Replies

I have said for years that food stamps should only be valid for 4 or 5 aisles in the grocery store.
1. Fresh fruit and Vegetables.
2. Fresh meat (Except deli)
3. Dairy (Except deli and frozen)
4. Cleaning supplied (Laundry soap as such)
5. Personal hygiene. (Shampoo, toothpaste soap)

No bread, crackers, alcohol, frozen goods, no canned goods. There would be some “Junk Food” type items available such as hotdogs etc. But it would cut out a lot of the bad diet choices that the so-called poor make. If they want a loaf of bread, get a job and buy one. If you want noodles or rice then pay for them. If they want starch with a meal then buy potatoes.

This would cut out most of the abuse. It would also mean that many of the so-called poor would have to learn how to cook rather than microwaving. Cooking is a marketable skill.

I am not a nutrition NAZI and eat plenty of junk but I pay for it from my own pocket. If I am paying, through taxes to feed your kids then I want them to eat real food not microwaves pizza rolls.

Disagree about the bread and crackers. Do not assume welfare recipients can cook, or have the means to cook or store fresher items. Fresh vegetables may just go to waste.

I think the delivery idea is great as I stated above; however, prepackaged foods might be best. Sandwiches may be a staple.

Maddie10 (with one wasted degree in home economics)

I disagree with the bread, crackers, rice, and canned goods. Canned goods have a considerable shelf life as does rice. These items are inexpensive. Fresh fruit, vegetables, meats, and dairy however have a short shelf life and are not exactly cheap.

The CHIPS program has excellent restrictions on what food can be purchased. Perhaps a percentage of FS should have to be used for those foods. When food stamps first began, they were restricted to nutritional, basic food. Then liberal whiners argued that it was demeaning or whatever for FS recipients to be told what to eat.

I don't like President Trump's idea. I'm not even sure it's possible to define "healthy foods" without confusion. If food purchasing is taken out of the regular retail outlets, we'll all suffer. FWIW, I go to a store where there are a lot of gov't assistance shoppers, and their restricted budget keeps prices and choices lower cost than many stores. What happens when non-elite stores close because they lose those customers? Perhaps a solution would be to keep the food stamp program but anyone who abuses it permanently lose them. A better answer would be if US citizens in lower and middle classes earned a living wage.