For Those Who Want to Impose Limits on the Use of Federal Benefits

[sophie]

Damn, you got me.

If i had my way everyone would be kept locked in dirty little cages and force fed gruel twice a day but society demands that i not appear to be a complete psychopath. I satiate my sadism by advocating policies that are I know are actually cruel to well-intended but niave members of Internet gaming forums.

Well i did until you exposed me for who i really am.

Jerk.

At your service. Come back to me when you got a real proposal for those cages for poor people. Like a prison for debtors or something. I dunno. We'll workshop it. I really think you're on to something there.

 

[El_Machinae]

Well, due to sin taxes, aren't you getting most of that alcohol money back?

I can see the conflicting urges that SNAP be used for a healthy diet and that it can buy some pain relief.

 

[MobBoss]

That's not as straightforward as you might think. Consider everything you need to make said chips:

Of course its straightforward. All you really gotta do is buy a potato, cut the potato, cook the potato and then eat it. Cooking a potato is about as simple as you can get in the cooking area...about the only thing easier is boiling water.

 

[Perfection]

Please read and reply to rest of post.

 

[MobBoss]

Please read and reply to rest of post.

I did. You were simply giving an overly complicated glass half empty kind of opinion.

I mean you might as well have added 'an asteroid could fall on you while prepping the potatoes'.

 

[El_Machinae]

I'm not sure that's one of those areas where 'not being on welfare' really matters.

 

[Perfection]

I did. You were simply giving an overly complicated glass half empty kind of opinion.

I mean you might as well have added 'an asteroid could fall on you while prepping the potatoes'.

You don't think people actually struggle with those issues?

 

[MobBoss]

You don't think people actually struggle with those issues?

We are talking about cooking a potato.

If you cant friggin cook a potato, then you got bigger problems than trying to buy lobster and filet mignon with federal/state aid monies.

In that respect, those 'issues' are simply a red herring argument.

 

[FriendlyFire]

Of course its straightforward. All you really gotta do is buy a potato, cut the potato, cook the potato and then eat it. Cooking a potato is about as simple as you can get in the cooking area...about the only thing easier is boiling water.

I have to agree with Mobboss, with two caveats

1) Where fast food is cheaper then uncooked potatoes due to government subsidies
2) Where there is a food desert in which uncooked potatoes are unavailable for sale again due to economics of government subsidies

Banning gambling, strip clubs and luxury food makes sense but why would you ban people from going to the local public pools ??????

Can we also ban south states the receive a lot of federal funds from

1) NOT SPEND money on TAX CUTS for the wealthy while the entire state economy implodes like Kanas Greece
Get Federal money, you use Federal money on education, use Federal money on infrastructure, then not cut taxes

thanks

 

[Timsup2nothin]

A fried chicken at the deli counter is cheaper than a raw chicken at the meat counter in my grocery store. That has been true for years, in a wide array of stores. I've never understood it, but clearly those who are short on funds better develop a taste for fried chicken. This was never a problem for me, as fried chicken is among my favorite foods.

 

[cav scout]

Why does the WIC program put limits on what the money can purchase? This is demeaning to the poor.

 

[MobBoss]

A fried chicken at the deli counter is cheaper than a raw chicken at the meat counter in my grocery store. That has been true for years, in a wide array of stores. I've never understood it, but clearly those who are short on funds better develop a taste for fried chicken. This was never a problem for me, as fried chicken is among my favorite foods.

Sold deli Fried chicken often is majority the cheaper cuts of chicken - the legs and thighs.

 

[Cutlass]

Why does the WIC program put limits on what the money can purchase? This is demeaning to the poor.

Because it's demeaning to the poor.

 

[Traitorfish]

Because it's demeaning to the poor.

I don't think people quite realize that, yet. This stuff isn't about efficiency or cost-saving, not even unnecessarily or inhumanely- even if it worked, the amount of money invested into this stuff is so bare there isn't really anything left to save- it's absolutely about humiliating poor people. Conservative politicians have whipped up such a hate-storm against the poor that they have to be seen to be doing something, and degrading measures like this allow them to pose as being tough on the poor without having to make the sort of very deep, general cuts that ultimately do capital more harm than good.

 

[Borachio]

A fried chicken at the deli counter is cheaper than a raw chicken at the meat counter in my grocery store. That has been true for years, in a wide array of stores. I've never understood it, but clearly those who are short on funds better develop a taste for fried chicken. This was never a problem for me, as fried chicken is among my favorite foods.

That really makes no sense to me. It's got to be a lost leader to get you eyeing more expensive products while you're there.

I've very frequently seen fried, or ready roasted chicken for sale at my deli counters. And it's always been twice or three times the price of raw.

I like the stuff they sell at deli counters generally. But I very seldom buy any of it. That's just too expensive a way to eat, imo.

 

[Perfection]

We are talking about cooking a potato.

If you cant friggin cook a potato, then you got bigger problems than trying to buy lobster and filet mignon with federal/state aid monies.

In that respect, those 'issues' are simply a red herring argument.

I'm comparing purchasing potato chips instead of potatoes. I'm not comparing lobster, this should be obvious.

All things considered purchasing potato chips (or other prepackaged shelf stable "Junk food"), may be more logical than purchasing potatoes (or other ingredients that require storage/prep/cooking)

 

[Timsup2nothin]

Sold deli Fried chicken often is majority the cheaper cuts of chicken - the legs and thighs.

I meant the 'eight piece', which is near as I can make out a whole chicken: two each breast, wing, thigh, leg. I suspect some sort of economy of scale is at work, with a giant chicken disassembling and breading factory somewhere supplying the stuff at reduced costs. Plus I would guess the cut up, breaded, and frozen chicken parts ship at a much greater density than whole chicken carcasses.

 

[El_Machinae]

To be fair, the paternalism makes it palatable to conservatives. Their normal mantra is that gov't cannot spend money efficiently, but giving money straight to people gets around that nicely. But then, just like the voter would want to be able to constrain the way a bureaucrat spends his money, they want to be able to constrain the way the welfare recipient's spend their money.

It's like how the military is palatable workfare on the conservative side, the restrictions on foodstamps make it politically palatable as well. A lot can be said for consensus. The push should be that the constraints are wise more than anything.

 

[MobBoss]

Because it's demeaning to the poor.

Maybe its because infants don't eat lobster and steak?

My wife and I qualified for WIC when our first two kids were born. I don't recall either of us feeling demeaned. I think we appreciated the extra eggs, cheese and milk to be honest.

 

[FriendlyFire]

Maybe its because infants don't eat lobster and steak?

My wife and I qualified for WIC when our first two kids were born. I don't recall either of us feeling demeaned. I think we appreciated the extra eggs, cheese and milk to be honest.

Well at least they can spend money on Guns.

A 2012 federal law requires states to prevent benefit-card use at liquor stores, gambling establishments or adult-entertainment businesses.

At least 23 states have their own restrictions on how cards can be used, mostly for alcohol, tobacco, gambling and adult-oriented businesses, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

A few states — not Kansas — prohibit buying guns, according to the NCSL, and a few ban tattoos or body piercings. Massachusetts prohibits spending on jewelry, bail bonds, or “vacation services.” A 2014 Louisiana law bars card use on cruise ships, which is also on the Kansas list.

it’s difficult to track how often cash assistance is used for items on the state’s new list because recipients can use their benefits cards to obtain cash.

A 2014 federal report said a check of eight states’ data showed transactions with benefit cards at liquor stores, casinos or strip clubs accounted for less than 1 percent of the total.