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No it isn't. I shop 3-4 times per week and spend $140-$150/month and I eat bone-in Ribeyes, Chilean Sea Bass, Sea Scallops, shrimp, chicken. It's stupid to pay $1.29 for a can of green-beans, when I can buy green-beans at the market for $0.23 and cook them exactly the way I want them and not have any left-overs (unless I want left-overs).
I buy whole chickens at $0.88/pound. It takes me all of 60 seconds to cut up a chicken into two wings, two legs, two boneless thighs and two boneless breasts, plus parts for chicken broth/stock/soups/stews/gravies/sauces.
Why should I pay $6.99/pound for boneless chicken breasts?
People are just not smart with their money, poor shoppers and kitchen morons.
That's amazing. I cook for 4 people, from scratch or semi-scratch and don't remember the last time I saw a whole chicken for less than $1.19/lb (Typically a 3-4 lb bird would cost $4-5 here) Who would pay $1.29 for a can of green beans? They are less than a dollar everywhere here - but even at our local Farmer's Markets (open NOT every month of the year -23 cents for how many? 3 beans? My grocery budget is typically about $800-900/month - depending on various specials I can find.
Who would pay $6.99 for boneless chicken breasts? Even in the frozen section, a 3lb pound bag goes for less than $8 generally. We must live in VERY different parts of the country.
And, as you've posted, you have only yourself to feed. When you have to feed more than just yourself, you'll see it's harder. Really. Doing the cooking and shopping for 4-5 people is much more work than cooking for one. In addition, a single person, with no children, has much more free/spare time at their disposal. And I'd love to meet anyone who can feed a normal pre-teen/teen boy for $150/month. Honestly, that insinuation is almost funny.
Posted by someone who doesn't cook or do their own shopping, obviously. "Real food" is more expensive than processed food. Also, while you're limiting this, will you also limit what grade meat they can purchase? How about quantities?
Poor children and their single mother who lost her job, then got left by her husband with any support, don't need much. I mean, why let those kids have a can of Pringles? A dry, baked potato is healthier for them. Why allow any of those kids to have a juice box in their lunch? (Thermos' and recyclable water containers cost money) Why not give them an apple instead and tell them they can ONLY have tap water to drink, plus an 8 oz (measure carefully moms!) glass of milk with their dinner. We could save MILLIONS by telling Food Stamp moms what exactly to buy.
Gas to get to grocery stores, costs money. Gas stations do not accept EBT cards.
There is fraud within the system. I think everyone cringes when they see someone buy steaks and shrimp, soda, etc with an EBT card. But to begrudge a poor child, who has nothing and their parents, so broke they have to accept food stamps just to feed them, an occasional scoop of ice cream or $3 bag of Doritos shows a total lack of understanding of those who are going through temporary rough times.
Oh - and the food stamp program does limit assets, here in TX. For instance, if you are self employed and not eligible for unemployment, can't find a job, the bills are piling up and 8 months in, you run out of money - you can get food stamps (here in TX, $668/month for a family of 4). But because you financed a car worth $25k 1 year prior (that you're upside down in) you are not eligible for the less than $400/month that is the max for a family of four. Yes, poor folks need cash - toilet paper isn't free, believe it or not. While you can get reduced utilities (not free, not here in TX), you still have to pay the water bill, the phone bill, the electric bill and the cat that you've had for 13 years still needs to eat. Those children's feet don't stop growing because you're poor now and if your kids go to a public school with mandatory uniforms, and have a growth spurt - there are NOT uniform pieces available in May for the next size up just laying around, waiting for you to get them for free or for a low cost.
I too thought harshly of those that attempt to sell their food stamps. But they're not all doing it because they want liquor. There are OTHER reasons to need cash than to buy liquor or cigarettes. Not ALL poor people are looking to commit fraud to feed an addiction.
the point of the thread is to really discuss the economy, and to ask why the government would NOT asset qualify food stamps- and why PUSH new food stamp usage onto an overburdening food stamp system which is totally ramping up out of control to any conceivable GDP growth. (if there was any...)
an analogy-you put too many people in the boat-that boat is going to go down,, and some people are going to drown.
it always winds up being a "what about the starving children" thread when that isn't even the issue here.
by the way, don't expect too much sympathy for people buying a 25,000 car and then discussing their food stamp rights.
since you brought up the food issue, would you object to actual food being directly handed out to those who need it? (and include the pets too)
Last edited by floridasandy; 05-06-2011 at 04:39 PM..
i just wanted to add something here. this is government spending for 2011:
Government Pensions $1.0 trillion
Government Health Care + $1.1 trillion
Government Education + $0.9 trillion
National Defense + $1.0 trillion
Government Welfare + $0.6 trillion
All Other Spending + $1.5 trillion
Total Government Spending $6.2 trillion
it seems that the government doesn't want to/isn't going to cut its share, the people needing social programs certainly don't want their share cut, defense spending seems pretty popular right now, and everyone wants their child educated. we can't forget about the 1.5 trillion under misc.
how are we going to get the next shot of dope to continue spending 6.2 trillion dollars a year?
Last edited by floridasandy; 05-06-2011 at 07:03 PM..
since you brought up the food issue, would you object to actual food being directly handed out to those who need it? (and include the pets too)
Not at all - that would be a GREAT solution! If 'angel food' for example, could deliver and had better advertising, that would be awesome - not just for folks ON food stamps, but also those with just a tight budget.
If the food were provided (recipes included would help, especially for those who do not know how to cook) and possibly were delivered (negating the need for gas/shopping) through a program like that, they could throw IN the TP and dishwashing liquid and laundry soap - and still save millions.
But a publicly funded program like that would be corrupted by politicians and bearucracy pretty quickly, and probably end up costing more. It would have to be privately run, like a non-profit.
since you brought up the food issue, would you object to actual food being directly handed out to those who need it? (and include the pets too)
Not at all - that would be a GREAT solution! If 'angel food' for example, could deliver and had better advertising, that would be awesome - not just for folks ON food stamps, but also those with just a tight budget.
If the food were provided (recipes included would help, especially for those who do not know how to cook) and possibly were delivered (negating the need for gas/shopping) through a program like that, they could throw IN the TP and dishwashing liquid and laundry soap - and still save millions.
But a publicly funded program like that would be corrupted by politicians and bearucracy pretty quickly, and probably end up costing more. It would have to be privately run, like a non-profit.
i think the program is already corrupted, probably more so by certain vendors than the actual food stamp recipients.
i think that the main objection to food stamps is that so much of it doesn't actually go for its intended purpose-to people who really do need food.(and basics).
if the corruption was weeded out, everyone would benefit. i also think recipes included might be good, because it might help people transition to better eating. (although i do not want us to turn into food police, food SHOULD be enjoyed).
i don't know about delivery and think maybe along the lines of a centralized distribution center (sort of like florida had during the hurricanes), or give credits to the businesses that supply the food and they can distribute it there. i don't see why home delivery couldn't be arranged for exceptional cases, like our meals on wheels program here for the poor and elderly, which is separate. if times start to get tough in this country, maybe even a barracks style arrangement. (it's good enough for the soldiers).
i fully anticipate that times are going to get tough because we just don't have the ability to generate the income to spend over 6 trillion a year.
i am for privatization, and they should run it on a state level first -to see which states do the best and adapt those ideas for the other states. what has made this country work is capitalistic competition, and we are losing that in a big way.
if we look at the budget numbers, food stamps clearly aren't the biggest ticket item in the budget though, so we have to find bigger areas of abuse and eliminate them.
What a shocker, food stamps at an all time high. The top 1% own Half of the wealth and want more. The only way to keep us all from being impovrished is to start taking it back
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