern Kentucky, where police have been making arrests of SNAP recipients brazen enough to try to sell soft drinks in the grocery store parking lot to customers entering the store.
http://www.wkyt.com/home/headlines/Using-taxpayers-money-for-profit-246412561.html
Changing the subject slightly, but are we teaching our students in school the skills they needs to prepare a cheap and affordable meals? Most schools have gotten rid of home ec, which is a mistake. I just have a strong sense that a very substantial portion of the population has no idea of how to shop for food, plan meals, or prepare them. Historically the Home Extension Service took on this role for farm families, but somehow this agency has fallen into obscurity.
I also agree with the comments expressed by some that there may be an access to food problem. But keeping Cokes in the food stamp program isn’t the solution to that problem.
I do think it’s kind of entertaining that some of the people who post are aghast that the poor have to eat cheap cuts of meat, white bread, and such. I generally eat cheap meat, and always try to visit my local Kroger store at around 5 p.m. on Christmas Eve, because they put every ounce of hamburger on deep discount, since they are going to be closed Christmas Day. I always buy about 30 pounds and freeze it. I would just as soon eat sandpaper as whole wheat bread. I routinely prepare nice meals for a family of four for less than $5. There are plenty of middle class people who don’t feel the need to shop at Whole Foods or eat organic things.
A few years back there was a TV news segment showing that people were using EBT cards in strip clubs and casinos. If that’s how the money for food is being spent well…no words.
That would certainly keep your teeth nice and polished 
I learned a very good lesson about this over ten years ago. I was heavily involved in an EC program at our high school as a volunteer; was up at the school working on the program probably ten hours a week at a minimum so saw lots of stuff going on. This particular program required a yearly fee, unless you qualified for free lunch. There was one family in particular (the mom was also very involved in the program and put in her share of volunteer time, after working a full day at her job) who couldn’t afford the program (were on free lunch). Yet I’d see the student with ‘things’ that made me think they could afford their fees. After a few weeks, I began to overhear conversations between the student and her friends about some relatives she had that were gifting her things so she could have some of the things her peers had (cell phone, tickets to concerts/shows, etc.). And then I remembered, when we were on WIC, there certainly were things my parents and my in-laws gifted us with so we had a few pleasures in life. Now we’re not the tattooing kind, but I certainly could see families who are, who might gift that to someone who might not otherwise be able to afford it. Fast forward many years later and I met an adult woman in a support group who probably had more than a $1000 worth of tattoos (she actually considered going to school to become a tattoo artist because she already is an artist), but she is on state aid due to her disabilities. Ends up her father was paying for her tattoos because he realized she had no discretionary money for pleasures in life.
So with that, I stopped judging people who ‘look’ like they shouldn’t be owning things or doing things that they couldn’t afford because I have no idea where the funds came from. To assume that everyone on aid has a few luxuries in life and paid for them with that aid is seriously misplaced.
And fwiw… one of my kids is on MediCal (CA’s version of Medicaid) because her income is so low. But on birthdays and holidays, we splurge on her with things like a new laptop and iPhone because it’s important that she have adequate access to the internet for her career (and a side job she has). In fact, a couple of days ago she made a birthday request of us (next month) for new glasses - she doesn’t have enough money for new glasses, so we will gift her that, and I will probably send something else along that is not needed, but would be appreciated. I’m guessing some people here on this thread would be angry if they knew she was on an entitlement program, yet has the latest technology. Geesh.
Diapers and menstrual products would also be good additions, in my opinion.
Oh please just STOP.
Good freaking grief. Can we close this thread now that it’s become a “poor people make stupid decisions” even though I probably don’t actually know any poor people thread?
Most people learn this at home, not in school. If you grew up in a family that generally had about 3 meals a day, at predictable times, with menus planned with an assortment of proteins, grains and vegetables included, then you figure out how to recreate that once you have your own place. But if your home life is chaotic, you don’t learn. If you have no experience with sitting down to eat at scheduled times, or planning a menu, then you don’t know that people do that and live that way. At a crisis nursery where I volunteer, the kids don’t all have a concept of meal time and bed time, people eat and sleep whenever and wherever.
Which is not to say that all poor people come from chaotic households.
Yes indeed. Because closing the thread would be so much more helpful than leaving it open so that insightful posts like @terwitt’s could educate someone.
People often make poor decisions at all income levels (and yes I lived it myself–my family was quite poor when I was young). However, iit is one thing to make poor decisions with your own money, and quite another to make poor decisions using other people’s money.
My wife’s sister is poor, with a deadbeat husband. My wife is also super generous with her sister and gives her money (our money) every month despite the fact that her sister CONSTANTLY blows it on unnecessary stuff, including tattoos, new cars, and smartphones. It drives me up a wall.
So yes, I actually do know poor people. I am also aware that not all poor people are as irresponsible as her and her husband.
My dad grew up so poor, in this country, that they had no running water, no electricity and an outhouse. So don’t tell me I don’t know about poor. I hear the lessons of growing up poor everyday from him.
Now this thread has turned into some kind of pissing contest on who grew up the poorest or has the poorest relatives… 8-|
There are abuses in any system. Any. That doesn’t mean the bad examples represent the vast majority of the good that is being done helping those in tough times.
I don’t think there is a single person here who doesn’t believe in programs aimed at helping the truly needy/poor, doschicos. Not really sure why some people are taking some of the comments here so personally.
I think the consensus is that if you are not abusing the system, you have got nothing to worry about. So what’s the issue?