Come on virgil. The notion is that there can be hundreds of food and non-food items that can be allowed for purchase under these programs; but there are also a smaller set of other items that absolutely should not be allowed, and which prohibition can be cured by software systems. And those businesses that enable these people to break the law under these programs should be severely punished.
I agree that there are lots of items that shouldn’t be paid for by these benefits, and it can be easily controlled electronically. Just leave my canned vegetables alone. If I want steak today, I’ll have a bowl of cereal on another day. I can make that card stretch farther than the state can.