Pretend you are the issuer of the foodstamp that is to reimburse the grocer. How in the hell are you going to verify when the grocer claims "Yep 98% of all these stamps I want my cash for were spent on fruits and vegetables."
About the only way I can think of is to totally limit their use to healthy foods. (I'm not all too sure I support that either)
Comments
I missed that segment having my healthy bran muffin and unhealthy espresso but how does he define "healthy foods?" Fruits and vegetables are overrated and not enough. Protein is very import. And bodies are not created equally so one man's healthy food might be someone else unhealthy food. Some day the public and medical professional may evolve enough to understand this.
One workable way would be similar to WIC. and actually list what items are acceptable but that would take teams of people going through ingredients of everything. That might encourage food makers to upgrade the crap they sell and work their way onto that list
WIC actually does not allow you to purchase anything organic. It is also very limited. In my eyes, that is not nutritional. My children were eligible for free lunch in elementary school, and I chose not to feed them that "food" after reading a few books on its quality. Did you know the beef served to school children is the lowest grade in the US? They save the stuff they can't sell and ship it to the schools. Some of the school food is neon. Most of it is sweet.
While my family has been elegible for these programs, I have not used tham because what the government deems as nutritional is, quite frankly, a joke. Not everyone has the same diet, so their diet can't be picked for them. I and my son and daughter are celiacs, no wheat (barley, etc). My son can't tolerate dairy. All of us have chemical sensitivities, so no food dies, or preservatives. Are you really going to grocery shop for me? Kill me while you're at it.
We are not on food stamps because I am lazy, irresponsible and fat. We are all VERY thin. I am UBER educated. My son has a disability that requires full time care, and his dad went bye-bye. Angry am I. Yes. But save your pity and just stop judging.
Go ahead, attack those on food stamps as not being "good enough" or "smart enough" or "worthy enough" to figure out their own diets. When its your turn, I'll be sure to chime in and tell you what I'll allow you to eat. or not.
p.s. Thom- How about the choice for a "green" card an additional amount on a card that can only be spent on produce. ?? We can all agree veggies are our friends, yes?
I am certainly no "know it all" when it comes to WIC. The nearest exposure I have had to it was when my sister was on it over 20 years ago. I did not mean to imply that I defend what exact items they allow. My point was simple. If you are going to issue a monetary token, It would be extremely burdensome to allow multiple values on this token. The only way (supposing there was such a thing as a magic list of all good foods that everyone can consume) would be to issue a token that would physically change depending on what types of items are bought.
Sorry, I'm not reacting to you, specifically. . . Just this discussion in general.
The value of the items bought would still be have to be determined by a mysterious someone or group. Once again, my food value may not be yours.
I do not allow any cornsyruped, hydrogenated, GMO'd, nano-teched, irradiated, homogenized, non-farmer/trade friendly items in my house. I am a food Nazi (is that a legal term in this forum?)
I grow alot of my food for obvious reasons.
Would the food you buy pass my tests?
Values can not be ordered, only taught.
in about 12 years we will be downloading photos of our favorite meals to stare at while we eat government issued wafers.
..... brought to you by Soylent red and Soylent yellow, high energy vegetable concentrates, and new, delicious, Soylent green. The miracle food of high-energy plankton gathered from the oceans of the world. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070723/
I don't see why this is even a question. Getting food stamps and any assistance from the govt. should be a last resort and should supply basic neccessities,period. There should be zero ability to buy anything but basic, unprocessed food. News flash:you don't get to chose when you are on the taxpayer dole. I am sure you have been in the grocery store and watched (and seethed) as your $$$$$ goes to buy crap that YOU, who pay your own way, would never think of buying. Half these people up here (Peoples Republic of VT) would not know any other way to live other than as state sponsered parasites. Ought to make it less attractive.
An PS: along thse lines, in the discussion on the radio yesterday about school lunches,etc etc. Has anyone EVER considered NOT having kids they can't afford? If you have kids, are on foodstamps and Medicaid for anyother reason other than short term extenuating circumstances, Newsfalsh #2: You should not be popping them out until you can PAY FOR THEM!
An PS: along thse lines, in the discussion on the radio yesterday about school lunches,etc etc. Has anyone EVER considered NOT having kids they can't afford? If you have kids, are on foodstamps and Medicaid for anyother reason other than short term extenuating circumstances, Newsfalsh #2: You should not be popping them out until you can PAY FOR THEM!
So may I assume that you're a right-winger in favor of contraception, sex-ed, and abortion rights?
I was a teacher and earning an awesome salary (ha!), supporting my family just fine, when my son became disabled. I have payed taxes and worked uncountable overtime in the past 20 years.But you would kick my family to the curb in a time of disaster. Pehaps I should have an after-birth abortion, 'cause now that he's alive, his life doesn't count, right? It would solve all your problems!!
This is the way America is going, zero community, zero compassion.
It's all about me,me, ME! Screw you! I want my car, my house, my clothes, my vacations, and lattes. I want all my own money, and lots of it. You can't have any!!
You have delusions off being in the top 1% of income earners. Guess what, they don't want you and they won't let you in their lil' ol' club. They spit on you. But they love that you have bought into the hate that is destroying all of us. They thank you for doing their job for them and for kicking the dog next to you. Are you panting heavily and looking around for your bone?
I'm wondering if you had to repeat kindergarten to learn about sharing, waiting your turn, not budging in line etc. More likely, your teacher just gave up.
It is so very easy to be critical when you are perfect. . .When you have been so blessed with be born who and where you were. May you or someone you love (do you know love?) never become disbled. May disaster never come to your house, because then you may be enlightened.
Sometimes I think there really is no hope for humanity, we're just nasty cruel creatures. Greed will surely destroy us.
This is the way America is going, zero community, zero compassion.
It's all about me,me, ME! Screw you! I want my car, my house, my clothes, my vacations, and lattes. I want all my own money, and lots of it. You can't have any!!
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This is the way America is going, zero community, zero compassion.
It's all about me,me, ME! Screw you! I want my car, my house, my clothes, my vacations, and lattes. I want all my own money, and lots of it. You can't have any!!
And those "other people" were able to amass that money through the "compassionate terms" that society provided them. They owe something back not specifically to any one individual but to society as a whole and that can benefit or prevent people from falling through the cracks. If you want to be selfish about it think of it this way: you will pay one way or the other. I bet you hate seeing homeless beggars or psychologically deranged people on the streets and bet you wish they would all go away. Why not pay a little more in taxes or better yet get your friendly politician to vote to end expensive foreign wars so that money can be used to get those people off the streets and into some help to get them on their feet again?
I missed that segment having my healthy bran muffin and unhealthy espresso but how does he define "healthy foods?" Fruits and vegetables are overrated and not enough. Protein is very import. And bodies are not created equally so one man's healthy food might be someone else unhealthy food. Some day the public and medical professional may evolve enough to understand this.
Probably if food stamps were sufficient....an occassional orange could be bought. rather than cheap empty calories with little nutritional value.
Retired Monk - "Ideology is a disease"
And we need unbiased nutritional education in our schools. I remember the very boring ones in health classes based on the 5 food groups. That food group info has since been revised but of course does not address biochemical individuality. Then we had them pushing us milk (which I have an intolerance to) at the school lunches at the behest of the dairy lobbyists.
Probably showing kids that they can kick ass if they eat right might be the right approach. ;)
(Someday the emoticons may actually work).
ThisnameisAl wrote: "I would like you to consider, that whenever you "take" more than you need (wether it be food, clothes, energy, money) it comes from the hands and resources of some "other" on this planet. Living and "claiming" in excess is a planetary sin that results in disparity and death."
poly relies: That's pretty true. Resources at any given time are finite. Just like money. As former Fed Chairman Friedman noted in his book "Money Mischief"...for one to have more, another has to have less.
Our shop till you drop, consume all you can cultural mentality...kills people. It just isn't obvious..
Trickle down globally doesn't work any better than trickle down nationally does. We condemn trickle down within our own nation abhorring the destitution it brings about...and carry on the policy internationally as a people.
Afterall, that superfluous $40 tee shirt we bought provided someone in Haiti with 5 cents...If we didn't buy all the junk, perhaps prices would come to reflect local incomes....the Haitian might actually be able to buy what he produces.
Retired Monk - "Ideology is a disease"
I'm so glad you asked that wonderful question. Hmmm . . . so many things!
Please reread my first paragraph. As I have paid taxes for many years, and will continue to do so in the future, could I benefit from the system I have bought into, just a little bit, in a time of great need? And I also want that ability to be there for you if you ever need it.
Could I do it without being judged by other people in the check out line? Yes I am ashamed that it has come to this, yes I want my life to be better, yes I want so much for my kids. Can you not glare at the back of my head so harshly with self-righteousness? I get it.
Could you ask the hobo on the corner his name, ask him his story, buy him a sandwich, bring him to a shelter, instead of mocking him or make a "cute" joke about hobos?
Could you advocate for the poor, for the disenfrachised, for those pushed into poverty by how you cast your vote?
Could you (the non-specific you) stop making chauvinistic statements,
"An PS: along thse lines, in the discussion on the radio yesterday about school lunches,etc etc. Has anyone EVER considered NOT having kids they can't afford? If you have kids, are on foodstamps and Medicaid for anyother reason other than short term extenuating circumstances, Newsfalsh #2: You should not be popping them out until you can PAY FOR THEM!"
I ask, where have all the fathers gone? Were these children immaculately conceived? Stop pointing fingers at women and take resposibility for your gender and its Pontius Pilate response to the whole mess.
I would like you to consider, that whenever you "take" more than you need (wether it be food, clothes, energy, money) it comes from the hands and resources of some "other" on this planet. Living and "claiming" in excess is a planetary sin that results in disparity and death. While I am not a communist, I would like humans to evolve to not "desire" simply for the purpose of having. I would love it if we could balance our hedonistic tendencies with common sense and caring for others.
If we let the exploitation of the human race and the resources on this planet to continue, we will perish. Uh huh, and really soon. Drive your fancy cars while you can.