President Trump Wants To Change SNAP Program

[Orlong]

*4) And I can't help but notice you're pushing the "get back on your feet" bit when most people on SNAP work, including active duty military, and many of the rest can't (including children, who need calcium for growing bones, which government cheese doesn't have, seriously what the fuck)

People who work shitty minimum wage jobs who could get a second job or do a great job where they are currently and earn raises to climb the ladder. If you've been working for 20 years and are still making minimum wage, then there is something wrong with YOU.

Also I'm a strong supporter of our military, but there is no reason that they should be getting food stamps. As someone who spent 5 years in the military, I know for a fact that they pay sucks, but you are also given a free place to live, and free food. You shouldn't need to buy supplemental food at all. Also if you have kids and are in the military your compensation package includes comrats which is additional money in your paycheck to pay for food for your kids and spouse. Why in the hell is any military member scamming the government for food stamps when they are already provided all the food that they need as part of their compensation package.

Also while government cheese may not have calcium, it has calories and fills your belly, government powdered milk does have calcium

[Garnier Fructis]

People who work shitty minimum wage jobs who could get a second job or do a great job where they are currently and earn raises to climb the ladder. If you've been working for 20 years and are still making minimum wage, then there is something wrong with YOU.

How do people find second jobs when illegal immigrants are taking all the jobs?

[Orlong]

6) Plus, you didn't even respond to the question. If perfectly good food -- such as fresh vegetables and non-canned meat -- is already available on local store shelves, why not a system which allows people who need nutritious food, to get nutritious food from there? The proposed FEMA rations (yeah I'm going to keep using that intentionally derogatory term) are not only of questionable nutritional quality (how the fuck does cheese not have calcium?) but the extra delivery could eat any potential savings. A system that follows the spirit of WIC could, for the same costs, get nutritious food to people who need nutritious food, as well as allow a much higher degree of choice than "Oh boy, the government sent corn again. Guess we had another surplus."

Because if you give people $100 for meat and veggies, a lot of them wont buy chicken thighs (or whole chickens and cut them up themselves), ground beef, ground turkey, pork chops etc... They will buy new York strip steaks, crab legs, scallops, prime rib, etc...

They wont buy apples, cabbage, corn, broccoli, carrots, and peas, They will buy asparagus, fresh pineapples (precut), romanesco, heirloom tomatoes on the vine, artichokes, etc... because why not, its free to me!!!! Additionally they often buy the pre washed/peeled/cut fruits and vegetables which cost 200 to 300% more than whole ones. You can buy a 2 pound plastic container of watermelon that's cut into bite size cubes for about $7.00 or you could buy a whole 10 pound watermelon for about $5.00 They are not maximizing the amount of food they could have by buying it on their own

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Says a lot about America that people who work full time jobs have to live at subsistence off crappy, processed cheese product.

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We'll consider it if you consider banning soda sales over a certain size at fast food restaurants, 'kay?

Nope, because people are buying soda at restaurants with their OWN money. Its none of your business what they spend it on. SNAP is a program funded by taxpayer money designed to provide NUTRTIOUS food to poor people. The N in SNAP stands for Nutrition! If they aren't using it to buy nutritious food, then they shouldn't get it at all

[Elegiac]

Nope, because people are buying soda at restaurants with their OWN money. Its none of your business what they spend it on. SNAP is a program funded by taxpayer money designed to provide NUTRTIOUS food to poor people. The N in SNAP stands for Nutrition! If they aren't using it to buy nutritious food, then they shouldn't get it at all

You don't get to decide which pothole your tax money goes towards fixing; in the same vein, you don't get to micromanage people who get public assistance.

If you don't want to spend public money on food how about, I dunno, raising their wages so they won't have to rely on SNAP?

[Lenonis]

In short, they don't. They can have things verified by private, independent entities, rather than a government one. Yes, it can be done ahead of time. They can even handle it through their own private insurers. As it stands, we have plenty of examples where the government said something was safe, and it simply was not (Vioxx).

Yeah, we're pretty far off topic so I think I'm going to close this that I respectfully disagree that this model would be anything short of an utter disaster for public health.

There are so many ways for a deregulated pharma industry to harm the public and this is one of the areas that needs a heavy handed regulation touch.

The current issues in the system that you pointed out actually support the need for regulation, not refute it.

Anyway, thanks for the discussion. My fundamental problem with your style of libertarianism is it requires trusting in the altruism of unregulated business. There is mounts of proof that businesses operate sociopathically, not altruistically. Going back to the wild west days of pharma is just simply not acceptable.

[Machismo]

Yeah, we're pretty far off topic so I think I'm going to close this that I respectfully disagree that this model would be anything short of an utter disaster for public health.

There are so many ways for a deregulated pharma industry to harm the public and this is one of the areas that needs a heavy handed regulation touch.

The current issues in the system that you pointed out actually support the need for regulation, not refute it.

Anyway, thanks for the discussion. My fundamental problem with your style of libertarianism is it requires trusting in the altruism of unregulated business. There is mounts of proof that businesses operate sociopathically, not altruistically. Going back to the wild west days of pharma is just simply not acceptable.

It's been a pleasure. We're going to fundamentally disagree with some things, but we managed to keep it civil.

[cubby]

People who work shitty minimum wage jobs who could get a second job or do a great job where they are currently and earn raises to climb the ladder. If you've been working for 20 years and are still making minimum wage, then there is something wrong with YOU.

Also I'm a strong supporter of our military, but there is no reason that they should be getting food stamps. As someone who spent 5 years in the military, I know for a fact that they pay sucks, but you are also given a free place to live, and free food. You shouldn't need to buy supplemental food at all. Also if you have kids and are in the military your compensation package includes comrats which is additional money in your paycheck to pay for food for your kids and spouse. Why in the hell is any military member scamming the government for food stamps when they are already provided all the food that they need as part of their compensation package.

Also while government cheese may not have calcium, it has calories and fills your belly, government powdered milk does have calcium

So it's the individual's fault that they want to serve their country but don't get paid enough? That's the tact you want to take here?

Are you ever taken seriously?

[Zan15]

Because if you give people $100 for meat and veggies, a lot of them wont buy chicken thighs (or whole chickens and cut them up themselves), ground beef, ground turkey, pork chops etc... They will buy new York strip steaks, crab legs, scallops, prime rib, etc...

Hi Mr. "i once heard about this welfare queen buying crab legs and lobster with food stamps" How you doing.


what is "a lot" and what is your citation other then conjecture and extrapolating a few isolated incidents to "a lot" ???

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People who work shitty minimum wage jobs who could get a second job or do a great job where they are currently and earn raises to climb the ladder. If you've been working for 20 years and are still making minimum wage, then there is something wrong with YOU.

Guess you never worked a shitty min wage job huh?
First your hours are scattered. They force you to work any hours they choose and it changes weekly. They call you in even on your days off and you lose your job if you do not show.


now try to juggle two of these.


and its cute that you think these massive min wage corporations care about how long you have worked for the company or how well you are doing. They have a desperate workforce that is living paycheck to paycheck just to eat and have housing. You are lucky to get a few raises out of the gate in the first year or so then that is it.


You should get out there and talk to some people that work min wage jobs. You'd be shocked what you learn

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Because if you give people $100 for meat and veggies, a lot of them wont buy chicken thighs (or whole chickens and cut them up themselves), ground beef, ground turkey, pork chops etc... They will buy new York strip steaks, crab legs, scallops, prime rib, etc...

They wont buy apples, cabbage, corn, broccoli, carrots, and peas, They will buy asparagus, fresh pineapples (precut), romanesco, heirloom tomatoes on the vine, artichokes, etc... because why not, its free to me!!!! Additionally they often buy the pre washed/peeled/cut fruits and vegetables which cost 200 to 300% more than whole ones. You can buy a 2 pound plastic container of watermelon that's cut into bite size cubes for about $7.00 or you could buy a whole 10 pound watermelon for about $5.00 They are not maximizing the amount of food they could have by buying it on their own

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Nope, because people are buying soda at restaurants with their OWN money. Its none of your business what they spend it on. SNAP is a program funded by taxpayer money designed to provide NUTRTIOUS food to poor people. The N in SNAP stands for Nutrition! If they aren't using it to buy nutritious food, then they shouldn't get it at all

Sorry if the military does not pay enough they should get a second job. Stop forcing the military to pay a min wage and min benefits, let free market reign!!!!!

[Orlong]

So it's the individual's fault that they want to serve their country but don't get paid enough? That's the tact you want to take here?

Are you ever taken seriously?

Not at all. My point is they don't NEED to have food stamps because the government provides them with FREE food in the galley. If they don't like what is served there and want to buy their own, they shouldn't get food stamps to do so. If they weren't fed and weren't given comrats (money to pay for food in their paycheck) then I would have no problem with them getting food stamps. Ive also never heard of a military member getting food stamps either. I only hear the democrats claim that they qualify based on their payscale, but they either don't know, or try to obfuscate the fact that we already feed and house (and pay for all of their utilities except phone/cable) them, which is why they have low salaries

[Breccia]

If you've been working for 20 years and are still making minimum wage, then there is something wrong with YOU.

Show me the demographic of people working minimum wage for 20 years and on SNAP.

Good luck.

Because if you give people $100 for meat and veggies, a lot of them wont buy chicken thighs (or whole chickens and cut them up themselves), ground beef, ground turkey, pork chops etc... They will buy new York strip steaks, crab legs, scallops, prime rib, etc...

Yep, still a myth.

The average per-person is still $126 for an entire month. And only 10% of that is spent on beef and seafood combined.

You're suggesting someone working 20 years at minimum wage, when given $126 for an entire month for food, will say "I could buy more than one meal's worth of meat, but fuck it, I'm getting one steak".

Basically, you're making a strawman. You're making up an outrageous example, assuming everyone does it, and attacking it. And even you knew you were doing it. Meanwhile, I continue to cite actual things that actually happened, like the number of your fellow vets on SNAP, and the number of active-duty military on SNAP. Go ahead and ask your 2.2 million allies how many of them used their SNAP to buy crab legs. Until you get decent results, I'm going to say $12.60 a month all blown on one serving is bullshit far more times than not, and then question why you're assuming so many of your comrades in arms are cheating the system.

[Edge-]

Ive also never heard of a military member getting food stamps either. I only hear the democrats claim that they qualify based on their payscale, but they either don't know, or try to obfuscate the fact that we already feed and house (and pay for all of their utilities except phone/cable) them, which is why they have low salaries

https://www.military.com/daily-news/...-families.html

Amy Bushatz of Military.com last year cited a report by the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office which said that the Department of Defense lacked the data or coordination with other federal agencies to keep an accurate track on how many troops were receiving food stamps.

The report found that about 23,000 active duty service members received food stamps in 2013, according to U.S. Census data. In addition, information from the Department of Defense Education Activity showed that in September 2015, 24 percent of 23,000 children in U.S. DoDEA schools were eligible for free meals, while 21 percent were eligible for reduced-price meals.

https://www.military.com/paycheck-ch...nd-food-stamps

About 751,000 food stamp transactions, or almost $80 million in purchases, were completed at military commissaries in 2015, the latest year for which data is currently available.

[cubby]

Not at all. My point is they don't NEED to have food stamps because the government provides them with FREE food in the galley. If they don't like what is served there and want to buy their own, they shouldn't get food stamps to do so. If they weren't fed and weren't given comrats (money to pay for food in their paycheck) then I would have no problem with them getting food stamps. Ive also never heard of a military member getting food stamps either. I only hear the democrats claim that they qualify based on their payscale, but they either don't know, or try to obfuscate the fact that we already feed and house (and pay for all of their utilities except phone/cable) them, which is why they have low salaries

Just out of curiosity - do their families get free access to the "galley"?

[Ivanstone]

Reminder:
Sometimes your friendly neighbourhood conservative scold will fit into one of the following three groups:
1 - Does not need SNAP because he has a cushy unionized government job.
2 - Prefers to save $0.25 off the price of a hamburger rather than have that money go to increasing employee wages. Even if those low wages are subsidized by governemnt programs like SNAP which increase his taxes.
3 - Both of the above.

[Hilhen7]

Because if you give people $100 for meat and veggies, a lot of them wont buy chicken thighs (or whole chickens and cut them up themselves), ground beef, ground turkey, pork chops etc... They will buy new York strip steaks, crab legs, scallops, prime rib, etc...

They wont buy apples, cabbage, corn, broccoli, carrots, and peas, They will buy asparagus, fresh pineapples (precut), romanesco, heirloom tomatoes on the vine, artichokes, etc... because why not, its free to me!!!! Additionally they often buy the pre washed/peeled/cut fruits and vegetables which cost 200 to 300% more than whole ones. You can buy a 2 pound plastic container of watermelon that's cut into bite size cubes for about $7.00 or you could buy a whole 10 pound watermelon for about $5.00 They are not maximizing the amount of food they could have by buying it on their own

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Nope, because people are buying soda at restaurants with their OWN money. Its none of your business what they spend it on. SNAP is a program funded by taxpayer money designed to provide NUTRTIOUS food to poor people. The N in SNAP stands for Nutrition! If they aren't using it to buy nutritious food, then they shouldn't get it at all

That doesn't make sense. Just because they get $100 for meat that doesn't mean they are going to blow it all on steak and crab legs.

SNAP doesn't provide you with enough money to suddenly start eating like your rich...

[Orlong]

Just out of curiosity - do their families get free access to the "galley"?

No, but they are given a stipend of several hundred dollars called comrats (apparently its now called BAS, Basic Allowance for Subsistence) in their paychecks. This year its $369 per month

[apeiron1234]

Absolutely! Eating healthy leads to a healthy mind. President Trump is definitely on the right track.

[Zan15]

No, but they are given a stipend of several hundred dollars called comrats (apparently its now called BAS, Basic Allowance for Subsistence) in their paychecks. This year its $369 per month

So they are given.....Food allowances....funded by tax payer dollars.....of 369 a month......

So poor people are given....Food allowances.....funded by tax payer dollars.......of 194 dollars a month.....


i mean really what the hell is the difference? both groups pay taxes, both groups work. Some people in both groups do not work, some people in both groups are disabled, some people in both groups are part of a family that collects....

only difference is one group is in the military and one works at mcdonalds?

[Breccia]

i mean really what the hell is the difference?

Well for one, there has yet to be a suggestion to replace the military allowances with MRE's.

[Felaris Stormrage]

That feeling when people are dissing food you eat on a regular basis.

[Maneo]

Do you actually know what EBT is, or are you just talking out of your ass?

It's extraordinarily difficult to engage in food stamp trading by virtue of the fact it's issued through electronic debit.

Sadly not really.

Addicts will literally give their EBT cards to their dealers for a monthly fix.

People will also stand outside the grocery store offering to give you their card and pin, for x amount of dollars. I was approached with this offer so many times while living in GA

However I am aware that they are now requiring a picture of the recipient on the EBT card. That is long over due.

Having worked at a grocery store part times a few years back I have seen quite a bit of waste and abuse of SNAP.

That being said in my youth I was a recipient of those benefits myself, and if not I would have gone hungry more often then not.

The program needs to exist, and it needs to change IMO. However this isn't how it needs to change.

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So they are given.....Food allowances....funded by tax payer dollars.....of 369 a month......

So poor people are given....Food allowances.....funded by tax payer dollars.......of 194 dollars a month.....


i mean really what the hell is the difference? both groups pay taxes, both groups work. Some people in both groups do not work, some people in both groups are disabled, some people in both groups are part of a family that collects....

only difference is one group is in the military and one works at mcdonalds?

No the difference is that is only for active duty. So they signed away their lives for X number of years, and work thankless jobs for low pay. So the military gives BAS (food) and BAH (housing) is to supplement military income based on the area.

To give an idea my wife made about 3600 a month after taxes w/her BAS and BAH (adjusted for her being married and having a child), as a staff sergeant, with 10 years in.

When she got out she made a 6 figure salary.