Food Stamps Are Like..

[kamiller42]

I replied theft. In a more properly ordered world, the hungry would be aided by private citizens entirely. Absent such charity, the government is compelled to handle it.

[Ed Normile]

[quote name='kamiller42' timestamp='1319660032' post='2327409']
I replied theft. In a more properly ordered world, the hungry would be aided by private citizens entirely. Absent such charity, the government is compelled to handle it.
[/quote]

I gave this props for your statement "In a more properly ordered world, the hungry would be aided by private citizens entirely." this would be living as God would want us to do, sadly most do not aspire to this life.

ed

[dairygirl4u2c]

so given how conservative this board is. how does one differentiate between food stamps, and other governmental policies? where does 'a basic minimum' end and begin?
i realize most people don't disagree as much as people think, the devil is in the details. i'm just curious what people would say.

[brandelynmarie]

[quote name='MIkolbe' timestamp='1318255711' post='2319077']
I used to be a grocery checker... this is true.

With the old paper foodstamps, they typically had $0.50 on the dollar 'exchange rate' for cash.

Also had this lady named Betty. Everyone at the store knew her...She would come in and buy t-bone steaks, porterhouses, lobster tails, jumbo shrimp and pay with food stamps. One time, she left the keys to her Mercedes on my checkstand. I never knew anyone with as many foodstamps as her. It would be nothing for her to have $900-$1000 worth. We all figured she was claiming a billion kids...the running joke was for her to adopt us so we could get a nice surf-n-turf meal.

I would say, though, on the whole, there were many more people using food stamps honestly/correctly/properly/responsibly, than those not. But WOW do the ones who don't use it honestly get you mad!!!!!!!!
[/quote]

I just recently shared this story at work when we were talking about abuse of food stamps. I changed the names to protect the innocent.

[dairygirl4u2c]

i disagree with the idea that it's the private sector, or 'charity''s role, to help out people unable to eat, for most circumstances. the only reason they aren't able to eat, is because our society is fundametnally flawed the way it is designed. for someone to not be able to find a way to eat, is as whack and disordered as it comes. the only thing preventing them, by and large, is a system where we say 'this is all ours, cause we have the money and power to say it's ours, and government to coerce anyone who disagrees.'. in the natural world, it's not wrong to go plant some corn on a plot of land to eat, or whatever. in our world, it is, trespassing etc. and in the natural world, if a person goes hungry, they find food, no matter what it takes, even if it's as moral as possible... and be more morally concerned not with taking the food, but with the society that would be more concerned about the food being taken, than the fact there's decent folk unable to eat. 'which is worse... the fact that a man steals, or the fact that he has to' kinda idea. to put all this burden on private charity is sorely misplaced, given it should never be their problem to begin with, as far as a power structure goes.

maybe it's a decent argument, to say that those who 'have' in terms of anything of substance, should feel morally obliged to allow those who 'don't have' to work for nuts, basically almost literally, and thus enabling them to eat, whilst getting us all free dirty jobs, for all our biddings.

[dairygirl4u2c]

sure, jesus said to go feed the hungry. he didn't say to go get government to do it. but, that's in a society where people are just down on thieir luck, probably, moreso. we have folks down on their luck, and we have a disorded society, and we have lazy folk, who almost everyone agrees should smell of elderberries it up etc.

[add]

[quote name='dairygirl4u2c' timestamp='1321300428' post='2336249']
sure, Jesus said to go feed the hungry. he didn't say to go get government to do it. but, that's in a society where people are just down on thieir luck, probably, moreso. we have folks down on their luck, and we have a disorded society, and we have lazy folk, who almost everyone agrees should smell of elderberries it up etc.
[/quote]
dear Dairy Girl,
You for got to capitalize Jesus (fixed it) Have you read "The Good Samaritan" - [size=3](Luke 10:25-37) [/size]
Jesus said: You shall love the Lord your God from your whole heart, and from your whole soul, and from all your strength, and from your entire mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”

[dairygirl4u2c]

i didn't capitalize cause i don't capitalize. i think it slightly crossed my mind, but i thought i would not offend Jesus not capitalizing, as it's a technical point. but,then, you bring up a decent point. it's sorta like dressing up for church. people say 'why bother, God loves us how we are etc'. but then, you should do it out of respect, cause you want to. kinda like, how i dont even care how i dress around folks, or society, but i do realize, at elast sometimes, i have to do it, not for me, but out of respect.

[add]

[quote name='dairygirl4u2c' timestamp='1321329740' post='2336434']
i didn't capitalize cause i don't capitalize. i think it slightly crossed my mind, but i thought i would not offend Jesus not capitalizing, as it's a technical point. but,then, you bring up a decent point. it's sorta like dressing up for church. people say 'why bother, God loves us how we are etc'. but then, you should do it out of respect, cause you want to. kinda like, how i dont even care how i dress around folks, or society, but i do realize, at elast sometimes, i have to do it, not for me, but out of respect.
[/quote]
Dear Dairy,
Any proper name should be capitalized. So of course Jesus' name should be.

[add]

Give thanks that food stamps feed the poor and needy
It is good for this holiday and everyday to eat

[Groo the Wanderer]

how many food stamps does it take to mail a banana to Arkansas? i've always wondered....

[PennyLane]

I wondered if it would be possible to have "vouchers" instead of a dollar amount, similar to WIC. so they have a voucher for fruits, vegetables, grains, etc. I am a social worker, and notice a lot of my clients buying junk with the food stamps...

I also realize what I am implying is that big brother takes control of what we eat... /sigh

[MithLuin]

The WIC vouchers are a good idea, but they work by letting you 'stock up' on a lot of nonperishable stuff at once - you'll 'buy' all your jars of baby food for the month in one trip, etc. I can see this not being a very good system for folks trying to feed their families and choose the menu a bit, especially with regard to perishable food. But no matter what, it's not going to be perfect, which is why people prefer the freedom of buying their own food (given a choice).

But I have often wondered why WIC does that and foodstamps don't. I guess WIC has the excuse of being intended to help people be healthy in early childhood, whereas foodstamps are literally just meant to feed the hungry.

The voucher system might make it a little less easy to abuse foodstamps (I don't know), but I'm sure people would still be selling them on the black market like they do now. So, at the end of the day...people will outsmart the system (or try to).

[PennyLane]

There probably will always be a black market when it comes to food stamps, etc. I know it some states, they have restricted the foods that you can purchase with FS, such as soda, candy, chips.

You're right though, WIC is meant to feed mother and child, not necessarily a 4 person family.

I wonder what the long-term effects of having a voucher system for food stamps would be...

[MithLuin]

It's more that WIC supplements the family's food, rather than providing entirely. You can still buy Doritos in the same trip to the grocery store that you use your WIC vouchers - but they'll only be good for juice and cereal and beans and peanut butter and canned tuna fish. I'm sure there are people who are relying on WIC strongly for the food (ie, not buy much else), but I think that fewer people treat it as the sole source of groceries (which food stamps often are).

So...I'd be hesitant to restrict what you can buy with food stamps, knowing how much people are already in a really tight spot. If someone has limited access to grocery stores and no money, I'd really hesitate to put yet one more loophole in there for them to jump through.

I mean, yes, you're not supposed to 'waste' all your food stamps on candy and soda, but I don't want to tell someone on food stamps that they can't buy a chocolate bar occasionally, either -- since I'd certainly want to if I were down and out.