Posted on 04/07/2015 7:42:59 AM PDT by safetysign
re you sick of seeing “welfare leeches” in the grocery checkout line with carts stuffed full of junk food snacks, soda and even porterhouse steaks and crab legs?
So is Missouri House Rep. Rick Brattin, who has begun pushing for legislation prohibiting welfare abusers from buying foods that most hard-working Americans can’t always afford. After Brattin heard a food stamp recipient say, “This is the way I want to live and I don’t really see anything changing,” he knew something needed to be addressed.
“The intention of the bill is to get the food stamp program back to its original intent, which is nutrition assistance,” Brattin said. The program is called Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, not the “buy junk food and fresh Maine lobster program.” The bill would ban the purchase with food stamps of “cookies, chips, energy drinks, soft drinks, seafood or steak.”
“I have seen people purchasing filet mignons and crab legs with their EBT cards. When I can’t afford it on my pay, I don’t want people on the taxpayer’s dime to afford those kinds of foods either,” Brattin added.
image: http://i2.wp.com/woundedamericanwarrior.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/pic_giant_082113_SM_Welfare-A-Better-Deal-Than-Work.jpg?w=700
Welfare recipients in the State are none too happy..
Progressives in Missouri are already trying to demonize Brattin and accuse him of starving the poor, but common-sense thinkers know that this is exactly the right kind of legislation to get behind. Welfare abuse has to be reined in quickly, as it’s already an incredible strain on a difficult economy.
Americans have grown tired of welfare recipients who can afford to have their nails done or tattoos inked or put worthless rims on their cars yet ask for “help” feeding their families. In Wisconsin, Gov. Scott Walker has mandated that if you want taxpayer dollars, you are going to be drug tested.
Not only that but Walker is seeking a time limit of 4 to 5 years maximum, that a person could receive benefits.
“With this budget, we are addressing some of the barriers keeping people from achieving true freedom and prosperity and the independence that comes with having a good job and doing it well,” said Walker.
Wisconsin isn’t the only state looking at reforms of welfare. Eleven other states already require drug testing of applicants. The testing would apply to able-bodied individuals that have no children and are receiving benefits including Medicaid, unemployment, and food stamps.
Citizens who fail the drug tests will be offered drug-treatment and job training. Wisconsin hopes to save over $3 million over two years, thanks to the program.
Not everyone is pleased, though, especially Democrats who see it as somehow unfair or racist that taxpayer dollars can’t be wasted. Democratic minority leader, Rep. Peter Barca said that the program would only, “…hurt people striving to get to the middle class.”
Drug abuse is a prerequisite for joining the middle class? What are you, high?
image: http://assets.diylol.com/hfs/53d/f54/e75/resized/creepy-willy-wonka-meme-generator-so-you-are-constantly-broke-and-on-welfare-a-new-tattoo-seems-like-something-you-really-need-right-now-ccc2d1.jpg
Too bad we all know that liberal wheel goes round via entitlements like welfare – you vote blue, we’ll give you “free” money.
The thing is, doing so is what actually hurts the American people.
We should be enabling citizens to find a job and earn for themselves, rather than train them to sit by the mailbox on the first of the month.
However, as previously noted, there is a need for the welfare system here in America in order to provide for those, who can’t do so for themselves, the ability to survive. The problem lies with those who are able to work and are just too lazy to do so.
These are the parasites of society and would likely go find a job if they weren’t being given so much money. Those on welfare should not be able to afford the extras, like designer clothes, designer bags, and illegal drugs – period.
Walker turned down federal funds to expand Wisconsin’s Medicaid program for the 2013-15 budget. Instead, he extended coverage to all those at or below the poverty line and encouraged all those above that line to buy health plans offered through the federal health exchange marketplace.
The Department of Health and Human Services defines the poverty level for a family of four as making $23,850 annually.
Like me on Facebook – if you dare. No one turned away. RELATED VIDEO CONTENT: The state of Missouri received a failing grade in welfare reform from the Heartland Institute.
I beg to differ. Able-bodies people who refuse to work SHOULD go hungry.
Sheesh. You must be a RACIST. /heavy sarc
Watch the Parasite Class start squealing.
This is a winner for a Conservative not willing to back down.
Nutritional ASSISTANCE with certain NECESSITIES.
Make LIBERALS defend Lobster, King Crab Legs, Filet Mignon, and other foods that WORKING FOLKS only by for special occasions.
Better have a veto-proof majority ready or like any other conservative populist ideas, watch them go down in committees/flames!
I agree. Food stamps, food shelves are designed to assure no one starves. But they ought not to be used to allow the purchase of luxury foods, etc.
The lesson learned is simple. If you give them enough goodies, they will never go to work. They will continue in their lazy lifestyle, and never improve their lives, being mired in near poverty all their lives. Then they think they ought to get more from others who work for a living, especially anyone who is in business.
3/4 of them are working on the side off the books and collecting all kinds of bennies.
The mommy with the three kids gets all kinds of assistance courtesy of the taxpayer and the baby daddy stands off to the side peeling off the cash from his off the books job for stuff that isn’t covered.
RACIST!!!!!
My guess is this will die in some committee after retailers start raising a stink over the cost and hassle of flagging all of those SKU’s.
Food stamps are just a means for the Democrats to buy votes.
Let’s say you want to lease a new Cadillac. You just aren’t making enough money to afford a $400 a month lease payment.
You could work overtime, but that’s more work. You could get a second job, but that’s also more work. You could cut $400 worth of expenses. And give up cable and choom? Nope.
Get food stamps. Then take that $400 a month out of what you used to be paying for groceries, and get that Cadillac!
Happy days are here again!
Let’s have this debate.
People on public assistance should not live as well as you and I who work for a living to earn what we have.
Liberals don’t want to have that debate, because their mindset is that it is cruel and unusual punishment to put restrictions on the activities of those on public assistance.
If the public is paying for your survival and existence, you are dam right, we should have a say in what you do with your funds.
There were reports in the past of EBT cards being used at Disney Land and Vegas casinos.
Give me a break. If you are so poor and unable to care for your family, we need to pay for your Vegas and Disney vacations??? Really???
Its an urban legend.
What I find funny and offensive is some conservatives becoming the food police.
This is what they usually are up in arms at Michelle Obama about.
But they’re self-righteous in dictating to poor people what they should eat.
Hey, those are the FIRST items Battin should keep off HIS family’s table.
Per the bible!
All loaded into a Cadillac SUV.
No body is buying Cadillacs or luxury vacations on a welfare budget.
EBT doesn’t yet go that far.
This picture makes a good point.
I have worked with a charitable group which helps homeless families. Most are mothers with small children.
And one of the areas they have to work on is an attitude adjustment, regarding what they should spend their money on.
Some of these moms say they are broke, yet go in there and they got this mani/pedi stuff going on, new hairstyles, etc. but say they can’t feed their kids. It’s a struggle to get them to accept responsibility for their lives, and get them to refrain from spending money on non-essentials.
If people abuse welfare correct the policies.
But don’t punish every one for the misdeeds of a few.
When I've seen stories like this posted on liberal sites, the response is usually not to defend EBT purchases of crab legs and filet mignon, but rather to deny that such purchases happen with any regularity.
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