Posted on 12/04/2012 5:02:27 AM PST by from occupied ga
This morning, I will begin living on a food budget of $30 a week / $4.32 per day. This is the financial equivalent of the budget provided to people participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as food stamps, in the State of New Jersey. I will live only on a SNAP equivalent food budget for the next seven days.
Undertaking what is referred to as the #SNAPChallenge began with a social media-based conversation on Twitter. A Twitter user tweeted me her opinion that "nutrition is not the responsibility of the government". This comment caused me to reflect on the families and children in my community who benefit from SNAP assistance and deserve deeper consideration. In my own quest to better understand the outcomes of SNAP assistance, I suggested to this specific Twitter user that we both live on a SNAP equivalent food budget for a week and document our experience.
A simple conversation on Twitter drew me into the #SNAPChallenge I am beginning today. My goals for the #SNAPChallenge are to raise awareness and understanding of food insecurity; reduce the stigma of SNAP participation; elevate innovative local and national food justice initiatives and food policy; and, amplify compassion for individuals and communities in need of assistance. Over the next seven days, I plan to highlight the voices of people involved in local food policy, the SNAP program, and other related initiatives.
As I begin this journey, I am doubling down on my commitment to the Food Justice Movement that is gaining awareness and participation in this country. We have much work to do at the local level to address a legacy of structural inequities in the American food system. As more and more working people and families - many holding down more than one job - face greater and greater challenges to juggle housing, medical, and transportation costs, meeting nutritional needs becomes a serious problem and a social justice issue. The struggle of children, seniors, and families to have access to essential nutrition is a struggle we are all invested in and we all benefit when families succeed. Now more than ever we are all in this together.
Throughout this week, I will document my #SNAPChallenge experiences and reflections on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and through video on #waywire. If you are interested in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, I encourage you to click the reference links below.
Does this jackass Booker really think that it's the government's responsibility to rob from those who work for a living so as to supplement the lifestyles of those who don't? (Yes apparently he does)
Does he really think that someone's mere existence obligates his fillow citizens to provide him a living (Again apprently yes) BUT IT'S FOR THE CHILDREN.
Sorry , they're not my children. Not one of these parasites on food stampe came to me and said, "He Occupied GA, I'm going to screw out a litter of kids and I want you to pay for their housing, their health care, their eiducation, and their food. That OK with you?" I'm sure I would have remembered.
Another thing the a$$hole booker ignores is where does the money come from. Every dollar that EBT parasites consume is taken at gunpoint from some hardworking American. So if some lazy parasite like Lakisha Spreademwide or "spunkets" gets $60 a week to spend of expensive frozen entrees, then Occupied Ga (or some other WORKING American) has $60 LESS to spend on what he wants during the week.
Drivel like this that oozes from the mouths of liberals makes my hair hurt.
MY APOLOGIES - I FORGOT THE BARF ALERT
If this POS idiot wants food justice, he should expend his energy on lobbying his god to create a greater number of real jobs.
Didn’t need to. I saw the name Cory Booker and knew right away.
When push comes to shove, when they get really hungary, they’ll quit spitting out the seeds
Here in Jersey it’s about $200 per person. Easily doable if you shop carefully. Even $30 a week is doable if you eat lots of dried beans, brown rice, and frozen veggies.
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Supplemental sounds like a word that is used to describe,
1. functioning in a supporting capacity; “the main library and its auxiliary branches” [syn: auxiliary]
2. added to complete or make up a deficiency; “produced supplementary volumes” [syn: supplementary]
Based on the definition of the word it would seem that this $30.00 a week is to be used as an addition to other funds used for food.
There is no way you’re going to spend your way to making “Lakisha (EBT) Wideload” buy healthy food that she actually has to prepare for her welfare brood.
Yes, that’s a very unPC statement. But argue that I’m wrong, I dare ya!
You really can't have a serious country and let children go hungry, but the key to it is that money should not be involved at all. There simply needs to be some place within walking distance where children could go for cheeseburgers, fries, and shakes or whatever. THAT would cost some tiny fraction of the drug-stamp program.
I can eat on $30 a week and very well.
One must cook however and not buy anything processed.
You don’t expect an affirmative-action Stanford, Oxford and Yale grad to know or follow the meaning of ‘supplemental’, do you?
I hope he includes his free breakfast,lunch and dinner in some cases from his local public school.Free milk,cereal,eggs,cheese,and juice from wic.And how many are in his family?If a family of 3, 90 dollars a week can buy some decent groceries with proper meal planning.Even 30 dollars a week if you plan ahead can go a long way for 1 person.
The farmers at the local farmers market are saying that the “new food stamp users” are budgeting in a way that the traditional users don’t do.
So Cory, So this is what you have to do to get off Obama’s S-it list?
You're right of course, but maybe he's on to something. After all if you spend all of your cash funds on beer, dope, cigarettes, two inch artificial nails, and scratch-off lotto tickets, then you have to live on the SNAP budget.
You are right, Cripplecreek. I looked up the average SNAP benefits and it is about $200 per month (single person) and $668 per month for a family of four. It is reduced if the person is making an income. Me-thinks this whole experiment is already stacked by using such a low number. IMHO.
“Food Justice” is the Orwellian twist on the instructive fable regarding the grasshopper and the ant. This is the end game in which the values that shaped us are exchanged for those that will destroy us.
A lot more than $60 had to be taken away from some workers to cover the government's processing costs.
The problem with all of these “I’m gonna live on $XX for one week” tests is that they aren’t very realistic. When you buy for just one week you can’t buy anything in bulk, so you pay a premium. And for me, at least, a bottle of ketchup lasts at least six months. How do I budget that for a week? Or do I just steal some from the local Burger King? I can pick it up while there stealing salt and pepper...
Oh, and I could live—and have lived—on $4.32 a day quite easily:
I could have eggs with home fries, toast (or oatmeal) and coffee for breakfast, almost any kind of bean or legume (or Mexican anything) main dish for lunch, and a recommended portion of London broil with fresh or frozen vegetables for dinner—and I could make that a different dinner every night of the week: a pork chop, meatloaf, tlapia, etc..
My family ekes by on $3.95 per person per day. Been doing it for years.
We eat fresh meat, fresh vegetables, and fresh fruit every day. We also are able to include a few luxury items every month. Plus we’re able to stock up on lots of non perishables.
In a pinch, we could cut our budget if we needed a little extra cash and still be well fed.
“Liberalism” is the political expression of humanism, which is actually Satanism,
so it’s no surprise that any policy intended for good will be turned upside down and twisted for evil ends.
You can’t buy pre-prepared food on that budget,
and the same reason that the majority of people are generational welfare and foodstamp recipients
precludes them from preparing fresh food for their families.
Beginning today I will supplement my grocery expenditures with $30/week stolen from my neighbors. This is know as the Stolen from Neighbors And Pocketed (SNAP) program formerly known as larceny.
Not sure I agree with that one. Where do you draw the line? If you feed somone else's children, then the parents just spend more money on instant gratification. The more you subsidize their expenses, the more money they have to spend irresponsibly. You can't have a serious country and let children go without health care? You can't have a serious country and let children go without dental care? Can't have a serious country and let children go withotu new clother? shoes?
Just because some liberal redistributionist is hiding behind the children, doesn't mean that we should instantly surrender.
There are only two reasons that people don't have enough money. 1. Misfortune, and 2. Irresponsibility. Misfortune (like catastrophic health costs) is by far the less common reason that people go on welfare.
“How do I budget that for a week? Or do I just steal some from the local Burger King? I can pick it up while there stealing salt and pepper...”
You are shaming me. I grabbed a couple of packs of sweetener for my office coffee while heading out the door of the bagel shop this morning.
Agree 100% - I was just simplifying the math (in case any 0bama voters were reading this)
Kibble.
Shelf-stable, nutritionally-balanced (40/30/30), bags of kibble (or other plain preparation like a just-add-water cereal or mash) that are free to any and all to use. It would cost far less than food stamps, it would probably be far more humane, and if people get tired of kibble, they can figure out a way to get real money to buy different food. (I also would predict the rise of a viable 3rd-party market in kibble flavor additives.)
Right. In the olden days this magical place was called a church.
It was a Christian gathering place where neighbors helped their neighbors. It provided charity, support, and nourishment for both the body and soul to those in need. It was wildly successful and lifted up entire communities and strengthened family values. However it was tax exempt and therefore deemed not useful to the government and thus it was replaced.
My thoughts exactly. No prepkg’d stuff. No fast food.
I was in line behind two queens at the local grocery supermarket. Both were dressed nicely with bling and nails done.
They had carts filled to the brim. The total of both carts was well over $300.00. The paid a little over $18.00 and each had an "Access" card to cover the rest.
I had a tiny cart and the bill came to around $55. I paid $55.
Honesty...a white man's disease.
The moment some hack uses “justice” combined with any other word (”food”, “social” etc) it screams out “communism” to me.
What is real justice?
1. If you do the crime, You do the time.
2. If you don’t work, You don’t eat.
3. If you can’t afford it, You don’t get it.
4. If you can’t support your children, Don’t have them.
This country needs more justice. Far too many criminals disguised as food stamp users. Far too many criminals disguised as democrat politicians (Yes I know there are some crooked pubbies too but the odds are almost certain that a democrat is a criminal. Their platform demands it)
Pray for Obama (and the rest of the democrats). Psalm 109:8-9 Let real justice be done!
I don’t like urban areas.
Even in my little farming town of 600 people, we have food distribution at our church every Saturday morning. It is amazing how much is given out.
Sounds like to me that the trend of “urban farming” might be a very healthy option for city dwellers captive in Camp Obama.
I have had thoughts about donating garden seed packets. Talk about a payoff. Small plot gardens are easy and can be very productive. Anyone can grow Okra and it is amazing how much that plant produces.
I garden because I like to, but I could live with what I produce pretty easily.
The author has a reading comprehension and/or logic problem. The ease or difficulty in subsisting solely on the supplumental food allowance in no way addresses the point that buying your food is not the government's (taxpayers') responsbility.
AMEN! That was going to be my exact point. How many that get SNAP also get other assistance?
Besides that doesn’t Booker realize that the S in SNAP stands for supplemental? While it is debatable whether the government should be providing any food assistance, even the Socialist fools who created SNAP did not intend for it to cover an individual’s entire food budget.
Besides that doesn’t Booker realize that the S in SNAP stands for supplemental? While it is debatable whether the government should be providing any food assistance, even the Socialist fools who created SNAP did not intend for it to cover an individual’s entire food budget.
Anyway, I took care of my children while they were growing up. Their needs ,and to the extent that I could , wants came first. There was a blind couple in our town that put two children through college without the government's help. He sold peanuts and she sewed.
Apparently, the scribbler of this piece is parasiting off the McDonald’s-only diet in order grab some attention.
It’s called “supplemental” for a reason, not that reason means anything to the scribbler of this piece.
If someone is eligible for SNAP, then they are eligible for other handouts. Total all the handouts possible and the average recipient makes nearly $60,000 a year to sit on his or her ass doing nothing but drinking and smoking and making illegitimate babies all day.
Meanwhile, the rest of us are working our asses off to pay for this, missing time with our friends and families, scrimping and saving just to get by and pay our bills.
That’s the difference between the takers and the givers in our society.
And the scribbler of this piece of junk is looking for “justice” for the takers of society?
We should demand justice. And we should start by “going Galt” and figuring out a way to cut the revenue stream to the legalized thieves that are supposed to represent US the productive members of society (the givers) NOT the takers.
My husband and I work with the poor on a regular basis. A good deal of them exert an enormous amount of energy trying to get others to buy them things when they could exert half of that energy and be self-reliant. It is amazing to me that so many are happy to sit under the table like dogs waiting for whatever scraps or crumbs may fall instead of just sitting at the banquet feast. Just too much effort to climb out from under the table.
Need coordinated pressure to end this program completely.
General welfare is not Personal Welfare.
In reality for every $60.00 the parisite gets from the government , they're actually taking about $100.00 from somebody who works. Can't forget the costs of the government bureaucrats needed to administer these programs.
This "experiment" is faulty in it's basic premise. Food Stamps were never designed as something to live on , isn't is called "supplemental" income (or some other Orwellian sounding name). This means it's only supposed to be a temporary thing to tide you over while you looked for work or because you only can get part time work etc.
I don't know of anybody who would deny help to someone truly in need, what most conservatives (and fair minded people) disagree with is the way these programs are implemented , and expanded to become a way of life.
Remember when the standard morality was that you didn’t have kids unless you could afford them?
And men didn’t consider themselves equipped to marry unless they could afford the kids that were presumed to follow.
Add in the rest of the morality of the time, and you had a darned good incentive for men to find a way to make a good wage.
You need to re-read that statement.
First, you give in to the liberal argument that we can’t let children go hungry. This implies that those children would go hungry if the givers in society do not provide them food.
That is false. They do not fend for themselves because we make it too easy not to. So they just continue to parasite off the workers and givers in society. And just how much are we supposed to sacrifice for their selfish decisions? If they are on welfare, they sure as hell ought to be using condoms when they fornicate.
Second, you say that the root cause is that money is involved. Even if money is not involved (or some sort of credit/debit system), the food and the distribution means have value. Whether you want to convert that value to a monetary replacement is irrelevant. It still have value, which means that it costs someone, that someone must pay for it in one way or another.
The root cause is very simple. Socialists have created a welfare class that feels entitled to live off the labor of others. They are fully capable of working, but the culture of the welfare class is that they shouldn’t have to and they don’t want to.
It is UNJUST to keep people ENSLAVED to a welfare class. It is also UNJUST to ENSLAVE those who work to provide for the welfare class.
We need to stop rewarding people for parasiting off the system and get them doing some sort of work that benefits those who are paying their way. Eventually they may get the idea, “Hey, I’m working anyway. Why don’t I go get a better job and one that I actually like?” This will help them to move themselves from the class of parasites to the class of workers and givers.
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