Gotta stop those poors from having any joy. Only misery will suffice.
Why is it in our interest to pay for food that causes obesity and health issues?
Why do you consider what someone else eats to be a matter of “your interest”, at all?
Do you think your boss…who pays your salary…should be allowed to dictate what you spend it on? Is it in “their interest” to make sure you’re spending their money on “the right things”?
If I’m paying for it, it’s my interest. If it’s your personal decision, then do what you want
If that’s your stance you might wanna leave the low hanging fruit where it is and pick something that actually matters. Just my two cents. Like defense spending.
Defense spending is the most important function of government. Without it we can’t help Ukraine
Aged like milk.
Trump administration is selling its first package to Ukraine
What if it’s not happening that much and this is just a shoe horn to get legislation to destroy benefits? What if most states already remove some purchases from the EBT/food stamp total?
It’s like drug testing for welfare. It’s sounds like a good idea until you realize it costs millions, produces almost no results and the government performing said drug tests can’t be bothered to not do it in s corrupt way?
I want you to consider what you would do if you had $300 per month to buy food. How often would you use any of that money to buy soda and candy? Would you do it on a regular? Or would you do it just for special occasions to lift your spirits when things were bad?
This isn’t about health this is about punishing the poor for being poor.
I would spend very little of it on candy and soda, but not every person makes the same choices
I was very poor for two or three years in my early 20s. I was maniacally disciplined in only buying healthy, affordable food, no alcohol, no junk food, no sweets. Brown rice, beans, fish off the boat (a fishing fleet operated from our city’s harbor), tofu, miso, green veg. So I stayed healthy. If I had received any assistance, interference in my choices wouldn’t have helped. But the purpose of the interference isn’t to help, it’s to disempower, infantilize and humiliate.
It wouldn’t interfere in your choices because you didn’t buy those things
So you agree that there is some amount of acceptable spending on sweets.
As long as it’s from your own pocket
I would buy it literally never, because I already never buy it, because I know it makes me fat and depressed.
Because giving more people reasons to enjoy life benefits us all. Also, fuck rich people. We should all be clamoring to take as much from them as possible to improve the lives of those who have less.
You can drink soda and eat candy without becoming obese or having health issues as a result.
If the concern was really about health, they’d be regulating maximum sugar % in all sodas and candies, not banning them to the poor.
And if the concern was about people’s health, Trump wouldn’t have put RFK Jr into that job.
If you want to buy sugar on your own dime, you can hurt your own health. But why should the government pay for it?
Why should the government regulate how people eat based on their income?
It’s not based on income. It’s based on whether the government is paying for it or the person is paying out of their own pocket.
Similarly, school meals should be healthy and not include sweets and soda
It is their own dime. The government is everybody, and it’s here to serve. Somehow they got in your head that they aren’t entitled to that, but they are.
Edit: had/head
No, public and private funds are different things
Let them buy what they want you damn Nazi.
It’s not what every snap user wants. It’s just that garbage products are calorie dense and need little to no preparation, and those things absolutely matter when working several jobs or being homeless and convincing someone to let you use their address because a permanent address is necessary.
More calories per dollar for things like rice beans pasta. It’s a bit more complicated than that.
Convenience is king when you are constantly burned out and sleep deprived and “just need something good enough and easy”
Fucking hell, have you ever tried to live on rice and beans? You need half a dozen spices and salt just to make it taste like not sadness, plus prep time, prep space, prep bowls and pots, and then you need to wash everything. Compared with a frozen meal that cooks in the microwave and a disposable tray for serving, there’s really no contest. A “rice and beans” lifestyle requires a stay-at-home partner who soaks beans and washes dishes.
It’s a great frugal tip to stretch your grocery dollars, but if you’re poor, it’s not a moral failing to go with a cheap frozen meal.
I wish more people understood this. Beans are so good, but only if you can devote hours to them.
It’s just one of the myriad of recommendations people make because they don’t understand the problem. People think that the simple trick that worked for them would solve similar problems for everyone. Worse, they get angry when their advice is met with resistance. It’s like Napoleon feeding the alpacas.
I know this outside of the scope of the discussion, but you can cook dried beans in a instant pot in about an hour.
Obviously that’s still going to be a struggle for anyone where time/space/equipment are a huge factor. But it’s a big difference from letting them soak overnight.
Insta pot can help, but I don’t feel it add much value in the overall cook. Sautéing, caramelizing, deglazing, etc. takes time that no home-use kitchen gadget is going to help with. Soaking beans overnight is not the problem, as much as actual time it takes to make a meal. Planning, purchasing ingredients, prepping, cooking, cleaning…insta-pot is not worth the hype iykyk
You can make a relatively tasty rice with beans with canned beans and bit of salt in 10 minutes - if you are feeling fancy adding parsley will even move it to tasting good. I’m starting to suspect all the corn syrup is damaging american’s taste buds beyond repair.
Two things, canned beans and instant rice cost more than dry bulk rice and beans. And your recipe for “salt and parsley instant rice and canned beans” sounds like it’s going to taste like sadness.
This guy frugals.
but if you’re poor, it’s not a moral failing to go with a cheap frozen meal.
Agreed. HOWEVER, we should be educating people and coming up with new ways to eat cheap, quick, and healthy.
Use your ovens, folks. Food like bacon and bratwurst turn out great in the oven and you don’t have to babysit them, either.
I lived on easy hamburger helper. Everything is in the package, just cook some ground beef in a pan and mix the rest of the stuff in.
It’s not that hard, guys. You don’t need to eat candy to survive
That shit is full of sodium and really bad for you. Once they target sugar, what do you suppose is next?
Yeah, I’d say the bigger issue is low income people not having time to cook, and/or not having the ability to get to a decent grocery store.
You might also be living on the street or in a car and not have the means to actually cook.
I’d also like to see how he addresses food deserts. I already saw an article suggesting 18-65 are going to lose benefits.
You’re assuming that people have the time and space to prep rice, beans and pasta. Not everyone does.
I think if we remove the cooked food restriction it would make sense
Eh, can you get a bag of equivalent volume of apples for the same as a bottle of coca cola?
Same amount of sugar, one is considerably healthier.
IDC about soda, although it’s probably less harmful than water in certain areas.
Apples. Food deserts. I’ve never seen an apple at any of the dollar stores.
And consuming how expensive cars are I don’t want to hear people say “food deserts doesn’t exist because you can drive 10 Miles”
Soda is made from municipal water. If the tap water has an issue, so will the soda
Afaik you can’t buy tap soda on benefits, only sealed containers.
Next it will no sugary cereal, just oats and gruel for the peasantry.
“Ingredients only, no finished products. You want to eat? Work for it!”
I haven’t had sugar cereal in a decade. I don’t know how you could ever prefer them over oat flakes
There was time in my life when most of my food came from a public pantry. I know it’s not the same as stamps, bit same principle.
Anyway, birthday rolls around; didn’t think anything of it cuz I was in the “it’s just another day…” phase of life, and even if I wanted to do something for it, I wouldn’t have been able to afford it. Roll up to the pantry for that week’s pickup, and they break out a fucking cake and a hand-written birthday card! Nothing crazy - maybe 6-inch diameter, enough for the wife and I to split. But that shit pulled my ass right out of a depression spell like nothing else came close to before or since.
When I finally got a reliable income coming in and paid off the critical stuff and got a little bit of savings, my first ‘splurge’ was a $1k donation to that pantry with a note saying that their assistance pretty much single-handedly saved me from homelessness and probably from suicide; and enabled me to take the steps I needed to get the job I have now and ultimately become self sufficient.
Food is more than just nutrients; and junk food is more than just food that’s junk.
And pantries are bad ass. If anyone reading this is struggling and not yet using one, GO SEE IF YOU’RE ELIGIBLE! Many people are resistant to ask for help prior to hitting absolute rock bottom, but a little help now (even if you only-kind-of need it) could save you from needing a LOT of help later. They’re also an awesome source of info on local resources - whatever your unique situation is, they can probably point you in the right direction to start getting shit under control.
…I should make another donation - shit’s extra fucked nowadays.
I bet it would feel very different if you just used food stamps to buy your own cake
Probably, but then that would have enabled me to give my wife that or vice versa. We don’t have kids, but a lot of food stamp recipients do - same spiel.
And even outside of special events, maybe that can of soda with dinner is the carrot-on-a-stick that gets a person through an otherwise miserable day cuz, shocker: poverty fucking sucks.
That’s the cool thing about not having arbitrary restrictions on shit like this: people are free to handle their own unique situation at their own discretion, including whether or not junk food is worth including in that week’s budget.
I used to live in a kinda poor area. Lots of people on some sort of program. And that program had really restrictive rules about what you can and cannot buy. For example, you could buy Skippy peanut butter but not Skippy light peanut butter (whatever that is). It caused great confusion for the people who needed food, huge amounts of labor for the poor grocery person, and a long wait for the other shoppers in line - just so the government can save a few cents. Unbelievable.
WIC most likely
What goon-affiliated product will they be able to purchase with food stamps instead? Lee Greenwood Bibles? My Pillows?
Oh good, we’ll have slightly less sugar-related inflammation while we all fucking die of bird flu
I thought it was already blocked? 🤔
Huh, guess not.
https://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/eligible-food-items
Households CANNOT use SNAP benefits to buy:
Beer, wine, liquor, cigarettes, or tobacco
Vitamins, medicines, and supplements. If an item has a Supplement Facts label, it is considered a supplement and is not eligible for SNAP purchase.
Live animals (except shellfish, fish removed from water, and animals slaughtered prior to pick-up from the store).
Foods that are hot at the point of sale
Any nonfood items such as:
Pet foods
Cleaning supplies, paper products, and other household supplies.
Hygiene items, cosmetics
deleted by creator
Interesting, why not start branding and labeling better that more products that have high content of X
Where’s those fucking DOGE cunts when there’s real waste?
Look, I don’t want to subsidize people’s beetus diets, but, fuck me, do we not have better shit to do with our time and money?
Every single republican can fuck off and die.
“Let them eat roadkill.”
Edited in quotes, because people aren’t seeing it.
Alaska does this (admittedly it’s a separate system from snap) and most communities seem happy with the system.
a stopped clock is right twice a day
People on food stamps aren’t buying these things because it’s fun, but because it’s cheap, easy calories because they’re homeless or working three jobs and don’t have the time to cook real food. The clock is not right here.
No, they are buying them because they want to. I used to buy milk and cereal. It has sugar, but it’s 3 grams per serving instead of like 15.
Don’t tell me you don’t have time to pour a bowl of milk
Those things are unhealthy, but restricting them is policing what poor people eat. It’s stigmatizing. Also, people will still buy these things because they’re addictive. So they’ll be paying out of pocket for it rather than using their SNAP benefits. It’s a lose-lose.
Yeah, if the goal was actually to make people eat healthier, he’d be trying to limit the availability of those items to everyone, not just poor people.
Or he’d be increasing the availability of healthy food instead of taking things away
No matter how available it is, people just eat what they like. If society is paying for it, might as well make it healthy
Change SNAP from money to a system that says “X gets _lbs of raw meat, _pieces of fresh vegetables, _pieces of raw fruit etc”. The inventory systems in stores know what is being rung up so I don’t see why it couldn’t work. It also means SNAP automatically adjusts for inflation and regional pricing. Probably won’t stop people selling their SNAP for cash though.
Or not bow to special interests and support research on the negative health affects of these things.
I dont get your argument. How’s it stigmatizing? Why should someone be able to spend it all on energy drinks and starburst? Just doesn’t make sense.
I support aggressively increasing food stamps for anyone in need. But I’d also support aggressive regulation, like no candy and shit. It just makes sense to me but maybe I’m missing something.
100% agree i cant fucking stand it when poor people enjoy anything
Why does their joy have to be in guzzling cola? States are already taxing high sugar items on the rest of us ffs, how is this any different?
If they want to buy these items they still can, just have to use their own coin, not ours.
fucking moochers is what they are i mean they should really only be allowed to have plain rice and water heck maybe even make them eat dog food im glad theres people like you and yawweee who agree with me
Dude, it’s even dumber than that.
Has anyone here ever been on food stamps? You get a couple hundred dollars per person per month. That’s more than my food budget off of food stamps. I don’t buy soda and candy already, why would I get it when I have more resources to buy better food?
This is just a distraction for useful idiots like wildncrazyguy138.
not ours.
Ok buddy, first off you’re not the one who’s paying a substantial amount of this. Second, prices are only high so people richer than you can be even richer.
Third, you are displaying front-and-center how easily manipulated you are by imagining food stamp users who only get soda and candy.
These conmen are literally controlling your mind, and you’re too ignorant to do anything about it. Sad.
Yikes. Straw man much?
The purpose of food stamps isn’t the pleasure someone gets out of eating a candybar and redbull. The purpose is nutrition and food for those who can’t afford it.
Implying that I think poor people shouldn’t enjoy anything is ridiculous. Dumb comments are dumb.
I mean shit, I’m as left progressive as it gets. Id support and additional “pleasure joy” food stamp specifically earmarked for fun candy and treats and shit. Just supplemental to the real food nutritious one. I dunno. While we’re at it, make the billionaires pay for it.
Your way is “here’s money for food because you cant afford it, you can spend it all on skittles if that makes you happy”.
Yikes. Straw man much?
im made out of meat im not sure what youre implying
The purpose of food stamps isn’t the pleasure someone gets out of eating a candybar and redbull. The purpose is nutrition and food for those who can’t afford it.
the purpose of food stamps is to steal money from hard working americans and give it to minorities
Implying that I think poor people shouldn’t enjoy anything is ridiculous. Dumb comments are dumb.
i didnt imply anything i dont know where you got that from
I mean shit, I’m as left progressive as it gets. Id support and additional “pleasure joy” food stamp specifically earmarked for fun candy and treats and shit. Just supplemental to the real food nutritious one. I dunno. While we’re at it, make the billionaires pay for it.
sorry i thought you were a patriot but i guess a broken clock is right twice a day
Your way is “here’s money for food because you cant afford it, you can spend it all on skittles if that makes you happy”.
please dont put quotes in my mouth
These people literally think we’re broke when in reality, if we cut our defense budget by like, 25%, we could probably give candy to the entire fucking nation (I did not do the math).
But it’s absurd. Let people enjoy their fucking rations, Jesus Christ. Nobody wants to be on food stamps.
I’m as left progressive as it gets
Lmao, you’re clearly not
I honestly don’t see how this is much different than Michelle Obama trying to get junk food out of schools. Nobody here seems to want to cut benefits from people in need but some of us don’t see an issue with some restrictions. Candy and soda is poison. We have never let people buy alcohol with food stamps either.
Why should someone be able to spend it all on energy drinks and starburst?
What percentage of food stamp users “spend it all on energy drinks and starburst?” People can only eat so much junk food before they get sick and sick of it.
Personally, if I’m on food stamps, I’m not wasting in on childish garbage like candy. I’d be eating those pork egg roll things all the time along with a lot more seafood. You know, the things that I can’t afford on my own. I can afford candy and soda on my own but still choose not to get it.
Yeah I absolutely hate this guy, but agree with this. I don’t know it just seems so logical. Others arguments replying to you aren’t convincing at all.
How much of the average food stamp budget goes to soda and candy?
If you can’t answer this, then it would be foolish of you to think it’s a problem.
Is it foolish of you?
