Posted on 07/13/2016 5:04:21 PM PDT by drewh
Rising Hollywood star Shailene Woodley joined lawmakers and digital retailers on Capitol Hill at a congressional briefing Tuesday in an effort to persuade the Obama administration to enact changes that would allow people to use food stamps online. The 24-year-old Snowden star said the issue is one that affects her own family and friends.
“This issue stems beyond food. It is about social justice, equality amongst all,” Woodley wrote in an Instagram post.
“Healthy food should NOT be a privilege. healthy food is a RIGHT. and it’s our job to hold our government accountable to offer access to healthy food in ALL communities.”
The actress was joined Tuesday by Reps. Barbara Lee (D-CA), Ted Lieu (D-CA), and Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH).
The lawmakers are attempting to combat so-called “food deserts;” according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), 23 million Americans live in areas where there are no readily available opportunities to purchase healthy food.
“A key step we can take to fight hunger, and combat food deserts is to make healthy, affordable good choices available to the greatest number of consumers,” Rep. Ryan said in a press statement. “I believe the federal government must advance to the level of today’s technology and allow for the easier use of EBT benefits through online portals.”
Rep. Ryan also personally thanked Woodley for attending Tuesday’s briefing.
Critics contend that bringing the food stamp program online could result in new problems, and could exacerbate already existing problems including food stamp fraud, already a major concern and a common and costly issue, with just a few recent cases reported in Illinois, Ohio and Massachusetts.
The explosion of the food stamp program in recent years has resulted in what the Wall Street Journal in 2011 called a “food stamp crime wave.”
(Excerpt) Read more at breitbart.com ...
Ordering food from distsnt places online will simply create MORE so-called “food deserts”.
Liberals are retarded.
All funded by our fiat, unbacked currency, and unlimited debt and manipulated interest rates from the Federal Reserve.
Since its all funny-money anyway, what politician can say no?
“This issue stems beyond food. It is about social justice, equality amongst all,”
This is where I stopped reading.
.
Look at me! I care. Um, ah, what's social justice?
I just checked my copy of the Constiution of the United States of America.
Not a word in there about healthy food being a right.
Actors. Is there anything they don’t know?
If a man will not work, let him not eat. Hunger is a powerful motivator.
How many more ways to scam an EBT card do we need? How many safeguards are there against unauthorized use online? I just can’t envision too many EBT card holders perusing the internet for quinoa and arugula, I just can’t.
When you think Hollywood has shown just how utterly stupid they can be, someone like this comes along and shows “we ain’t seen nothin’ yet”....
Moochieshell Obama declared a “food desert” is where it is 1/4 mile to a food store...440 yards...
Utterly STUPID!!!!!!
Shailene, I liked you in that movie about the teenage cancer patient. You were great. My advice? Stick to acting at this point in your career. You don’t want to become known as a has been who is constantly posting goofy stuff or vile items on Twitter just to get attention. People like Cher or Azealia Banks.
I call them F-tards.
That chick is ugly as hell.
I’m at the point where I only watch a film if I can get it for free - DVD from library, my antenna TV. Free streaming online on my laptop. I’m not supporting these overpaid blowhards if I can avoid it.
Why do so many young, stupid actors feel they have the right to hector us on socialism and their warped ideas of “justice?”
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.