So my father-in-law sends me this email with a scanned food stamp reciept...

[leeland]

wait, what? you're upset that ebt is being used for quality food? why? wtf do you think ebt should be used for? shitty, unhealthy, cheap "food"? why?

I think your missing my point here...I am not entirely concerned with the food and it is just an example...

'TO ME' the mindset seems a little off and maybe that is where you and I don't agree.

'TO ME' if I was broke enough that I was on some sort of an assistance program I can bet you my LIFE the very last thing I would be spending 140 dollars on would be lobster and steak...it would be necessities...

If this person chooses to spend MY tax dollars on Steak and Lobster...so be it. I don't like it one bit considering part of that money is coming from me...and if they are in a situation that they need assistance I would make an educated assumption that it probably isn't the most logical choice to purchase an expensive food item...but it is what it is.


Again, I don't know any of the circumstances of this receipt or if it is legit...but I would be foolish to think that stuff like this doesn't actually occur either.

I guess I am entitled to my own opinion and if you don't agree that is fine...

 

[eits]

I shop at a grocery store that gets a lot of lower class customers. When the food stamp cards get refilled every month, they buy a bunch of fancy food like in the OP's receipt. Steaks, lobster, crab, etc.

Then they use the money they saved to buy tons of beer and cigarettes. I see it every damn month and it pisses me off.

you can't use food stamps for alcohol, cigarettes, or hot food times (rotisserie chicken, etc). however, you can get it if they put those hot food items in plastic boxes and put them in the area before the deli. once it is in the "cold foods" display area, it's ok to get... when it's in behind the glass at the deli, it's not.

THAT'S dumb.

 

[Beev]

'TO ME' if I was broke enough that I was on some sort of an assistance program I can bet you my LIFE the very last thing I would be spending 140 dollars on would be lobster and steak...it would be necessities...

This. This. This.

If I got to the point that I needed assistance buying food you can bet I would be very frugal and shop intelligently. Buying upper tier foods with food stamps makes you an asshole. Period.

 

[Beev]

you can't use food stamps for alcohol, cigarettes, or hot food times (rotisserie chicken, etc). however, you can get it if they put those hot food items in plastic boxes and put them in the area before the deli. once it is in the "cold foods" display area, it's ok to get... when it's in behind the glass at the deli, it's not.

THAT'S dumb.

I'm not sure if you just don't understand what he said or what. People use food stamps to buy food and then spend their own personal cash on shit they do NOT need like beer and cigarettes, rather than supplement the stamps and buy more / more variety of foods.

 

[eits]

I think your missing my point here...I am not entirely concerned with the food and it is just an example...

'TO ME' the mindset seems a little off and maybe that is where you and I don't agree.

'TO ME' if I was broke enough that I was on some sort of an assistance program I can bet you my LIFE the very last thing I would be spending 140 dollars on would be lobster and steak...it would be necessities...

If this person chooses to spend MY tax dollars on Steak and Lobster...so be it. I don't like it one bit considering part of that money is coming from me...and if they are in a situation that they need assistance I would make an educated assumption that it probably isn't the most logical choice to purchase an expensive food item...but it is what it is.


Again, I don't know any of the circumstances of this receipt or if it is legit...but I would be foolish to think that stuff like this doesn't actually occur either.

I guess I am entitled to my own opinion and if you don't agree that is fine...

i understand what you're saying, but you can't get necessities with food stamps. you can only buy food. and the food stamps roll over every month, so whatever you don't use at the end of the month can be added to the next month.

 

[eits]

I'm not sure if you just don't understand what he said or what. People use food stamps to buy food and then spend their own personal cash on shit they do NOT need like beer and cigarettes, rather than supplement the stamps and buy more / more variety of foods.

ah, yeah, maybe i did miss his point.

well, they're using their own money for that... not taxpayer money. i'm not seeing the moral issue.

 

[Veliko]

This. This. This.

If I got to the point that I needed assistance buying food you can bet I would be very frugal and shop intelligently. Buying upper tier foods with food stamps makes you an asshole. Period.

People that make snap-judgements about people in positions that they have never experienced are arseholes.

 

[eits]

This. This. This.

If I got to the point that I needed assistance buying food you can bet I would be very frugal and shop intelligently. Buying upper tier foods with food stamps makes you an asshole. Period.

it makes you hungry and less likely to buy top tier foods next time around. it's possible to eat healthy foods that aren't top tier. i highly doubt the guy buys a high priced surf and turf dinner every week.

 

[eits]

People that make snap-judgements about people in positions that they have never experienced are arseholes.

this

 

[darkxshade]

Hard to form an opinion without knowing the full story behind that receipt. I know some people who live on food stamps that spend very frugally on their groceries that they end up with a nice balance at the end of the month that they splurge on. Why not dine on lobster and steaks when you have like a $300 balance and due for another $200 in a week?

 

[Unheard]

When I worked @ food lion in high school we used to buy the FS's off of people for 30% or so of the value, then use them to get good food.

 

[lxskllr]

And what makes you think that they would be spending it on healthier products like tuna and vegetables if they couldn't buy steak?

They wouldn't have a choice. You take what the government gives you, or choose not to. Don't want government oranges? that's fine, leave them at the store, but you're not getting steak in it's place.

 

[Veliko]

They wouldn't have a choice. You take what the government gives you, or choose not to. Don't want government oranges? that's fine, leave them at the store, but you're not getting steak in it's place.

What difference does it make to you?

 

[Beev]

People that make snap-judgements about people in positions that they have never experienced are arseholes.

Making assumptions does too

 

[eits]

They wouldn't have a choice. You take what the government gives you, or choose not to. Don't want government oranges? that's fine, leave them at the store, but you're not getting steak in it's place.

c'mon man, that's a bit ridiculous.

 

[lxskllr]

What difference does it make to you?

I'm paying for it. I'm ambivalent about that concept in the first place, but if that's what we have, then I don't want my money going other people's poor dietary choices which steak and lobster is. The "government" isn't some magic money machine that cranks out rainbows and lollipops for the asking. That's YOUR money, and MY money. I should have a say where MY money goes.

 

[Beev]

c'mon man, that's a bit ridiculous.

Why?

 

[waggy]

I'm paying for it. I'm ambivalent about that concept in the first place, but if that's what we have, then I don't want my money going other people's poor dietary choices which steak and lobster is. The "government" isn't some magic money machine that cranks out rainbows and lollipops for the asking. That's YOUR money, and MY money. I should have a say where MY money goes.

lol your idea would cost more.

though i do find people who want it set up like this funny. THey are poor! they shouldn't eat good stuff! thats for me to eat! whaaa!

 

[lxskllr]

c'mon man, that's a bit ridiculous.

How do you figure? Obesity and diabetes are an epidemic amongst the poor. A food program is the perfect place to educate people on proper diet. Aside from that, it's fuckin' free. You can take food you're not crazy about, and not feel hungry anymore, or you can have nothing and still feel hungry. The worn out saying "beggars can't be choosers" fits the situation perfectly.

 

[Train]

Mountain Dew?

I coulda swore carbonated beverages, like alcohol and tobacco, were not eligible purchases. Though that is probably on a state by state basis

 

[lxskllr]

lol your idea would cost more.

though i do find people who want it set up like this funny. THey are poor! they shouldn't eat good stuff! thats for me to eat! whaaa!

Lobster and steak isn't "good stuff", and I don't eat it. It's nutritionally poor, and in the case of steak, terrible for the environment. And no, my idea wouldn't cost more, excepting that the money would stop going towards Twinkies which are virtually free to make, and go to quality food which is good for the body.

 

[darkxshade]

Lobster is definitely ridiculous but steak is somewhat a generic term... I am curious though where people think the line should be drawn. Porterhouse no, what about ribeye? flank? ground beef? What about Salmon?

On a side note, this discussion shouldn't be about dietary choices... since IMO healthy food tend to cost more than its unhealthy counterparts.

 

[AstroManLuca]

Wife used to work at a small grocery store. People would regularly come in and buy candy, snacks, and soda with their food stamps, then use what cash they had to buy lottery tickets or smokes.

I'm all for providing a safety net for people who have been dropped into unfortunate situations, but the current system is fucked up. You can't just give irresponsible, career-poor people free money and expect them to spend it wisely.

 

[zinfamous]

Its always about the big greedy companies. LOL, your shtick is so old.

yeah. in this case, it's actually the big greedy Ag companies that are putting out all the low end, low cost product.

 

[amicold]

How do you figure? Obesity and diabetes are an epidemic amongst the poor. A food program is the perfect place to educate people on proper diet.

You are lacking knowledge of nutrition steak and lobsters don't cause diabetes or make people fat. This is not a very out of the ordinary EBT receipt. I would speculate the person either had a date or is a bodybuilder beginning a diet for competition because the receipt is completely lacking carbohydrates and is high in protein. It is called a ketogenic diet.