Well...I think that if the government (the taxpayers) is footing the bill then yes, they have the right to dictate what you can and can't buy with your foodstamps (no liquor, beer, wine, tobacco, etc.) or the amount you are allotted for them.

Nobody is saying that these people shouldn't buy healthy foods...the point here is that you have an obligation to keep it within the given amount when you are not paying for it. That may mean eating meals you aren't used to, buying less, eating less fresh food in favor of cheaper frozen alternatives, eating less expensive foods, etc.

Look at it this way. If you were having trouble making ends meet and a friend offered to take you grocery shopping how would you act? Would you just throw things willy nilly into the cart with no regard to cost...or would you just plan more wisely and try to stay within a respectable amount?

That's my 2 cents...

I am in agreement with both Karol and Periwinkle. I detest the fact that some people feel it is their right to be supported endlessly by the government, and many abuse the system.
This by no means is everyone, and I know some very deserving individuals that need help to survive. In return, they volunteer and help others every chance they can get.

I do agree that if there are specific dietary needs then people should be able to buy them, but this doesn't mean that there should be different monetary allowances to do so.

Until people take control of their lives, and responsibility for their actions, you will always find some who feel that it is their right to get hand outs and don't use them wisely. In the meantime, we must show by example and feel proud that we can do it on less. Aren't we lucky to have the skills to do so!

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Foodstamp money is for food. If someone wants to use their Foodstamps for soy milk, then so be it. Foodstamp money may not be used for: cleaning products, personal products like soap or toothpaste, tobacco, or alcoholic beverages. It is allowed to be used any way that the recipients choose as long as it is used for food.

The wholewheat tortillas and soy milk were two products the complaining Foodstamp recipients vented about (that they couldn't afford them); those two products were not my personal vent, I just used the complaining Foodstamp recipients own examples in my post. I apologize if I offended you by using their own examples.

It is not the items they specifically stated that they can't afford to buy that is the problem. The problem is that they think the government is to supply them with Foodstamps that purchase groceries at the level of the upper-middle class. I hope you can see that my complaint is with their belief in their personal entitlement, not the specifics of what they may or may not be able to afford.

Many people on this site have less than $21 a person per week for groceries for their families. They are not complaining, they are working at finding ways to do more with less. It is this attitude of personal entitlement that these particular Foodstamp recipients have with which I personally have no patience. Again, I apologize if my earlier post offended you.

I would feel like I died and went to heaven if I had a food budget of $21 per person per week! Right now our family of 4 has a food budget of $150/month.. which includes ds's 40 cents a day lunch at school, and any eating out we decide to do.

Gah! When we were on food stamps, we only qualified for $105 a month for a family of 3 based on at the time $13,000/year income. (This was in the last two years). $252 a month would have made me feel like I was rolling in food money!

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I completely agree!!!!

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If they want to be healthy foods then so be it. But I don't think they should complain because they "only" have $21 a week per person for food. Food stamps were not designed to help people buy high end groceries. They were designed to keep people from starving. I have serious issues with people complaining that they aren't receiving enough in food stamps so they can buy expensive items when I, a tax payer, often can't even afford to buy those items.

Oh and anyone whos ever been a cashier in a grocery store has seen their share of people come through with lobster and expensive steaks and pay with food stamps.

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What makes me mad is when a senior citizen has to choose between medication and food because the government will not help them.

Especially when the welfare recipients can't wait for "their Check " to come in the mail.

Our family falls into the category of Working Class Poor. We have very little luxuries outside of cable tv and internet. We live paycheck to paycheck. I cannot work outside of the home because we don't qualify for nursing care for Tommy. He does get a state check every month because he is disabled. It goes towards our housing expenses every month. I buy all of our clothing second hand, and we own our vehicle outright. (also second, probably third hand) We do get food stamps...barely. Our family of five only qualifies for $140 a month. I have to be very frugal with that amount. We also get WIC. Thank goodness because milk here is nearly $4.00 a gallon. My husband was able to work overtime this month, so he took it. It helped us pay a few bills on time instead of juggling them around. Guess what...It happened to be our review month for the food stamps and now we may lose them based on a few hours of overtime. We are stretched to the limit as it is, and now we may lose the only help we get. I don't buy anything name brand at the grocery store and I am only able to buy hamburger and chicken in bulk. Thank goodness my kids like ramen noodles for lunch. There are two sides to every story. I don't abuse the system, and yet, my kids are paying the price for trying to just survive.

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