New York Asks to Bar Use of Food Stamps to Buy Sodas page

[Unignorant]

This may be of interest to some of you:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/07/ny...stamps.html?hp

A good step perhaps, but how dangerous is the precedent?

[Russ]

It's pretty expected, government always craves more power, onces it gets the nanny state laws passed, it can do what it wants.

The funny thing is this kinda stuff gets people focused on when and how foodstamps should be used, but not asking why of if we need them at all.

[Adrianne]

If we're going to do that then we should also make it so government officials are banned from buying soda. I think this would be terrible legislation.

[Yvonne]

Soda is not a food. I remember when I was young (in the 50's) and my mother needed help for a period of time. She brought home large cans of real food and powdered milk and Corn Flakes. This was government issued to give us nutrition. When did the government start letting people use tax dollars to get anything they wanted? I know someone who, when she gets her food stamps, goes to the store and buys the cheapest soda on the market. She then goes behind the store and opens each can and dumps it. She then takes the cans back into the store gets the deposit money and buys beer. This same person sells all of her stamps for beer. One time I stood behind a kid around the age of ten, with his mothers food stamp card. He bought soda, candy bars and chips. Lets get real- the government is the people and I as one of the people do not approve of the system the way it is now.

[emmie]

It's the precedent that really bothers me, and it's not "New York" asking for this legislation, but our obesity-obsessed mayor, Michael Bloomberg. I think if we did a survey among NY citizens, there would be opposition to goverment interference AND creating a law that targets and penalizes low-income people. That has to be discriminatory.

I'd suggest banning Bloomberg's Diet Coke because of the aspertame, but he doesn't seem to be concerned about that, since he knows zilch about nutrition.

[NutMeg]

I am anti-big government, but I am also anti assitance to people that are going to use the system this way. Soda is not food. If you are on assitance to get help buying FOOD then you shouldn't be using foodstamps to buy soda. If you want soda spend your own money on it. Figure it out. But luxuries are meant for people that can afford it.

Before anyone gets high and mighty and tells me I am being unfair, keep in mind that I have been a rcipeint if WIC in the past, I was on MEdicaid with my first pregnancy. We currently qualify for and accept free breakfast/lunch for our school age children. I could probably qualify for hte military version of food stamps, but I will not apply, since we have our budget set-up so that we can afford groceries, pay our car payment and still put a little money into savings. Even low income people (not all but many) can figure out something to cut out of their spending if they want to afford junk food.

[Sassy]

Today soda, tomorrow....meat.

I'm cool with saying they can't buy soda with it, but I worry what would be next. I think it should be structured like the WIC program was (is? I don't know now) that pretty closely limited what people were allowed to buy. Although that included bread, so the same issue comes back - who decides what's considered "healthy"?

[jasonph]

Only if Barack forces Sasha and Malia to give up McDonald's

[Shibbel]

No one is saying stop people from buying soda - this is about people in need of food to survive, and as was mentioned above, soda is not food. As long as Bloomberg is paying for his diet coke with his own money, who cares? However, to use my money (as a tax payer) to buy garbage isn't a privilege anyone should have. This is a not a penalty, or discriminatory. Like mayor Bloomberg, let them pay for the soda and junk food they want.

I can't put into words how frustrating it is to be in line at the grocery store and watch an obese family with a cart full of junk totaling $300+ whip out a food stamp card to pay for it. We don't allow them to buy beer, why soda? Unlike grains, beans, and rice, EVERYONE agrees soda is junk. So, this isn't a case of "who gets to decide what's healthy". This is a prime example of how we have turned into a nation of push overs. At some point we have to stand up, and require some return on the money we keep spending.

[NutMeg]

Today soda, tomorrow....meat.

I'm cool with saying they can't buy soda with it, but I worry what would be next. I think it should be structured like the WIC program was (is? I don't know now) that pretty closely limited what people were allowed to buy. Although that included bread, so the same issue comes back - who decides what's considered "healthy"?

WIC is generally cereal, milk, eggs, cheese, peanut butter or beans and juice. If you are formula feeding it includes formula. I think they have also added some whole grains, and soy berverages along with tofu- blech. It now includes vouchers for the farmers market too. If you are prengnat or nursing it also contains, tuna, carrots and maybe one or two other things. But, it is limited to actual food, whether or not we agree with the health of it, the stuff provided does have nutrients.

Soda and chips? Not so much. I think food stamps should be limited to those food stuffs which are not taxed. In NJ there are taxes on chips and soda, but not on lettuce and bread and other stuff that provides nutrition.