Nothing but Envy: The outrageous FoodShare Reform
legislation, AB 110, authored by Republican Rep. Dean Kaufert, grew out of “poor
envy.” The horror of the “have not’s” having something, is abusive, unfair and
a misuse of the program.
For months, Kaufert publically said he was going after junk
food, which he thought was an waste of taxpayer money. But in a recent press release below, he let the real reason slip:
“This FoodShare Reform legislation will make sure we continue to help those truly in need in our communities with basic food necessities, while at the same time reduce the abuse and misuse of this program,” Kaufert said. “The original intent of the food stamp program was to provide the basic necessities, not luxury items and this bill will move us back in that direction.”
My conservative friend in Milwaukee angrily told me once he saw
someone buying shrimp with food stamps, an odd pastime since it was something I never thought to do myself. He said he couldn't
afford to buy shrimp, and he was working.
Shrimp, steak…whatever, they can’t stand seeing poor people eat.
Never mind that the reason for such a purchase might be a job celebration, the
last food stamp purchase, a birthday…who knows? They’re supposed to be
miserable until they’re under the control of a minimum wage employer.
No, it's when steak is $9.00 a pound and the average middle-class American can only afford that kind of meat once a month, when people on EBT/SNAP appear to buy steak and shrimp and tuna steaks every time at the register. Or you see them buying the luxury food items with their EBT/SNAP cards, then follow-though with the beer and cigarettes using cash immediately afterwards. I don't have a "subsidized food list" along with a "non-subsidized food list". It's all non-subsidized on my list.
ReplyDeleteEBT/SNAP should be like WIC, where there are certain items "WIC approved", and people on taxpayer subsidy do not get the subsidy for all other items. This would cut the abuse in the system.
You're talking about someone on EBT/SNAP having the "choice" of buying "luxury" items (i.e., steak) on a one-time, freedom-of-choice basis. The issue is not freedom of choice: it is seeing those on subsidy consistently purchase items that non-subsidized consumers cannot normally afford.
Every time the government subsidizes something, they put an artificial price floor on that item, be it college tuition, medical costs, housing costs, or food costs. It disrupts the free market system by making it not a free market, but a stratified market of subsidized vs. non-subsidized.
Why the hell do you care what they choose to eat? They don't get any more on their card when they buy something "luxurious".
DeleteIf Kaufert's crusade included reducing the amount of food islands that exist in poor areas where there aren't places to get good food, I could get with some kind of nutrition requirement. But they don't care about that, they just want to bash poor minorities
Whine whine whine. Lazy conservatives like you should try and make more money so you can afford such "luxury" items, instead of complaining about the poor.
ReplyDeleteRemember, an expensive food item reduces a persons monthly food stamp purchases dramatically, so these rare occurrences are not made often. But then, envy is a real bitch, isn't it.
I once saw a Republican buying a baby from a woman in the parking lot at Walmart. I know he was a Republican because he was morbidly obese and had a "Stand With Walker" bumper sticker. God only knows what happened to the poor child. I understand that there is a Republican cult which performs human sacrifice at a local Country Club. This is probably what was going on, yeah I'm pretty sure of it.
ReplyDeleteI saw an escalator stop working once. All the conservatives started walking up the steps while all the liberals just stood there screaming for someone else to come help them.
ReplyDeleteConservatives can't get their Rascals on escalators
ReplyDelete• It would seem we view food stamps as poaching. The taking of the king’s deer often led to deportation to Australia. Our choices would be:
ReplyDelete• American Samoa
• Guam
• Northern Mariana Islands
• Puerto Riconote 1
• U.S. Virgin Islands
• Wake Island
It's pointless to call a Republican liar because he already knows he's one. He just hopes you don't notice that he's stealing too.
ReplyDeleteYou got that right Gareth.
ReplyDelete