In the Shopping Cart of a Food Stamp Household: Lots of Soda

[juleswin]

Should there be freedom of choice?

Freedom with your own money not with other people's money.

 

[Brian4Liberty]

I agree with controlling the food they can consume. Also you will find this funny but buying water is not allowed with snap. Apparently cuss there is tap water.

Quick Google fact check:

Q) Can I buy bottled water with SNAP benefits?

A) Yes, you can use your SNAP benefits to buy bottled water.
...
http://foodstampoffice.us/can-i-buy-bottled-water-with-snap-benefits/

 

[juleswin]

As mentioned it was recycling day. They were already at the curb. Sometimes big bags or multiple bags of cans/bottles. There were 3 of us. That is only the collecting portion. Obviously sticking those dirty cans into a machine took time.

I see, well actually in Nebraska it is against the law to take those bags. It doesn't matter if it is can or paper recycling bag. Also here in Nebraska, they just weigh you bad and give you the money, no need to even crush the cans. The only effort is in the collecting of the cans and driving which happened to be quite far from where I live.

 

[CPUd]

 

[Brian4Liberty]

They buy the cheapest soda or water they can find in cases, walk out to the parking lot, pour it out, then bring the returnables back in for the deposit money and use it to buy drugs. This is the real reason it's the most bought item.

It's been known to happen, but probably just as easy to drink it first.

 

[Schifference]

Oh against the law. Okay don't do that. No seriously, as mentioned it was years ago and was not illegal here at the time. Furthermore, we were pretty good at it and could spot a bag on the side of somebodies house. Simple knock on the door and those people would happily give them to my kids. Another true aspect was we set up an email and dropped off leaflets asking for the cans. We called it "cans for college." That didn't really pan out though. It was fun when we did it. Kids got to keep the money. Daughter wouldn't want to get up to go collect but would be jealous when son got to keep the cash.

 

[69360]

Not going to get very high off the deposit on $6.30 of sodas. That is probably less than a dollar. In California, a bottle 24 ounces or less has a five cents deposit- ten cents for larger. A 24 pack of bottled water or soda? $1.20 in deposit.

They fill carts with cases. It can add up to $10 or $20. More than enough to get their fix.

I doesn't make sense to you, but it makes perfect sense to an addict.

 

[surf]

criticizing what people on food stamps eat is low hanging fruit....

on another level, the calorie/$ ratio of a cart full of sweetened sodas is probably much higher than "grain fed" or "free range" pork, fresh veggies and fruits, or whatever other specialty garbage many of you seem to prefer to "poor people's food." calories are a measure of energy.

(complex) carbs, protein, anti-oxidants, etc. are not what makes folks trim. it's caloric intake. the previously mentioned items are what make wealthy people feel superior (ala the democratic mindset).

my .02.

 

[phill4paul]

Oh against the law. Okay don't do that. No seriously, as mentioned it was years ago and was not illegal here at the time. Furthermore, we were pretty good at it and could spot a bag on the side of somebodies house. Simple knock on the door and those people would happily give them to my kids. Another true aspect was we set up an email and dropped off leaflets asking for the cans. We called it "cans for college." That didn't really pan out though. It was fun when we did it. Kids got to keep the money. Daughter wouldn't want to get up to go collect but would be jealous when son got to keep the cash.

Also, around here there are no return fees. So all you would get is the price of aluminum at the scrap yard. Currently bringing $.22/.32 per pound. So there would be very little ROI considering time.

 

[phill4paul]

criticizing what people on food stamps eat is low hanging fruit....

on another level, the calorie/$ ratio of a cart full of sweetened sodas is probably much higher than "grain fed" or "free range" pork, fresh veggies and fruits, or whatever other specialty garbage many of you seem to prefer to "poor people's food." calories are a measure of energy.

(complex) carbs, protein, anti-oxidants, etc. are not what makes folks trim. it's caloric intake. the previously mentioned items are what make wealthy people feel superior (ala the democratic mindset).

my .02.

"Specialty garbage?" Lol.

 

[MelissaWV]

"Unintended" consequences. You start stating only healthy food can be bought with benefits, then companies lobby to be included in the category. Also, there are a lot of inner city areas that don't exactly have a lot of cheap produce.

Food pantries, churches, etc. do a great job, IMO. Government? Not so much.

Also Zippy really think about those numbers. Any soda is going to be bad for you. Twelve liters or so? Not good at all.

 

[oyarde]

Info on Food Stamp (SNAP) benefits: http://www.cbpp.org/research/a-quick-guide-to-snap-eligibility-and-benefits



6.30 stolen from productive people given to others to buy soda with . Unamerican . I do not spend 6.30 a month on soda for myself , why would I want to pay for soda for deadbeats ?

 

[Anti Federalist]

Rep. Sheila Butt, R-Columbia, filed the bill Thursday, which would ban the purchase of foods such as ice cream, candy, cookies and cake, which the bill says is recommended by the Department of Agriculture. Under the bill’s language, the state also would be able to seek a waiver to create a list of prohibited food items.

Does anybody see where this is going?

As more and more idjits abandon cash for the "convenience" of swiping, tapping or clicking some piece of electronic shit, the ability to block purchases of prohibited items increases.

Allow this, and it will only be a matter of time before government, medical fascists and the insurance mafia starts lobbying to do this to everybody, for any one of millions of reasons.

 

[timosman]

Does anybody see where this is going?

As more and more idjits abandon cash for the "convenience" of swiping, tapping or clicking some piece of electronic shit, the ability to block purchases of prohibited items increases.

Allow this, and it will only be a matter of time before government, medical fascists and the insurance mafia starts lobbying to do this to everybody, for any one of millions of reasons.

Why are these idiots pushing this?

 

[CPUd]

"Unintended" consequences. You start stating only healthy food can be bought with benefits, then companies lobby to be included in the category. Also, there are a lot of inner city areas that don't exactly have a lot of cheap produce.

Food pantries, churches, etc. do a great job, IMO. Government? Not so much.

Also Zippy really think about those numbers. Any soda is going to be bad for you. Twelve liters or so? Not good at all.

WIC sorta does that, but with stuff like rice, milk, eggs. The store brand is usually the one with the WIC stamp, because it's the cheapest.

 

[MelissaWV]

WIC sorta does that, but with stuff like rice, milk, eggs. The store brand is usually the one with the WIC stamp, because it's the cheapest.

I haven't had much interaction with WIC in some time, but back when I cashiered, you could get the name brand or the store brand for things like juice. Mind you, these were NOT healthy items. They were highly-sugared beverages marketed to kids and purchased by parents because they were deemed important and healthy for their children. After all, the Government said it was vital enough to go on WIC, so obviously it was important and healthy. Juicy Juice, Welch's, the store brand; you could buy the bottles of juice or you could buy the concentrate. The weirdest part to me was that old WIC checks were essentially dry beans, rice, juice, and milk. For younger kids it included different levels of formula. What the hell kind of diet would that create? Not a very healthy one.

I do know that WIC checks now include more, including allowance for produce, but it's got a long way to go.

Actually I just looked it up, and yeah they've expanded a bunch, but it's still not particularly satisfactory (tofu is covered, but if you want organic peanut butter, it's not).

http://www.mass.gov/eohhs/docs/dph/wic/food-guide.pdf

 

[devil21]

This is the second mainstreamed "anti-EBT" type article in the last two days. One exposed $billions in fraud and this one exposing how it's a subsidy for various food producers, usually with unhealthy foods.

This article also explains why the other day CNBC ran a segment about Goldman downgrading Coke and Proctor&Gamble stock.

"Goldman says sell coke" <------yes that ran on the CNBC crawl.

Sounds like EBT cuts coming very soon. Gird your loins folks.

 

[pcosmar]

They buy the cheapest soda or water they can find in cases, walk out to the parking lot, pour it out, then bring the returnables back in for the deposit money and use it to buy drugs. This is the real reason it's the most bought item.

on the surface this might seem to make sense to some,,

but it is total bullshit.

Much easier (and we are not discussing the industrious) to buy a bunch of good cuts of beef and sell them in the parking lot for half price.
More cash instantly.

 

[donnay]

Why are these idiots pushing this?

Tyranny. Control.

 

[Ender]

exception.. if someone eats a lot of high fat pork and beef that ate mostly grain (GMO corn/soy) it's getting carbs the long way around
also in that scenario.. those same products will raise blood sugar - I saw it happen
My husband had the flu a few years back.. first thing he wanted when he could eat was a porterhouse.. his blood sugar went from 91 to 289 on just steak
it was not grass fed

What blood type is your husband?