US = Food stamps nation and is growing and growing and...

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thestrangebrew1

Diamond Member
Dec 7, 2011
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382
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This.

I work hard, save money for the raining days, and when I read stories like yours and in the op, it makes my blood boils.

Just like yesterday, I went to Kroger because they had meat on sale. Pork loin for $1.66/lb and chicken breasts for $.99/lb. I stocked them up and other on sale items to save money.

Why can't the people that on food stamps and other government freebie programs do any kind of budget or at least better themselves instead of staying at the bottom continually?

Why would they if the government allows them to not bother? There is no incentive to budget. Food stamps is like cell phone minutes. They roll over. I mean, yea, you get a limited monthly amount, but take a HH of 5 people for example. With no income, in CA, they get $793/mo for groceries. For 5 people!! I budget $200/mo for my family of 4!
 

SheHateMe

Diamond Member
Jul 21, 2012
7,251
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WIC (women, infants & children or something like that) dictates to their clients what they can and can't buy with their coupons. At least in CA. With foodstamps, you can buy any cereal, but if you're using WIC, you can't buy cocoa puffs but you can buy cheerios for example. You can go absolutely nuts in Walmart on foodstamps.

Yes, WIC is very restrictive. I saw a woman get told that she couldn't get a sugary cereal with her WIC voucher and that she could choose from something on the list (which the clerk had behind the counter).

My little sister's mom was on WIC temporarily (6 years ago) when she moved states and couldn't find work immediately. We'd go to the store and she'd have a written list of items she chose from each group, a loaf of wheat bread, a gallon of whole milk, 2 bottles of Apple juice, cheese...etc.

On the other hand I've seen people at Walmart cashing out on all types of food with foodstamps. You cannot get hot food with an EBT card..but that pretty much just eliminates like .001% of your choices in the store.

There must be an exception though because Ive seen at Kroger that the hot food from the day before (which is cold now) is EBT eligible. They put stickers on everything in the store that you can get with an EBT card.


take a HH of 5 people for example. With no income, in CA, they get $793/mo for groceries.

Someone had a chart in another thread from long ago that showed the average benefits for a household around that size is like $400/m. I don't think anyone is getting nearly $800 in EBT benefits...atleast, I hope not.
 
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thestrangebrew1

Diamond Member
Dec 7, 2011
3,430
382
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The EBT card also has the Cash-Aid (TANF) portion linked to the card. So while you don't use the food stamps, you can still use the Cash-Aid portion to buy the hot food.
 
Nov 29, 2006
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What we need is federal welfare food centers. Bare minimum and they must come to get their allotted amount of food per week.
 

SheHateMe

Diamond Member
Jul 21, 2012
7,251
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The EBT card also has the Cash-Aid (TANF) portion linked to the card. So while you don't use the food stamps, you can still use the Cash-Aid portion to buy the hot food.

Yea, which is super lame since people can withdraw that money and use it to buy other stuff.
 

rpsgc

Senior member
Sep 22, 2004
207
0
86
:thumbsup:

Letting them die seems wrong but giving them pre-cooked food seems wrong too. Buy some pasta and boil it in water. Jesus Christ people are lazy.


Water. Like out the toilet?

D:
 

child of wonder

Diamond Member
Aug 31, 2006
8,307
175
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:thumbsup:

Letting them die seems wrong but giving them pre-cooked food seems wrong too. Buy some pasta and boil it in water. Jesus Christ people are lazy.

Exactly.

The least they can do is prepare their free food.

My family and I make enough money to eat out every day. But the meals we enjoy the most are making things from scratch together. Pity those in more dire financial straits would rather waste our money on convenience foods than take additional time to make some good meals with their family.
 
Nov 30, 2006
15,456
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What we need is federal welfare food centers. Bare minimum and they must come to get their allotted amount of food per week.
When our family was on ADC, I don't exactly remember how it was set up...but I do remember periodically getting a large amount of government cheese and butter. Needless to say...we ate a lot of grilled cheese sandwiches.
 
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lotus503

Diamond Member
Feb 12, 2005
6,502
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food stamps in addition is just another corporate handout, government money to buy goods. i'm sure the food lobby wants as many people on Food stamps as possible.
 

SheHateMe

Diamond Member
Jul 21, 2012
7,251
20
81
food stamps in addition is just another corporate handout, government money to buy goods. i'm sure the food lobby wants as many people on Food stamps as possible.

Oh yea, the Huffington Post had an article on just how much corporations are benefiting from participating in the SNAP program. Walmart, Coca Cola, Kraft...etc invest millions into make sure Welfare is going strong.
 

lotus503

Diamond Member
Feb 12, 2005
6,502
1
76
Oh yea, the Huffington Post had an article on just how much corporations are benefiting from participating in the SNAP program. Walmart, Coca Cola, Kraft...etc invest millions into make sure Welfare is going strong.


Yup but folks are more concerned with a person buying smokes or driving a nice car while on food stamps than the true corruption behind the system.

or put another way, some folks are so concerned with the person fingering their nose they don't notice the 3 in their butt.
 

BoberFett

Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
37,563
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Oh yea, the Huffington Post had an article on just how much corporations are benefiting from participating in the SNAP program. Walmart, Coca Cola, Kraft...etc invest millions into make sure Welfare is going strong.

The whole system is fucked, top to bottom.
 

nehalem256

Lifer
Apr 13, 2012
15,669
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food stamps in addition is just another corporate handout, government money to buy goods. i'm sure the food lobby wants as many people on Food stamps as possible.

So you are saying that Obama is really the "Corporate Welfare President" :hmm:

Maybe if the Republicans had called him that instead Romney would be President :sneaky:
 

nehalem256

Lifer
Apr 13, 2012
15,669
8
0
:thumbsup:

Letting them die seems wrong but giving them pre-cooked food seems wrong too. Buy some pasta and boil it in water. Jesus Christ people are lazy.

Have you seen how fat the average poor person is? I don't think they will starve to death :D
 

lotus503

Diamond Member
Feb 12, 2005
6,502
1
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I don't see how that would fix this particular problem.


Its not that it will fix this problem, but I suggest we cant even try and address it without addressing the other side first.

I submit get rid of food lobby and then we can focus on the other side of the problem in a meaningful way, until then the money from lobby will always stand in the way of real progress on the issue.
 

Texashiker

Lifer
Dec 18, 2010
18,811
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Yup thats exactly what i'm saying.

I guess you slept through the 1980s as regan was shutting down shipyards and put 10s of thousands of people out of work?

Adjusted for inflation, skilled metal workers today are probably making 1/3 of what they were making in the late 1970s.

If anyone was the welfare president, it had to be regan.
 
Nov 30, 2006
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Its not that it will fix this problem, but I suggest we cant even try and address it without addressing the other side first.

I submit get rid of food lobby and then we can focus on the other side of the problem in a meaningful way, until then the money from lobby will always stand in the way of real progress on the issue.
If you get to the root cause...you will likely fix a lot of problems. K street isn't the root cause imo.
 

lotus503

Diamond Member
Feb 12, 2005
6,502
1
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If you get to the root cause...you will likely fix a lot of problems. K street isn't the root cause imo.

How are you going to get at the root cause when food lobby spends money to ensure the root causes are never addressed.

I think you underestimate the power of lobby dollars as a matter of impacting policy.

And that is what we are discussing law and policy you cant reform welfare and get rid of the folks that abuse the system without changing the law and policy surrounding it. In your way is food lobby and their dollars.
 

lotus503

Diamond Member
Feb 12, 2005
6,502
1
76
I guess you slept through the 1980s as regan was shutting down shipyards and put 10s of thousands of people out of work?

Adjusted for inflation, skilled metal workers today are probably making 1/3 of what they were making in the late 1970s.

If anyone was the welfare president, it had to be regan.

Regan also signed EITC, I don't know who is the biggest welfare president, my statement was letting it be known I have no problem with Obama's accountability with the current system.
 

nehalem256

Lifer
Apr 13, 2012
15,669
8
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How are you going to get at the root cause when food lobby spends money to ensure the root causes are never addressed.

I think you underestimate the power of lobby dollars as a matter of impacting policy.

And that is what we are discussing law and policy you cant reform welfare and get rid of the folks that abuse the system without changing the law and policy surrounding it. In your way is food lobby and their dollars.

Actually I would think the root cause is people having kids they cannot feed.

This is even more true for WIC, which due to its rules, essentially only exists to give food to people who shouldn't be having kids.