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Rank: Constant Gardener
Joined: 9/30/2009
Posts: 9,516
Location: Cakeland, United States
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With all the people who are utilizing this safety net in the United States, you'd think that they should be allowed to purchase their nutrition everywhere, right? Why should grocery stores be the only places those EBT cards can be utilized?Poor people like to eat at Taco Bell and Pizza Hut too, don't they? The helpful food service industry just wants to extend assistance when possible. The nearly five-decade-old program distributed a record $64.4 billion in the 2010 fiscal year.
“Everybody wants to get a piece of that action,” says Marion Nestle, a New York University
professor of nutrition and public health.
“Right now it’s going to grocery stores; restaurants think that’s not fair.”Shouldn't the homeless and those struggling to survive be allowed to go out to eat at Applebee's, The Cheesecake Factory and other assorted higher end restaurants, also?
 The best thing you can do for your fellow,
next to rousing his conscience, is - not to give him things
to think about, but to wake things up that are in him...
to make him think things for himself - George MacDonald
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Rank: Lurker
Joined: 11/30/2006
Posts: 327,262
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That would be bad PR. We don't want to be reminded of that nasty talk whilst trying to enjoy our 2 for ones.
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Rank: Lurker
Joined: 11/30/2006
Posts: 327,262
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Doesn't seem like a good idea to me. Can't you feed a family of four for more than the cost of one meal at one of those places? About 40/50 bucks to feed four at Olive Garden or the same amount at the grocery store.
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Rank: Author
Joined: 10/22/2011
Posts: 2,005
Location: Expat in, Russia
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Could they put the tip on their EBT card? Oh, what about really good service, tip 25%? NO!So the waitresses and waiters suffer.... Really, the most equal system is where all suffer equally, right? Then there is no incentive to make anything better.
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Rank: Forum Guru
Joined: 2/7/2011
Posts: 176
Location: between a rock and grad school applications, Unite
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I can see the pros to allowing it at restaurants. Some people who qualify for these types of programs don't necessarily have a stove or a refrigerator BUT I'm not sure how it would or if it even could work. But then again, it goes back to the same line of thinking, that because some one is poor, they're not capable of making proper decisions for themselves.
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Rank: Author
Joined: 10/22/2011
Posts: 2,005
Location: Expat in, Russia
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Perhaps I am wrong, I see some good points all around, but aren't there limits on the type of food one is allowed to purchase with EBT cards? No alcohol, no Paul Newmans Gourmet sauce, etc? Wouldn't these limits prevent there use in McDonald's and other fast food locations selling flavor laced cardboard? I don't know, that's why I ask?
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Rank: Forum Guru
Joined: 8/10/2009
Posts: 2,033
Location: ATL in da house!!!, United States
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You're not allowed to buy any kind of already-prepared food with food stamps. By that, I mean you can buy frozen dinners, but not dinners at Applebees. I'm okay with that. food stamps are supposed to be temporary assistance for people that are going through hard times. They're not supposed to be something a family can live off of indefinitely. The way I figure it, if you can afford to blow your food stamp budget by taking your family our to eat at a restaurant, you probably don't need the assistance in the first place. One problem that I see is there's no limit on the type of food you can buy with your allowance. The government doesn't care if you spend it on staples like bread, milk, rice, and meat... or lobster and Hershey's bars. They just give you "X" dollars a month in benefits. it' sup to you what you do with them. There would be a lot fewer people on food stamps (or there would be a lot less money spent) if the money could only be spent on non-luxury food. It would be more of an accounting problem for the stores, but that's what computer programmers are for.
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Rank: Active Ink Slinger
Joined: 5/4/2010
Posts: 43
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I believe food stamp programs are good, that they should be used only to purchase foods (not alcohol)in grocery stores, but that people using them should be able to make their own decisions about the type of foods purchased. I admit I often see people make absurd food choices when in checkout lines, food stamps or not, but if you're not willing to ban junk food advertisements how much meddling can you do?
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Rank: Active Ink Slinger
Joined: 12/22/2011
Posts: 38
Location: United States
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My family is on food stamps.
For us it is a God send..I am one of the members of the ranks of the long term unemployed.
When we go to the grocery store, we go for BOGOs and try to avoid snacky foods.
I agree that it is a good thing that food stamps can't be used for prepared foods and used in restaurants.
It costs a lot less to prepare the food at home than to eat out..plus I know exactly what has gone into the preparation of our vittles.
Hopefully, within the month, I will have obtained my CDL, and will be driving a big rig, so we can get off the food stamp program.
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Rank: The Linebacker
Joined: 3/2/2011
Posts: 3,296
Location: Atlanta, United States
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Evidently there is much room for abuse and the black market with food stamps. The Atlanta TV news did an expose showing how food stamps can be re-sold and that liquor stores were often exchanging them for alcohol and cigarettes. That is not supposed to happen but it does and rather easily evidently. Maybe a food voucher could accompany food stamps for recipients to purchase a prepared meal. Can the government handle this? I wonder.
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Rank: Lurker
Joined: 11/30/2006
Posts: 327,262
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If they're going to make it for disabled and/or elderly people to be able to use, couldn't they have a special card issued just to them? Elderly being over retirement age and disabled being what qualifies under the ADA. The problem with what qualifies as disabled is sometimes determined by certain doctors and if you go to the right place they'll say you are disabled for the right money.
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Rank: Lurker
Joined: 11/30/2006
Posts: 327,262
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WellMadeMale wrote:With all the people who are utilizing this safety net in the United States, you'd think that they should be allowed to purchase their nutrition everywhere, right? Why should grocery stores be the only places those EBT cards can be utilized?Poor people like to eat at Taco Bell and Pizza Hut too, don't they? The helpful food service industry just wants to extend assistance when possible. The nearly five-decade-old program distributed a record $64.4 billion in the 2010 fiscal year.
“Everybody wants to get a piece of that action,” says Marion Nestle, a New York University
professor of nutrition and public health.
“Right now it’s going to grocery stores; restaurants think that’s not fair.”Shouldn't the homeless and those struggling to survive be allowed to go out to eat at Applebee's, The Cheesecake Factory and other assorted higher end restaurants, also? I don´t know how that works in the USA, but in my country social aid is supposed to be a social aid, not a luxury, so why should people go to a restaurant? If they go to a grocery, they can get the basic products, milk, bread, oil, a bag of fruits, a bag of pasta, etc, and then cook it at home. Makes the whole process more cheap and efficient.
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Rank: Purveyor of Poetry & Porn
Joined: 10/19/2009
Posts: 5,363
Location: Right here on Lush Stories...
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FtLMale wrote:Could they put the tip on their EBT card? Oh, what about really good service, tip 25%?
NO!
So the waitresses and waiters suffer....
Don't forget about tipping the maitre d' and, of course, the wine steward... Yeah, maybe the system is best the way it is...just saying... 
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Rank: Thread Mediator
Joined: 9/25/2009
Posts: 4,086
Location: United States
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What a great idea. Let companies like Yum Brands, which contributes more to obesity in America than perhaps any other company out there, take government subsidies while worsening the obesity problem. Morally bankrupt corporations get richer, poor people get fatter and more malnourished. What's not to like?
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Rank: Lurker
Joined: 11/30/2006
Posts: 327,262
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Quote:Morally bankrupt corporations get richer, poor people get fatter and more malnourished Perhaps that's the idea. In their opinion natural selection.
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Rank: Thread Mediator
Joined: 9/25/2009
Posts: 4,086
Location: United States
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I'm certain that you're right about that.
Poor people are worthless to those with the money (unless they're cleaning their houses or mowing their lawns), so it makes no difference to them if they're healthy. All it will do is drive up public health care costs that they're trying their hardest not to pay for anyway since it's only for lazy, poor people who.....wait for it......"should've made better choices" (make sure to wag finger here).
Plus, it's a lot easier to call somebody (or millions of minorities in the underclass, either way) lazy, then push policy changes accordingly (we gotta stop those dastardly welfare queens!) if they're overweight.
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Rank: Internet Philosopher
Joined: 8/14/2009
Posts: 1,997
Location: somewhere deep under the Earth, United States
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LadyX wrote:I'm certain that you're right about that.
Poor people are worthless to those with the money (unless they're cleaning their houses or mowing their lawns), so it makes no difference to them if they're healthy. All it will do is drive up public health care costs that they're trying their hardest not to pay for anyway since it's only for lazy, poor people who.....wait for it......"should've made better choices" (make sure to wag finger here).
Plus, it's a lot easier to call somebody (or millions of minorities in the underclass, either way) lazy, then push policy changes accordingly (we gotta stop those dastardly welfare queens!) if they're overweight. Shees, Lady X if you keep that up you are going to deprive everyone of their pet stereo types. Then where would we be?  It reminds me of a line from Yellowbeard You will never kill anyone if you go around thinking all the time! Well done!
“It is a great thing to know your vices.”
― Marcus Tullius Cicero
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Rank: Active Ink Slinger
Joined: 1/7/2012
Posts: 22
Location: United States
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My husband and I have about $150 a month after paying the bills. This means we rarely get to eat anything we didn't prepare ourselves. McDonalds and TacoBell are a luxury for us. We don't have to have a delicious McDouble and neither do the people on food stamps. I'm not saying it doesn't suck to not be able to eat what you want when you want it, but too bad.
If you have enough money to put food in your belly whether its because of charity or because you worked for it, you should be grateful.
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Rank: Story Verifier
Joined: 4/15/2011
Posts: 3,840
Location: Gainesville, United States
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Im sorry but if I work extremely hard long hours so that I can have the money to be able to eat how I like I dont see how it should be taken from me(taxes)and simply given to someonelse just because they want it.
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