Posted on 05/14/2010 5:55:37 AM PDT by TornadoAlley3
WASHINGTON — Rep. Collin Peterson on Thursday suggested Congress consider banning caloric soft drinks from being purchased with food stamps as a way to address obesity.
According to multiple reports, Peterson said the proposed ban is "clearly is something we need to look at," though he added that he neither supports nor opposes the suggestion at this point.
Peterson's comments followed a House Agriculture Committee meeting, in which a panelist suggested the embargo. The hearing was one of many Peterson is holding as an early preview of the 2012 Farm Bill, which includes the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
The exact suggestion Peterson was responding to, as reported by Reuters' Charles Abbott:
Wellesley College professor and food expert Rob Paarlberg suggested the ban during a hearing to review the 2008 farm law, which includes food stamps as well as crop subsidies. Food stamps help low-income people buy food. One in eight Americans receives food stamps.
The anti-hunger program accounts for 40 percent of Agriculture Department spending and outweighs crop subsidy and land stewardship spending of $10 billion this year.
"I would argue caloric soda should be made ineligible for purchase under SNAP, like tobacco and alcohol," said Paarlberg, using the new name for food stamps, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. He later said sugary sodas are "a huge part of the obesity problem."
Government handouts breed resentment of our fellow human beings... as I believe they are intended to do at some level.
Congress should 'look at' banning all food stamp purchases
Cigarettes, beer, and ice cream too.
Working families who are paying for it all can't feed their families anywhere near that well. Next time you're in a grocery store, hang out a while and watch for a food stamp recipient (they'll use a government debit card), and take a look at the bounty they have in their cart. You'll be shocked. I don't remember the last time I could afford a standing rib roast, prepared pies, top of the line frozen vegetables, and cases of Pepsi like that.
While you're at it, notice their professionally manicured nails, designer clothing, and salon hair styles.
The tax payers are getting fleeced - big time.
Try explaining that to one of the "i'm gettin' over" class and you get a less than blank look.
Ban Food Stamps. They are illegally traded for booze, prostitutes, and cash.
Open commodity stores where nutritious foods would be given to the poor to be cooked at home...no Sara Lee cakes, Cokes, chips etc. Obesity would be halted in its tracks.
If the government is telling us what to eat, it should only pay for caloric necessities, not fattening frills, in their feeding programs.
Bears repeating.
Here's a take -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMnIY7NADvk
Add cookies, chips, and candy to the list, and go back to the old food stamp coupons with NO CASH BACK! They swipe their cards when they purchase food and get $20 in cash, then turn around and buy cigs, beer, and lottery tickets with the money.
you should only be able to buy the staples with food stamps, just enought to keep you alive.
This Congress should seriously look at employment elsewhere.
I’d better get off this thread, I’m starting to get angry!
They still do that with the seniors. Powered milk, cheese, canned veggies and fruit.
why do you think the single common denominator of the American poor is that they are obese?
I would add milk to that and be in complete agreement.
My husband is an accountant for subsidized housing. Doctors, lawyers, etc., come into the offices looking for one of the apartments. They don't know it's welfare housing. If you don't actually open the door to one of the occupied apartments, they look very expensive.
One of the complexes was sold to a private buyer. She turned the apartments into expensive town houses. All she did was have the bio hazard teams clean them up, and called in the exterminator. Then she had them painted.
Before the welfare people move in, these apartments are fantastic. They always trash them, though. House work is just too much for them to bare.
YES! I went grocery shopping Tuesday, lady in front of me had a cart full 75% was junk food. Paid for with food stamps, $120, both her kids were chunky. They can buy any people food you can, and get cash back off their food stamp credit card, to go buy cigs, beer, dog food, and lottery tickets.
I'm a teach a man to fish kinda guy. Offer real cooking classes for food stamp participants, show people how to make reasonable cooking decisions, so they don't have to rely upon those red box Banquet obesity meals, processed lunchables, and hamburger fatso helper. Many of our young families have no clue how to roast a chicken, steam vegetables, or even how to turn a head of lettuce into a salad.
Don’t government pretty much control what we eat already?
Not so much the choices now, but the sources. If the “Food Safety Act” passes home garden agriculture will disappear and all of our food will come from foreign sources.
I think if people are getting government food handouts, the government does have the right to tell them what they can eat.
My food budget is limited choice because of mortgage and car payments. People living in rent free government housing, subsidized utility bills, and driving old uninsured cars get to live pretty high on the hog when it comes to groceries.
My dollar, my choice. Government dollar, government choice. As a taxpayer, we enable government to make life too easy for freeloaders. Anything we can do to convince government to encourage frugality, and personal responsibility, I’m game.
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