So beef and seafood is now a luxury item. I thought it was just food.

"This is the way I want to live and I don’t really see anything changing," Jason Greenslate explained to Fox. “It’s free food; it’s awesome."

That story fit a longtime conservative suspicion that poor people use food stamps to purchase luxury items. Now, a Republican state lawmaker in Missouri is pushing for legislation that would stop people like Greenslate and severely limit what food stamp recipients can buy. The bill being proposed would ban the purchase with food stamps of "cookies, chips, energy drinks, soft drinks, seafood or steak."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonk...d-seafood/

Those who work should live better than those who don't. Good steak and seafood are luxuries. Not talking Long John Silver and Salisbury steak. There isn't but a few times per year that I splurge on a choice cut from the butcher at the grocery. Really pisses me off to see people in the check out line eating better than me and then paying with an EBT card.

I'm okay with the limitations to an extent. I work my ass off but when money is tight I don't buy stakes or name brand cookies. I don't see why someone on food stamps should be able to if I'm being responsible enough not to do so.

(04-10-2015 09:06 AM)firmbizzle Wrote:  So beef and seafood is now a luxury item. I thought it was just food.

"This is the way I want to live and I don’t really see anything changing," Jason Greenslate explained to Fox. “It’s free food; it’s awesome."

That story fit a longtime conservative suspicion that poor people use food stamps to purchase luxury items. Now, a Republican state lawmaker in Missouri is pushing for legislation that would stop people like Greenslate and severely limit what food stamp recipients can buy. The bill being proposed would ban the purchase with food stamps of "cookies, chips, energy drinks, soft drinks, seafood or steak."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonk...d-seafood/

Last week when I was at the counter (just coming home from work) with my items of chicken thighs, baby formula, diapers, bananas, milk, frozen carrots, eggs ....... I noticed a woman (still in pajamas with 4 kids with brand new shoes and smart phones. 1 baby) in front of me with 5 Digorno Pizza, 3lbs of fresh tiger shrimp 14.99 lb, chicken breast, rack of ribs, 5 bags of chips, pudding cups, 10 one lb bags of fresh cold cuts, fresh pineapple and assorted fresh produce, etc etc whip out her NJ EBT card.

I never purchased tiger shrimp, only had them at a wedding.

Well as I throw my groceries in my vehicle with 322,000 miles on it, I depart the parking lot and notice that same woman lighting up a cigarette with her children jumping into a Cadillac Escalade.

SMH ....... American Dream

(04-10-2015 09:36 AM)NewJersey GATA Wrote:  

(04-10-2015 09:06 AM)firmbizzle Wrote:  So beef and seafood is now a luxury item. I thought it was just food.

"This is the way I want to live and I don’t really see anything changing," Jason Greenslate explained to Fox. “It’s free food; it’s awesome."

That story fit a longtime conservative suspicion that poor people use food stamps to purchase luxury items. Now, a Republican state lawmaker in Missouri is pushing for legislation that would stop people like Greenslate and severely limit what food stamp recipients can buy. The bill being proposed would ban the purchase with food stamps of "cookies, chips, energy drinks, soft drinks, seafood or steak."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonk...d-seafood/

Last week when I was at the counter (just coming home from work) with my items of chicken thighs, baby formula, diapers, bananas, milk, frozen carrots, eggs ....... I noticed a woman (still in pajamas with 4 kids with brand new shoes and smart phones. 1 baby) in front of me with 5 Digorno Pizza, 3lbs of fresh tiger shrimp 14.99 lb, chicken breast, rack of ribs, 5 bags of chips, pudding cups, 10 one lb bags of fresh cold cuts, fresh pineapple and assorted fresh produce, etc etc whip out her NJ EBT card.

I never purchased tiger shrimp, only had them at a wedding.

Well as I throw my groceries in my vehicle with 322,000 miles on it, I depart the parking lot and notice that same woman lighting up a cigarette with her children jumping into a Cadillac Escalade.

SMH ....... American Dream

First, NEVER buy imported shrimp. Google is your friend here, trust me.

As for the rest of it and food stamps in general, I just don't feel like those on assistance should eat better than those of us that work. Groceries are expensive as hell and I can easily carry over $100 worth in just a few bags with no 'luxury' foods at all.

Hamburger, bottom round, chuck eye steaks, pork chops, and chicken fine, but there isnt a single reason a person on assistance should be buying a $20 steak or $4 pack of cookies.

I got my titty in a wringer this week over something kind of like this. My Sister in law is up and she bought some snacks for the kids. She had Great Value cheese crackers and I like Cheez Its. I thought my wife bought them so when I reached into the pantry I yelled who in the heck bought the cheapo crackers. Not realizing it was just my in laws trying to help out. Felt bad. Beggars shouldn't be choosers but I can see both sides of it. Who are you to tell me what i can buy. Either we have food stamps or we don't. You let the recipients choose or priortize. I can honestly see both sides of this.

(04-10-2015 09:06 AM)firmbizzle Wrote:  So beef and seafood is now a luxury item. I thought it was just food.

"This is the way I want to live and I don’t really see anything changing," Jason Greenslate explained to Fox. “It’s free food; it’s awesome."

That story fit a longtime conservative suspicion that poor people use food stamps to purchase luxury items. Now, a Republican state lawmaker in Missouri is pushing for legislation that would stop people like Greenslate and severely limit what food stamp recipients can buy. The bill being proposed would ban the purchase with food stamps of "cookies, chips, energy drinks, soft drinks, seafood or steak."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonk...d-seafood/

If this isn't an example of how some on the right feel about poor people, I don't know what is.

I think there should be reasonable limits on the use of food stamps. Certainly no lottery tickets, cigarettes or alcohol, and I can't really think why bottled water and sports drinks should not be on an exclusion list.

That said, some sea food can be healthy and relatively inexpensive. And there is nothing wrong with round steak. It's the details that make this problematic.

If you check at any grocery store, you'll find that a half dozen apples or oranges cost less than a bag of Tostitos. Common sense doesn't come naturally to people.

(04-10-2015 09:06 AM)firmbizzle Wrote:  So beef and seafood is now a luxury item. I thought it was just food.

"This is the way I want to live and I don’t really see anything changing," Jason Greenslate explained to Fox. “It’s free food; it’s awesome."

That story fit a longtime conservative suspicion that poor people use food stamps to purchase luxury items. Now, a Republican state lawmaker in Missouri is pushing for legislation that would stop people like Greenslate and severely limit what food stamp recipients can buy. The bill being proposed would ban the purchase with food stamps of "cookies, chips, energy drinks, soft drinks, seafood or steak."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonk...d-seafood/

Even in the 100 level econ classes I took in college, we learned that steak and seafood were generally luxury goods. That can change relative to the expense (i.e. if beef became cheaper than chicken then chicken would then become the luxury good), but chicken always the cheapest form of protein.


I'm a fan of this. People may call it an attack on the poor, but we're not taking food away from them. Being on food stamps should get you basic sustenance. It should get you raw goods too, not prepared foods. It should be an inconvenience in every way possible.

(04-10-2015 09:45 AM)QuestionSocratic Wrote:  I think there should be reasonable limits on the use of food stamps. Certainly no lottery tickets, cigarettes or alcohol, and I can't really think why bottled water and sports drinks should not be on an exclusion list.

That said, some sea food can be healthy and relatively inexpensive. And there is nothing wrong with round steak. It's the details that make this problematic.

If you check at any grocery store, you'll find that a half dozen apples or oranges cost less than a bag of Tostitos. Common sense doesn't come naturally to people.

The only limits on food stamps should be that they be used on food.

I don't consider buying lesser cuts of beef and seafood to be an abuse of the food stamp system. People need a realistic diet to stay healthy and avoid excessive hospital bills.

This is a classic example of how conservatives make a very good point - but then execute a "solution" to the problem in such a way that completely alienates most of the moderates (and therefore loses them an election).

A lighter hand would bring in more moderates to the Republican voting block and would ultimately allow you to have about 70-80% of what you want - which is all you can really expect in our political system, anyhow.

(04-10-2015 09:50 AM)oliveandblue Wrote:  I don't consider buying lesser cuts of beef and seafood to be an abuse of the food stamp system. People need a realistic diet to stay healthy and avoid excessive hospital bills.

This is a classic example of how conservatives make a very good point - but then execute a "solution" to the problem in such a way that completely alienates most of the moderates (and therefore loses them an election).

A lighter hand would bring in more moderates to the Republican voting block and would ultimately allow you to have about 70-80% of what you want - which is all you can really expect in our political system, anyhow.

This wasn't a mistep to try and educate poor people to make better choices. This is a prime example of how some in the party despise poor people using tax payer monety to survive.

If you live on a small fixed income and a food stamp supplement every month, yet spend that money on steak and seafood....then that already explains a lot.

I don't see any pragmatism in spending a SUPPLEMENTAL allowance on anything other than NEEDS. SNAP is in place for folks who NEED it. No one NEEDS steak and seafood. Hell, I'm not on assistance and can't even afford that ****.

(04-10-2015 09:52 AM)Fitbud Wrote:  

(04-10-2015 09:50 AM)oliveandblue Wrote:  I don't consider buying lesser cuts of beef and seafood to be an abuse of the food stamp system. People need a realistic diet to stay healthy and avoid excessive hospital bills.

This is a classic example of how conservatives make a very good point - but then execute a "solution" to the problem in such a way that completely alienates most of the moderates (and therefore loses them an election).

A lighter hand would bring in more moderates to the Republican voting block and would ultimately allow you to have about 70-80% of what you want - which is all you can really expect in our political system, anyhow.

This wasn't a mistep to try and educate poor people to make better choices. This is a prime example of how some in the party despise poor people using tax payer monety to survive.

Because candy, energy drinks, and steak are matters of survival.

Little Joey will starve without his peanut butter cups and filet mignon.

Listen to yourself sometimes.

If you can afford to buy steak and seafood with your SNAP benefits, then you can afford to lessen your benefits and stop squandering money that isn't yours to begin with.

(04-10-2015 09:52 AM)shiftyeagle Wrote:  If you live on a small fixed income and a food stamp supplement every month, yet spend that money on steak and seafood....then that already explains a lot.

I don't see any pragmatism in spending a SUPPLEMENTAL allowance on anything other than NEEDS. SNAP is in place for folks who NEED it. No one NEEDS steak and seafood. Hell, I'm not on assistance and can't even afford that ****.

Steak can be ground to make hamburgers, meatloaf, tacos, soups etc. etc.

Seafood is sometimes necessary for religious purposes during lent.

Are republicans actually going to deny Catholics on food stamps from purchasing fish during lent?

(04-10-2015 09:41 AM)Machiavelli Wrote:  I got my titty in a wringer this week over something kind of like this. My Sister in law is up and she bought some snacks for the kids. She had Great Value cheese crackers and I like Cheez Its. I thought my wife bought them so when I reached into the pantry I yelled who in the heck bought the cheapo crackers. Not realizing it was just my in laws trying to help out. Felt bad. Beggars shouldn't be choosers but I can see both sides of it. Who are you to tell me what i can buy. Either we have food stamps or we don't. You let the recipients choose or priortize. I can honestly see both sides of this.

First world problems.

(04-10-2015 09:52 AM)Fitbud Wrote:  

(04-10-2015 09:50 AM)oliveandblue Wrote:  I don't consider buying lesser cuts of beef and seafood to be an abuse of the food stamp system. People need a realistic diet to stay healthy and avoid excessive hospital bills.

This is a classic example of how conservatives make a very good point - but then execute a "solution" to the problem in such a way that completely alienates most of the moderates (and therefore loses them an election).

A lighter hand would bring in more moderates to the Republican voting block and would ultimately allow you to have about 70-80% of what you want - which is all you can really expect in our political system, anyhow.

This wasn't a mistep to try and educate poor people to make better choices. This is a prime example of how some in the party despise poor people using tax payer monety to survive.

Incorrect.

The conservative theme is "ENOUGH with the abuse of food stamps".

They could have solved their problem in a less divisive way. If conservatives were more clever they'd get a lot of what they want rather quickly because about 70% of their party ticket is derived from common sense. I can't say that about the opposition at this moment in time.

Don't attack certain FOOD items - and allow the liberal half to spin it to your demise. Go after the other needless waste and UNIFY the country behind your justified cause.

(04-10-2015 09:55 AM)Fitbud Wrote:  

(04-10-2015 09:52 AM)shiftyeagle Wrote:  If you live on a small fixed income and a food stamp supplement every month, yet spend that money on steak and seafood....then that already explains a lot.

I don't see any pragmatism in spending a SUPPLEMENTAL allowance on anything other than NEEDS. SNAP is in place for folks who NEED it. No one NEEDS steak and seafood. Hell, I'm not on assistance and can't even afford that ****.

Steak can be ground to make hamburgers, meatloaf, tacos, soups etc. etc.

Seafood is sometimes necessary for religious purposes during lent.

Are republicans actually going to deny Catholics on food stamps from purchasing fish during lent?

Or you could just buy more affordable ground beef.....lol.

Seafood isn't necessary during lent. Abstaining from meat altogether, including seafood, is also an option and it's only mandated on Fridays by the Catholic Church.

Desperation is a stinky cologne.....and those desperate arguments are desperate.

(04-10-2015 09:41 AM)Machiavelli Wrote:  Who are you to tell me what i can buy.

When the money isn't yours.