Discussion Didn't know Government food commodities are still around.

whm1974

Diamond Member
Jul 24, 2016
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I recall my mother getting some commodites during the late 70's and early 80's, such as government cheese and peanut butter and some canned juices and meats(beef?). Well I know they still existed but only for Food Banks, schools, prisons, and the like.

I was unaware that people are still getting government cheese as I can recall was fairly decent at home and at school, and really enjoyed the peanut butter as well.

Well Trump is considering cutting Food Stamps in half and increasing the Box of Commodities to much more people.
https://money.cnn.com/2018/02/16/news/economy/government-food-box/index.html
While I'm not opposed to more people getting the "Box", I think it is a bad idea to cut Food Stamps, in fact we should be increasing them so no one in the US has Food Insecurity.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_security

Thoughts?
 

whm1974

Diamond Member
Jul 24, 2016
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Aren't Food Stamps basically a Drop in the Ocean for the Federal Budget?
 

Jhhnn

IN MEMORIAM
Nov 11, 1999
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So he's going to screw over his blindly loyal supporters once again?

If God hadn't intended for them to be fucked he wouldn't have made it so easy. Besides that, prosperity theology says that poverty is a state of moral depravity. Being rich is God's reward to the righteous.
 

Maxima1

Diamond Member
Jan 15, 2013
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"For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: "The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat." 2 Thessalonians 3:10
 

Jhhnn

IN MEMORIAM
Nov 11, 1999
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XD

"Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever." 1 Timothy 5:8

I confess to missing the subtlety of your joke. Well played.
 

Maxima1

Diamond Member
Jan 15, 2013
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I confess to missing the subtlety of your joke. Well played.

Stephen Fincher is why I decided to have a little fun with the thread. Funny your article mentioned him.

1001303_469848609772824_1724831707_n1.jpg
 

Lanyap

Elite Member
Dec 23, 2000
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I thought all baby boomers were rich and screwed over the younger folks to get rich. I didn’t realize poor baby boomers existed.

Trump: gotta cut where we can to payoff that big deficit I created.
 

Jhhnn

IN MEMORIAM
Nov 11, 1999
62,365
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I thought all baby boomers were rich and screwed over the younger folks to get rich. I didn’t realize poor baby boomers existed.

Trump: gotta cut where we can to payoff that big deficit I created.

There are lots of impecunious boomers, particularly those at the tail end in the 55-65 age range. Lot's of GenX'ers, as well. They're staring at poverty in retirement. Wage slave suckas workin' for the Jerb Creators until the day they die. Older boomers like myself are much more likely to receive the legacy benefits of the now defunct New Deal, like pensions. That newfangled 401k thing isn't shaping up quite the way they were led to believe it would.

It explains a lot of white grievance politics. I mean, it's not supposed to be that way. They believed in all the right stuff & did all the right stuff- Took care of their families, went to Church, held to honest values & had much higher expectations from the system. They need to find somebody to blame other than themselves for voting for the ol' trickle down.
 

whm1974

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Jul 24, 2016
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So no has any thoughts on cutting the Food Stamps and replacing the cuts with the Harvest Box?
 

ch33zw1z

Lifer
Nov 4, 2004
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So no has any thoughts on cutting the Food Stamps and replacing the cuts with the Harvest Box?

I think it's not a good idea.

First: Optics wise. I see "government cheese" as a wholly "this is how bad we're doing" move.

Second: health wise. We're battling major problems with what food we eat and how it causes health related issues. With SNAP, you can only get certain items, but it doesn't have to be cheese specifically. Cheese is not exactly healthy for you, especially processed and in the amounts Americans ingest it.
 
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Bitek

Lifer
Aug 2, 2001
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So no has any thoughts on cutting the Food Stamps and replacing the cuts with the Harvest Box?

It just seems really inefficient. Why not just use the existing food distribution system?
Ie supermarkets and a flexible system of credits (ie food stamps) so recipients can leverage the free market to maximize their benefit?

It's a dumb idea on multiple levels.
 

Thump553

Lifer
Jun 2, 2000
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So no has any thoughts on cutting the Food Stamps and replacing the cuts with the Harvest Box?

Only if they print "Making America Great Again!" on each box & food label.

Odds are this is a nonstarter. Food stamps are a much better subsidy to farmers than the food boxes, and farmers are a critically important constituency to the GOP.

Food stamps were already substantially cut the last time around. Time to cut the producer subsidies (assuming reducing tax cuts for billionaires is off the table).
 

Bitek

Lifer
Aug 2, 2001
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Only if they print "Making America Great Again!" on each box & food label.

Odds are this is a nonstarter. Food stamps are a much better subsidy to farmers than the food boxes, and farmers are a critically important constituency to the GOP.

Food stamps were already substantially cut the last time around. Time to cut the producer subsidies (assuming reducing tax cuts for billionaires is off the table).
Good God do not give him ideas...

He's probably fill it with overpriced Trump Steaks and Trump Water that he can't unload any other way.

Damn. Now I did it...
 

whm1974

Diamond Member
Jul 24, 2016
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Only if they print "Making America Great Again!" on each box & food label.

Odds are this is a nonstarter. Food stamps are a much better subsidy to farmers than the food boxes, and farmers are a critically important constituency to the GOP.

Food stamps were already substantially cut the last time around. Time to cut the producer subsidies (assuming reducing tax cuts for billionaires is off the table).
I'm thinking that Food Stamps did a lot to keep smaller grocery store and chains in business during the Great Repression. They certainly kept me fed while I was waiting for my disability benefits.
 

dainthomas

Lifer
Dec 7, 2004
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A standard reply for every leftist/Democrat on these forums.

I just don't understand how people can go hungry in this country. Why don't they try putting their Hamptons house on VRBO or renting out their second yacht during the offseason? They could also send their kids to a lesser Ivy like Brown or Dartmouth. It's inconceivable.