Missouri Republicans are trying to ban food stamp recipients from buying steak and seafood

[Camp]

This issue is not a conservative or liberal issue. If you notice, this thread has posters who normally disagree on just about everything, agreeing on a pragmatic solutions for this particular issue. In some cases it seems like the people disagreeing are disagreeing out of habit without any real thought or direction. Liberals are sounding like conservatives and conservatives are sounding like liberals. Pragmatic solutions without ideological influence can be very confusing.

 

[koshergrl]

So no hamburger either?

Hamburger meat runs around $3.50 a pound. Ribeye steak runs around $12.99 a pound. What do you think?

what if its round steak?.....

All unhealthy food should be off the list. Red meat is not a healthy source of protein.

And who gets to decide and dictate to others what "healthy" is? I'm sure you're creaming your jeans in anticipation of even more opportunity to tell people how to live.

It is called science, but common sense can tell you lots. And I am not suggesting people be told how to live. I am suggesting that when we give charity to to people we should have some control of how the charity is used. They can spend their own money however they want. If my money is being spent to feed your kids I should be able to insist you don't my donated money on soda and candy. If you don't like the rules don't take the donation.

Exactly.
I used to bristle at the thought of denying foodstamp recipients carte blanche when it came to spending their snap dollars as well, I was like "If it's legal for them, they should have the authority to spend it as they please".

Except that begs the question....what is the purpose of the program? The purpose of the program is to stave off starvation. If that's the purpose, then why are we providing empty calories that serve no purpose?

My change of mind came after having a series of involved discussions with a DHS program manager, over the course of 4 years. She said it wasn't a hardship and it wasn't micromanagement...this is CHARITY..and all the rest of us have to budget our food allotment, why should snap recipients be any different? Why should they be able to buy doritos and m&Ms and soda fountain pop..when those of us who are PAYING for their food can't afford them? That's just backwards and wrong.

 

[koshergrl]

I would actually much rather they just be given bulk food items once a month and skip the allotment altogether.

Give them 10 lbs of beans, 10 lbs of potatoes, 30 lbs of meat, a gallon of milk per household member, a bag of rice, a bag of sugar, pasta, cheese, and canned or frozen veggies, flour, salt, eggs, and some baked goods mixes.

 

[jknowgood]

I would actually much rather they just be given bulk food items once a month and skip the allotment altogether.

Give them 10 lbs of beans, 10 lbs of potatoes, 30 lbs of meat, a gallon of milk per household member, a bag of rice, a bag of sugar, pasta, cheese, and canned or frozen veggies, flour, salt, eggs, and some baked goods mixes.

They would never do that, they would lose their vote.

 

[Conservative65]

Food stamps are suppose to be for poor people who cannot afford basic food items. If you can waste a majority of your food stamps on steak. You don't need them. If you think it's not fair that you can't buy steaks with your food stamps. Then get a job.

So no hamburger either?

Hamburger meat runs around $3.50 a pound. Ribeye steak runs around $12.99 a pound. What do you think?

what if its round steak?.....

How about cube steak? How about sirlion? Why don't we let them buy colby steak? They are tax payer supported, they shouldn't eat better than the average tax payer.

Since they are being supported by taxpayers and the taxes they don't pay, they shouldn't eat as well as the average taxpayer.

 

[Conservative65]

Food stamps are suppose to be for poor people who cannot afford basic food items. If you can waste a majority of your food stamps on steak. You don't need them. If you think it's not fair that you can't buy steaks with your food stamps. Then get a job.

I'm yet to understand how someone demanding another person buy his/her food thinks that those forced to fund it shouldn't have a say in what is purchased.

 

[Boss]

I would actually much rather they just be given bulk food items once a month and skip the allotment altogether.

Give them 10 lbs of beans, 10 lbs of potatoes, 30 lbs of meat, a gallon of milk per household member, a bag of rice, a bag of sugar, pasta, cheese, and canned or frozen veggies, flour, salt, eggs, and some baked goods mixes.

I agree. Before Food Stamps, that's kind of what we did. I don't know about 30 lbs. of meat, that seems to be a lot.. and 10 pounds of beans would last me 5 years. lol. But yeah, hand out commodity vouchers and let them go to the surplus store once or twice a month. You could even have trucks service rural areas like we once did. My great aunts got food from the commodity truck and some of the stuff was really pretty good.

We would save butt-loads of money and more efficiently meet the objectives of feeding the needy. It would all but eliminate abuse or exploitation.

 

[Camp]

I would actually much rather they just be given bulk food items once a month and skip the allotment altogether.

Give them 10 lbs of beans, 10 lbs of potatoes, 30 lbs of meat, a gallon of milk per household member, a bag of rice, a bag of sugar, pasta, cheese, and canned or frozen veggies, flour, salt, eggs, and some baked goods mixes.

I agree. Before Food Stamps, that's kind of what we did. I don't know about 30 lbs. of meat, that seems to be a lot.. and 10 pounds of beans would last me 5 years. lol. But yeah, hand out commodity vouchers and let them go to the surplus store once or twice a month. You could even have trucks service rural areas like we once did. My great aunts got food from the commodity truck and some of the stuff was really pretty good.

We would save butt-loads of money and more efficiently meet the objectives of feeding the needy. It would all but eliminate abuse or exploitation.

We had a whole different way of supporting farmers and farms in those days. We guaranteed farmers that what they produced would be sold on the private market or by the government. This insured farms would stay in business despite market fluctuations and economic conditions. The priority was to keep farms operating through good times and bad. Dairy farms were given great importance. The farmer was insured to stay in business and produce the nations food no matter what. That is where surplus food came from. The cheese, butter, powdered and canned milk came from surplus from the farms. The government paid the farmer for the surplus and stockpiled it. It ended up being given away as food support in America and foreign aid all over the world. It worked wonderful and kept small family farms operating in America as a vibrant agricultural success. It brought America the lowest food cost in the world and allowed Americans to become the best fed citizens in the history of mankind. While we ate steak we sent cargo ships full of grain to feed Asia and Africa with donated grains like rice and corn.

 

[Boss]

We had a whole different way of supporting farmers and farms in those days. We guaranteed farmers that what they produced would be sold on the private market or by the government. This insured farms would stay in business despite market fluctuations and economic conditions. The priority was to keep farms operating through good times and bad. Dairy farms were given great importance. The farmer was insured to stay in business and produce the nations food no matter what. That is where surplus food came from. The cheese, butter, powdered and canned milk came from surplus from the farms. The government paid the farmer for the surplus and stockpiled it. It ended up being given away as food support in America and foreign aid all over the world. It worked wonderful and kept small family farms operating in America as a vibrant agricultural success. It brought America the lowest food cost in the world and allowed Americans to become the best fed citizens in the history of mankind. While we ate steak we sent cargo ships full of grain to feed Asia and Africa with donated grains like rice and corn.

Okay, and when exactly did we stop doing these things? You'll find that we didn't stop, we still do them. Of course, now the surplus food isn't good enough for Americans, it's largely shipped abroad as foreign aid. We now pay farmers NOT to produce certain things.

 

[Boss]

We had a whole different way of supporting farmers and farms in those days. We guaranteed farmers that what they produced would be sold on the private market or by the government. This insured farms would stay in business despite market fluctuations and economic conditions. The priority was to keep farms operating through good times and bad. Dairy farms were given great importance. The farmer was insured to stay in business and produce the nations food no matter what. That is where surplus food came from. The cheese, butter, powdered and canned milk came from surplus from the farms. The government paid the farmer for the surplus and stockpiled it. It ended up being given away as food support in America and foreign aid all over the world. It worked wonderful and kept small family farms operating in America as a vibrant agricultural success. It brought America the lowest food cost in the world and allowed Americans to become the best fed citizens in the history of mankind. While we ate steak we sent cargo ships full of grain to feed Asia and Africa with donated grains like rice and corn.

Okay, and when exactly did we stop doing these things? You'll find that we didn't stop, we still do them. Of course, now the surplus food isn't good enough for Americans, it's largely shipped abroad as foreign aid. We now pay farmers NOT to produce certain things.

 

[Boss]

We had a whole different way of supporting farmers and farms in those days. We guaranteed farmers that what they produced would be sold on the private market or by the government. This insured farms would stay in business despite market fluctuations and economic conditions. The priority was to keep farms operating through good times and bad. Dairy farms were given great importance. The farmer was insured to stay in business and produce the nations food no matter what. That is where surplus food came from. The cheese, butter, powdered and canned milk came from surplus from the farms. The government paid the farmer for the surplus and stockpiled it. It ended up being given away as food support in America and foreign aid all over the world. It worked wonderful and kept small family farms operating in America as a vibrant agricultural success. It brought America the lowest food cost in the world and allowed Americans to become the best fed citizens in the history of mankind. While we ate steak we sent cargo ships full of grain to feed Asia and Africa with donated grains like rice and corn.

Okay, and when exactly did we stop doing these things? You'll find that we didn't stop, we still do them. Of course, now the surplus food isn't good enough for Americans, it's largely shipped abroad as foreign aid. We now pay farmers NOT to produce certain things.

 

[Boss]

We had a whole different way of supporting farmers and farms in those days. We guaranteed farmers that what they produced would be sold on the private market or by the government. This insured farms would stay in business despite market fluctuations and economic conditions. The priority was to keep farms operating through good times and bad. Dairy farms were given great importance. The farmer was insured to stay in business and produce the nations food no matter what. That is where surplus food came from. The cheese, butter, powdered and canned milk came from surplus from the farms. The government paid the farmer for the surplus and stockpiled it. It ended up being given away as food support in America and foreign aid all over the world. It worked wonderful and kept small family farms operating in America as a vibrant agricultural success. It brought America the lowest food cost in the world and allowed Americans to become the best fed citizens in the history of mankind. While we ate steak we sent cargo ships full of grain to feed Asia and Africa with donated grains like rice and corn.

Okay, and when exactly did we stop doing these things? You'll find that we didn't stop, we still do them. Of course, now the surplus food isn't good enough for Americans, it's largely shipped abroad as foreign aid. We now pay farmers NOT to produce certain things.

 

[Camp]

We had a whole different way of supporting farmers and farms in those days. We guaranteed farmers that what they produced would be sold on the private market or by the government. This insured farms would stay in business despite market fluctuations and economic conditions. The priority was to keep farms operating through good times and bad. Dairy farms were given great importance. The farmer was insured to stay in business and produce the nations food no matter what. That is where surplus food came from. The cheese, butter, powdered and canned milk came from surplus from the farms. The government paid the farmer for the surplus and stockpiled it. It ended up being given away as food support in America and foreign aid all over the world. It worked wonderful and kept small family farms operating in America as a vibrant agricultural success. It brought America the lowest food cost in the world and allowed Americans to become the best fed citizens in the history of mankind. While we ate steak we sent cargo ships full of grain to feed Asia and Africa with donated grains like rice and corn.

Okay, and when exactly did we stop doing these things? You'll find that we didn't stop, we still do them. Of course, now the surplus food isn't good enough for Americans, it's largely shipped abroad as foreign aid. We now pay farmers NOT to produce certain things.

The farm programs were drastically changed under Butz during the Nixon and Ford Presidencies. Reagan would make changes that created the loss of family farms. Farm aid was started in the middle of the Reagan era, 1985.

 

[Boss]

We had a whole different way of supporting farmers and farms in those days. We guaranteed farmers that what they produced would be sold on the private market or by the government. This insured farms would stay in business despite market fluctuations and economic conditions. The priority was to keep farms operating through good times and bad. Dairy farms were given great importance. The farmer was insured to stay in business and produce the nations food no matter what. That is where surplus food came from. The cheese, butter, powdered and canned milk came from surplus from the farms. The government paid the farmer for the surplus and stockpiled it. It ended up being given away as food support in America and foreign aid all over the world. It worked wonderful and kept small family farms operating in America as a vibrant agricultural success. It brought America the lowest food cost in the world and allowed Americans to become the best fed citizens in the history of mankind. While we ate steak we sent cargo ships full of grain to feed Asia and Africa with donated grains like rice and corn.

Okay, and when exactly did we stop doing these things? You'll find that we didn't stop, we still do them. Of course, now the surplus food isn't good enough for Americans, it's largely shipped abroad as foreign aid. We now pay farmers NOT to produce certain things.

 

[EverCurious]

When I look at all the other "well meaning" bullshit out there, the ongoing trends of the country, and things that have directly touched my life because of others opinions on what petty shit I should, or should not, be doing with my life - I simply have to reject the idea of that level of micromanagement.

I do however like the idea of bulk, excess sure, handouts quite a bit and I think that's a good compromise to not encourage more nanny-state, but still provide only what is necessary or however you want to phrase it. I bet it'd lower our costs as well, if we ran stock like a business does I mean, because I am willing to bet a number of welfare recipients would turn their nose up at the offerings, and surely that would crash any EBT sales rings.

Why exactly did we stop doing the handing out bundles of food thing?

 

[tigerred59]

That story fit a longtime conservative suspicion that poor people use food stamps to purchase luxury items. Now, a Republican state lawmaker in Missouri is pushing for legislation that would stop people like Greenslate and severely limit what food stamp recipients can buy. The bill being proposed would ban the purchase with food stamps of "cookies, chips, energy drinks, soft drinks, seafood or steak."
Missouri Republicans are trying to ban food stamp recipients from buying steak and seafood - The Washington Post
Banning food stamps for thugs who spend it on luxury items, or they're trying to destroy welfare system?
I think that the only way to stop these people to spend our tax money on unnecessary items - is to create list of goods they can buy! And what do you think guys?

Since white people comprise mostly of food stamp recipient, I'm certain the world will come to an end now.....but here's the deal, those poor saps, you vote these morons in, deal with it!!

 

[Stephanie]

What Missouri does in their state isn't a concern for anyone who doesn't live there

this is just the DNC/progressive RUN and owned WashintonCompost stirring up the shit pot. they need to be shunned.

 

[tigerred59]

That story fit a longtime conservative suspicion that poor people use food stamps to purchase luxury items. Now, a Republican state lawmaker in Missouri is pushing for legislation that would stop people like Greenslate and severely limit what food stamp recipients can buy. The bill being proposed would ban the purchase with food stamps of "cookies, chips, energy drinks, soft drinks, seafood or steak."
Missouri Republicans are trying to ban food stamp recipients from buying steak and seafood - The Washington Post
Banning food stamps for thugs who spend it on luxury items, or they're trying to destroy welfare system?
I think that the only way to stop these people to spend our tax money on unnecessary items - is to create list of goods they can buy! And what do you think guys?

Since white people comprise mostly of food stamp recipient, I'm certain the world will come to an end now.....but here's the deal, those poor saps, you vote these People in, deal with it!!

 

[Cecilie1200]

So no hamburger either?

Hamburger meat runs around $3.50 a pound. Ribeye steak runs around $12.99 a pound. What do you think?

what if its round steak?.....

All unhealthy food should be off the list. Red meat is not a healthy source of protein.

And who gets to decide and dictate to others what "healthy" is? I'm sure you're creaming your jeans in anticipation of even more opportunity to tell people how to live.

It is called science, but common sense can tell you lots. And I am not suggesting people be told how to live. I am suggesting that when we give charity to to people we should have some control of how the charity is used. They can spend their own money however they want. If my money is being spent to feed your kids I should be able to insist you don't spend my donated money on soda and candy. If you don't like the rules don't take the donation.

WHAT is "called science"? Your personal fucking opinion of what is and isn't healthy and acceptable?

You ARE suggesting that people be told how to live. You don't think restricting the welfare payments to only purchasing food - and that only of certain general types - isn't enough. We should now play nitpicking Grocery Police for "good enough" food, and presumably spark a big controversial debate over whose standard of "good enough" we're going to use, leading to ongoing adjustments of what is and isn't covered according to whoever's in power at the moment, costing everyone bunches of extra money to keep reprogramming the computers to exclude this or that or the other thing.

Able to insist? You are. Is it a good idea or particularly helpful to anything other than your condescending sense of self-righteousness? Not really.

 

[Cecilie1200]

Hamburger meat runs around $3.50 a pound. Ribeye steak runs around $12.99 a pound. What do you think?

what if its round steak?.....

All unhealthy food should be off the list. Red meat is not a healthy source of protein.

And who gets to decide and dictate to others what "healthy" is? I'm sure you're creaming your jeans in anticipation of even more opportunity to tell people how to live.

It is called science, but common sense can tell you lots. And I am not suggesting people be told how to live. I am suggesting that when we give charity to to people we should have some control of how the charity is used. They can spend their own money however they want. If my money is being spent to feed your kids I should be able to insist you don't my donated money on soda and candy. If you don't like the rules don't take the donation.

Exactly.
I used to bristle at the thought of denying foodstamp recipients carte blanche when it came to spending their snap dollars as well, I was like "If it's legal for them, they should have the authority to spend it as they please".

Except that begs the question....what is the purpose of the program? The purpose of the program is to stave off starvation. If that's the purpose, then why are we providing empty calories that serve no purpose?

My change of mind came after having a series of involved discussions with a DHS program manager, over the course of 4 years. She said it wasn't a hardship and it wasn't micromanagement...this is CHARITY..and all the rest of us have to budget our food allotment, why should snap recipients be any different? Why should they be able to buy doritos and m&Ms and soda fountain pop..when those of us who are PAYING for their food can't afford them? That's just backwards and wrong.

The purpose of the program is to provide people the means to purchase food. At some point, we have to stop treating people like children, assume they can make decisions for themselves, and then let them live with the consequences of deciding badly.

First it wasn't enough to let people go hungry if they wouldn't provide for themselves (I'm not a supporter of letting people suffer if they're incapable of providing for themselves); we had to provide for them. Now it's not enough for them to be fat and unhealthy if they don't choose to eat properly; we must force them to eat what we think they should. At what point do we stop treating adults like retarded five-year-olds and taking over more and more of their independence?