I'm really suprised with all the contempt for people on food stamps. It's actually a very good program that not only helps out low income people (many of them working), but it also stimulates the economy. It helps stores, farmers and grocery workers. I think that food stamps should be expanded so that more people will be eligible.

I find it amusing that many people are disgusted with those that receive food stamps. I wonder if they feel the same about Earned Income Credit, college financial aid, HEAP, WIC, juicy tax credits for the wealthy, business tax credits, STAR property tax credits and subsidies ect.

I know one woman who is driven insane by food stamps. She looks down on people that receive them like they are scum. She isn't eligible for food stamps, but receives a hefty chunk from the earned income credit. Her children actually get paid to go to college after all the grants. I wonder, what is the difference? There isn't a money fairy who brings financial aid money for college. It all comes from the same place as the money for food stamps. Did you know that many employers like Walmart deliberately keep their employees salaries at a certain level so they will qualify for food stamps and medicaid? Their excuse for not paying better wages is that they don't want to have the employees food stamps taken away. There wouldn't be such a need for food stamps if employers paid a wage that people could actually live on. But that's not a perfect solution for the rest of us either because higher wages would drive prices higher.

As far as what people buy with their food stamps, who cares? They don't get an unlimited amount of benefits each month and many of them work and pay taxes. In our county, you have to work 30 hours a week to qualify for food stamps if you are over 16 and no longer in high school.

Everyone has a story about someone they know who was abusing food stamps, buying their steaks and lobsters. I haven't seen this personally happen. I'm sure it does go on occasionally, but many of these stories sound like urban legends and sterotyping to me. I'm sure the majority of food stamp recipients are probably using food stamps as they are intended, to supplement their food budgets.

Just a couple of points to make here.

There are people who need help and I think most people here are sympathetic and generous. I think most Americans are sympathetic and generous. I don't see bias in the responses here. I see anger at misuse and mismanagement.

Government redistribution programs are like a blunt instrument used for delicate surgery. They are involuntary, so that funds are sometimes taken from people in need themselves. And being a bureaucratic agency, some of the funds go down a black hole before being distributed to the poor.

No process is perfect, but statistically, charities get more funds to those in need than the government does. On average, 85-95% of charitable donations get to the recipients. The government has a figure in the 40's. That is bad.

Cathleen

"It's alot harder to actually walk in another person's shoes. The person who has a cart full of convenience food just might be a person who is working a 60 hour week and may have difficulty finding time to meal plan or cook. They may make convenience foods because it enables them to spend some of the little time they have focusing on their family rather than food. Who are we to look down on their judgement call? The person who doesn't stock up during sales may not have the storage space in their home or have a freezer to stock up on sales. The person who does not coupons may not have the money to pay the tax on the money they saved by using the coupons(yes, you get taxed on it if your state has tax on food). We have the benefit of lots of tools (including the internet) available to us. There are many out there that don't have the things WE have that help us save. They consider things like time, money, space, and opportunity a luxury they just can't afford."

You make a good point. I think it was on this board or another where a woman posted that she worked fulltime but because housing was so expensive could afford to only live in a subsidized motel room (ie: she was still trying to save up for 1st, last and security deposit just to get an apartment). The motel management didn't let her use a hot plate and there was no kitchen in the room. She had access to a very small refrigerator. She found it difficult to plan healthy, low cost meals and posted asking for ideas.

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"Poor people work for their money. Rich people make their money work for them."

You mean the charitable organizations that have non profit status who in many instances are ALSO receiving federal funding. That massive infrastructure provides more than a helping hand and I think the article itself is an argument against relying on charitable organizations. During difficult economic times they aren't able to do what the government can which is operate in the red.

I think that alot of people depend on convience foods and that is where they waste their money. There was a lady in front of me at the deli counter at Albertsons and she used her food stamps to buy chicken strips and ready made salad. Of course the money isn't going to last if you spend it that way. I know I sound cruel but I think that my tax dollars could be better used. I joined the Army when I was 17 and sported a combat patch because of it. I would do the same thing again if it stood between me and using food stamps. Our government maintains a deficet to keep people up. I think the worst President we ever had was FDR with his new deal.

OK, I've read about half of the responses and I skimmed the original article. Here's my take: I think the article would have been a whole lot more effective in drumming up sympathy if the journalist actually did their research a little better. Maybe to the author of the article, probably doing pretty well for herself as the senior writer, it seems like a tragedy to not be able to afford your lobster meat to which you were once accustomed. Had Ms. Luhby gone online (to mommysavers.com, maybe?) and looked up how far $300/month can really go, she, too, would have been able to see both sides of the issue.

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Trust God. Whatever risk there is in doing so, the risk of not trusting in him is far greater. - Spurgeon

The largest portion of federal funding is the DoD. I spent 12 years in the military and I can assure you that there is money WASTED there too. I can't count the number of times that money was spent solely because if it wasn't spent they wouldn't be sure they would be able to receive it or more. Personally, I admire FDR. I like the fact that the government is there for people when they need it. I was appalled by what happened in Louisiana as a result of a government that turned a blind eye to devastation. It's well amd good to be seventeen and capable of joining the military to end up not reliant on food stamps but what about people who are disabled or people unable to pull themselves up by their own bootstraps? What about the elderly or the single parent that doesn't have family to take the responsibility of their children? I can't and won't turn my back on those people and I'm glad that I have a government that believes that its wrong to turn their back on them.

I have also seen these people at my grocery store and I have found my self feeling a touch angry. I see the name brand kids sugar cereals they are buying, as well as numerous pre-packaged processed foods, meats, milk, and juicy juice.
Some of those items my children would love to have, especially the juicy juice brand of juice and name brand cereal, but it's just too expensive. We buy the store brand alternative that is just as good, only the box isn't as colorful. I think states should mandate some sort of standards, instead of buying the $4 name brand cereal, they should have to buy the 2.50 store brand like most of us do. After all, isn't it my money they are spending?[/quote]

As far as the juicy juice and name brand cereal, as a mom who recieves WIC a lot of times grocery stores presume we also have food stamps ( we don't) but many people with WIC have stamps . have you thought about the fact that maybe they are getting their WIC allowment. If you don't buy it you lose it. WIC gives you brand name cereal ( the sugar free kind mostly) plus juicy juice. Even if i didn't get WIC i would still buy juicy juice because it is all juice no corn syrup alot of the grocery brands if you read the labels have corn syrup. Oh yeah it may be your money they are spending but if they arre working it is also thier tax dollars.

She must have used her bridge cash assistance for the ready made foods because food stamps will not pay for chicken strips anything that has tax will not be paid for. You cannot buy those ready made chickens either.

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Mom to Kellan 12-16-2000
Brooklyn 12-27-2005
Nolan 10-15-2007
Wife to Russell 10-14-2005

As far as the juicy juice and name brand cereal, as a mom who recieves WIC a lot of times grocery stores presume we also have food stamps ( we don't) but many people with WIC have stamps . have you thought about the fact that maybe they are getting their WIC allowment. If you don't buy it you lose it. WIC gives you brand name cereal ( the sugar free kind mostly) plus juicy juice. Even if i didn't get WIC i would still buy juicy juice because it is all juice no corn syrup alot of the grocery brands if you read the labels have corn syrup. Oh yeah it may be your money they are spending but if they arre working it is also thier tax dollars.[/quote]

WIC now uses a bridge card for benefits. They allow Juicy Juice and name brand cereals and like you said if those of us who work get these benefits it is also our tax dollars that pay for it as well. If we qualify and you don't then, obviously we make less money than you or our state's economy is worse ect. It pretty much evens out. If you want to buy cheap cereal so that you can use the extra money for entertainment out what is the difference? If I get name brand on my food stamps and save my entertainment money for more food because I can't afford entertainment why should it bother you? I don't get all these people whining when they don't see the recipient's life and don't see where they scrimp on their budgets. Maybe they choose to get name brand cereal but don't buy anything extra for themselves. Maybe they even out their budgets and buy schrimp so that there kids can have a little party for their entertainment and can't afford to buy them toys.

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I love hunting deals

Mom to Kellan 12-16-2000
Brooklyn 12-27-2005
Nolan 10-15-2007
Wife to Russell 10-14-2005