Missouri Lawmakers Don't Want Food Stamp Recipients To Buy Steak

originally posted by: Spider879
a reply to: Aazadan
But that's precisely why such a project like that is needed, if folks in South Central can make the attempt I don't see why it can't by replicated in other areas,just a few souls at first,even hardened criminals will take note. and as far as fresh fruits and veggies go that's a rarity in some communities that don't even have a proper supermarket so the farmers produce is not reaching them anyhow.

Oh, we have a grocery store, it's quite a nice one too. The only problem is that it's mostly funded by a payday loan company that sits right next door to exploit the people that need to eat.

We're 2x the national average in violent crime, 3x in rapes, 5x in property crime, 6x in murders, and my favorite.... 10x the national average in home invasions. The crime rate seems too high to have a community garden. On researching it further though, it seems the local hospital has tried to put one together. I'll go by it tomorrow and see what it's like.

originally posted by: Aazadan

originally posted by: Spider879
a reply to: Aazadan
But that's precisely why such a project like that is needed, if folks in South Central can make the attempt I don't see why it can't by replicated in other areas,just a few souls at first,even hardened criminals will take note. and as far as fresh fruits and veggies go that's a rarity in some communities that don't even have a proper supermarket so the farmers produce is not reaching them anyhow.

Oh, we have a grocery store, it's quite a nice one too. The only problem is that it's mostly funded by a payday loan company that sits right next door to exploit the people that need to eat.

We're 2x the national average in violent crime, 3x in rapes, 5x in property crime, 6x in murders, and my favorite.... 10x the national average in home invasions. The crime rate seems too high to have a community garden. On researching it further though, it seems the local hospital has tried to put one together. I'll go by it tomorrow and see what it's like.

I hear you Aazadan, but there most be a way perhaps easier said than done but there is an answer out there.

originally posted by: caladonea

originally posted by: proteus33

i suggest to cut back on foodstamp fraud we implement foodstamp cards with a photo id on them

I like your idea of putting peoples photos on their food stamp cards...that would really stop a lot of the fraud going on.

Then you run into the situation of where it is a ligit card and assisstance needed but the person holding it shoping for the other person because they are disabled. Maybe add Photo along with caregiver/careshopper ID on it?

originally posted by: Puppylove
a reply to: daskakik

And I doubt those include the steaks that just got the pink sticker of death. This steak must go.

Some stores, like Food Lion, slap that Pink Sticker on very early in the morning of the "sell by date". If you're smart, like I was, you go shopping for beef on THAT day and get really good sales.

originally posted by: proteus33

i suggest to cut back on foodstamp fraud we implement foodstamp cards with a photo id on them

It fails. The person with the card goes shopping with the other person. They pay with the card that has their photo on it. Then they step outside and the other person hands over some cash for the shopping cart of groceries. Not much different than now really, except this doesn't go on nearly as much as you think it does.

I'm wondering about the claim in the article that the welfare queen is a myth and abuse is isolated. I've known 10 people on EBT and all but one were cheating the system. The internet has many many stories and vids of people admitting this. A lot of the younger people don't see it as a problem because it's generational and they've grown up in homes on assistance. They think it is just what you do--- when you are old enough you go apply for your own benefits. One girl seemed truly puzzled when asked about getting work and earning her own money. Why would anyone do that when "they" will just give it to you once you do the paperwork? The concept was completely alien to her. I felt bad for her, that her parents failed her so badly. How much more she could have out of life, not just financially, but experiences and friendships etc.

I can't help but wonder how many more like her are out there being limited by what should have been a help.

I think my opinion will be taken as logical and well received. We shall see.

Someone on welfare or other benefits that "the people" pay for should have to spend the benefit money wisely. Much like government is supposed to not waste the money we pay them to operate or a public school isn't supposed to spend this money on extravagant items.

So what wouldn't I allow? Lobster or any food product above a set and fair "dollar per pound" style calculation. Toilet paper, etc. would also fall into that style of calculation. In short...food and groceries should be fairly easy to purchase but not nutty priced extravagant items or brands. Healthy? I don't really care that much. People need "feel good" food also.

Where I would really draw the line are non-necessity products. 60" televisions, computers and related services. You don't need WiFi at home if it is available at the library and I think any person on welfare should expect less convenience. If you have to drive to get on a computer, walk to the bus stop, etc...that is part of how it works. Welfare and such benefits are there as a "lifesaver", not an insurance policy to continue living at the level you may have been living previously. Better than survival...but not much. In fact...the desired reaction to receiving welfare should be "I don't like living like this" so that the individual attempts to do better going forward.

We need to provide employment and training services. A free suit, computer access, etc. And finally...verification. Verification should be a weekly (paycheck style) system where you leave your home, get to the welfare office and pick-up your check/card etc. During this weekly pick-up, you will be interviewed to see how you are doing, what you may need and if you are following the rules. Three strikes. F'up three times and you are done. No more handouts to deadbeats.

Welfare must be a safety line and not a way of life. It may be difficult or uncomfortable to hold on to that line, but if you need it, that is what you must do. Sure...help people get off our assistance but NO...abuse of OUR assistance will result in you losing it. Break the rules...you don't get to play the game.

healthy, non-gmo food. sort of like a health food store, oh wait that's too expensive, guess they'll have to eat the cheaper crap just like the rest of us


a reply to: caladonea

I live in the boonies too and we have a guy with a refrigerated truck who drives around delivering essentials. Each family's grocery order would be pre-packed and loaded on the truck and delivered to your house. Your grocery items would be prescribed for you and your family based on your health care card which would be updated each time you have a regular physical. I don't see it as a punishment, I see it as an incentive to get off the system and if you can't then that's your life. There is no argument that I could take seriously that demands giving people the right to eat unhealthy so they perpetuate a burden on the healthcare system.


a reply to: Aazadan

Ok something people need to realize, the cost you're paying for food stamps is more akin to paying for insurance than it is you paying for someone else to eat. In fact I wish most insurance plans I've been on where as cheap as the one provided by food stamps.

Everyone who works pays taxes, a miniscule amount which goes to food stamps, if anyone falls down on their luck, food stamps is one of many safety nets to catch you to help you survive and get back on your feet. Like insurance, it's something you pay into while hoping you never have to use. Unlike most insurance, the cost to you to have it is abysmally small.

Most people on food stamps have, unless children, contributed to the pool that makes this safety net possible.

Whether you use it or not, and like insurance let's hope you never need to, it's there for you if and when you need it.

None of you are paying diddly squat for others to eat, instead we're all paying into a communal insurance pool to help keep us afloat should we start to be pulled under.

I don't want food stamp recipients to buy steak on my dime either. You want to buy nice cuts of meat, get a job, make more money, whatever. I work my ass off and I can't remember the last time I bought a decent cut of meat from the store. It's similar to a guy I saw ride up in a brand new Cadillac Escalade, I thought good for him, but then he's infront of me in line paying with ebt and I almost lost my # right there.

Lobster may be a luxury food, but I do not see how steak is. The only "luxury" I see in steak rests in it being pre-cut for you. My wife went to our local farmer's market and bought ribeye roasts and had them cut into "steaks". She spent about 100usd for 20 or so steaks, cut an inch and an inch and a half respectively. Paired with some good frozen vegetables, a steak dinner costs us about 7 dollars per person. Not really a big budget meal in my opinion.

a reply to: ketsuko

I have a weekly grocery budget of around $120 to stretch for three.

$120.00 a week??? Stretch???
I honestly dont know what to say, I have to live on about $100.00 A MONTH

I do agree that healthy foods ARE more expensive then the non-healthy stuff, I can go shopping for just healthy stuff, and it cost TWICE as much.
I dont see steak as being a luxury food, its BEEF, if so, whats considered a non luxury meat???

originally posted by: EvilBat

originally posted by: caladonea

originally posted by: proteus33

i suggest to cut back on foodstamp fraud we implement foodstamp cards with a photo id on them

I like your idea of putting peoples photos on their food stamp cards...that would really stop a lot of the fraud going on.

Then you run into the situation of where it is a ligit card and assisstance needed but the person holding it shoping for the other person because they are disabled. Maybe add Photo along with caregiver/careshopper ID on it?

Thank you for bringing this up...Yes there would have to be some sort of clearance for the caregiver...I am just not sure what that would be at the moment...but there has got to be a way.

This is going to start off a little weird.

A person requires a few basic things for survival. Food, water, shelter, air, sleep...as well as someone to blame.

Consider prison for a moment, specifically, solitary confinement. An individual (not just a criminal, any individual) placed in solitary confinement will eventually go insane. If you put 2 individuals in the same place long enough, one of them will eventually attack the other one.

The specific details do not really have any merit. The reason being that the human brain will manifest a justification as to why the other individual qualifies as a target of their anger / self-pity.

Left free to roam and choose personal associations, individuals will tend to gravitate towards those they consider more like-minded; at least to one degree or another. This eventually forms the basic structure of classes within society. It works on a microcosmic scale; I submit high school in any town in the US (I have never been to a high school in another country) as an example.

The same need, absent a target and leading to insanity in our first example, now has a general support group and a societal caste to which they comfortably feel superior to that will allow them to outwardly express that basic human need in its most degenerated form; politics based on personal idiosyncrasies, and we now legislate based on personal taste instead of the common good.

a reply to: Puppylove

As mentioned earlier, you are right. Miniscule...we only spend 0.06% of the national budget on SNAP. Less than 1/10 of 1%.

We could eliminate food stamps altogether, and it would have zero effect on the nations budget. It would be like one of us trying to save money by stealing our toilet paper from public restrooms. There just isn't any meat on that bone.

To those talking about early morning mark downs: i have a freezer full of filet mignons and ribeyes that were bought early in the morning. Rarely do I eat meat that I paid full price for.

I'd like to point out, there aren't any people in this country that pay "no taxes" unless they're children. There are a lot that aren't required to pay federal income tax... but you and I both know, federal income tax isn't the only tax out there.

As far as "not on my dime" goes... I pointed out earlier that the cost per taxpayer is $0.027 a day. If you're paying less than 3 cents a day, it doesn't really give you much room to get excited about. If you think the food stamp recipients lives are so good, try living like that. It's not easy. It's not glamorous.

Yes, there are people who game the system. But the vast majority of people using the assistance are not. Are you really that petty that you want to control what people eat because you contribute 3 cents a day towards the assistance program? By the way, once you pay your taxes it is no longer YOUR money. It's the governments money.

Beyond that, who cares? It's not a bottomless food card. You only get what you get per month. If you spend it all on expensive food, you don't get any more food stamps for the rest of the month. It's not like people can buy surf and turf every day of the month.

This entire argument is petty and shows a real attitude of selfishness. "I can't afford steak, so why should they get it???" you can afford steak. You can afford to buy it if you have a job. Maybe not filet mignon, but you're being disingenuous or obtuse if you think that is what "steak" most people are talking about. But, if you can't afford $4 for a skirt steak or $10 for a t-bone, then you probably qualify for food stamps, and you probably are not required to pay income tax. So, you don't even have the "not on my dime" argument to fall back on.

[/thread]

Thank you to everyone who has responded to this thread.

With your responses a healthy debate has been happening...and I appreciate that.

Oh another thing to mention on the insurance angle of this. You're contributing this .06 whatever of a cent towards foodstamps which is a safety net for YOU. All this bill does is add an artificial limit on that safety net. It says, nope you can't buy tuna fish or cheap steak. This does not lower the already abysmally low cost of food stamps at all. That .06 of a cent remains .06 of a cent. So all this bill succeeds in doing is being petty, not only that, but should you ever fall on hard times you've just artificially limited yourself and shot yourself in the foot, and ultimate it didn't do a damn thing to combat the "cost" of food stamps.

It's like going up to your insurance company and saying, "Hey I'm not likely ever to get this rare disease, so um, it's ok if you don't cover it, and no I don't expect you to change what I'm paying you at all. I like being artificially limited for the same cost.

originally posted by: ketsuko

originally posted by: windword
a reply to: macman

But again, just put "It's for the children" in front of what ever, and it will have a base of uneducated backers.

For sure!

For the sake of the children, food stamp recipients will no longer be able to use food stamps to purchase cookies! Sounds legit!

I mentioned it earlier - Why do they need to buy cookies? Why not have them purchase the things to bake their own cookies? Most of the ingredients that go into cookies can also be used for other, more practical uses, and they can still have their cookies.

Ah, if only every family had a "Aunt Bee" type character at home to make home made cookies, fresh baked bread, and an apple pie cooling on a window sill.

Seriously, though, I think it would be a great thing for food assistance recipients to be offered a kind of "Home Ec" class that teaches people how to shop, what to shop for to stretch your FS dollar, how to cook and where to purchase, or maybe get for free, cooking appliances, pots and pans, ect.

There's an AMVETS (American Veterens) thrift store near me that has a huge banner that says they accept EBT. That allows low income families to be able purchase cheap CHEAP clothing and necessary household items. Salvation Army will give almost anything they have, if it's for a good cause. A serious coordinated effort to teach people kitchen skills and provide them tools, could be a positive effect that could go and long, long way.