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Food Stamps Restriction
Replies
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I know this wasn't your point, but it does make me wonder at a society that pays so little in minimum wage that people in some circumstances are better off receiving aid instead of working . . . .
There was a documentary a couple of years ago, and I can't remember what it's called, but one of the people who was in it was a young single mother. Over the course of the documentary, all she wanted to do was find a job and get off of 'welfare'. She did end up finding a full time job, but realized that it put her over the cap pf being able to qualify for assistance but below what she actually needed to feed her kids. Obviously it's slanted (because it's a documentary), but I wonder how many people we have in the US in similar situations?
A lot. I would even go so far as to say it's common. Especially when you figure in other costs associated with employment such as travel, clothing and child care.3 -
Need2Exerc1se wrote: »
A lot. I would even go so far as to say it's common. Especially when you figure in other costs associated with employment such as travel, clothing and child care.
child care is the killer for me - admittedly I don't have kids...but I struggle to comprehend how monthly childcare (at like a facility) for one child can cost more than my mortgage (I live in the DC area, so its probably more expensive - but yikes)2 -
I know this wasn't your point, but it does make me wonder at a society that pays so little in minimum wage that people in some circumstances are better off receiving aid instead of working . . . .
There was a documentary a couple of years ago, and I can't remember what it's called, but one of the people who was in it was a young single mother. Over the course of the documentary, all she wanted to do was find a job and get off of 'welfare'. She did end up finding a full time job, but realized that it put her over the cap pf being able to qualify for assistance but below what she actually needed to feed her kids. Obviously it's slanted (because it's a documentary), but I wonder how many people we have in the US in similar situations?
This causes me to ask the next level of "Why?"
Wage is based on market forces, primarily skill set, so why do we have a population lacking the skills to earn a minimum livable wage?6 -
This causes me to ask the next level of "Why?"
Wage is based on market forces, primarily skill set, so why do we have a population lacking the skills to earn a minimum livable wage?
I think a great deal of that comes down to politics. Clearly this doesn't apply everywhere, but local/state/federal money could be better spent training workers into new industries that in propping up dying ones (probably an unpopular opinion). The lack of investment into education and having an education system that is rife with mismanagement is a problem, too. We pay teachers far too little and spend not nearly enough in making sure that a HS graduate has skills in addition to knowledge. We need more people trained in skilled labor and we need more emphasis on technology based labor/infrastructure in order to be globally competitive.
A complicating factor is that the minimum wage in this country is far from 'livable' just about anywhere, driving more people into social assistance programs while taxpayers fund corporate welfare.8 -
deannalfisher wrote: »
it wouldn't surprise me if there were quite a few - another book I read a year or so ago was called The Missing Class: Portraits of the Near Poor in America and it was about those people who are just above the poverty line so don't get a lot of the benefits, but not really middle class either - http://amzn.to/2ivvjFw
This and "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich are interesting takes, but offer up few solutions. I found this book particularly insulting and condescending, although understanding that I am not the target audience.1 -
I think a great deal of that comes down to politics. Clearly this doesn't apply everywhere, but local/state/federal money could be better spent training workers into new industries that in propping up dying ones (probably an unpopular opinion). The lack of investment into education and having an education system that is rife with mismanagement is a problem, too. We pay teachers far too little and spend not nearly enough in making sure that a HS graduate has skills in addition to knowledge. We need more people trained in skilled labor and we need more emphasis on technology based labor/infrastructure in order to be globally competitive.
A complicating factor is that the minimum wage in this country is far from 'livable' just about anywhere, driving more people into social assistance programs while taxpayers fund corporate welfare.
Unfortunately, I think you can trace a lot of modern society's basic problems (at least in the US) to our education system. The haves and the have-nots get separated at a very early age, and neither are being trained for jobs that are actually needed and decent paying today.
This is not what I imagined I'd be thinking about all day while procrastinating in the MFP forums, LOL. I think I need some Oreos
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LJGettinSexy wrote: »
Then you'd complain they were spending the money on steaks and shrimp, I here it all the time. Food is expensive for the working poor ( not making a living wage and not poor enough for aid) and soda is cheap. Natural and healthier choices are twice as much as junk food, or haven't you noticed
Take away/convenience/junk food is more expensive than fresh healthier choices here. You pay MORE for the convenience factor.2 -
Unfortunately, I think you can trace a lot of modern society's basic problems (at least in the US) to our education system. The haves and the have-nots get separated at a very early age, and neither are being trained for jobs that are actually needed and decent paying today.
This is not what I imagined I'd be thinking about all day while procrastinating in the MFP forums, LOL. I think I need some Oreos
While browsing the weekly ad from Safeway for a response earlier in this thread, I saw that Oreos are on sale for .99 at my Safeway. Now, I want some, too
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OliveGirl128 wrote: »
Ah, that's where there's the disconnect then, because after researching into organic I definitely don't think it's any 'healthier'. Fresh fruit in season is reasonably priced-I have around 50lbs of berries in my freezer, that I picked from UPick farms earlier this year. Also-I frequently pay .35-.54lb for bananas, $3 or less for a bag of apples (9 apples), I'm paying $1.78 for 2lbs of fresh grapes tomorrow when I get groceries etc. And I can get bagged frozen chicken breasts for under $6, 1lb bags of frozen wild caught salmon for under $4. And yes, I do eat beans every day, as well as whole grains-I follow the DASH protocol and these are staples of the plan.
eta I'd be curious to compare menu plans and grocery lists with you, to see where we differ.
My diary is open but you'd have to go back a few months to find a full day. I relax my logging in the summer months0 -
Need2Exerc1se wrote: »
This is where nutrition counseling could be helpful. Organic or fresh foods are necessarily the healthiest. Frozen or canned vegetables provide plenty of nutrients. Dried beans and grains are very healthy. A ribeye at $15 per lb is not more nutrition than round steak at $4 per lb. Thinking that a balanced diet only comes from expensive foods shows a lack of nutrition knowledge.
I didn't say a balanced diet only comes from expensive foods, I said the healthier foods are more expensive. You can get family size bags of potato chips 2/$4 or bogo but 2lbs of grapes $7.98. I shop every week for groceries and I am not making this up for the sake of argument, I've been shopping for decades and have seen the rising prices of food. Parkay Butter spray is $3 for 8oz bottle but you can get Blue Bonnet margarine 4 stick pkg at 2/$1, and these are staples, so there is no nutritional counseling for me, maybe you need counseling for the real world.5 -
I think a great deal of that comes down to politics. Clearly this doesn't apply everywhere, but local/state/federal money could be better spent training workers into new industries that in propping up dying ones (probably an unpopular opinion). The lack of investment into education and having an education system that is rife with mismanagement is a problem, too. We pay teachers far too little and spend not nearly enough in making sure that a HS graduate has skills in addition to knowledge. We need more people trained in skilled labor and we need more emphasis on technology based labor/infrastructure in order to be globally competitive.
A complicating factor is that the minimum wage in this country is far from 'livable' just about anywhere, driving more people into social assistance programs while taxpayers fund corporate welfare.
Something I ask at every school board meeting "What is your purpose?" Simple question that strikes the administration dumb every time. Are we educating kids at the secondary level to move onto post-secondary? Have we completely forgotten about those not interested in post-secondary education? Are we properly preparing kids for the working environment? How is this ensured when those teaching are completely separated from industry?
This highlights the slow reaction of politicians to react to industry needs. Nearly all vocational programs have been eliminated from public education, yet the greatest job demand is forecasting specifically towards trades and services. Note that these are also positions that are highly resistant to outsourcing and provide a higher degree of security.
Very true, although what was the intent of a minimum wage?
Corporate welfare is an abomination and should be eliminated across the board. It is not the role of government to pick winners and losers in the market. This is pure corruption.6 -
Here's an idea if you want to purchase soda grab a job. There are plenty out there.8
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janejellyroll wrote: »
So you see a relevant difference between directly using the benefits to buy soda and using the money that has been freed up because SNAP covered pasta or beans or whatever to buy soda?
It's true that soda is still being bought, if that's the point you're trying to make.
The difference is that if someone is using SNAP dollars to buy soda, then the government is essentially using tax dollars to pay for a food that is a major contributor to obesity, which causes an increased for many chronic diseases, which would then necessitate medical care that would probably be paid for using Medicare/Medicaid, spending more tax money in the process.
What you use your own money for is your deal.
I suppose what I'm trying to say is that I don't believe that it's right for someone to use public money to buy things that contribute to health problems that would then have to be dealt with by using more public money.4 -
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True! I shop at Aldi now and love it, but when I was on food stamps I lived in a food desert in an extremely poor community with few stores (I pretty much had one strip mall within 30 miles to get my necessities from). My mom used cloth diapers and I did suggest them to many people but in some places it's just "not done," which I never understood...disposable diapers are hugely expensive, and so is shopping the chain stores.
@LJGettinSexy, where the heck do you shop? Apples never retail for more than $3 a bag here, and carrots are 89c. Most fruits and veggies in season are cheap as dirt. Bananas are 49c/lb. at Pick N Save. I guess you live in a bigger city?
I don't shop at Aldi's because there isn't one in my neighborhood and their fruits and veggies don't stay fresh as long as the other grocery stores and I buy lots of fruit because I have heavy fruit eaters in my home. Bananas are cheap as stated in my previous post. I buy a lot of food on sale but staples are expensive as heck, meats, cheese, butter, potatoes, bacon, fruit, veggies, bread. A bag of apples is only $3 in the summer when nobody eats them but Honey Crisp apples are way high, even at Trader Joes, which is the only kind I eat. Watermelon in season now is $5, which isn't bad but grapes, pineapple, strawberries, canteloupe $3-$6 products easily. I just shredded a receipt from a store where I shop, darn, LOL!1 -
OliveGirl128 wrote: »
We now do school of choice into a district that has an online program-it's a hybrid program of public school and then homeschooling. Technically my kids are still public school students but do most of their schooling at home
eta: that also means my kids eat all their lunches at home now, and I fit that into my small grocery budget as well.
It would be interesting to know why you took them out, BTW I don't want the answer, but it would be interesting.2 -
Realizing that this may derail the thread, but I think this is a great conversation.
As part of any temporary benefits application process what would be your opinion on mandatory education of the following (as applicable):
Nutrition/Weight Management
Cooking
Budgeting
Home Economics
Thinking back to my military service, where if one applied for financial assistance they had to first attend a basic finance course and have their budgets reviewed by a counselor. This was a very effective program with an extremely low rate of repeat applications.
I like this idea, as it covers any potential (and I mean only POTENTIAL) issues that may have contributed to their situation. Obviously job loss /=/ lack of economics skills but it can help provide extra insight during the tough time, in the form of helping them make the most of their benefits.0 -
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Realizing that this may derail the thread, but I think this is a great conversation.
As part of any temporary benefits application process what would be your opinion on mandatory education of the following (as applicable):
Nutrition/Weight Management
Cooking
Budgeting
Home Economics
Thinking back to my military service, where if one applied for financial assistance they had to first attend a basic finance course and have their budgets reviewed by a counselor. This was a very effective program with an extremely low rate of repeat applications.
Where does one find time for mandatory classes? Usually someone on assistance is already working a huge amount of hours a week and still can't get by. Then the time it takes to put food on the table, spend time with family, etc etc.8 -
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zachbonner_ wrote: »
pfffttt slacker! just get another job right?
Really... we should just round up the poor and flog them. Sucks to be poor.9 -
My food stamps were recently decreased and I had decided to make them last longer by only buying meats with it. Before I used to sometimes get sandwiches and seltzers or sodas on it because I had no cash to get lunch.
The other day I was splitting up my shopping cart to buy the meat (chicken and some beef on sale) and my vegetables and other house stuff on another as well as shopping for my Mother (so her stuff was on another bill so she could have her own receipt). I told the cashier ahead of time I was doing 3 transactions, she just mhm'd. We get to the last one transaction, and she says is that it? I smile thinking she's trying to make a joke and she goes its not funny, its sad. I tell her I'm just doing what it is I have to do. I swipe my snap card, pay and walk away. At first I felt ashamed and embarrassed and dumb thinking when will this part of my life be over and I can just confidently go into a supermarket and know I can afford anything it is that I want to buy. Then I told myself I shouldn't feel bad, I'm doing the best I can for my family to feed them as well as I can.
All that to say that I don't agree with the soda restriction. If someone wants to use that money for soda that's their business. Sometimes you just want a soda (like those few times I had no cash and no means to make lunch at home and bought a deli sandwich and one of those fruit sodas from san pellegrino.)14 -
This causes me to ask the next level of "Why?"
Wage is based on market forces, primarily skill set, so why do we have a population lacking the skills to earn a minimum livable wage?
But the problem here is - those minimum, unlivable wage jobs will continue to exist, and need to be filled, even if the people currently in them manage to skill themselves out of them. So there will always be that group of people in those jobs (some with the skills to not be in them but without the available positions) who are stuck in this cycle.8 -
[
The argument against it could be that inner city folks don't have access to healthier foods, but if you make the change to not allow or limit unhealthy food, you are also forcing (in a good way) stores to provide healthier choices or lose that income from the food stamps. [/quote]
Sounds good, but ask a store owner how much they spend stocking healthy foods that don't get bought. Their overhead makes them charge more, and they can't compete w/ supermarkets. IF there are even any close by. Poorer areas in cities have few big markets, they're frequently referred to as food deserts for a reason. It doesn't follow that banning junk will increase availability of healthy food. That will take activism.3 -
Strawblackcat wrote: »
It's true that soda is still being bought, if that's the point you're trying to make.
The difference is that if someone is using SNAP dollars to buy soda, then the government is essentially using tax dollars to pay for a food that is a major contributor to obesity, which causes an increased for many chronic diseases, which would then necessitate medical care that would probably be paid for using Medicare/Medicaid, spending more tax money in the process.
What you use your own money for is your deal.
I suppose what I'm trying to say is that I don't believe that it's right for someone to use public money to buy things that contribute to health problems that would then have to be dealt with by using more public money.0 -
LJGettinSexy wrote: »@Strawblackcat
Wow, no one said that all they were drinking was soda, sometimes you just want to enjoy a soda, you're making way too much out of drinking soda. If we all were making healthier choices we wouldn't be on a weight management website1 -
LJGettinSexy wrote: »
It would be interesting to know why you took them out, BTW I don't want the answer, but it would be interesting.
Don't know how interesting it is, but we moved them mainly because my oldest is very musically inclined and the district we now work with has one of the best orchestra programs in our state. My daughter is a part of their orchestra program and will most likely pursue a music related career, (she currently plays 3 instruments and is interested in music therapy as a possible career path). We moved her over first, and seeing how well she did with the program, we decided to go that route with all three. Since switching, all three kids test scores have greatly improved and they're thriving. It also works a lot better for my son, who has ADHD. He has the freedom to move around, stand up during lesson time etc, and the program works well with his learning style.8 -
Something I ask at every school board meeting "What is your purpose?" Simple question that strikes the administration dumb every time. Are we educating kids at the secondary level to move onto post-secondary? Have we completely forgotten about those not interested in post-secondary education? Are we properly preparing kids for the working environment? How is this ensured when those teaching are completely separated from industry?
This highlights the slow reaction of politicians to react to industry needs. Nearly all vocational programs have been eliminated from public education, yet the greatest job demand is forecasting specifically towards trades and services. Note that these are also positions that are highly resistant to outsourcing and provide a higher degree of security.
Very true, although what was the intent of a minimum wage?
Corporate welfare is an abomination and should be eliminated across the board. It is not the role of government to pick winners and losers in the market. This is pure corruption.
https://www.dol.gov/oasam/programs/history/flsa1938.htm
According to the FLSA, minimum wage was established to end starvation wages of workers at the tail end of the Great Depression. It brings to question if the intent to various changes to the Act over the years have maintained that as a core tenet. Arguably, today's minimum wage would be considered starvation wages if it is not enough to feed an adult and any dependants under the age of 16, which is nearly always the case in our country.
Inflation has far outpaced wages over the past 30 or 40 years, so you end up with a significant portion of works with full time jobs who still fall below the poverty line and become eligible for food assistance.
I completely agree that the primary focus on post-secondary education is setting us up for failure. Nothing wrong with a college degree, but it is not the "key to a better life" in the way that it's often portrayed. We need workers with skills. We need people to pursure vocational education. We need people to train for the well paying jobs of the future. On the flip side, that could reduce the abundance of entry level workers all competing for the same barely paid job right out of college.
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zachbonner_ wrote: »Bottom line is the government should not be allowed to tell people how to spend their money. The government works for me, not the other way around.
The government is handing SNAP recipients the cards. If one doesn't like the rules on use of the cards, that person doesn't have to accept them.
Freedom of choice.5 -
Don't we tell people in these same MFP forums that there aren't good foods and bad foods when it comes to weight loss and that what is generally considered "junk food" is OK as long as it's in moderation and fits within your calorie budget?17
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