No food stamps for junk food---my true intentions

[Jmaxfie1]

I'm pretty much a political novice I guess you could say, so all of my ideas are not fully worked out. I know I offended some people, I truly did not mean to and feel bad about. I promise you my intentions are in the right place.

The problem I was trying to work out was: How to get people on food stamps access to health food? I do know that a as a group, the poor consumer a large portion of "junk food" than the middle or upper-class. I don't really see this as a choice. Junk food is higher in sugar and calories and is relatively cheap on a dollars to calories basis. My Original idea, not my own idea by any means, was that we don't allow the purchase of junk food with food stamps, but we tie this to a substantial increase in food stamp allotment, thus allowing to cover the cost of healthy food that is usually more expensive on a dollars to calories basis. If figured that either welfare payments or left over money from a job could pay for the occassional snack.

People said this was to autocratic and was trying to ban the poor from eating what they want. After a little while I agreed and decided that, "How about we include an allotment for "junk food" in with all food stamp payments. Still no go. Something, I had really never thought of was that many people said they only had access to gas stations that carried basically only snacks and beer. I had never really thought of this. I guess now I can see the problem with any restrictions to what people can buy on food stamps.

The main problem still stands though. The amount of funds provided by food stamps is inadequate to finance a healthy diet even if one has access to a grocery store that provides them. The problem as I see it is that, although you and your children will likely be malnourished do to lack of proper vitamins, junk food will keep you from starving. In fact, your chances of being overweight and on welfare are greater than you being overweight if you were born into an upper class family. You can be overweight and technically malnourished and vitamin deficient. The problem is that most people don't see it that way. They, "so increase food stamps, those people look like their getting plenty to eat."

I just don't see a great deal deal of hope that people, particularly in Red States, are going to increase food stamps to the level that would allow someone to be able to eat a health diet if they were so inclined. (And I think most poor people would feed their children a healthier diet if they were able.) Honestly if I could waive a magic wand and increase food stamps to the level they need to be at I would. (I would also allow for the purchase of multi-vitamins and personal hygiene products which to my knowledge are not covered under any programs.) I know that no Republicans will increase it and I doubt many Democrats will either.

My intentions were never to limit the choice of the poor, although of course they do, but to increase that choice. It is my belief that the current payment of food stamps makes it all but impossible to eat a health diet. I also believe that since, at least in this state, the farmers PACs heavily lobby the Republican party and that since a shift of money towards farms goods would be money in their pocket, that the Republicans would probably go along with the increase. Know of course on the face of it the Republican party would make it about "responsibility" and making those on welfare "accountable". Originally I thought this would be a good trade off for an increase in food stamp funds, however, thanks to the opinions of the people on here I am not sure. (And I mean that with no sarcasm, like I said I'm more or less trying to see were I stand on the issues. So I might get things wrong, so if you are willing to bear with me I might change my mind I might not.)

So, sorry for the long post, but I guess I wanted to explain my thinking and also show that, although my logic might have been wrong and there were many things I did not think of, that my heart was in the right place. My problem was that I initially did not see that if in order to increase those on food stamps choices of healthy foods by limiting their choices over all, I was in effect canceling out an good that the one increase did.

So... If anyone has any ideas or thoughts on how to increase access to healthy foods for the poor while maintaining freedom of choice and getting it past a Republican governed body please post them. I'm sure it can be done. Maybe not through the Farm interests but possible some other way.

Thanks for listening and sorry to anyone I might have offended, please bare with me.

So... If anyone has any ideas about how we can