Armed Polite Society
Main Forums => Politics => Topic started by: Ben on May 21, 2015, 07:07:02 PM
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I find this somewhat hilarious. R's are finally pushing to restrict the food types available on SNAP. Dems are crying foul. R's push back that they are simply getting rid of junk food and promoting a healthy lifestyle. You know - kinda like Michelle Obama does. What's good for the goose is good for the gander. :)
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2015/05/21/states-food-stamp-purchases/?intcmp=latestnews
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That's hilarious. The old media won't allow it to be spun that way, but it's still hilarious.
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I think Wisconsin has a great idea in terms of the food categories, and it still allows for choice outside of those categories.
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I think Wisconsin has a great idea in terms of the food categories, and it still allows for choice outside of those categories.
???
???Cheese and non-cheese ???
???
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I thought it was Cheese, Milk and Butter.
=D =D =D
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Sounds good to me. I made a WalMart run today and had the displeasure of watching an "assistance recipient" buy a not one but two cartloads of frozen pizzas, box dinners, cookies, candy, and sodas. Not a single fresh item. No commodites. And no seeming attempt at cost/quantity optimization.
I was already a littly cranky because my meager list of basics was pushing the budget. Watching her blow six months of my food budget on about a month's worth of meals for one (in serving terms) just plain pissed me off.
Brad
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I thought it was Cheese, Milk and Butter.
=D =D =D
Nope, cheese and beer.
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http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/30856-kansas-could-lose-millions-for-limiting-welfare-recipients-to-25-at-atms
Look what Kansas is going to try and do with its welfare recipients.
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Sounds good to me. I made a WalMart run today and had the displeasure of watching an "assistance recipient" buy a not one but two cartloads of frozen pizzas, box dinners, cookies, candy, and sodas. Not a single fresh item. No commodites. And no seeming attempt at cost/quantity optimization.
I was already a littly cranky because my meager list of basics was already pushing the budget. Watching her blow six months of my food budget on about a month's worth of meals for one (in serving terms) just plain pissed me off.
Brad
Of course *expletive deleted*ing not. She ain't got to worry, we are paying her *expletive deleted*ing food bill.
*expletive deleted*ing leaches.
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http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/30856-kansas-could-lose-millions-for-limiting-welfare-recipients-to-25-at-atms
Look what Kansas is going to try and do with its welfare recipients.
I'll sound a bit hypocritical maybe, but despite my rants around here about not wanting to see a cashless society, this is one area that I want to see EVERYTHING done cashless. All purchases should be made on their card, and records kept. Not just of the individual, but in aggregate, so we know where all that money goes. Even $25 in cash is $25 too much.
Sorry, but if I'm involuntarily pulling your cart, I have a right to know where my money is going. If you don't want me to know, then seek out a private charity for help. Once I voluntarily give money to the Salvation Army, I trust them to do what's best with it, and it's none of my business after that. If it's a government program that I'm chipping in for against my will, then I have the right to know where every penny goes, and I also have the right to make you eat chicken and broccoli instead of lobster and Lucky Charms.
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I'll sound a bit hypocritical maybe, but despite my rants around here about not wanting to see a cashless society, this is one area that I want to see EVERYTHING done cashless. All purchases should be made on their card, and records kept. Not just of the individual, but in aggregate, so we know where all that money goes. Even $25 in cash is $25 too much.
Sorry, but if I'm involuntarily pulling your cart, I have a right to know where my money is going. If you don't want me to know, then seek out a private charity for help. Once I voluntarily give money to the Salvation Army, I trust them to do what's best with it, and it's none of my business after that. If it's a government program that I'm chipping in for against my will, then I have the right to know where every penny goes, and I also have the right to make you eat chicken and broccoli instead of lobster and Lucky Charms.
Well, for my part, if they want to blow their SNAP funds on lobster, frozen pizza, and Lucky Charms, let 'em.
But when they've blown through a month's worth of SNAP for a week's worth of food (and smokes, or lottery tickets, or what the **** ever they're pulling cash off the card for), they're still on their own the rest of that month. F*** 'em. Guess they're gonna lose a bunch of weight this month. Maybe they'll learn, and next month pick milk, and eggs, and chicken, and vegetables - and buy and use them INTELLIGENTLY, so they have food for the whole month :O. Radical concept, I know.
Endanger their kids with their idiocy? Reduce SNAP to a single allowance for the adult and let the kids be fostered by people who actually give a damn about them, because baby-momma/daddy obviously can't be trusted with the child's welfare. And that's coming from someone who hates CPS.
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One more reason why the "Mincome" people don't look quite so looney.
IF and ONLY IF (which of course will never happen) if your yearly stipend/income was the ONLY assistance you got. No SNAP, no Section 8 rent assistance, no SSI, no Title XXI/Medicaid etc. etc. etc.
Of course I'd prefer a Willy Wonka "YOU GET NOTHING!" system, where poor brown people and their children died in the street starving, and that I could just shoot any that got upset or froggy over it from my up-armored SUV on my way downtown to my white privilege job, but if it could be done (of course it can't) it would at least eliminate a bunch of .gov functionaries.
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Sounds good to me. I made a WalMart run today and had the displeasure of watching an "assistance recipient" buy a not one but two cartloads of frozen pizzas, box dinners, cookies, candy, and sodas. Not a single fresh item. No commodites. And no seeming attempt at cost/quantity optimization.
When we were on assistance, (and bear in mind that it was reduced a fair bit since I was still working part time) we could stock up 2-3 months worth of food on each month's allowance while still buying name brands on several products. (Though as the Texans here know, HCF is better than some name brands.) My cabinets have never been as well stocked as they were then.
I saw a plan proposed somewhere that would allow for basically three separate accounts; the food one could only be spent on wholesome foods, another necessities allowance covering things like toilet paper and other hygiene items, also limited to those items, and a small ($30-40/adult/month) allowance that could basically be spent on anything but alcohol or tobacco. That would be in addition to having reasonable (i.e. thrift store) work clothes and some form of child care or vouchers for same provided to those who are actually working or honestly seeking work.
I really don't mind that much if someone's getting enough welfare to buy three months worth of beans, rice, flour and cornmeal every month. I don't mind if they want to grab a couple of TV dinners each week or a box of good cereal; they might be taking those for lunch at their part time job or rewarding their kid for good behavior with his favorite food. I could even overlook the occasional entrepreneur overstocking ingredients, cranking up the kitchen, setting up an off-the-books food cart and earning a little income a few days a month. (Frankly, if small business regs weren't such a PITA, most of those folks would go legit after a couple months so they wouldn't be limited by their assistance amounts and the hassle of staying under the radar.) I do mind a lot when it's unrestricted to the point where they're buying a couple months worth of luxury foods every month, and reselling most of that so they can get cash to buy booze, smokes and drugs.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBIHZRkI7T0
When you go to the welfare office they give you 5lb bags of each plus flour and cornmeal also, per person, of the above. (and some cooking oil) Same with unemployment.
Or they can have these:
http://www.fmsc.org/ourfood/mannapackrice *
That's it. Most people wouldn't spend much time on welfare then. If it's good enough for the poor and starving in Africa and other parts of the world, then it's good enough for our own, here.
*- From the webpage:
1. Rice, the most widely accepted grain around the world.
2. Extruded soy nuggets, providing maximum protein at lowest cost.
3. Vitamins, minerals and a vegetarian flavoring to give growing children the critical nutritional elements they need.
4. Dehydrated vegetables for flavor and nutrition.
A single bag of food—which provides highly nutritious meals for six children—costs around $1.32 to produce, and 92 percent of all donations to FMSC goes directly toward the food program.
Bolding mine.
I've had some, it doesn't taste all that great (another incentive to get off welfare), but it will keep you alive and nourished. I wanted to buy some (I was willing to pay $5.00 a bag), just so I could make some when the 14 year old decides to be a butthead.
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Scout's right. Go back to actually giving them food some enterprising souls will still find some way to convert that to cash, I'm sure but the idea (I thought) was temporary assistance to give nourishment, not subsidizing whatever lifestyle they are choosing.
I would bet money that in the cases of children on SNAP, the food Mom and Dad (stop laughing, there might be a Dad) buy isn't actually very nutritious, despite the supplement. See the "obesity epidemic" on the news. I hate to say it, but for the most part, rich kids ain't fat.
If we are going to just hand out cash, however, I honestly don't think we need to get out panties in a bunch on how it's spent. First, .gov poking through grocery receipts is a tent that camel's nose needs to stay out of. Second, It's still a free country. People on assistance haven't actually become second class citizens, despite how infuriating the abusers are.
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That's it. Most people wouldn't spend much time on welfare then. If it's good enough for the poor and starving in Africa and other parts of the world, then it's good enough for our own, here.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humanitarian_daily_ration
1/5th the cost of an MRE. That should put it somewhere around $1.25/person/day. Box them up by month (Hell, be generous and put 35 in the box just so there's no shortage on 31 day months and the recipient can feed a guest from time to time) and hand them out at the welfare office.