Food stamp benefits

[DisFanatic]

Yes there are people that abuse the system I will agree but comments like this really irritate me. Yes, I am on food stamps because I lost my job and I am a single mom of 2 girls. This is a temporary situation for me. I am sure that if you were behind me in the grocery store then you would say the same thing about me. I dress nicely, drive a nice car and yes I carry a coach purse. My girls are always dressed well.
You know what?? I purchased these things when I was working. I had no idea that my place of employment was going to close their doors and we would all be unemployed. Also, I shop at thrift stores and I am blessed that I have some great friends and family that give great gifts.
So please don't jump to conclusions. Would you like to walk in my shoes for a day? I would love to be working and off foodstamps and yes I am working (very hard) to get another job so that I can take care of my kids.

Another side note about eligibiltiy: My friend is a single mom and her husband up and left. No $$ nothing. She is in the process of filing childsupport. She has been out of work for over a year. Yes, she has sent out over 100 resumes and nothing. The unemployment rate here is over 10%. She is worried because she needs to pay for daycare so she can work. And she only gets $16 a month (yes you read that right) for the 2 of them.

I learned that no matter what you think of me while using my foodstamp card doesn't matter. I am doing what I NEED to do to take care of my children.

So please... as others have stated please don't judge someone using foodstamps by the way they look.

My comments are exactly that comments. I commend you for all you do, and I can imagine that it is super tough. All I am saying is that if I were in that situation, I would sell the luxury items like a coach purse that I bought when I worked, knowing that one purse alone can get me $300 bucks.. That's $300 bucks to feed the kids, buy clothes etc. Then when I get a job again, I would re-buy the purse that I needed to sell for that temporary time. Obviously, someone that is really struggling would sell stuff they have, to be able to live and that is from experience. There was a time in the past that all we had was $20 bucks and had to pawn our jewelry to be able to pay for gas.... Just a thought...

 

[C.Ann]

My comments are exactly that comments. I commend you for all you do, and I can imagine that it is super tough. All I am saying is that if I were in that situation, I would sell the luxury items like a coach purse that I bought when I worked, knowing that one purse alone can get me $300 bucks.. That's $300 bucks to feed the kids, buy clothes etc. Then when I get a job again, I would re-buy the purse that I needed to sell for that temporary time. Obviously, someone that is really struggling would sell stuff they have, to be able to live and that is from experience. There was a time in the past that all we had was $20 bucks and had to pawn our jewelry to be able to pay for gas.... Just a thought...

I just have to ask - who would pay someone $300 for a used coach purse? Seriously..

I might give someone a buck for it in a garage sale - "if" I really liked it..

 

[livie1205]

I just have to ask - who would pay someone $300 for a used coach purse? Seriously..

I might give someone a buck for it in a garage sale - "if" I really liked it..

some people do...look on e bay

 

[C.Ann]

some people do...look on e bay

 

[inkedupmomma]

I just have to ask - who would pay someone $300 for a used coach purse? Seriously..

I might give someone a buck for it in a garage sale - "if" I really liked it..

agreed!

 

[Goofy'slady]

some people do...look on e bay

Uhm... as someone who has 16 Coaches - Yes you read right. I'm one woman who wouldn't pay 300 dollars for a used Coach bag if it were carried by the queen of England. For that price I can buy a perfectly good one from the store that has never been used. The people on Ebay who do that have no clue.

T.

 

[KirstenB]

some people do...look on e bay

To get $300 for it, rarely is it used. If it is, then it's the "hot" purse, and will only get that if in immaculate, gently used condition. Your average used Coach is going to go for $50-100. I went through a Coach addiction phase, and spent a lot of time, and some money on Ebay.

 

[Goofy'slady]

I also don't have the time to sit around, rather stand around in a grocery store and worry about how the person in front of me is paying for the THEIR food and what THEY are buying, what THEY are wearing and what car THEY are hopping in when they're done. Who the flip does this???

I guess if you're paying for food with food stamps you're suppose to look dirty, have clothes that are ill fitting with holes in them and you're suppose to wear a sign on you that reads "I'm a big, fat, lazy bumb that has too many kids to support and I don't want a job".

Some of you kind hearted people are a joke all this in the season we're suppose to be a little kinder to one another to boot! Sheesh

T.

 

[Justsyd2]

I also don't have the time to sit around, rather stand around in a grocery store and worry about how the person in front of me is paying for the THEIR food and what THEY are buying, what THEY are wearing and what car THEY are hopping in when they're done. Who the flip does this???

I guess if you're paying for food with food stamps you're suppose to look dirty, have clothes that are ill fitting with holes in them and you're suppose to wear a sign on you that reads "I'm a big, fat, lazy bumb that has too many kids to support and I don't want a job".

Some of you kind hearted people are a joke all this in the season we're suppose to be a little kinder to one another to boot! Sheesh

T.

I completely agree!

 

[Indiana Rose Lee]

I also don't have the time to sit around, rather stand around in a grocery store and worry about how the person in front of me is paying for the THEIR food and what THEY are buying, what THEY are wearing and what car THEY are hopping in when they're done. Who the flip does this???

I guess if you're paying for food with food stamps you're suppose to look dirty, have clothes that are ill fitting with holes in them and you're suppose to wear a sign on you that reads "I'm a big, fat, lazy bum that has too many kids to support and I don't want a job".

Some of you kind hearted people are a joke all this in the season we're suppose to be a little kinder to one another to boot! Sheesh

T.

Who said this?

And where is the kindness shining through your post?

 

[Goofy'slady]

Who said this?

And where is the kindness shining through your post?

Obviously you havn't read thru this very judgmental thread. Not to mention I'm sure you get what I'm saying. In this time of peace on earth good will toward men when is it okay to make people feel bad for spending the money they are given to help support their familes? I don't stand there and wonder why the person in front of me is wearing Jimmy Choo's or reaching into her Coach bag to pull out their food stamps. I don't know their situation like they don't know mine, it's a flippin grocery store. A place where you buy food - not a place to pass judgement on what he/she is or isn't doing with the money that is paying for their food. Did I really just have to explain, my first post...guess I did.

T.

 

[eliza61]

.

Childhood obesity is on the rise, and this generation is the first ever to have a shorter life expectancy than I may be alone in my belief that the food they are eating is at least partially to blame. Why should the govt. be forced to pay for food that may kill them later.

Actually I think in this case, WE (collective we, not specific) are to blame. Industry and government pretty much respond (not immediately but over time) to society. Americans have become a fast food, video game, text messaging, walmart society and as more and more of us "older" folks dwindle out it will change more.

Did you know in the 60's there were up to 16 beef slaughter houses. That meant the beef you got was usually fresher and steriod free because it never had to travel more than 4 states to get to your butcher. I believe now we have 2 in this country. the result is that now cattlemen have to pump up a lot of their product because now it has to try cross country and sit on the shelf for 2 weeks.

Funny story,
I was at the farmers market in PA buying chicken a few months ago, I mentioned that the chickens looked small (unfortunately I used the word scrawny. ). The farmer got insulted and let me know that this was the natural size of a chicken and that chickens were not supposed to have wings the size of a 747. LOL

the food is to blame, you are definitely right about that but it's what we want. Americans want food in gigantic proportions, cheap and easy to make, unfortunately that means chemically processed, high sugar, bad for you junk.

 

[C.Ann]

I also don't have the time to sit around, rather stand around in a grocery store and worry about how the person in front of me is paying for the THEIR food and what THEY are buying, what THEY are wearing and what car THEY are hopping in when they're done. Who the flip does this???

I guess if you're paying for food with food stamps you're suppose to look dirty, have clothes that are ill fitting with holes in them and you're suppose to wear a sign on you that reads "I'm a big, fat, lazy bumb that has too many kids to support and I don't want a job".

Some of you kind hearted people are a joke all this in the season we're suppose to be a little kinder to one another to boot! Sheesh

T.

You left out the part where people are up in arms because it's "their" tax dollars that are paying for the above mentioned individuals - some of whom may have been paying into the same system for the past 30 years and then had the audacity to lose their job; fall on hard times; incur astronomical medical bills; etc..

I will never understand how people can judge other people and know sooooooo much about them by "looking" at them for 5 minutes in the grocery store..

Maybe people should be standing there thinking, "Thank God this hasn't happened to my family.."

 

[bavaria]

I guess if you're paying for food with food stamps you're suppose to look dirty, have clothes that are ill fitting with holes in them and you're suppose to wear a sign on you that reads "I'm a big, fat, lazy bumb that has too many kids to support and I don't want a job".

I'm quite certain that many would also say that someone on public assistance shouldn't be overweight. Somewhere in the tangled arguments here I believe that I read about obesity but since most of the posts are not logical arguments I cannot understand the premise.

And for those of you judging others (and now we are not even referring to those on public assistance) for choosing to purchase something, again, what business is it of yours? We all have our 'luxuries', whether they cost $1 or $300, whether they be a handbag, or a used book. At least one poster on the CB purchased a name brand handbag for a few dollars at a thrift store.

I too am amazed at how many readers seem to spend time observing and noting details about strangers.

 

[Indiana Rose Lee]

if you had read, you would have noted that obesity is linked to poor food choices. i think it is very pertinent to the discussion. If people were making positive food choices with their money their children would be healthier. IMO, that is a good thing. YOu might not care about the health of the child. But I do.

frankly, i don't have any concern about what people wear, or what car they drive. It doensn't mean a thing to me. I don't even know what the card looks like. I just want to see less waste, and healthier people. Silly me.

 

[C.Ann]

if you had read, you would have noted that obesity is linked to poor food choices. i think it is very pertinent to the discussion. If people were making positive food choices with their money their children would be healthier. IMO, that is a good thing. YOu might not care about the health of the child. But I do.

frankly, i don't have any concern about what people wear, or what car they drive. It doensn't mean a thing to me. I don't even know what the card looks like. I just want to see less waste, and healthier people. Silly me.

Certainly you're not saying that "only" children who are being fed food that is purchased with food stamps are suffering from obesity - right?

 

[bavaria]

if you had read, you would have noted that obesity is linked to poor food choices.

I will be frank and say that I don't understand a lot of what many readers post, quite often because the poor grammar and spelling makes it difficult for someone who does not have English as a first language to decipher some of the posts. Couple that with a lack of ability to provide reasoned arguments, throw in a lot of emotion, toss in some judgmental statements, and frankly I am often lost here. Hence I have a small group of 'translators' who will send me PMs and explain what is written, if I find the discussion compelling enough to participate.

At the moment I am quite lost here. I see posters who have been very judgmental in past berating others for doing the same. I cannot follow the various arguments because there isn't enough supporting documentation or logic. There isn't any reason for me to continue this discussion because I cannot make enough sense of many of the posts to understand.

And that is not directed at any one poster, but to me spelling and grammar do matter, and they do make a difference to my comprehension here.

eliza61, thank you for your post on this page - which one I do understand, and it is something I would have enjoyed discussing. I often wonder why food producers like Maggi, Knorr, and Ferrero reformulate their products for the American market and add so many chemicals, corn syrup, colouring, trans fats, and other things not found in their products in the rest of the world. I cannot imagine that someone just decides to add them; it must be a case of demand or regional tastes which drives that decision.

 

[bunny]

I will be frank and say that I don't understand a lot of what many readers post, quite often because the poor grammar and spelling makes it difficult for someone who does not have English as a first language to decipher some of the posts. Couple that with a lack of ability to provide reasoned arguments, throw in a lot of emotion, toss in some judgmental statements, and frankly I am often lost here. Hence I have a small group of 'translators' who will send me PMs and explain what is written, if I find the discussion compelling enough to participate.

Your English is excellent. In fact, it is far better than a lot of the people who post on these boards. I used to live in Germany and am amazed at how well most Germans speak and write English. Please remember the educational level of the posters writing so poorly. Their poor grammar and spelling is an indication of the ability to reason.

Also keep in mind the US is not a socialist country (yet). Our mindset in regards to allocation of resources via taxes is probably different than yours.

 

[bavaria]

Nor is Germany a socialist country. (And 'socialism' is not the negative thing which the it would appear from reading this website) There are socialist leaning parties in opposition to the ruling CDU, and the current government is centre-right.

I believe that you are confusing a social market economy with political socialism. The DDR was a socialist state but has not been in existence for two decades.

I have certainly spent enough time working in America (as well as much of the rest of the world) to understand the differences between Germany and America and to be able to make at least some intelligent comments here.

And now the history lesson is over. Please feel free to return to English spelling and grammar lessons.

 

[eliza61]

At the moment I am quite lost here. I see posters who have been very judgmental in past berating others for doing the same. I cannot follow the various arguments because there isn't enough supporting documentation or logic. There isn't any reason for me to continue this discussion because I cannot make enough sense of many of the posts to understand.


eliza61, thank you for your post on this page - which one I do understand, and it is something I would have enjoyed discussing. I often wonder why food producers like Maggi, Knorr, and Ferrero reformulate their products for the American market and add so many chemicals, corn syrup, colouring, trans fats, and other things not found in their products in the rest of the world. I cannot imagine that someone just decides to add them; it must be a case of demand or regional tastes which drives that decision.

. Their poor grammar and spelling is an indication of the ability to reason.

Also keep in mind the US is not a socialist country (yet). Our mindset in regards to allocation of resources via taxes is probably different than yours.

Thanks Bavaria,
Bunny, we're not that bad yet, I like to think we're just very passionate.

Actually I really do see it as more than a simply tax issue. One bad habit I think we Americans have lately (and I really do see it as a common phenomenan sp?) is we want a silver bullet to fix our problems. immediately and instantously. Which I really don't understand.
Like the subject of food stamps, we swing from kick the bums off to we need unconditional assistance, when the solution is multilayered and is going to take time.

I think one of the first things we need to do (and what I hope I was getting across in my post) is to get truthfully information. So the question becomes, how do we assist our citizen who are truly in need while guarding against waste and fraud?

How do we help our poor to eat healthy and not give them the tools to do so?
No one pops out of the womb knowing soda is bad for you. You guys have been to Disney, you've been to the club kool exhibit in Epcot, where you taste the different cokes from around the world. The American version has tons more sugar because we're addicted to the stuff. Any wonder we gulp down tens of thousands of gallons of this stuff every year? And simply saying poor people should learn it at home is not a solution.

There was an attempted to tax sugary stuff and of course every one got out their tar and feather but no one hears about the direct correlation between obesity and the financial burden on the public. Now I'm not saying that I support a new tax on any thing but we do have to stop thinking so 1 dimensonal.

Simply saying poor people should stop having babies and painting them as lazy bums is about as effective as putting out a fire with a thimble full of water.
We can do better.