Food Stamp Question. Anyone else outraged by the following?

Question

Today at the market the lady in front of me bought a case of Slim-Fast and a case of Dasani water, she "paid" with food stamps.

Is anyone other than me bothered by this?

What can be done about this kind of abuse of our tax dollars?

Why can't the"poor" just get a couple of bags of rice and beans to survive on?

How has the food stamp program contributed to the problem of obesity in this country?

And now I hear that the activists want the "poor" to get a food stamp ATM type card so that no one would know who was using food stamps. Then they won't even have to drive the junker car to the store, they can take the Mercedes.

Answer 1

I couldn't agree with you more!!! I don't understand how the system doesn't check how a family is doing before they give them help. I mean I see people paying at the super market with food stamps and they leave in a brand new car. How is that possible? If supposedly they are in need.. It's not fair that the system does not do anything about it, It's not fair that we have to go out their to work every day and they take our money to give to lazy people that want everything given to them.

Answer 2

How about an answer from a moderate? As far as I know they can buy any actual food product except alcohol. Are you asking whether they should be limited to healthy food? I personally don't believe in limiting a persons choices. I prefer to decide if I want to be fat or not and the disabled should have the same choice. That being said - I do think we all need to eat healthier. Getting a Big Mac is fine once in a while but too many people live on the damn things. Great question and for once we don't disagree on politics. LOL Hugs you my friend.

Answer 3

I see no problem buying Slim Fast and Dasani water... it's my guess that that's what that woman is eating for lunch everyday this week.

I'm not going to tell anyone what they should feed themselves and their families.

Foodstamps are a often times a great asset to people. The people that these help far outweight the ones they don't.

Ha! I did see a question on here earlier that said "If you have a drug conviction, can you be denied food stamps." Now, I have serious problem with that. Or, even more so, if you're on welfare and THEN you buy drugs... that's awful.

In general I have no problem paying higher taxes so that underprivledge people, especially children, can have health insurance and food stamps. I think it's a wonderful thing.

Besides, this is America. We're founded on the principles that dictate that we should help each other out in times of need. If you don't like the American way, then you can live somewhere else.

Answer 4

I think stupidity or ignorance is always a problem, But I would bet that all the people who ever abused a food stamp, could eat well on just the money the government paid to Haliburton to feed rotten (literally) food to our troops.

Those kind of folks steal Billions each, and you are not concerned, they get more to put up cheap plastic tarps than a whole roof should cost, and that is not a concern.

But let some poor person, who you have no idea who they are, be a bit ignorant with the minuscule welfare money they get, and some how you are terribly outraged.

If you are so intent on straining for gnats you might want to pay more attention to the Elephants you are swallowing.

Answer 5

Not me. What she bought was totally exceptable. If she were buying potato chips and candy, or filet mignon(expensive) I would have been insulted. Or if she had offered to sell her FS at a discount, which often occurs.

The food stamp program serves a very necessary need. If we can feed other countries then we should have a program to feed our own especially the children.

Obesity occurs for NUMEROUS reasons. It is documented that one of the contibuting factors is being economically disadvantaged. To eat healthy cost more money for those who have little money and/or large families. For instance...it is cheaper for a large family to eat pasta's and meals that can be stretched than it is to buy organic vegatables. Low carb foods cost more than the regular. Sugar free items cost more..etc.
A steady diet of beans and rice without exercise could surely lead to Obesity. You can't be concerned about obesity and be angry that someone bought slimfast and water?????

The food stamp program is not the problem. Administering the program may be. As it is with any program of this type.

Update for you....The state of NY has had benefit cards(like charge cards) for at least 5 years. The purpose was to protect your tax dollar. To circumvent people selling the food stamps(paper), which was and is in some states rampant. They put the dollar amount on a card. which makes it harder to transfer.

It was reported this week nationally that approx 40% of people who "do" qualify(nationally) for FS have not applied. So the abuse is not that everyone who is entitled to or may need FS is running down to get them. Like any other system there are those already in the system that misuse it. It's a Federally funded program so yes we who pay federal taxes fund it....but I would rather see 10 hungry people get FS than cancel it because 2 people misused it.

This country rebuilds cities in other countries at our expense. We should practice charity at home first.

Answer 6

Who in the hell are you to judge? People do fall on hard times. Most people are living one paycheck away to being homeless. Regardless of what they purchase, some people need help! They deserve the dignity and discretion of anyone else. Your comment on the purchase of rice and beans? If the day ever came and you find yourself needing food stamps, is that what you will survive on day after day, meal after meal? I sure hope you follow your own judgmental advice. In addition, I think your comment is implying that people receiving food assistance are of a certain culture, and or race, which also shows your ignorance and small minded view. Your opinions are biased. Let's just hope you don't have to eat your words one day!!!!! Your statement shows, you have a lot of class but it is all low. Look at both sides before you voice you **********opinion. Otherwise shut the hell up.

Answer 7

There isn't anything wrong with being on food stamps. I have had to be in that position myself because of a dead beat dad. Some people abuse the system and get this service when they don't need it. That is the fault of the program. When I got mine, I bought what I needed for my child. She had 3 healthy meals a day and also had fresh fruit for snacks. I never abused the system because I never knew if I might have to use it again. I worked for years paying taxes and I think that I deserved to be helped when I needed it.

Answer 8

I understand your frustration at what she bought but ask yourself this...how do you know she isn't working too and paying her taxes? You don't know her situation at all and quite frankly I would rather see someone buying dasani and slimfast than buying nothing but junk with them. As for just giving poor people beans and rice to survive on well how would you like to only eat beans and rice? If you are so disturbed by the welfare system then perhaps you can talk to your local congressperson about welfare reform.

Answer 9

The abuse to food stamps is as old as the program itself. The program is excellent if it would do what it had been originally established for, to help in an emergency.

But instead, we have made the lazy people even lazier. They no longer have the incentive to get out and get work as long as they have the government to help pay their bills.

In the olden days before the government stepped in with their great plan to help the poor, the poor were helped by their neighbors and the neighboring church.

When I was 16 and pegnant, I lived in a home for unwed mothers. In 1971, you were not allowed to go to school if pregnant, so I never finished 10th grade. My social worker was mad at me because I was refusing to place my child for adoption and told me I would be living off welfare for the rest of my life and teaching my child to do the same.

Life was not easy, in fact it became awfully hard as a result of my lifestyle. I became a drug addict and an alcoholic. My career went up and down before I sobered up at the age of 30. However, only one time did I ever go on Welfare and it was for less than two months.

It was during a national high level of unemployment (1983-1984), and even unemployment benefits were being extended. I was living in Minneapolis collecting unemployment from las Vegas, thus, I was making more money ($700.00 p/mo) than they were offering for a top notch secretary at $800.00 p/month gross.

Once I had gone thru the extension, I was forced to take any job to help support my daughter who was 11 years old at the time, and I was still without a high school diploma.

I got a job as a secretary, three days later, I sneezed and crushed a disc and ended up in the hospital needing surgery. Needless to say, the job with only 3 days of employment was not going to be held for me, in addition to the fact I had no health insurance.

I had no choice but to go on AFDC and Social Services provided a homemaker to go and live with my daughter while I was in the hospital and thru some of my recovery time. It was awful, my dauughter and I were both ashamed to use the food stamps.

Unknown to me at the time, in a matter of a few years, with the help of Christ, my life was going to take a complete turn for the better.

However, through all the years of drugs and alcohol, and other hard times, whether it was from my own doing or not, I never had to rely on the state for help except for that one time. There are other ways as long as a person is willing to work.

Nowdays though, not only do they make it easier for a person to stay on Welfare, they take away all shame or even embarrassement by giving the food stamps in the form of a credit card.

Let the ones who have a valid need to accept temporary help receive the credit card type food stamp, and the ones who have been on forever, food stamps the old way, the paper format.

Yet, I understand the cost is higher for the paper food stamps and they are more apt to be stolen and used, but they could afford it if they go after all the fraud cases.

Answer 10

Nice rant, dude, but I highly doubt anyone on welfare is buying or driving a Mercedes. So you want the gov't to start regulating what people eat? Do you live on rice and beans? That's one example of what someone bought...why do you generalize what people with food stamps buy? I know people with food stamps (the ones that the gov't didn't stop yet) do the best they can. Slim Fast is good for you, why would that contribute to obesity?