Arkansans react to governor’s call to remove junk food from SNAP benefits
Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders says those receiving supplemental food benefits, also known as SNAP benefits, should not be able to use those funds to purchase snacks, candy, and desserts.
In a letter to the U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services and Agriculture, Sanders called for reforms to the SNAP program.
SHit, in some places you can buy fast food with SNAP benefit cards.
It oughta be meat, veggies, cheese, dairy and starches that YOU have to cook... No snacks, no chips, no candy, no ice cream. Just food. Real nutritious food. Nothing pre -prepared, prepackaged.
The idea of having them buy food products that they have to prepare a meal from is great in theory, but doesn't work well in real life. Many of them do not have the pots, pans, utensils, etc. needed to prepare meals, much less the knowledge of how to do so. I do however support returning to the use of actual food stamps instead of an EBT card. The EBT card partially came about as a way to remove the stigma of those having to use food stamps. My thought is that if you have to use food stamps, you either live with the stigma or do something to get off of them.
The stigma wasn't the issue as much as abuse, people would buy a small amount then present a 20 and receive cash change in some stores. That was then spent on cigarettes and booze.
Anonymous 4:03. EBT cards came into being about the time debit cards started showing up at the checkout counter. Previous to that, the cashier had TWO drawers to balance, cash and food stamps. And like today, the drawers seldom balanced and the cashier had to find the error, usually on their own time.
Here in Texas "...most grocery staples are exempt from sales tax... These include essential items like milk, bread, eggs, and canned goods..." "...prepared foods sold for immediate consumption, such as restaurant meals or hot foods, are subject to sales tax. Additionally, certain snack items, like chips or candies, might also be taxable.
So a simple solution, at least in Texas, would be to disallow using an EBT card to purchase any food item that can be taxed. That or go back to the days of government cheese.
Well, we have studies showing that it works better to just give people cash and let them do whatever with it. It's up to them if they want to buy booze or guns or drugs or a bike or a better car or whatever, as they know what they need better than some bureaucrat or goody-two-shoes politician.
Or whether they need to subsist on rice and beans until they can afford to start their business.
It's the free market principles at work. The buyer knows what they buyer wants and needs better than anyone else can. And they're the one that will suffer for making poor decisions too.
But try getting that through any parliament. People will never go for it. Which is yet another reason that private charities are so much more effective than public "charity." (i.e. vote buying)
No, it wouldn't be better to give them cash. Who do you think they're going to rob and steal from when they blow through their taxpayer supplied cash by the 3rd of the month and still don't have any food? Maybe the taxpayers AGAIN?
Additionally food is medicine and junk food is junk, making you sick. So we subsidize these people to eat themselves sick and then we subsidize them at the hospital. Rather we should issue them food or restrict the EBT cards to only pay for certain items. Any vendor that supports and EBT user buying unauthorized foods should be put out of business. No fined, put out of business. The local manager should be jailed as should the CEO.
Seriously, if I have to feed you and pay for your medical care then what you eat is my choice, not yours.
That should be nation wide. I see fat slobs, many in electric carts with the tribe to push the carts. I've seen them with two heaping carts of nothing but junk food. Not one nutritious meal. No exaggeration. It pisses me off to no end. Then of course we get to pay for their medical bills too.
Nothing is more galling than to get in line behind a SNAP consumer and notice the premium meats, brand name soft drinks, and other luxury or pure junk food items that are being paid for out of the tax coffers. Or at seeing the practiced expertise being put into play to game the system to their advantage. SNAP consumers should be relegated to buying generic, nutritious products, but not luxury name brands. There should be a program that teaches kitchen economics and food preparation. They should have to demonstrate understanding with these skills. Saying they 'don't have the cookware or utensils' is nonsense and government's permission to stay in these conditions forever.
Like you say, game the system. Limiting things to healthy food was tried somewhere, and the users would buy veggies, or some such, bicycle them round to the back door and sell them back to the complicit storekeep for 75¢ on the $. Win-win, except for the people paying the freight.
The sugar industry spends millions to make sugar part of the food pyramid. And products that use sugar (cranberries for instance) to taste better are there with them. I am for cutting the fraud. I think everyone with a govt welfare type handout needs to show up in person once a year with ID to claim their payout.
Feet under my table? Then abide by my rules. Nothing wrong about telling people what they can or cannot buy with the money you give them. They can spend their own on the junk if they must. Roger
I have a buddy that gets SNAP because of a disability, he lost his left leg in an employment accident.... He's told me, we go shopping together occasionally, that he can't purchase junk food with it, no cookies, chips, sodas or stuff like that.. Meat, eggs, bread, cereal, fruits and vegetable. . During times like say after a hurricane and such hot meals ready to eat but not usually.. JD
When I was in college I was at the grocery store buying my ramen noodles, mac and cheese and Bar-S hotdogs when a large Cadillac pulled up to the curb, Public Enemy blaring from the speakers. A big woman dressed to the nines, with a sable jacket, lots of jewelry, silk dress, etc, strode to the meat counter, got two porterhouse steaks and two lobsters and then proceeded to whip out a book of food stamps to pay for it.
SHit, in some places you can buy fast food with SNAP benefit cards.
ReplyDeleteIt oughta be meat, veggies, cheese, dairy and starches that YOU have to cook...
No snacks, no chips, no candy, no ice cream. Just food. Real nutritious food. Nothing pre -prepared, prepackaged.
The idea of having them buy food products that they have to prepare a meal from is great in theory, but doesn't work well in real life. Many of them do not have the pots, pans, utensils, etc. needed to prepare meals, much less the knowledge of how to do so.
DeleteI do however support returning to the use of actual food stamps instead of an EBT card. The EBT card partially came about as a way to remove the stigma of those having to use food stamps. My thought is that if you have to use food stamps, you either live with the stigma or do something to get off of them.
The stigma wasn't the issue as much as abuse, people would buy a small amount then present a 20 and receive cash change in some stores. That was then spent on cigarettes and booze.
DeleteIf they get hungry enough, they will learn how to cook it.
DeletePots and pans are cheap at the thrift store.
Your excuse is invalid on it's face.
Anonymous 4:03. EBT cards came into being about the time debit cards started showing up at the checkout counter. Previous to that, the cashier had TWO drawers to balance, cash and food stamps. And like today, the drawers seldom balanced and the cashier had to find the error, usually on their own time.
DeleteI completely agree with B (above).
ReplyDeleteHere in Texas "...most grocery staples are exempt from sales tax... These include essential items like milk, bread, eggs, and canned goods..." "...prepared foods sold for immediate consumption, such as restaurant meals or hot foods, are subject to sales tax. Additionally, certain snack items, like chips or candies, might also be taxable.
So a simple solution, at least in Texas, would be to disallow using an EBT card to purchase any food item that can be taxed. That or go back to the days of government cheese.
Government cheese made really good grilled cheese sandwiches, if I recall.
DeleteThis should be the law of the land - everywhere!
ReplyDeleteWell, we have studies showing that it works better to just give people cash and let them do whatever with it. It's up to them if they want to buy booze or guns or drugs or a bike or a better car or whatever, as they know what they need better than some bureaucrat or goody-two-shoes politician.
ReplyDeleteOr whether they need to subsist on rice and beans until they can afford to start their business.
It's the free market principles at work. The buyer knows what they buyer wants and needs better than anyone else can. And they're the one that will suffer for making poor decisions too.
But try getting that through any parliament. People will never go for it. Which is yet another reason that private charities are so much more effective than public "charity." (i.e. vote buying)
John G.
No, it wouldn't be better to give them cash. Who do you think they're going to rob and steal from when they blow through their taxpayer supplied cash by the 3rd of the month and still don't have any food? Maybe the taxpayers AGAIN?
DeleteAdditionally food is medicine and junk food is junk, making you sick. So we subsidize these people to eat themselves sick and then we subsidize them at the hospital. Rather we should issue them food or restrict the EBT cards to only pay for certain items. Any vendor that supports and EBT user buying unauthorized foods should be put out of business. No fined, put out of business. The local manager should be jailed as should the CEO.
DeleteSeriously, if I have to feed you and pay for your medical care then what you eat is my choice, not yours.
That should be nation wide. I see fat slobs, many in electric carts with the tribe to push the carts. I've seen them with two heaping carts of nothing but junk food. Not one nutritious meal. No exaggeration. It pisses me off to no end. Then of course we get to pay for their medical bills too.
ReplyDeleteNothing is more galling than to get in line behind a SNAP consumer and notice the premium meats, brand name soft drinks, and other luxury or pure junk food items that are being paid for out of the tax coffers. Or at seeing the practiced expertise being put into play to game the system to their advantage. SNAP consumers should be relegated to buying generic, nutritious products, but not luxury name brands. There should be a program that teaches kitchen economics and food preparation. They should have to demonstrate understanding with these skills. Saying they 'don't have the cookware or utensils' is nonsense and government's permission to stay in these conditions forever.
ReplyDeleteLike you say, game the system. Limiting things to healthy food was tried somewhere, and the users would buy veggies, or some such, bicycle them round to the back door and sell them back to the complicit storekeep for 75¢ on the $. Win-win, except for the people paying the freight.
DeleteI have a solution: don't give them anything. They can find a way or the highway.
ReplyDeleteI fully support your plan.
DeleteTMF Bert
The sugar industry spends millions to make sugar part of the food pyramid. And products that use sugar (cranberries for instance) to taste better are there with them. I am for cutting the fraud. I think everyone with a govt welfare type handout needs to show up in person once a year with ID to claim their payout.
ReplyDeleteFeet under my table? Then abide by my rules. Nothing wrong about telling people what they can or cannot buy with the money you give them. They can spend their own on the junk if they must.
ReplyDeleteRoger
Do away with government welfare all together. Stop paying people to not work.
ReplyDeleteCheers
Thor
I have a buddy that gets SNAP because of a disability, he lost his left leg in an employment accident.... He's told me, we go shopping together occasionally, that he can't purchase junk food with it, no cookies, chips, sodas or stuff like that.. Meat, eggs, bread, cereal, fruits and vegetable. . During times like say after a hurricane and such hot meals ready to eat but not usually..
ReplyDeleteJD
When I was in college I was at the grocery store buying my ramen noodles, mac and cheese and Bar-S hotdogs when a large Cadillac pulled up to the curb, Public Enemy blaring from the speakers. A big woman dressed to the nines, with a sable jacket, lots of jewelry, silk dress, etc, strode to the meat counter, got two porterhouse steaks and two lobsters and then proceeded to whip out a book of food stamps to pay for it.
ReplyDelete