Should there be tighter restrictions on what can be purchased using food stamps?

[Tobra]

I heard a story on the radio today that was talking about what people can buy with food stamps, and a proposal to restrict what can be bought. The idea is that people should not be buying soda pop, cookies and twinkies, but you can buy the ingredients to make cookies. Steak and lobster would be off the list too. I guess you buy the pizza you buy that is made, but not cooked, raw dough, with food stamps, which I did not know.

So should food stamp purchases be limited to staples, what do y'all think?


I have an idea where this might end up, but I don't think it is a political subject per se.

[Gogar]

The way the US food supply is structured, the crap is a lot cheaper than fresh vegetables, and that's one of the reasons they say the people on SNAP are gobbling up the crap.

Plus, it's hard to figure out what to do with fresh vegetables if you're lazy. ($.02)


Like . . . at my Kroger, you can buy a Red bell pepper, or 2 Totinos pizzas. That's a lotta bang for someone else's buck.

[stomachmonkey]

Yes, there should be restrictions and I would restrict what most of us would agree is "junk food".

Steak and lobster I would allow.

Steak is not that much more per pound as ground beef or pork and if you shop smart and buy meat that is close to the sell by date is on par if not cheaper.

Lobster is demand priced. A few years back it was as cheap per pound as bologna.

I think one way to do it is a threshold based on nutritional value per dollar.

Who would we expect to enforce it?

The retailer? That can get messy as they won't know it's a food stamp purchase until everything is rung up.

What then? Will they have to go back and review the purchases and void certain items?

Messy.

While I agree in principal the logistics smacks of more government infrastructure to deal with it which likely costs more than allowing Twinkie purchases.

[campbellcj]

It's a slippery slope but I agree certain seemingly 'luxury' items like steak should be allowed - it can be a reasonably-priced and healthy source of protein - but total crap like twinkies and doritos should not be.

While this is not PARF, I would however prefer to tighten-up who gets aid in the first place, and how much and for how long...

[ckelly78z]

When I was just out of high school, I worked at Krogers bagging groceries and stocking shelves, and occasionally wheeling groceries out to load thier car for them. We always dreaded the first monday of the month, because all the government food program people had thier check in hand and would buy 2 carts worth of food. Not very often was it good wholesome staples that would be healthy for thier family, it was usually frozen meals, chips, cookies, and pop.

The beer and cigarettes were bought with a roll of $20 bills they whipped out, and usually constituted another cart full. Most of these customers smelled so bad, you couldn't be near them for any length of time, but always seemed to have a nice newer vehicle to load it all into.

I have to agree with "campbellcj" that we need to limit who actually gets these benefits to those truly in need.

[Jim Richards]

I agree that food stamps should be only used for food, and also that sodas and snacks should be off the list. It would be helpful to see the food and beverage industry/manufacturers behind this thinking, but I won't hold my breath.

I don't think the exact choices of food should be mandated.

[Shaun @ Tru6]

Restricting a class of foods, processed "junk food" is a good idea. Steak and lobster not so much. I've bought lobster for $3.99/lb, similarly with ribeyes at $5.99/lb that are 1 day past the sale date but are obviously perfectly fine, and super tasty. There is something to be said for now and again aspirational purchases and ones for special occasions. Yes, poor people have special occasions too.

I think a better exercise is to look at why poor people buy junk food especially when fresh food is net cheaper than processed junk. We are talking about cycles here and when doing so, the first thing to remember is that people are in cycles because they don't know how to get out.

Poor people:
1. Are lazy bums
2. Working 2-3 low paying jobs and have little time or energy when they are home
3. Don't have pots, pans, utensils, knives for making good/complex meals
4. Don't know how to cook, no one taught them and they either have no desire, too lazy or have no time to learn
5. Generally have low self esteem which decreases creativity, drive, experimentation
6. Are either too lazy or work too much to clean up after a well-prepared meal
7. Don't have easy access to good quality, fresh food. Fact is quality supermarkets don't like to set up shop in poor neighborhoods

I am constantly amazed at how cheap food is. But you have to want to make good food, be able to buy good food, know how to make good food, and have time to make good food.

[motion]

Shaun makes good points. I think that at the end of the day (!), low-income people are working a couple jobs and just don't have the time or energy to make a meal using fresh ingredients. Its very time consuming and makes a huge mess to cleanup. Its much easier to just swing by KFC for a Jumbo Bucket or order Dominos.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Agreed, it should cover bare essentials. When I see a the "WIC Approved" sticker on a $10 platter of seven layer dip, I think we've gotten a bit carried away.

[dennis in se pa]

I know that all you have to do is show up in California and you can get $200 a month in food stamps. Move to Hawaii and it is $300. This is a person who has a PA driver's license. Amazing. Those who need it should get assistance within reason. But it has gotten out of hand.

[berettafan]

Originally Posted by motion

Shaun makes good points. I think that at the end of the day (!), low-income people are working a couple jobs and just don't have the time or energy to make a meal using fresh ingredients. Its very time consuming and makes a huge mess to cleanup. Its much easier to just swing by KFC for a Jumbo Bucket or order Dominos.

See my post on perfect chicken breasts. I make them ahead of time for the week.

I paid $12 for six chicken breasts. Add a can of no salt added veggies and I have a BIG lunch for $2.79 that is loaded with protein and fiber, has virtually no fat and is absolutely delicious.

I'm working 70hr weeks since January and keeping up with 2-3 days/wk baseball practice with my son and STILL find the time to get a meal put together. Literally 60 seconds in the microwave.

[asphaltgambler]

This thread reminds me of what my father had said in the past: 1)"Anything you (the govmnt) subsidize, you will get more of - not solve or get less" 2) "There will always be 'holes' in the subsidy structure. There is no way to manage that completely at the recipient level, therefor there always will be elements that people will exploit."

FWIW: In Va. - roadside seafood sellers are advertising with huge signs that they accept food stamps!!

[Porsche-O-Phile]

The government is as much in the pockets of the agribusiness / processed-crap-masquerading-as-food industry as it is beholden to the ever-growing dependent class it has created so I wouldn't hold my breath for any real positive change.

It's sad that we identify the crap put on store shelves today as "food".

[notfarnow]

people love to worry that poor people might be getting something we don't think they deserve.

We were real poor when I was in elementary school. I remember being with my mom getting groceries, and her cashing her assistance cheque at the checkout. The lady made a snide comment about the cake and chips and pop... "must be nice" or something like that. My mom cried on the way home, then I had my birthday party.

People need to get a life. Way easier to judge and criticize than it is to help or even show empathy.

[stomachmonkey]

Originally Posted by notfarnow

people love to worry that poor people might be getting something we don't think they deserve.

We were real poor when I was in elementary school. I remember being with my mom getting groceries, and her cashing her assistance cheque at the checkout. The lady made a snide comment about the cake and chips and pop... "must be nice" or something like that. My mom cried on the way home, then I had my birthday party.

People need to get a life. Way easier to judge and criticize than it is to help or even show empathy.

Thanks for sharing.

Perspective is important.

[fintstone]

I would cut it out entirely. If that is not politically acceptable, I would limit it to staples...bulk dried beans, bulk rice, flour, shortening, milk, generic block cheese, peanut butter, potatoes and eggs. The same food my family ate when we were poor (we bought them ourselves). Funny how frugal folks are when they had to work hard to earn what they spend. Food stamps or other "assistance" should be temporary aid to keep people from starving, not to feed them for life or supplement their income so they can have a fancy cell phone and gaming system or buy cigarettes, beer and drugs. In this country, we always make our "safety nets" so comfortable that people prefer them to hard work. Getting sick of eating generic, boring food is a good incentive for lazy people to get off their fat posterior and better themselves. Steak and Lobster are too expensive for most folks who have good jobs to feed their family.

[fintstone]

Originally Posted by stomachmonkey

Thanks for sharing.

Perspective is important.

Perspective is important. Perhaps the other lady was my mother who did not get assistance, did not buy chips or pop and did not have a birthday party for her child because she did not earn enough money...and certainly would not have be able to justify using other people's money to have one.

[stomachmonkey]

Meh, I don't begrudge a kid a birthday party.

We were not always comfortable but my parents did what they could to not punish us for it.

Almost feels like you are a bit bitter that maybe your parents didn't work hard enough so you could have had a birthday party.

[rusnak]

I agree 100% with having compassion and that there needs to be assistance programs.

But I also think the government employees who run EBT are pushing too far.

[Tobra]

Really, you are going to insult him and his family like that? Classy, no wonder people think everyone commenting in PARF is an a-hole, thank you for illustrating it so nicely. I guess we put you down for a "no"

You would be able to buy all the ingredients to bake a cake or cookies. Lets see, bake a cake for $3, or buy one for $10. Yeah, I can see how that is a reasonable thing to do when someone else is paying My mother worked 70 hours a week and still managed to make dinner, except maybe once a month she would get KFC or McDonalds because she likes french fries. I have a very nice cast iron skillet that I got at a thrift store for $2.99. I am dubious about buying pots and pans being a roadblock.

This would be very easy to put into effect. Just put chips and junk food in the same category as booze and cigarettes on the SKU list. I wonder what percentage of people getting food stamps are working two jobs.

According to media matters, looks like about 40% of them were working in 2010. Do you suppose that number has gone up or down in the last 5 years, with the massive expansion of these programs? Media matters, is that a right wing website?

Hannity Omits The "Food Stamp" Facts: Most Recipients Have Jobs, Or Are Seniors Or Children | Research | Media Matters for America

Wow, 100% yes. This may be the first time everyone here agreed on something. It must be snowing in Hell right now

Huh, I would have thought it was in Texas, not Michiganhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hell,_Michigan