1 in 8 "Americans" recieve food stamps. Outrageous!

[Patranus]

I looked at your post. You advocated 2 servings of Ramen per day as a baseline for feeding oneself.

There is no reasonable basis for this, in terms of calories or nutrients.

http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts/soups-sauces-and-gravies/7980/2

Two 85g servings of Ramen would give the average person 36% of their DV for carbohydrates, and 146% of their DV for sodium.

Ramen is exactly the kind of food people should avoid. Its nothing but starch and sodium, which are precursors to diabetes and high blood pressure.

Although I found your post funny, I think that the truth of the matter is that you were trolling. No reasonable person could possibly make the ramen argument in good faith, given the publicly available nutrition data.

Here is the problem with your logic.
When you can provide for yourself, you are able to make those choices and avoid food like Ramen.
When you cannot provide for yourself and demand a handout...well...beggars can't be choosers.

Will eating Ramen keep you alive...yes.
Society shouldn't go bankrupt to help those who refuse to work.

I also find it funny that there are perfectly health people in other countries who eat nothing more than rice....nothing but those evil carbohydrates.

 

[bfdd]

Bfdd I survived on ramen for a few months,I suffered malnutrition,weakness,no stamina,mentally fatigued,lethargy.I would'nt recommend it,though.I agree with most of what you wrote. you must have some oriental influence in your life.Strange to see someone who closely resembles my own dietary habits.I have a rice cooker which I use everyday.Oh I get foodstamps too,not proud of it.At least I don't go hungry like i used to.Really SUCKED.
This is from personal experience.I have endured great personal catastrophe,one after another.Death in family,loss of income ,dignity,homeless,hunger,ridicule and The Almighty seen me through all of it.Did'nt post at A.T. during those times,only till just recently.

The OP does'nt have a clue at all.Oh it's past his bedtime,after all it's a schoolnight.

Not oriental(although I'm a huge fan of Hong Kong flicks) but I just looked at what huge populations of poor eat and it tends to gravitate towards rice no matter where you look. I just happen to really like egg fried rice with chicken, pork, or bacon.

 

[stateofbeasley]

When you can provide for yourself, you are able to make those choices and avoid food like Ramen.
When you cannot provide for yourself and demand a handout...well...beggars can't be choosers.
...

I also find it funny that there are perfectly health people in other countries who eat nothing more than rice....nothing but those evil carbohydrates.

Here's the problem with your logic... you didn't address my point that your 2-ramen diet is unreasonable and leads to long term health problems. Ha ha ha.

 

[Red Dawn]

Bfdd I survived on ramen for a few months,I suffered malnutrition,weakness,no stamina,mentally fatigued,lethargy.I would'nt recommend it,though.I agree with most of what you wrote. you must have some oriental influence in your life.Strange to see someone who closely resembles my own dietary habits.I have a rice cooker which I use everyday.Oh I get foodstamps too,not proud of it.At least I don't go hungry like i used to.Really SUCKED.
This is from personal experience.I have endured great personal catastrophe,one after another.Death in family,loss of income ,dignity,homeless,hunger,ridicule and The Almighty seen me through all of it.Did'nt post at A.T. during those times,only till just recently.

The OP does'nt have a clue at all.Oh it's past his bedtime,after all it's a schoolnight.

Are you posting from a Computer at School or a Library?

 

[ebaycj]

Yep, I've earned what I've gotten and think many of you(I assume you have a piece of paper since you think it explains something) with an expensive piece of paper just expect things to be handed to you. But alas, in today's America where libs have control of the edu establishment it's no wonder people expect the gov't to take care of them - they want to be given things - not earn them.

I was merely referring to the general lack of education. It explains a lot about your posts.

Not the economic effects of having (or not having) a degree. Actually, I agree with you that hard work + a little bit of luck is really what makes people successful; education can be a useful tool to help you along the way, but is not a guarantee of success of any kind.

 

[ebaycj]

Much more rewarding than welding boilers all day? That sounds more like an opinion than any fact. Little tip the people that work in that kind of field generally are working on things to keep energy(gas, oil, electricity, etc) flowing to the rest of the country/world. Without them you couldn't do jack shit. So "rewarding" basically falls on your opinion. Maybe if you've actually done the work, which pays very well, you'd have a better appreciation for the people who perform manual labor.

Another tid bit, just because some of us chose not to go get a degree in some field doesn't mean we aren't intelligent or seek to learn. We chose to learn something different than you. I doubt you could hold a conversation on aligning motor to pump shafts with me.

Sorry, had to LOL at the bolded wording. The rest of your post makes complete sense.

And I'm 99% sure he would not like to have a conversation with you about aligning his motor with your pump shaft. I know I would not.

 

[0marTheZealot]

Ah. Great point.
When you have no argument resort to name calling.

The OP mentioned the cost. I pointed out a very cost effective solution that anyone can afford if they make the *choice* to afford it.

Hm. Isn't your post against forums rules?

It's not just one post, you have a history of posting nothing but trollbait and flamebait. For every insightful post you make, you make about 100 absolute garbage posts. You contribute nothing to this forum except hostility and ignorance. You and posters like you make this board a frustrating exercise in correcting misinformation instead of debating the points. People have spent 15+ posts on your absurd post correcting everything wrong with it instead of debating the topic at hand. So yea, you are nothing but a troll and flame bait. It's not against the rules if it's true.

 

[nageov3t]

fuck children, if they really wanted to grow up healthy they should have chosen to be born to different parents.

 

[CADsortaGUY]

I was merely referring to the general lack of education. It explains a lot about your posts.

Not the economic effects of having (or not having) a degree. Actually, I agree with you that hard work + a little bit of luck is really what makes people successful; education can be a useful tool to help you along the way, but is not a guarantee of success of any kind.

lol, so you take "no degree" to mean "lack of education"? Hmmm... seems you are lacking a bit if that's how your "logic" works. Gotta love you elitist twits who think having a piece of paper makes you "better" somehow when many of us without one can and do run circles around you.

 

[Blackjack200]

Yeah, defining "processed" is a bit tricky these days. Cheese is "processed" as is most "dairy" and likewise "whole grains" aren't easily usable for normal use - hence you buy the processed form of "whole grain".

In principle, I don't think it would be that hard to evaluate each food product and determine if it's appropriate for WIC/Food Stamps. But again, the point of the program is not a healthy population.

As to the second portion - I think you are part of the half empty cup crowd that scowls daily here in America based on your post. I'm living proof it can still happen in today's world - IF you work at it and don't expect things to be given to you. I have no degree, worked some "shit" jobs to pay the bills and eventually moved to where I could have an opportunity instead of just a "job". I've progressed far enough that now I can afford to have my wife stay home with the kids instead of both of us working.... but yeah, you're right it's a doom and gloom America where it's "impossible"...

OK, if that's how you feel about me then I'm not going to try to change that. Just understand that when you look at broad economic trends; when you examine the standard of living and other economic measures (savings rates, consumer debt, expenditures, etc.) the middle class is on the edge.

If you really disagree with that and think there's more opportunity today than there was 30 years ago, then let's open up another thread and start citing sources.

You don't go from a 5-6% savings rate to a -1% savings rate in 30 years because people suddenly can't handle money. The can't afford to live anymore.

 

[Darwin333]

In principle, I don't think it would be that hard to evaluate each food product and determine if it's appropriate for WIC/Food Stamps. But again, the point of the program is not a healthy population.



OK, if that's how you feel about me then I'm not going to try to change that. Just understand that when you look at broad economic trends; when you examine the standard of living and other economic measures (savings rates, consumer debt, expenditures, etc.) the middle class is on the edge.

If you really disagree with that and think there's more opportunity today than there was 30 years ago, then let's open up another thread and start citing sources.

You don't go from a 5-6% savings rate to a -1% savings rate in 30 years because people suddenly can't handle money. The can't afford to live anymore.

How easy was it for a person with average credit to get twice their yearly pay in credit cards? How many cars, and what was their value relative to income, did the average family have 30 years ago?

I hope someone does start another thread about this. I don't have any hard data (which is why I hope someone starts a thread, would love to see some) but people seem to spend a lot more these days on "stuff" and they do it a lot sooner. 30 years ago it was rather difficult to purchase your first home. You had to actually build up your credit as well as an absolutely absurd requirement of a real down payment around 20%. These days a first time home owner with average credit can buy a house with virtually no money down and 50% DTI ratios. Both secure and unsecure credit is still extended to people who can't afford it and those people still use it.

This generation is vastly different from the last when it comes to money. We want a house as big as our parents when we are 24 and we don't mind going into debt up to our eyeballs to get it and furnish it. Not to mention the fact that its almost a requirement to have a new car parked in front of your nice new house...

Back on topic, I still think people should be pushing for a healthy debate on the harms some of these social programs have on entire generations of families. We should also institute a serious no bs program of offering incentives to go to vocational schools, comm. colleges and other career orientated training. Perhaps after a period of time the benefits can start going down if they are not in some sort of training program. Some people just hit a rough spot in life and need a hand getting through it but a large portion of people in the system don't have a high school education or much if any job related training. It doesn't do society much good for them to get a job at Micky D's and when they are making just as much to stay home, you can see why some would.

The goal should be to give people a helping hand towards becoming a productive, tax paying member of society.

 

[Blackjack200]

How easy was it for a person with average credit to get twice their yearly pay in credit cards? How many cars, and what was their value relative to income, did the average family have 30 years ago?

I hope someone does start another thread about this. I don't have any hard data (which is why I hope someone starts a thread, would love to see some) but people seem to spend a lot more these days on "stuff" and they do it a lot sooner. 30 years ago it was rather difficult to purchase your first home. You had to actually build up your credit as well as an absolutely absurd requirement of a real down payment around 20%. These days a first time home owner with average credit can buy a house with virtually no money down and 50% DTI ratios. Both secure and unsecure credit is still extended to people who can't afford it and those people still use it.

This generation is vastly different from the last when it comes to money. We want a house as big as our parents when we are 24 and we don't mind going into debt up to our eyeballs to get it and furnish it. Not to mention the fact that its almost a requirement to have a new car parked in front of your nice new house...

The point is they didn't even need the credit back then. They were saving 5% of their income. People actually spend a lot less on "stuff" today. Far less on food, clothing, appliances etc. What they are spending far more on is housing, health care, child care (so mom and dad can work) and an additional car (for the same reason).

Think about your typical dink couple graduating from college in 2002: Probably at least $50,000 in the hole from tuition right off the bat. Now to buy a house in a safe neighborhood with good schools you'll need $80,000 up front to hit that magic 20% equity and avoid PMI. So they're $130,000 from their first home. But how do they save the money? Apartments aren't cheap, neither are the cars that they need to get to work.

Yeah, they can probably scrape and grind and hit that $130,000 in 15-20 years. To me, scraping by for a couple of decades so you can buy a house when you're almost 40 is not the American dream.

FWIW, I don't know any 24 year old that owns a house. I do have a couple of my friends under 30 who took advantage of condo prices that collapsed in the last year, but they never would have bought at the 2006-2007 levels. Most of my friends (late twenties to early thirties) live in apartments and are have little hope of being able to afford a house any time soon.

 

[stateofbeasley]

lol, so you take "no degree" to mean "lack of education"? Hmmm... seems you are lacking a bit if that's how your "logic" works. Gotta love you elitist twits who think having a piece of paper makes you "better" somehow when many of us without one can and do run circles around you.

I actually agree with this in part. I have both a college and a law degree, but I don't think this means that I am entitled to dismiss the arguments of people who don't have similar credentials. There are a lot of stupid people out there with law degrees.

I will never attack someone's argument based on a lack of diploma. However, I will not hesitate to call out trolls or those who are being willfully retarded.

Run circles around people like me? Don't make me laugh. Unless you are Khan Noonien Singh, I find that highly unlikely.

 

[CADsortaGUY]

I actually agree with this in part. I have both a college and a law degree, but I don't think this means that I am entitled to dismiss the arguments of people who don't have similar credentials. There are a lot of stupid people out there with law degrees.

I will never attack someone's argument based on a lack of diploma. However, I will not hesitate to call out trolls or those who are being willfully retarded.

Run circles around people like me? Don't make me laugh. Unless you are Khan Noonien Singh, I find that highly unlikely.

"This explains a lot." In my youth I thought I wanted to be a lawyer, did the whole mock trial thing in school/competition. But I decided that my conscience wouldn't let me become one as I'd have to compromise my morals too often.(that is not to say those who do not have the same morals as I have to compromise theirs - we just live by a different set)

Also, I'm pretty sure my comments were to ebaycj.... unless you are one in the same...

 

[stateofbeasley]

Also, I'm pretty sure my comments were to ebaycj.... unless you are one in the same...

Nah, I'm not him. I just wanted to say something about Khan Noonien Singh... don't take it seriously

 

[ebaycj]

lol, so you take "no degree" to mean "lack of education"? Hmmm... seems you are lacking a bit if that's how your "logic" works. Gotta love you elitist twits who think having a piece of paper makes you "better" somehow when many of us without one can and do run circles around you.

Yes, I do take "no degree" to mean "lack of education". Because that's exactly what it means.

If you have no degree, what education DO you have?
High School? maybe, but if you're counting high school as an education, well, good luck to you.
Community College? no, because you get an AA when you graduate.
Vocational school? nope, because you get a Diploma at the very least when you graduate.
Self-taught? maybe, but if you can do that, why didn't you just get a degree at a cheap school to "certify" you?

On-the-job education doesn't count, because everyone gets that (whether it's formal or not, and whether they are college-educated or not).

So what is it?

 

[WhipperSnapper]

Not the economic effects of having (or not having) a degree. Actually, I agree with you that hard work + a little bit of luck is really what makes people successful; education can be a useful tool to help you along the way, but is not a guarantee of success of any kind.

Note that Education can actually be very detrimental to a person's financial well-being if they cannot find a job that will allow them to pay off their student loans. That is to say, the act of trying to improve your ability to earn income could actually prove detrimental to your financial health, especially when the economy is shedding jobs and producing far more college graduates the economy can utilize.

 

[CADsortaGUY]

Yes, I do take "no degree" to mean "lack of education". Because that's exactly what it means.

If you have no degree, what education DO you have?
High School? maybe, but if you're counting high school as an education, well, good luck to you.
Community College? no, because you get an AA when you graduate.
Vocational school? nope, because you get a Diploma at the very least when you graduate.
Self-taught? maybe, but if you can do that, why didn't you just get a degree at a cheap school to "certify" you?

On-the-job education doesn't count, because everyone gets that (whether it's formal or not, and whether they are college-educated or not).

So what is it?

Gotta love elitists! They never fail to deliver the snobbery. :awe:

Again, for those of you with an expensive piece of paper but are still slow - I don't have a degree - did you not read what I posted in this thread? I'm in a position now that I'd likely be in even if I had a piece of paper - likely in about the same time(years experience) too. So yeah... I guess us "uneducated" people just can't live up to your paper standards...


Now again - can the diversion end?

 

[Vic]

Diversions? Someone should ask Big Agribusiness what they think of food stamps...

 

[shadow9d9]

Gotta love elitists! They never fail to deliver the snobbery. :awe:

Again, for those of you with an expensive piece of paper but are still slow - I don't have a degree - did you not read what I posted in this thread? I'm in a position now that I'd likely be in even if I had a piece of paper - likely in about the same time(years experience) too. So yeah... I guess us "uneducated" people just can't live up to your paper standards...


Now again - can the diversion end?

When people refer to education, it generally is tied to years at school.. it is just the way the term is used.

 

[StageLeft]

Way over the top. There is no fvcking way that many people literally cannot otherwise get enough food to eat without the government giving it to them. I mean come on now. This has to be about the easiest country in the world in which to stay fed. Hell, the poor are fatter than the rich (fact).

I'd love to have all the data on hand to compare, say, those on food stamps with those who have an iphone. I guarantee there are some. 10? 10,000? Who knows, but I bet some. I just wonder how many in the system are abusing it.

 

[0marTheZealot]

Gotta love elitists! They never fail to deliver the snobbery. :awe:

Again, for those of you with an expensive piece of paper but are still slow - I don't have a degree - did you not read what I posted in this thread? I'm in a position now that I'd likely be in even if I had a piece of paper - likely in about the same time(years experience) too. So yeah... I guess us "uneducated" people just can't live up to your paper standards...


Now again - can the diversion end?

Please, I've read your posts. You consistently lack a logical train of thought. You also fail to recognize logic behind many of the arguments present. You argue from emotion and a "gut feeling". Finally, you also lack knowledge of many basic facts in key fields such as psychology, economics, history, and science.

 

[Sacrilege]

Assume the average American weight is 150 lbs (probably verrrry conservative). 7 times that is 1,050 lbs. If the hungriest 1/8th of Americans ate the other 7/8ths, I'd say they would have a pretty decent amount of sustenance to sustain them. All of our problems would be solved.

 

[bfdd]

Please, I've read your posts. You consistently lack a logical train of thought. You also fail to recognize logic behind many of the arguments present. You argue from emotion and a "gut feeling". Finally, you also lack knowledge of many basic facts in key fields such as psychology, economics, history, and science.

You mean you can only learn about psychology, economics, history and science in schools!? WHAT !? Damn... I thought I could learn something from just taking that stuff in on my own. I guess not.

 

[WhipperSnapper]

Assume the average American weight is 150 lbs (probably verrrry conservative). 7 times that is 1,050 lbs. If the hungriest 1/8th of Americans ate the other 7/8ths, I'd say they would have a pretty decent amount of sustenance to sustain them. All of our problems would be solved.

Perhaps we should revisit this post in two or three years after the economy has worsened. Will hungry Americans be rotisserie roasting members of the upper class and politicians over open spits? Stay tuned.