City of L.A now forcing Farmer's Market vendors to accept EBT (real estate, house)

[LuvSouthOC]

Originally Posted by Tulemutt

Another thing that amuses me greatly is this reference that we often read to how "people used to" and "the world was a better place". When was that? That the world was so great? In what ways? I'd love to spar with you on that nonsense.

I'll bite. When my parents got here many decades ago, in Southern California, they witnessed a single mother buying food with food stamps. She hid her paperwork so as to conceal what she was using as payment and kept her head down, as though she was embarrassed. One lady in the line noticed and said something along the lines of, "You needn't be embarrassed. It's ok dear, you will pull out of this. I am sure of it." According to my mom, the woman raised her head, turned toward the lady and said something along the lines of "Thank you. You are too kind. I am going through a bad spell now, but I will soon get back on my feet."

This exchange left a great impression on my parents. Laugh if you want to.

[Tulemutt]

Originally Posted by Howiester

I prefer not to engage in so-called "intelligent dialogue" with arrogant pseudo-intellectuals.

You can't engage in intelligent dialogue with anyone. If you could, we'd have read it by now. Particularly funny since in my case I haven't any of the trappings of a "pseudo-intellectual". Just a retired, blue-collar, ex-military, 11th-grade dropout. You can't maintain the simplest conversation with even little old me.

[Cream1]

Originally Posted by Tulemutt

You can't engage in intelligent dialogue with anyone. If you could, we'd have read it by now. Particularly funny since in my case I haven't any of the trappings of a "pseudo-intellectual". Just a retired, blue-collar, ex-military, 11th-grade dropout. You can't maintain the simplest conversation with even little old me.

Your background is irrelevant, you are pompous, smug, and contribute nothing to the Los Angeles forum besides your own political opinions.

[suzy_q2010]

Perhaps it is different in L.A., but local farmer's markets where I live consist of people selling produce off of the tailgates of pickup trucks in a local park. They accept only cash. Processing EBT payments requires a certain infrastructure and goes through services that charge for doing each transaction. I am sure the profit margin of such vendors is already small. If they have to have a smart phone and a way to submit EBT charges in such a situation, I suspect they will just find some other place to park the truck. If a market has a fixed location and already accepts credit and debit cards, it probably already takes EBT, too. It seems to me that L.A. will just end up forcing out local farmers selling their own produce. What will be left are just grocery stores that call themselves farmer's markets.

[Tulemutt]

Originally Posted by LuvSouthOC

I'll bite. When my parents got here many decades ago, in Southern California, they witnessed a single mother buying food with food stamps. She hid her paperwork so as to conceal what she was using as payment and kept her head down, as though she was embarrassed. One lady in the line noticed and said something along the lines of, "You needn't be embarrassed. It's ok dear, you will pull out of this. I am sure of it." According to my mom, the woman raised her head, turned toward the lady and said something along the lines of "Thank you. You are too kind. I am going through a bad spell now, but I will soon get back on my feet."

This exchange left a great impression on my parents. Laugh if you want to.

Great story. Makes me wonder where you got off the track of your parents' example of graciousness in life towards others who struggle.

But that said, how does that tale answer my challenge to define better times? Individual people have always exhibited random kindness toward others. They do so today. Why, even expressed in these very forum dialogues we find thoughtfulness expressed often - and then dismissed as ridiculous by others.

When was the world a better, safer, kinder place? Forget isolated anecdotes. Define historical context to the claim that people were more responsible.

[Tulemutt]

Originally Posted by Howiester

Your background is irrelevant, you are pompous, smug, and contribute nothing to the Los Angeles forum besides your own political opinions.

Exactly none of my posts are "political opinions". Ideologies are poor excuses for lazy intellects. If you find truth, facts, and logic to be "pompous and smug" that is quite a reflection on your own intellectual level.

[Tulemutt]

Originally Posted by suzy_q2010

Perhaps it is different in L.A., but local farmer's markets where I live consist of people selling produce off of the tailgates of pickup trucks in a local park. They accept only cash. Processing EBT payments requires a certain infrastructure and goes through services that charge for doing each transaction. I am sure the profit margin of such vendors is already small. If they have to have a smart phone and a way to submit EBT charges in such a situation, I suspect they will just find some other place to park the truck. If a market has a fixed location and already accepts credit and debit cards, it probably already takes EBT, too. It seems to me that L.A. will just end up forcing out local farmers selling their own produce. What will be left are just grocery stores that call themselves farmer's markets.

I suspect they will not "just find some other place to park the truck". They thrive on the marketplace environment of choice, selection, convenience. And, anymore, most all street vendors even at weekend fairs process all kinds of credit/debit transactions using readers on their smartphones. EBT can be handled the same way as all those other transactions which also each cost fees to processors - yet the vendors happily participate (and merely up their prices sufficiently to cover the small charges).

[LuvSouthOC]

Originally Posted by Tulemutt

Great story. Makes me wonder where you got off the track of your parents' example of graciousness in life towards others who struggle.

But that said, how does that tale answer my challenge to define better times? Individual people have always exhibited random kindness toward others. They do so today. Why, even expressed in these very forum dialogues we find thoughtfulness expressed often - and then dismissed as ridiculous by others.

When was the world a better, safer, kinder place? Forget isolated anecdotes. Define historical context to the claim that people were more responsible.

Altruism is a worthless philosophy when it is a means to an end. Helping others (for more than a brief period) harms them in the long run. The word "end" has the same meaning as in the phrase "means to an end". The philosopher Immanuel Kant said that rational human beings should be treated as an end in themselves and not as a means to something else. I utterly reject this Christian ideal which has thoroughly infested modern thought. (Although Christianity as a belief system did have some good precepts, they in the end all fall like a deck of cards since the religion, like all religions, is based on mysticism.) It is through our self-centered actions that we persevere. Now then, helping someone temporarily is ok and benefits me too since the recipient is part of my society, but it cannot and must not be life-long.

[NyWriterdude]

Originally Posted by suzy_q2010

Perhaps it is different in L.A., but local farmer's markets where I live consist of people selling produce off of the tailgates of pickup trucks in a local park. They accept only cash. Processing EBT payments requires a certain infrastructure and goes through services that charge for doing each transaction. I am sure the profit margin of such vendors is already small. If they have to have a smart phone and a way to submit EBT charges in such a situation, I suspect they will just find some other place to park the truck. If a market has a fixed location and already accepts credit and debit cards, it probably already takes EBT, too. It seems to me that L.A. will just end up forcing out local farmers selling their own produce. What will be left are just grocery stores that call themselves farmer's markets.

This is utter BS. I've been on hot trucks that take debit and credit cards. People can easily get mobile equipment to accept card payments. Farmers markets in NYC for YEARS have accepted EBPT, and they are not grocery stores that call themselves farmers markets. They are actual merchants.

Of course right wingers posing as small businessmen love to tell all kinds of lies to spread fear on the internet.

[NyWriterdude]

Originally Posted by Tulemutt

You can't engage in intelligent dialogue with anyone. If you could, we'd have read it by now. Particularly funny since in my case I haven't any of the trappings of a "pseudo-intellectual". Just a retired, blue-collar, ex-military, 11th-grade dropout. You can't maintain the simplest conversation with even little old me.

+1.

Served.