Maine Gov. LePage threatens to halt food stamp program amid sugar crackdown

[Stacyrect]

That kind of solution would only affect the people on SNAP...and only in their direct use of their SNAP benefits for junk food. It wouldn't have much impact overall on medical costs.

Nearly 50 million people are on snap which is a considerable amount of people. It cost's roughly 10,000$ a year to treat a child for diabetes compared to 1,500$ per year for those who do not have the disease and that's just diabetes. Never mind the cost's of health issues for adults. It's fiscally irresponsible never mind a really shitty way of fucking the poor again.

[Aori]

I can't even get foodstamps let alone SNAP, how does one accomplish this?

[Wildtree]

Show of Hands...Who among you is willing to pay higher taxes in order to keep people using their SNAP benefits to buy a Coke?

Higher taxes?
What am I missing here?
Say you've $400.00 worth of food stamp allotment, you'd still have that amount if sodas were no longer possible to buy.
So nothing would change on our tax participation from that angle.
But, how about we replace sodas with tea? Or stuff like Crystal Light, so people can make themselves something which is cheaper than sodas, and healthier at the same time?
SNAP just needs some common sense love, and then it should be fine.
If one reads the nonsense in the requirements, some of them make you facepalm.
Like, you cannot get that freshly roasted chicken from the deli section. Not covered.
But hey, worry not. Grab the cold one from the day before, and tadaaa, you're in shape.

[Tinykong]

I C watt u did derr. When u'z makez dumb argument iz ok, when othaz peeplez use same dumb argument it bad

Candy bars and cigarettes are not equivalent.

If you can't understand that...then maybe your post isn't satirical and you had a stroke?

[Wildtree]

Candy bars and cigarettes are not equivalent.

If you can't understand that...then maybe your post isn't satirical and you had a stroke?

I've got stomach cancer from all that passive exposure of your damn candy bars.

[flyspyro]

here is my point of view- I am disabled. not by poor choices in food or life style. It's genetic meaning I was born this way... I have enough money for a place to live, medical bills/medications and utilities.. I have food stamps. Sometimes I like to buy icecream and rootbeer for floats as a treat.. not all the time but sometimes and it's very sad and upsetting to hear people say that I shouldn't be able to have that. I mean wtf.. What is wrong with you people.

[Evil Midnight Bomber]

Nearly 50 million people are on snap which is a considerable amount of people. It cost's roughly 10,000$ a year to treat a child for diabetes compared to 1,500$ per year for those who do not have the disease and that's just diabetes. Never mind the cost's of health issues for adults. It's fiscally irresponsible never mind a really shitty way of fucking the poor again.

Again, it would not stop them from buying those products though...they just wouldn't be able to use their SNAP benefits to do so. You aren't going to see 50 million million people suddenly able and willing to make healthier choices. You will not see a huge reduction on public medical costs due to this kind of legislation.

If you want to tackle it as a public health crisis...there are better ways to do so. Methods like increasing taxes on those items for everyone and adding incentives to make healthier alternatives more affordable.

[Boathouse]

here is my point of view- I am disabled. not by poor choices in food or life style. It's genetic meaning I was born this way... I have enough money for a place to live, medical bills/medications and utilities.. I have food stamps. Sometimes I like to buy icecream and rootbeer for floats as a treat.. not all the time but sometimes and it's very sad and upsetting to hear people say that I shouldn't be able to have that. I mean wtf.. What is wrong with you people.

Food stamps have a bad rep thanks to people abusing them. People like you get pushed to the side and borderline forgotten about due to the insane amount of leeches on the system.

edit: The real solution would be different levels of food stamps, and I'm not just talking about the numbers. If you're just in a rough spot? Yeah probably don't need that soda and candy. If you're lazy? You really don't need it. If you're disabled either temporarily or permanently? Full access.

[Evil Midnight Bomber]

Food stamps have a bad rep thanks to people abusing them. People like you get pushed to the side and borderline forgotten about due to the insane amount of leeches on the system.

There are more "people like him" in the system than "leeches". Just because you hear about the leeches than the honest people that benefit from these programs more that does not mean there are more leeches than honest people.

[Boathouse]

There are more "people like him" in the system than "leeches". Just because you hear about the leeches than the honest people that benefit from these programs more that does not mean there are more leeches than honest people.

I never said there wasn't. What are you getting at?

[Evil Midnight Bomber]

I never said there wasn't. What are you getting at?

You said "insane amount of leeches".

[Boathouse]

You said "insane amount of leeches".

Which wasn't wrong. Still not sure what you're digging for.

[flyspyro]

Food stamps have a bad rep thanks to people abusing them. People like you get pushed to the side and borderline forgotten about due to the insane amount of leeches on the system.

edit: The real solution would be different levels of food stamps, and I'm not just talking about the numbers. If you're just in a rough spot? Yeah probably don't need that soda and candy. If you're lazy? You really don't need it. If you're disabled either temporarily or permanently? Full access.

The thing is they are trying to do a full ban on everyone.. thats why I don't support any kind of food restrictions..

[Boathouse]

The thing is they are trying to do a full ban on everyone.. thats why I don't support any kind of food restrictions..

Yeah banning everyone is actually stupid. The program just needs looked at as a whole, probably remade from the ground up. Punishing disabled people because of people who don't want to work isn't in any sense of the word fair.

[Evil Midnight Bomber]

Higher taxes?
What am I missing here?

Posting this again:
http://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/eligible-food-items

“Junk Food” & Luxury Items

The Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (the Act) defines eligible food as any food or food product for home consumption and also includes seeds and plants which produce food for consumption by SNAP households. The Act precludes the following items from being purchased with SNAP benefits: alcoholic beverages, tobacco products, hot food and any food sold for on-premises consumption. Nonfood items such as pet foods, soaps, paper products, medicines and vitamins, household supplies, grooming items, and cosmetics, also are ineligible for purchase with SNAP benefits.

Soft drinks, candy, cookies, snack crackers, and ice cream are food items and are therefore eligible items
Seafood, steak, and bakery cakes are also food items and are therefore eligible items
Since the current definition of food is a specific part of the Act, any change to this definition would require action by a member of Congress. Several times in the history of SNAP, Congress had considered placing limits on the types of food that could be purchased with program benefits. However, they concluded that designating foods as luxury or non-nutritious would be administratively costly and burdensome.

- - - Updated - - -

Which wasn't wrong. Still not sure what you're digging for.

"Insane amount" implies that that the bad overshadow the good. They don't.

[Boathouse]

"Insane amount" implies that that the bad overshadow the good. They don't.

No it doesn't. That wasn't implied at all. Look elsewhere for your argument.

[Orange Joe]

Average wages would probably be higher if the minimum wage did not exist. It allows companies to set wages at a low rate rather than letting them rise naturally to keep up with rising prices and inflation.

We tried this before. It's the whole reason unions and labor laws were made.

[Evil Midnight Bomber]

No it doesn't. That wasn't implied at all. Look elsewhere for your argument.

Miscommunication then, no big deal.

[Boathouse]

Miscommunication then, no big deal.

No worries, it happens

[chipwood]

If people want to kill themselves eating junk food, then they should be allowed.

Taxpayer dollars shouldn't be paying for that though