Food Stamps

Sherri - posted on 10/13/2010

They haven't cut out anything except prepared foods here. We can still buy anything including energy drinks.

Liz - posted on 10/13/2010

They stopped letting people buy energy drinks with food stamps so it would be understandable and justified to cut out soda. But I hope they never cut out coffee:(

Stifler's - posted on 10/13/2010

I think they've proposed this to combat those people who fill their trolley with 30 bottles of coke. you know who I'm talking about, there's someone doing it every time I got to the supermarket. If those people are on food stamps and sue Coca Cola, others will blame to government for enabling them. And I agree Coca Cola and Pepsi would have no problem shutting this down if it was passed, hence why it hasn't.

Joy - posted on 10/13/2010

Sherri, Florida doesn't have a helmet law either and I think other states do too. I know when it changed in Florida I had heard of it being that way elsewhere. Wish we had the no sales tax law though. Where I lived in FL it was 7% and now in NY where I live it's 8% :(

And Laura?, yes you can buy candy with food stamps. I've done it once, by accident. I got a Kit Kat in the check out and usually when something isn't covered by stamps it still shows as a balance after you scan your card. There was no balance after so I just put my 50 cents away and thought "Ok, lesson learned". I try to make my stamps last and streeeeetch as far as I can on healthy things. I have bought soda for my husband a few times with them though, so that he doesn't have to spend 75 cents a can at work. Always store brand though. In fact, I buy store brand everything lol

Johnny - posted on 10/12/2010

Actually, even though I'm a coffee-addict, I'd say it should not be on there either. I get milk, juice & bottled water, they have nutritional or health value. But coffee's health value (sadly) still seems highly debatable.

Lindsay - posted on 10/12/2010

Carol, I would guess that it's still there because it's a beverage. As far as I know, people can also use their food stamps for coffee, milk, juice, kool aid, capri suns, bottled water, etc.

Johnny - posted on 10/12/2010

Mmmm. lobster. I've eaten it a lot visiting the East Coast. Too expensive here, but we love crab bakes in the summer. So good! And nutritious. If it works for someone's budget to buy lobster, particularly with kids, I could not understand why they shouldn't. It's food right?

My issue with soda is that it is not a food. To me, it's the same as alcohol. If you can't buy alcohol with food stamps, why soda? I imagine it is for 2 reasons. That not many people have a "moral" issue with soda when many people are morally opposed to alcohol consumption. And secondly that Pepsi & Coca-Cola have very large pockets to spend on lobbying. I think that food vs. non-food is a pretty clear line to draw. It really bothers me that people think that those on food stamps should not be able to buy whatever food they choose or that the occasional treat is unacceptable or that it is wrong to spend more to get healthy food. It really irks me when I see people throwing junk food into the food bank boxes. Have some class!

Teresa - posted on 10/12/2010

That's neat to learn Kelly. I did not know any of that.

Kelly - posted on 10/12/2010

Btw, I just found an interesting tidbit--the idea to prohibit food stamps from purchasing Soda was introduced by the House of Representatives in the Food Stamp Act of 1964. The Senate did not support that and the bill was passed to state that food stamps would cover all items intended for human consumption except alcohol and imported foods--that was the bill that established the first permanent food stamp program. So it's not a new idea.

Also, food stamps originally had to be purchased. For every stamp you purchased that would buy anything consumable, you got 3 stamps for specific, nutritious items. You could only buy them if you were poor, but it allowed you to buy a lot more food with a lot less money.

Charlene - posted on 10/12/2010

Ugh.. I can get you 100lbs of mussels for free.. tempted? Haha.

But yes, back to the OP. I haven't read the whole thread, but IMO.. it would be hard to police something like that, would it not?
I mean, I would love to see food stamps used for GOOD, healthy food, but I don't really care if a family gets some chips and pop for a family night or a treat. So I don't know exactly WHAT my stance is on this.

Charlie - posted on 10/12/2010

Charlene i come from a long line of fisherman and live in a fishing port with a fisherman fiance , im pretty sweet here in FREE seafood heaven LOL.

Sorry back to the OP.

Kelly - posted on 10/12/2010

mmmmmm................I love lobster and crab! And shrimp too! Lobster is about $9-$10/lb here, and I don't like to cook it (or crab) so I only get it when we go out. I have a really good, really cheap shrimp recipe if anyone wants it.
Back to the food stamps thing, I don't care how much it costs, as long as it is nutritious, food stamps should cover it. The whole purpose of the program is to provide nutrition for people to live on. There is no nutritional value in Soda (or candy) so it technically, providing soda is not the same as providing nutrition.

Stifler's - posted on 10/12/2010

i agree garlic prawns are better

Charlene - posted on 10/12/2010

Okay, so all I have to say about this thread in general is that you can all keep your dang lobsters, shrimp, crawfish and any other icky ocean food!! :P
As a matter of fact.. you can all come to PEI and eat all the seafood you want. The more that you take, the better!! Hehe.

Teresa - posted on 10/12/2010

I know we've moved on to lobster and such now, but...

Food stamps (at least here) are exempt from sales tax. I think there was something else I was going to address as well, but it was a page or two ago now and I forget.

Back to your crab and lobster debate... both of which I've eaten, but neither of which I've ever bought. I do buy shrimp on occasion though. It's one of the meats my son will actually eat.... sometimes. ;)

Charlie - posted on 10/12/2010

Yum i call them balmain bugs they are delish , lobsters are ok i think crab is better , balmain bugs are better than crab and prawns are better that all of it LOL

Stifler's - posted on 10/12/2010

hahaha. we have moreton bay bugs i guess they are kind of like lobster.

Erin - posted on 10/12/2010

I agree w/you Sara H.! You couldn't get me to eat lobster for nothing, but crawfish, mmm...

Kate CP - posted on 10/12/2010

Crawfish, also known in Texas and Lousiana as crawdaddies, a kind of like large shrimp but resemble more of a bug honestly. Great in etouffee. ;)

Liz - posted on 10/12/2010

There isn't any sales tax in Montana either or fresh lobster but got crawfish:)

Dana - posted on 10/12/2010

Bonnie, of course I didn't expect you to know that, that is why I told you. Glad it's all cleared up and we can move on. :)

Dana - posted on 10/12/2010

Yes, we have all kinds of crabs. ;)

Stifler's - posted on 10/12/2010

I like mud crab, do you have crabs in the US?

Good Day! - posted on 10/12/2010

Similar to shrimp. But not "tiny little shrimp." Some crawfish are quit large! When boiling crawfish you add whole onions, corn, sausage, potatoes and tons of spices. The crawfish soak up all the flavors, that's what makes them so good. I honestly can't say that I've ever eaten a plain crawfish, so I couldn't describe that to you. I'd imagine that it tastes like the bland lobster I tried!

Isobel - posted on 10/12/2010

and yours burns our mouths...gqtm...or at least that's how I imagine it, I've never been there.

I know I made a big deal about the butter, but I actually don't use it anymore...it's salty and sweet all by itself mmmmm. I imagine crawfish to be like tiny little shrimp...no?

Good Day! - posted on 10/12/2010

The meat of a crawfish tail is so much better (you don't have to suck the heads). Much less chewy and rubbery than lobster and it holds so much more flavor. When I had lobster (in Maine!) I couldn't eat it for lack of flavor. And yes, I smothered it with butter. That's the problem with living here. When you go elsewhere you can't eat the flavorless food!

Amie - posted on 10/12/2010

Because you are new to DM Bonnie. Check the members list and you're one of the first names to show up.



I did not mean you were new to CoM's but by your conversation post numbers, you are fairly new compared to others. Or at the very least, have not posted much if you have been around for awhile.



There have been others who have confused this debate board with real live debates. The two are not run similarly. If anything it's more like very heated discussions we have here. No one wins, no one loses, we share our opinions, some times facts and other tid bits. This board is not for the faint of heart though, we have had members leave because they could not handle it. That's fine. Here (DM) is not for everyone. There are some very opinionated ladies and some very educated ones.



My post was to point out the obvious, you are new and you do not know the relationships people have here. Some are very good friends, to an outsider it may not always seem like it though. I understand you were trying to defend another member (or maybe you don't see it that way but it is how it comes off) which is also why I directed you to the report button. If anything is questionable in your eyes, flag (report) it and the mods will look it over.



Now back to the topic at hand before a different mod says something to me about derailing a thread. haha

Jodi - posted on 10/12/2010

@ Bonnie, new means new to Debating Mums. Your name isn't familiar, so that's why we assume you are new. This is a fairly small community, so we get to know one another well. No-one meant to insult you by insinuating you were new.

Can we move on now please?

Bonnie - posted on 10/12/2010

Emma, honestly if it is anyone who knows sarcasm, it is me. I have a very sarcastic, dry witted husband on my hands!

Bonnie - posted on 10/12/2010

Post another commentAmie T, if anything, I appreciate the fact you can see where I am coming from and I why I may have thought that, but what classifies me as being new here? I am curious to know that. Is it because I don't have nearly 5,000 conversation posts like you do? I know what a debate is that is not why I made the comments I did. Overall I didn't mean anything bad by it, I was just wondering why people were coming across that way that is all.

I have been involved in real live debates before and language like that was not used. So friends or not, don't see a point in it. But continue being funny if that's how you ladies choose to do it:-)

Rosie - posted on 10/12/2010

i've never had crawfish, but sucking the juices out of their heads freaks me out sara!! i'll take the MEAT of a lobster tail, anytime over crawfish guts, and juices, lol!

Stifler's - posted on 10/12/2010

I think it's more the mild sarcasm that people don't pick up on.

Bonnie - posted on 10/12/2010

Dana Schenk, that is exactly it...people are reading words and not hearing the tone in people's voices or seeing their facial expressions. That is the number one problem with computers is not knowing what tone people are using and how they are meaning to say it. And I meant it when I said, I had no idea you two or however many it was are friends. Literally how is someone suppose to know that?

I don't expect anyone to sing Kumbuya or any other song for that matter and don't really care if anyone does either. There are others on COM where people are not friends and they do say things that should not be said. That is all.

Stifler's - posted on 10/12/2010

Is it like crab?

Sherri - posted on 10/12/2010

@Joy Nope no Sales Tax of any kind. Prepared foods such as a restaurant or rotisserie chickens at the grocery story.

I believe we are the only state in US without a seatbelt or helmet law also.

Dana - posted on 10/12/2010

Ew....crawfish!!

Good Day! - posted on 10/12/2010

Lobster has NOTHING on crawfish! You gals don't know what you are missing.

Isobel - posted on 10/12/2010

and Emma...I'm so sad for you I want to cry...there's nothing better in the entire world than lobster mmmmmmmm with butter mmmmmmmm

Isobel - posted on 10/12/2010

mmmmm lobsters...I agree with the ladies who say you are damned if you do and damned if you don't...it's not really fair to judge how people want to eat because they are poor (either way)

I also believe though that pop is candy...can you buy chocolate bars or gum with food stamps? if so then so be it...if not then I guess we know why.

It's simply not a grocery item. period.

Rosie - posted on 10/12/2010

kelly just made the point that i've been trying to make here. people on assistance can never win!! i don't know, i'm not on food stamps, and i don't really think that a restriction on soda would be a horrible thing for me, but where does it end? why does it matter? cause they get the same amount of money whether they are buying the soda, or the lobster or not, so it's not like they're spending more of the "taxpayer" money.
i get the whole argument that it may cause health problems and then they are most liikely to be on medical assistance too, so then we'd be paying for that as well. but i just don't know, where does it end?

Charlie - posted on 10/12/2010

MMmmmm i had lobster last night :))

Joy - posted on 10/12/2010

I recieve food stamps and would probably not use it to buy lobster because I'd feel guilty lol For one thing, it's like $4.99 - $5.99 a pound. We're talking a good $30 just on lobster to have enough just for me & Steve. Even if it was the most delicious meal I'd had in years, the whole time eating it I would be calculating how much ground beef or pork chops that would have paid for....For another, Jacob loves the "lossters" and I wouldn't want to break his heart by trying to teach him how yummy they are lol

Joy - posted on 10/12/2010

Sherri, I never knew that about NH not having tax. No sales tax at all? And by prepared meal, do you mean like restaurants or are you talking frozen dinners at the grocery store? That's really interesting to me lol

Erin - posted on 10/12/2010

Liz, I agree that would be why I would want rollover! I'd ♥ to have enough for rollover!!! I just can't see WASTING the $$$ on Papa Murphys! I've seen the way they eat too, so it just kinda irked me...

WA State has sales tax on all items that are non-food. We are at 8.2% I believe-actually it depends by county? Seattle has closer to 9% I think... Soda and candy USED to NOT be taxed as it was placed in the same bracket as food. They have since passed an initiative that puts tax on soda, bottled water, and candy. This is supposed to only be a temporary tax for the next 2 yrs I believe, but when do they take taxes away? I'm sure it'll be here to stay! I figured it was only WA but thought it may lend credence for other areas, or the govt., to make a case for it being non-food thereby making it not eligible for food stamp coverage.

Stifler's - posted on 10/12/2010

I've never eaten lobster.

Liz - posted on 10/12/2010

Right

Dana - posted on 10/12/2010

It's actually been those on food stamps that said you shouldn't buy lobster or shrimp...right?

Sherri - posted on 10/12/2010

Yes Lobster here is only $4.99 for a 1lb lobster. So for our family I could get 4 lobsters for $20. I did splurge this past month and bought cod and I felt guilty because it was pricey. However, I knew it was also super healthy.

Erin I live in NH we don't have tax on anything. No sales tax, No taxes on anything accept an 18% percent prepared meals tax.

Lindsay - posted on 10/12/2010

Kelly, I think that is what some have said earlier. People will always judge. They can't win. If they are buying more "pricey" things, they are looked down on because people don't think they deserve anything above basic nutritional foods. But if they are buying "junk", they aren't giving their kids proper nutrition. People are full of judgements and regardless of what they put in their shopping cart, there's always someone out there that's going to say it's wrong.

Liz - posted on 10/12/2010

Kelly-Well lobster would have to depend on where you live. In Montana you will pay way more then you would on the coast so I don't think it would be right in any way for me to pull out my EBT card to buy lobster for my family, it would be a $75 dinner easy. Shrimp I think is different but like Erin said jumbo prawns isn't the same as medium shrimp.