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Old 01-24-2019, 07:36 AM
 
35,521 posts, read 17,814,505 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by GotHereQuickAsICould View Post
Letting people know the their EBT card is filled early and unlikely to get any more on it for some time might spur some to stocking up on staples.

I hope so. There are some wonderful people who get SNAP benefits. Because of long term mental health issues, cognitive impairments, physical disabilities, health problems, age, poor education, wrong place at the wrong time, ... they are struggling to keep their heads above water.

Food Stamps seems the least we could do to help them out during their tough times.
I agree. For people who manage money wisely, this would be a real wind-fall to have a bulk sum where they can buy in larger quantities, paying less per portion.

 
Old 01-24-2019, 07:38 AM
 
Location: Rural Wisconsin
19,641 posts, read 9,185,251 times
Reputation: 38039
Quote:
Originally Posted by RogueMom View Post

I was on food stamps for awhile when my kids were little. The more kids, the larger the allotment.
But SNAP and other forms of government assistance for the poor is not enough to actually get most of them out of poverty.

If only teenage girls could be made to understand that the best chance they have to be poor for most of their life (if not all of it) is to become a single mom at a very early age and to continue to have kids . . . (sigh).

(And, yes, the above might be just my opinion, but I think that numerous studies support this opinion.)
 
Old 01-24-2019, 07:55 AM
 
Location: northern New England
5,431 posts, read 4,005,239 times
Reputation: 21277
To all who suggest limiting the type of food that can be bought with EBT, like WIC does - do you not understand how the gov't works? Let's say a bill is introduced to ban soda sales on SNAP. Do you realize how large the soda lobby is, and how much they contribute to congresspersons? Do you really think that bill will pass? And EVERY food group has a lobbying arm. It ain't gonna happen, folks.



The food shelf where I volunteer is preparing for an increase in need, both from non-paid federal employees and SNAP being possibly stopped. We try to have a large variety of produce, and a majority of our customers really appreciate it. There is always conversation about "What is this? How do I use it?" and we provide recipes for people using whatever is abundant that month. We are also buying (at cost) 50 half-gallons of milk a day to give out. A local egg producer keeps us supplied in eggs. We almost always have meat donated by one local supermarket.
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Old 01-24-2019, 08:13 AM
 
Location: TN/NC
34,932 posts, read 31,071,316 times
Reputation: 47309
Quote:
Originally Posted by VTsnowbird View Post
To all who suggest limiting the type of food that can be bought with EBT, like WIC does - do you not understand how the gov't works? Let's say a bill is introduced to ban soda sales on SNAP. Do you realize how large the soda lobby is, and how much they contribute to congresspersons? Do you really think that bill will pass? And EVERY food group has a lobbying arm. It ain't gonna happen, folks.
Several years ago, the National Review did a large expose about food stamp abuse, known as "the draw," in Kentucky.

Many recipients used the food stamps to buy cases of soda, which were then laundered on the black market for about fifty cents on the dollar.

All the soda happened to be was a medium of exchange. The soda can be banned, but the fraudsters will just find some other item to turn into a currency for laundering.
 
Old 01-24-2019, 08:43 AM
 
Location: Illinois
193 posts, read 68,737 times
Reputation: 294
Quote:
Originally Posted by DubbleT View Post
For some people it's free money, for others it's money they've paid into for years, are probably still paying if they are some of the working poor that use the program as a temporary stop gap, like I had to.
Do you you think you should have the right to control every participant because some of them make bad choices?
The question I would ask you is why should people who get EBT benefits be allowed to just get whatever they want while people on the WIC program are limited to certain items?? Is one group better then the other?? When we were children our family received WIC and we made it work just fine, while it's true that we weren't gorging ourselves on junk food we always had enough healthy food to eat and I'm glad for it, now as a parent I always make sure my children eat healthy from the good eating habits I learned as a child.
 
Old 01-24-2019, 08:50 AM
 
Location: Living rent free in your head
42,779 posts, read 26,078,144 times
Reputation: 33916
Quote:
Originally Posted by Serious Conversation View Post
Several years ago, the National Review did a large expose about food stamp abuse, known as "the draw," in Kentucky.

Many recipients used the food stamps to buy cases of soda, which were then laundered on the black market for about fifty cents on the dollar.

All the soda happened to be was a medium of exchange. The soda can be banned, but the fraudsters will just find some other item to turn into a currency for laundering.
I read about that too, and Kentucky tried to ban the purchase of soda with SNAP but couldn't do it. The thing is it's not always scoundrels who resort to doing that kind of stuff, it's people who need more cash to pay rent and utilities. Which is a compelling reason to just stop micromanaging the resources given to the poor and treat them like adults.
 
Old 01-24-2019, 09:44 AM
 
Location: TN/NC
34,932 posts, read 31,071,316 times
Reputation: 47309
Quote:
Originally Posted by sixlets82 View Post
The question I would ask you is why should people who get EBT benefits be allowed to just get whatever they want while people on the WIC program are limited to certain items?? Is one group better then the other?? When we were children our family received WIC and we made it work just fine, while it's true that we weren't gorging ourselves on junk food we always had enough healthy food to eat and I'm glad for it, now as a parent I always make sure my children eat healthy from the good eating habits I learned as a child.
I don't know where the line gets drawn.

If we're paying for their food, society ought to have some say collectively in what we'll prohibit. With that said, I think it can get a bit inhumane to deny someone who is poor the simple comfort of a soda.
 
Old 01-24-2019, 09:49 AM
 
Location: Living rent free in your head
42,779 posts, read 26,078,144 times
Reputation: 33916
Quote:
Originally Posted by GotHereQuickAsICould View Post
Soda is indeed the problem. I agree with you 100% on this.

However, if the goal providing healthy nutrition for low-income people, then paying for soda pop, candy, cookies, ... is not meeting that goal.
The goal of SNAP is to provide food for people who can't otherwise afford it. I don't think there is any grand plan to make sure that the food is organic, low calorie, absent of fats and sugars, nor do I think there should be. Do you know what a lot of poor people give their kids for their birthdays? A cake or cupcakes that they got with their SNAP benefits and that's it because they have no cash to buy the kids presents like most of us do. Do you think it would be a good idea to deny them that and force them to give their kids an apple or a bunch of asparagus for their birthday?
 
Old 01-24-2019, 10:08 AM
 
50,442 posts, read 36,110,698 times
Reputation: 76338
Quote:
Originally Posted by VTsnowbird View Post
To all who suggest limiting the type of food that can be bought with EBT, like WIC does - do you not understand how the gov't works? Let's say a bill is introduced to ban soda sales on SNAP. Do you realize how large the soda lobby is, and how much they contribute to congresspersons? Do you really think that bill will pass? And EVERY food group has a lobbying arm. It ain't gonna happen, folks.



The food shelf where I volunteer is preparing for an increase in need, both from non-paid federal employees and SNAP being possibly stopped. We try to have a large variety of produce, and a majority of our customers really appreciate it. There is always conversation about "What is this? How do I use it?" and we provide recipes for people using whatever is abundant that month. We are also buying (at cost) 50 half-gallons of milk a day to give out. A local egg producer keeps us supplied in eggs. We almost always have meat donated by one local supermarket.
This is an excellent point. Problems came up when they tried to modify white starches, dairy and corn products in kid's lunches. The potato, corn and dairy lobbies stomped feet and made a bunch of contributions, and managed to all remain staples in our kids' daily diets. Back in the day the more famous attempt to get more vegetables into their diets ended with the infamous "pizza is a vegetable" result.


There is a reason corn still gets subsidies even though we have so much of a surplus they had to create high fructose corn syrup and inject it into everything we consume in order to justify the subsidies.
 
Old 01-24-2019, 10:34 AM
 
Location: Living rent free in your head
42,779 posts, read 26,078,144 times
Reputation: 33916
Quote:
Originally Posted by sixlets82 View Post
The question I would ask you is why should people who get EBT benefits be allowed to just get whatever they want while people on the WIC program are limited to certain items?? Is one group better then the other?? When we were children our family received WIC and we made it work just fine, while it's true that we weren't gorging ourselves on junk food we always had enough healthy food to eat and I'm glad for it, now as a parent I always make sure my children eat healthy from the good eating habits I learned as a child.
They are completely different programs. WIC is for children under 5, pregnant, postpartum, and breast feeding women. Participants have to recertify every six months through their physician. Adults and older toddlers could not survive solely on WIC, it augments but does not replace SNAP or other food programs. The retail value of WIC unless it includes formula for an infant ranges from $30-$50 a month.

Here are two lists of allowable WIC foods for 2019 https://fns-prod.azureedge.net/sites...-Food-Pkgs.pdf

There is a separate list for infants that you can find here: https://fns-prod.azureedge.net/sites...-Food-Pkgs.pdf

If an infant is not breastfed, they are allowed formula, but not all brands due to the state run competitive bidding process, in states that participate recipients are usually restricted to a single brand of formula which can make it difficult for people whose local store does not carry or is out of the approved brand. https://www.cbpp.org/research/food-a...is-highly-cost
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