Obesity and Welfare

tcmay72

My personal experience with food stamp: Years ago i worked at our local grocery store (i live in a very small town). It just doesnt seem fare that our/my tax dollars pay for people who are on welfare to be buying Name brand anything. Here i am to this day buying Great value, best yet, kroger ect just about anything i can to save money. Sorry i cant do cheap mayo. You think my kids wouldn't prefer Dr. Pepper over Dr. Thunder. What Im saying is how about some guidelines. Instead make generic mandatory and also allow for iteam such as soap, toothpaste, laundry needs. Just a thought mine so i think its great:0)

MizSaz

The system is broken. Badly. In a perfect world, I'd love to be able to say, anything purchased with an EBT card must have high nutritional value. However, you can feed a family of 4 for like $5 if you're buying garbage. You can't do that if you're buying organic veggies and free range meats.

I would suggest maybe allocated percentages- for the record, I have NO frame of reference, so I'm just going to use some nice even numbers for the sake of easy math- Say a family gets $100 worth a week in EBT. No more than $20 can be spent on things that can be construed as 'luxury'; cookies, chips, soda, etc.

Iron_warrior33

LOL, I honestly don't even think this is a discussion point. They're going to get the same amount fo food stamps either way, so what they eat isn't going to decrease the amount of money they take out of our paychecks for taxes. If they want to eat unhealthy, get obese, let them, it's not our lives or our place to tell them what they can and can't eat.

ModoVincere

I'm not opposed to the idea of limiting what can be purchased via food stamps or other wellfare, however, I think the idea is fraught with lots of pitfalls.
What constitutes healthy food? If someone has a special dietary need, is there an exemption of some type?
What about new products brought to market?

If we're going to require weight loss or management, what about people with physical disabilties? How do you enforce the weight rules? Mandatory weigh-ins each month?

Cassierocksalot

I belive that there is less access to healthy foods in high poverty areas because of supply and demand. If the people don't want it /ask for it/ buy it, no one's going to carry it. If food stamps moved to more of a WIC style program where you get vouchers for specific things and those specific things are fresh veggies and fruits, lean meats, etc., it would create demand. Either the local stores start supplying it or they go out of business. Hell, it could even offer opportunities for people to open markets where ones don't exist now.

And to those asking how you can buy guns/drugs/alcohol with food stamps, my Dad used to trade food stamps for heroine all the time.

ETA: Those vouchers could also include an option for some junk foods, because I do believe that we shouldn't be completely in control of what people eat, but that we should give them the tools to make the right decisions.

aylajane

I know people who sell their food stamps for half price to any willing buyer (usually other family members who dont qualify but want to cut their grocery bill). This gives them the cash they need to buy cigarettes, beer etc. That kind of negates the idea that making junk food more expensive so their $ goes less far moot... to some people cigarettes are more important than food. For others, that twinkie is worth it I guess.

I am of the mind that people who seriously need help buying groceries would be HAPPY to get actual food. Forget the stamps. Start more food pantries where qualified people "work" a few hours in the pantry in exchange for a bag of groceries (rice, beans, etc) to take home or even hot meals already prepared, depending on family size etc. It should be temporary while they get help working out a long term strategy. The pantry can also offer help and instructions on preparing the food, and offer help to those who dont have a place to prepare it.

Help people, but dont hand them cash and hope they do what is right. Many people (certainly not all, but a definite population) got where they are - needing handouts - because of poor decision making skills in their lives or poor priorities. Give them food, education, and tools to learn to make the right decisions with the help they do get and help them find a way to not need it forever.

sixisCHANGEDjk

At one point in Texas (and I *kitten*-u-me other states) you couldn't buy deli-prepared items such as fried-chicken and such. It's easy to control what items are eligible. The computer/barcode is programmed for such. I'm not sure making someone's choice for them is the answer though. The politicians aren't going to do it regardless of what we think anyway.

hearthemelody

I'm not opposed to the idea of limiting what can be purchased via food stamps or other wellfare, however, I think the idea is fraught with lots of pitfalls.
What constitutes healthy food? If someone has a special dietary need, is there an exemption of some type?
What about new products brought to market?

If we're going to require weight loss or management, what about people with physical disabilties? How do you enforce the weight rules? Mandatory weigh-ins each month?

-shudder-

adockins1

Honestly, as a tax payer, I'd rather pay for birth control for people who cannot support themselves. That would reduce the need for food, and we wouldn't have to worry about new generations learning bad habits.

bakenatj

So why should others give "the working poor" more than they need to survive? A bag of rice and a bag of beans will keep them fed. If they want to better their situation try getting a better education, find better employment, relocate for better employment opportunity. I could keep going.

I came from a poor family and worked hard to get an education and worked hard to work my way into a decent job. Anyone can do it, our society is just good at making excuses IMOP.

whitneyps7

Not all healthy food is expensive. It’s all about shopping SMART! I have six kids and my house is not filled with boxed food and junk. There’s fruits, nuts, yogurt, etc. I can feed my family of 8 on $500-$700 a month ( I am not on food stamps) and my friend gets almost double that on food stamps.

^^this

ModoVincere

I'm not opposed to the idea of limiting what can be purchased via food stamps or other wellfare, however, I think the idea is fraught with lots of pitfalls.
What constitutes healthy food? If someone has a special dietary need, is there an exemption of some type?
What about new products brought to market?

If we're going to require weight loss or management, what about people with physical disabilties? How do you enforce the weight rules? Mandatory weigh-ins each month?

-shudder-

yep....

travelistadiva

I took some time to vent my 'real' answer NOT here so that I could fall under your request to be nice :blushing:

It sounds like an easy answer to just not make unhealthy food available to people who can be 'controlled' in this manner but there is no way that you can make it work for everyone. And I'd bet that the percentage of people who would actually be helped long-term would be very minimal.

Poverty reduces people in so many ways and in our society there are many different reasons why the 'have-nots' are where they are. Reducing their worth further by acting as though they are unable to make their own choices in regards to what they feed themselves isn't going to help them make appropriate choices when/if they ever are able to support themselves.

I could say a lot more, but that's it in a nutshell.

Well said!

hearthemelody

I took some time to vent my 'real' answer NOT here so that I could fall under your request to be nice :blushing:

It sounds like an easy answer to just not make unhealthy food available to people who can be 'controlled' in this manner but there is no way that you can make it work for everyone. And I'd bet that the percentage of people who would actually be helped long-term would be very minimal.

Poverty reduces people in so many ways and in our society there are many different reasons why the 'have-nots' are where they are. Reducing their worth further by acting as though they are unable to make their own choices in regards to what they feed themselves isn't going to help them make appropriate choices when/if they ever are able to support themselves.

I could say a lot more, but that's it in a nutshell.

Well said!

Agreed!

VorJoshigan

If anyone had worked with the poor or homeless, you know that these people usually have very little joy in life and need their cigs and booze and donuts much more than average or rich people. From a certain social perspective I am finding inhuman to regulate their life which already sucks (and usually lacks any perspective).

That sounds great. So you're talking about you giving them cigarettes & booze & donuts right? Cuz I KNOW you are not talking about taking my money and giving it to them.

whitneyps7

Wow...this kind of hits home for me. I am a mother of two kids, usually a family of four (issues with the 4th right now)...that being said I have a good job and take good care of my family, my grocery budget is around $400/month for the 4 of us. Yes we eat out about once a week or so, but as far as foods I buy for the house its about $100 per week...often times less. I buy healthy foods...I do NOT buy donutes or sweets. Once in a while i'll get a small pack of cookies but that would be MAYBE once a month. My sister has two kids. Its just her and her two kids. She is on state aid (in Washington State, I know it varies by state!) and she receives OVER $450 per month in food benefits. She doesnt have a car so often times I drive her to the grocery store to do her shopping when I need to do mine. And it always amazes me at how much JUNK food she buys. Very little of anything healthy. Never any fresh fruits or veggies (tons of canned fruits though). Tons of chips, sodas, juices, cookies, ice cream...and she even gets on me for not allowing my kids to have the sweets her kids get. My kids are 9 and 13 and even they make comments about the amount of sweets. And her kids' teeth are rotting out of her mouth...seriously, the front 4 teeth are black. Its so sad! And it upsets me because she always runs out of food stamps by the 3rd week of the month (usually sooner) and then shes asking me to buy her food or take her to the food banks. I have tried to talk to her about her choices but she doesnt care. I fully believe its because she doesnt have to work for that money. She's chosen to remain unemployed for over 3 years, living in a house rent free owned by a bank that doesnt want to foreclose (it wasnt her house to start with either).
My neice is the same way. She has 3 babies and a husband. The husband doesnt work, she does in fast food. they SELL thier food benefits to buy weed. THAT makes me angry.

I work hard to provide for my family as I believe most of us do. I dont have many examples of people on state aid in my life and I just HOPE my sister and my niece are a rare exception and not commonplace. But I DO feel that there should be limits on what they can buy. I dont think they need to be able to buy all the sweets and sodas...and I do feel drug testing should be enforced. I know of 5 kids that would benefit from these changes (all my nieces and nephews).

this^^^

TheConsciousFoody

Oh oh oh...after we dictate what others can eat we should also have some population control! Yeah! Let's limit each family to only 1 child...all the others can be shipped to an island or put in foster care or up for adoption! Yay America!

hearthemelody

Oh oh oh...after we dictate what others can eat we should also have some population control! Yeah! Let's limit each family to only 1 child...all the others can be shipped to an island or put in foster care or up for adoption! Yay America!

Not even China goes that far (as a rule).

sarah_ep

i think that they should only be able to purchase healthy foods like milk, eggs, potatoes, veggies, fruits, breads, beans, meat and stuff of that nature (no pop, candy, or compleate junk foods) i also think they should be tested for drugs and have to do UAs to show they arnt on any drugs (if your on welfare and doing drugs why are u spending what money you do have on drugs instead of food)

The drug tests would be for those who receive cash, not food benefits. Drug testing in the few places that do it have actually cost the state more money because less than 2% tested positive and most of those who were positive were positive for marijuana. Its OK to drug test cash reciepiants based on what? Profiling? Let's drug test every politician and any politician who runs for office. I can guess they'd be much higher than 2% and not for pot.

To reiterate what she said:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/18/us/no-savings-found-in-florida-welfare-drug-tests.html?_r=0

It really is a waste of time and money.

Invalid point. Florida does everything wrong.

Regardless, 93% of welfare fraud is committed by the vendors, NOT the recipients.

It really is a waste of time and money to drug test the recipients. If you are worried about your tax dollars, start looking to investigate the vendors.

AmyFett

, you can feed a family of 4 for like $5

enlighten me please