fighting obesity by restrictions on food stamps

Agreed that many people eat unwisely. There are also people who smoke, drink alcohol, use illegal drugs, engage in unsafe sex, drive faster than the speed limit, and a thousand other risky or self-destructive behaviors. The law punishes some of these behaviors. But - and this is the key point - the law punishes these behaviors equally. All people are subject to the same laws and the same penalties for breaking those laws. But singling out a special group of people - say people with low incomes - and saying that they're subject to rules or penalties no one else is, is both unconstitutional and immoral.

The US Constitution prohibits "bills of attainder." A bill of attainder is a law singling out certain people for special treatment. For example, Congress can pass a law forbidding the wearing of green hats. But it can't pass a law forbidding only Political Forum members from wearing green hats. That would be a bill of attainder. One of the foundations of our justice system is equality before the law. If the government applies special sanctions to poor people it violates this principle of equality.

 

What about the father? Does he not need food to survive as well? What about if he has a medical condition where he need's a special diet?

What about people who have no access to supermarkets and are restricted to deli's and/or convenience stores where fresh food would be either severely limited or unavailable? What would be the litmus test as to what is considered "junk" food? Under your scenario they could literally starve to death.

What does it matter what kind of food they prepare for their meals? Some may not have any cooking skills. I don't think the government should be in the business of regulating how and when people socialize as well. Your viewpoint sounds rather draconian and most like would cause outrage among most Americans.

 

I am not saying they should be forced to purchase only foods that a State or Federal Government dictates....but I am thinking the whole concept of Food Stamps or Cards needs revising.

The United States grows and raises more food than any Nation on Planet Earth and the U.S. Government actually PAYS U.S. Famrers NOT TO GROW OR RAISE too many or too much animals and plants for Human Consumption.

Now it would be cheaper and HEALTHIER if a percentage of non-processed or packaged food such as Meats and Fish....Fruits and Vegetables....be made available to Food Card carriers at a lower discount at Retailers and that Cookies, Candy and Chips...etc....not be available at discounted prices.

This would allow Food Card Carriers to be able to purchase HEALTHY MEATS, FISH, FRUITS AND VEGETABLES at prices that are reasonable and since the U.S. Government already buys excess animal and plant foods from farmers to control prices I am sure a system could be worked out to save money for both the Feds and States as well as allow Food Card carriers to eat healthy.

It's a fact that PASTA, POTATOES, PIZZAS...ETC...ARE CHEAP...AND BEEF, FISH, VEGETABLES AND FRUITS are expensive.

I would have those who get Food Cards be required to go to a 1 night a week 2 hour EDUCATION PROGRAM that deals with nutrition....stretching their Food Card Money by knowing what foods are good for them and their children.

As well I think they should be educated upon how to grow a garden as even someone living in a city skyscraper can grow all sorts of fruits and vegetables in Pots and programs should be established for COLLECTIVE BUILDING TOP GARDENS.

In my garden a SINGLE BEEFSTEAK TOMATO PLANT CAGED....can generate over 100 Tomatoes a season.

Summer Squash and Zuchinni are PERVASIVE and not only good for you but very tasty.

But people need to be educated in that teaching them a loaf of sliced not whole grain WHITE BREAD....is like DEATH IN A PLASTIC BAG....as Super Fine Machine Milled White Bleached Flour once eaten cannot be properly digested and processed by a Human Being and Pasta made of the same flour has the same issues and it turns DIRECTLY INTO CHOLESTEROL AND BUILDS UP AS PLAQUE IN HUMAN ARTERIES!!

Cane and Beet Sugars do the same and so does FRUCTOSE and worse of all is HIGH FRUSTOSE CORN SYRUP in Fruit Juices....Dark Chocolate is OK...and actually GOOD FOR YOU as a single serving of Dark Chocolate has many more times the Antioxidents than 5 BUSHELS of a variety of High in Antioxident Vegetables.

SOMETHING has to be done as a 400 lbs 24 year old Wealfare Mom with 3 Morbidly Obese Children are not only going to live a low quality life they are also going to live a DISEASED AND UNHEALTHY LIFE!!

Then....we will be picking up the costs of their Healthcare and Triple Bypasses!!!

AboveAlpha

 

BS, I get SNAP and using sales and BOGOs and coupons I keep a nice supply of food that is FOOD. I use money from SSI for some meat and other food to. Its simple I treat SNAP like cash and try to get the most food I can. The last treat I had was no sugar added ice cream which counted as a milk substitute with a meal for over two weeks. For a few dollars.

 

I agree that if a person knows what is healthy to eat and knows where to get deals and shops smart they can effectively feed themselves on a relatively low budget.

Problem is some people have absolutely NO IDEA what foods are healthy or they are lazy or they just don't care.

As it has been part of my...JOB...for decades now to keep myself in well above top physical conditioning....I know what to eat and how to exercise and at my age it is not easy to run every day...but I do it.

But since many people are not like you or I and either don't care...have no idea....or are lazy....education is key and making a person getting Food Stamps or Cards need a Doctors asessment of their Health which would determine whether or not attending Nutritional Guidline Programs and I think everyone could use education on how to grow a garden....well it could only help.

AboveAlpha

 

Brilliant idea, they would never go for it of course but I like how you turned that one around on them.

 

Sure, if you were a grocer who had a monopoly on all groceries, but since that's never the case, you'd just be pricing yourself out of the market and you'd lose business.

Spiteful greed=defeated. Gotta love capitalism.

 

sounds like (class) envy. why not work on your character or quit your day job and collect welfare benefits.

 

I don't believe there is a settled science about what you posted...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/13/food-stamps-obesity_n_4262089.html

That said, whether with or without food stamps, poor people are limited to what they can eat and everyone knows healthy foods are more expensive than unhealthy ones. Poor people are restricted to things like canned foods which contain a lot of sugar in them if not fat or sodium.

Besides...where did you get a story that says most obese people in the country are on food stamps? That's interesting if that's true...

 

We might increase the Food Stamp benefit (it's been reduced 10.5% for a single person over the last 2 years), but we can't mandate the foods that people buy. We could prohibit high carb foods, just as we prohibit alcohol, but again, we can't mandate what people do buy. If you eliminate the foods many people want to eat, they may not get Food Stamps at all, and depriving people of all food is not what we want. The idea is to help, not bully. You have to get over the idea that not being bullied is a privilege of high earners.

 

isn't a can of green beans cheaper and healthier then a bag of chips isnt a package of chicken cheaper then a frozen pizza and healthier

only way you and huff n puff post can even make an argument is going to an extreme. Im referring to as in banning you know junk food that is the major cause of obesity when i say healthier food im not referring to fresh organically grown fruits and vegetables im talking about foods other then junk food you know cookies, snake cakes, sodas

 

Most American's will chose unhealthy food versus healthy food, irrespective of how much money they have. Yes, they will eat canned vegetables as well, but who eats only vegetables? Canned fruit is usually loaded with sugar. Are you saying these people mostly have a diet of candy and cake, and they eat less food than junk food- they're living off candy?Beyond canned vegetables, what are all the other healthy alternatives for the poor?

However, as for the healthiness of canned vegetables...

http://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/nutrition/healthy-eating/3-reasons-to-avoid-canned-vegetables.html#b

 

ok let me put it this way. if M. Obama says it cant be served at schools then it shouldn't be able to be bought with food stamps. if the school lunch menu standards are good enough for our kids then those same standards are good enough for adults if chips, cookies, snake cakes and sodas are not allowed to be purchased or sold at schools then neither should they be obtained with food stamps . if white bread isn't allowed and every bread product at school needs to be whole wheat then the same needs to be applied with food stamp purchases and so forth and so on, and yes they serve canned vegetables on the school lunch menu

 

If you can ban cookies, cakes, and sodas on the premise that they are unhealthy (which they are) I wouldn't be against it... It's not the only source of sugar is what I am saying and by banning it, they'll probably seek some other comfort food or fun food. As I said...things like Ravioli and such contain a lot of sugar as well...processed meets...high sodium or fat contents. It's not just about candy, cakes, and snacks.

But I guess it is a good step in the right direction...unless that can be interpreted as stepping on a persons right to choose. IDK. It's hard to know when you're being fair or a (*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*), especially when you insist other people do what you consider is right.

 

you have the right to choose when you obtain it from the fruits of your own labor. you need to give up the right of choice when it is bought with the fruits of someone else's labor

 

Fair enough, I would say, but there's a difference between giving aid and stepping in and running someone's life. It's just not something I'm prepared to allow the government to do, nor do I think my opinion of what a person should be eating should determine what they eat. I wouldn't condone beer or wines or liquor or anything like that but I'm not Nazi enough to ban sweets. That's just silly...in my opinion.

 

you have the choice not to have the government step in to run your life you have the choice not to accept food stamps

 

Accepting food stamps is accepting aid, not life instructions. There are restrictions on food stamps as it is.

 

You already have. They stepped in and became the bread winner for these folks.

We wouldn't be banning anything, we would just stop buying it for them, they are welcome to earn some money and buy it if they wish.

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That really depends on how you look at it.

 

I want to HELP these people not Bully them.

I don't think that mandating a Morbidly Obese person who get's Food Stamps and has children who are also Morbidy Obese to take a class once a week for a few hours on proper nutrition and also have Urban Garden Programs is Bullying them.

When a person is weighing in at 350 to 400 lbs not only is their quality of life much lower than a healthy weight individual but there is the added issue of costing the State huge costs for healthcare as well as inability to get a job because they simply cannot work at any reasonable rate expected by employers due to their own bulk.

I am extremely wealthy but I RESTRICT MY OWN PURCHASING of specific unhealthy foods and I do NOT buy candy or chips or frozen high carb. meals and I certainly do not smoke and I grow my own Organic Garden and I exercise.

Now with my wealth I could not do anything but watch TV and eat DOVE BARS....which I LOVE but I restrict myself to buying only ONE DOVE BAR A MONTH....and do this for the rest of my life...and lay on the couch.

BUT I DON'T!!!

Why?

Because there is more to life than simply being alive.

We have a system that perpetuates being unemployed and living and eating unhealthy and we should change it.

AboveAlpha

 

Wow! I want to be wealthy and live like you.

 

My point is just because I have money does not mean I am lazy nor does it mean I purchase all the candy, cake, ice cream and chips I want.

AboveAlpha

 

Where is the money going to come from to pay the salaries of the nutritionist's???? How many would have to be hired?? Those salaries start to add up over time.

 

The amount of money that could be saved on Healthcare Costs would far exceed any cost of Nutritionalists saleries....not to mention Welfare costs because they cannot hold down a job weighing in at 300 lbs plus.

AboveAlpha

 

Can you supply a link to validate your viewpoint? surely their must have been studies done on this? How much money would the government save?