"It's a huge list": Iowa GOP bill would ban people on food stamps from buying fresh meat — and more

[PureX]

Being local, I'll say I've known plenty of people who were on Food Stamps. I only knew one who abused them(by selling them). To be fair, that one person couldn't make ends meet in other ways, which is why she made that choice.

Yes, we make old people choose between buying food and buying medicine because the GOP hates Medicare and keeps cutting the benefits whenever they can. Especially the drug benefits because they are so expensive.

 

[Revoltingest]

Efficient use of taxes are a good goal to have, but the more we not only deter people from getting out of their situations but punish them for being there, the more that the situation will fester and worsen.

I agree.
An example of dysfunctional benefits is the typical
government approach of taking benefits away as
a person gains income.
2 different gals I know were single mothers. Both
were advised by government social workers to
quit their jobs because they'd get more money
by being unemployed. Bad incentive.

How about letting poor people earn money without
losing benefits? Let benefits be reduced gradually,
eg, earn $2 more, lose only $1 in benefits.

 

[Revoltingest]

How about we disallow all meat products altogether? And maybe all animal products as well? Force people to live on a 100% vegan diet.

If you tried to get that policy enacted,
you'd be the 1st one barbequed.
How gamey are you, anyway?

 

[Evangelicalhumanist]

Dignity is wonderful.
But would you pursue it by eliminating all
reasonable regulation of benefit usage?

Yes, I would. I would not regulate how someone can spend their unemployment insurance benefits, nor how someone who can only earn the minimum way spends that. The fact is, I believe in making available social assistance to those in need, and I vote my tax dollars to pay for it. I believe that is good for society as a whole.

I would have thought that you, as a Libertarian who hates governments meddling in your affairs, would disapprove of governments meddling with those who just happen to be at a disadvantage.

 

[Revoltingest]

Yes. That's a better alternative than the current system.

I don't see choices limited to those 2.

 

[sun rise]

Also, there are studies about what happens when you just give people money with no strings.

What Happens When You Give People Money?

Researchers Find A Remarkable Ripple Effect When You Give Cash To Poor Families

Giving people money with no strings attached is good for their health, dozens of studies indicate

To reach that finding, our interdisciplinary team of public health experts, economists and epidemiologists from Canada, Germany, New Zealand and the U.S. pooled data from 34 studies that involved 1,140,385 participants in 50,095 households across Africa, the Americas and Southeast Asia.

 

[fantome profane]

If you tried to get that policy enacted,
you'd be the 1st one barbequed.
How gamey are you, anyway?

Eat me.

 

[sun rise]

I don't see choices limited to those 2.

You asked a question. I answered it. Now you're quibbling that I answered the question. Got it.

 

[Revoltingest]

I would have thought that you, as a Libertarian who hates governments meddling in your affairs, would disapprove of governments meddling with those who just happen to be at a disadvantage.

Methinks you might be attributing policy
advocacy to me that isn't mine.
I've pushed the unconditional UBI, ie,
the UUBI (pronounced "oo' bee").

 

[Revoltingest]

Eat me.

Only if well done.
No raw critter in my sushi.

 

[Revoltingest]

You asked a question.

True.
Disappointing response though.

 

[Heyo]

"It's a huge list": Iowa GOP bill would ban people on food stamps from buying fresh meat — and more (msn.com)

This is bizarre.









I guess what's weird about this is that this is Iowa, in the middle of America's breadbasket, and Americans always prided themselves on never having a famine or any critical food shortages. And yet, they're acting like we're running out of food and that we have resort to rationing. Can't even have salt, pepper, or soup.



Another aspect of this is that it would likely cause delays at the supermarket checkout stand, as the cashiers would be required to carry out such restrictions.

GOP - the party of small government and personal freedom.

 

[icehorse]

I guess what's weird about this is that this is Iowa, in the middle of America's breadbasket, and Americans always prided themselves on never having a famine or any critical food shortages. And yet, they're acting like we're running out of food and that we have resort to rationing. Can't even have salt, pepper, or soup.

As a high level strategy, I support such measures. (To be clear, the devil's in the details, so I would amend this list - I find it imperfect.)

I donate to a local food charity every month. Charity is a good thing. AND - to reiterate a not-very-PC saying - "beggars can't be choosers".

Specifically, I agree with the idea that people receiving food support shouldn't be allowed to buy unhealthy foods. Some of the restrictions on the list appear to support this idea. I think some of the restrictions aren't very nutritionally aware, but I applaud the general idea that recipients should not be allowed to use charity to be unhealthy.

 

[Evangelicalhumanist]

As a high level strategy, I support such measures. (To be clear, the devil's in the details, so I would amend this list - I find it imperfect.)

I donate to a local food charity every month. Charity is a good thing. AND - to reiterate a not-very-PC saying - "beggars can't be choosers".

Specifically, I agree with the idea that people receiving food support shouldn't be allowed to buy unhealthy foods. Some of the restrictions on the list appear to support this idea. I think some of the restrictions aren't very nutritionally aware, but I applaud the general idea that recipients should not be allowed to use charity to be unhealthy.

So, to sum up, the downtrodden and disadvantaged should not be allowed to do what the not so downtrodden, and well-advantaged should be free to do -- and do to their own children, too!

 

[Subduction Zone]

"It's a huge list": Iowa GOP bill would ban people on food stamps from buying fresh meat — and more (msn.com)

This is bizarre.









I guess what's weird about this is that this is Iowa, in the middle of America's breadbasket, and Americans always prided themselves on never having a famine or any critical food shortages. And yet, they're acting like we're running out of food and that we have resort to rationing. Can't even have salt, pepper, or soup.



Another aspect of this is that it would likely cause delays at the supermarket checkout stand, as the cashiers would be required to carry out such restrictions.

What is it with Republicans lately? Are they smoking some odd herbaceous products trying to see who can write the most idiotic laws?

 

[Subduction Zone]

This is pretty bizarre, though. My read on it is that it smacks of half-thought through somewhat good intentions, to be honest.
The OP does provide links that get you to the approved foods list, but it's here more directly in case anyone is interested;

https://idph.iowa.gov/Portals/1/userfiles/104/235_20_Approved Food List 7_1_2021 Final.pdf

The list is a set of 'healthy' food options, so in that sense I can see the intent of this bill, although it feels ridiculously prescriptive, and would either be extremely problematic, or simply ignored.
But the list of healthy foods is a supplemental list (it's not supposed to represent all foods eaten) and is aimed at the following group;

Pregnant, postpartum and breastfeeding women, infants, and children up to age five are eligible. They must meet income guidelines, a state residency requirement, and be individually determined to be at "nutritional risk" by a health professional.

Source and Further Reading : WIC - Home

To assume that a list of healthy foods prepared for supplemental purposes for pregnant and postpartum women already judged at nutritional risk is good to go as a prescriptive list of foods for a general population on benefits is...well...half-arsed, poorly thought through, and completely lacking in effective planning and communication.
However, I don't see (on initial review) any evidence that this is being done due to hatred of poor people, etc.

WIC is a different program from SNAP. The former is for women with young children. It is an additional program to SNAP, or food stamps. Since the woman is feeding others it does limit what she can buy. Most of the regulations make sense, but some do not. For example one can buy apple juice, but not apple cider, even though for the most part it is just a difference in labeling.

EDIT: I should have read the OP's article. I missed that they are using the WIC list. It is a bit heavy handed when it comes to adults choosing their own food in my opinion. I can see a heavier government hand when a person is using those benefits to feed others, in the case of WIC, her children.

 

[icehorse]

So, to sum up, the downtrodden and disadvantaged should not be allowed to do what the not so downtrodden, and well-advantaged should be free to do -- and do to their own children, too!

Some strawmaning going on there, but let's carry on:

The insurance industry (despite all of its many flaws), has charged extra for dangerous behaviors for decades. Does that seem okay to you?

If so, then think of us taxpayers as a type of insurance company for the disadvantaged.

As for the more well-off feeding their families crap, I think we should tax such crap food across the board. For example, sugary cereals ought to be taxed heavily. I had a meeting at Google HQ many years ago and their vending machines were interesting: an apple cost a dime, and a candy bar cost $3. I like it!

 

[Curious George]

I find this topic and the proponents and opponents interesting.

capitalism generally holds that freedom in the market is the most efficient distribution of goods. Restrictions on purchasing contributes to a lack of efficiency. Micromanaging people and purchases seems rather wasteful, yet people either for concern of nutrition or concern of freeloaders taking advantage of the system insist we need regulation. Additionally, it seems punitive.

I don’t think many are opposed to some level of regulation, but is this reasonable regulation we are discussing? My personal opinion is that it is not.

 

[TLK Valentine]

The GOP really just hates people. That's their whole platform, now. "F THE PEOPLE!" seems to be their motto. They openly want to end social security, welfare, public assistance, Medicaid, ... anything that keeps people alive in a world that's choking to death from greed, and they want it stopped.

Let the scum work for slave wages or die in the streets! That's the theme of these new fascists.

It's poor people that they hate. Having determined that the oligarchs and the almighty job creators are our rightful rulers, anyone who is not doing enough to make the wealthy wealthier is the enemy.

 

[PureX]

It's poor people that they hate. Having determined that the oligarchs and the almighty job creators are our rightful rulers, anyone who is not doing enough to make the wealthy wealthier is the enemy.

Amen, brother.

But the democrats are not much better. They, too, are owned top to bottom by those same deified oligarchs. And they routinely sell out the people they're supposed to represent for the next big fat bribe. Biden voted along with republicans to reject minimum wage hikes, reject increased health care coverage, reject laws intent of curbing legislative corruption, approving big drug company monopolies, approving big communication company mergers that created monopolies, approving the exploitation of overseas labor, and on and on and on. For 40 years he's been selling out the American people to his bribe-paying corporate sponsors all the while pretending to be concerned about the plight of the middle class.

There is the big ugly snake that hisses and shows his fangs before it strikes, and there is the snake that slithers silently into your bedroll at night, and bites you while you sleep, over and over, until by the time you wake up, it's too late. Don't be thinking the democrats aren't as selfish and destructive as the GOP. Because they are. An they have been for decades. Biden is a classic case in point. Voted like a republican all his years in the legislature. Now he pretends he's outraged at their absurdly selfish agenda. But he was never outraged by it all those years before. In fact, he was supporting it most of the time.