Bridge Card/Foodstamps

StarKrayzie

After a heated discussion on FB over obese kids being taken away from their parents the subject came up of people misusing their food assistance benefits. It's one thing to trade your benefits for drugs & alcohol but I had a huge issue w/ a certain man who said people that receive benefits should be banned from buying chips, pop, ice cream, donuts & other junk food. I am 27 years old & I've held a full time job since I was 15. Last year when I got laid off I went back to school got my C.N.A. certification & started working again. Due to my pregnancy being high risk & my restrictions I couldn't work. For the first time in 12 years I couldn't provide for my family so I got help. I get WIC & BC. For somebody to tell me that I shouldn't be allowed to eat chips, pop, etc because tax dollars buy them, more then pisses me off. I paid into the system & the way I see it I'm using the money I've been giving the government since I was 15. just because I buy chips & snack cakes doesn't mean myself or my children are obese or eat them everyday. Both my kids are excellent eaters, love fruits & veggies, & eat well balanced meals everyday. (As I'm typing this my son & I are munching on carrots @ 11am). If that guy wanted to go to the store w/ his debit card he could buy whatever he wanted & that's his right cuz it's his money but I should only be allowed to buy "healthy" food w/ my card & pay outta pocket for other items. I don't abuse my card & I have no problem proving that. I would gladly send my reciepts to DHS so my case worker could see what I buy & I would gladly take a drug test to keep my benefits. I've never smoked, done drugs, popped pills, snorted or shot up. I have nothing to hide & I think people that oppose drug testing are the ones that should be tested first. If you're drug free then you have nothing to worry about. People are so ignorant & quick to point the finger. There are so many reasons for people to be obese. To group everyone together is ridiculous. There are people out there who buy nothing but junk w/ their benefits or buy expensive steak & seafood for themselves & buy hot dogs for their kids. Sorry for the rant but that man got my blood boiling.

luvbump

Well I've noticed alt of healthy foods cost more than junk.. so what does it really matter? food stamps is for helping people in a time of need. not putting them on a diet... besides it would be a big debate over what would be considered healthy or not. Some people need to get off their high horse and stop worrying about what goes into other peoples mouths.

lae3

i think that guys an idiot and has never had it hard so hes just talking out of his ass.. i do however.. i do belive 9/10 when a child is obese its the parents fault if a child is obese.. thats my oppinion.. i mean i used to see this adorable lil guy everyday when i picked up my son from k.. and he always had an icecream in his hand.. he was 2 years old but the poor lil guy was obese,.. i mean i always make sure my kid knows how to eat healthy and has healthy habbits before i allow them to even try sweets.. or chips .. and my kids rarly eat hot dogs.. lol..

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Janet_2011

It sucks that he thinks candy and chips are the ones making the kids obese, it isnt the food is the amounts of junk foods the parents allow their kids to intake , I do believe if a child is obese is the parents fault, they should be responsible for teaching their kids good eating habits and moderate how much junk food they eat, since it isnt healthy for kids or grownups . but taking it out of the system .. is ridiculous.

BeautifulOne

Smh, I have food stamps and I buy wth I want to buy! Who is he to tell people what they can and cannot buy? I buy fruits and veggies along with chips. I don't drink soda so I don't buy any of that, but it's my damn right to buy what I want. I also have a job so I feel like I'm paying for my food stamps as well. SO he can go to hell with that mess. Also if some parents would make their kids go outside and play instead of sitting on the couch playing playstation all day we wouldn't have this obesity problem. Hell when I was little you couldn't keep me in the house. I had all the things kids have today, but I loved being outside with my friends.

baileygoose

I think some people just don't view pops, chips, candy etc. as a "necessity" but maybe an "extra" and maybe think that if you are receiving assistance it should be used for wiser, healthier choices vs. splurging on "junk food?" Because I think some people do treat those types of food as a splurge, or a special treat. Does that make sense??

I must admit (head hanging down after reading your post) that I have been annoyed with the lady in front of me at the check out line buying a cart full of Mt. dew and only that, using assistance. So I totally understand where you are coming from but maybe this will give you someone else's perspective??

I hope you know that I'm not trying to start an argument, just giving an additional opinion.

StarKrayzie

That's exactly what a lot of us were saying. Once a week I drive to a fresh food market that's 45 minutes from me because their prices are much cheaper then those at the grocery stores & the food is such better quality. I've always been a salad person but I'm not a health nut. I knew I didn't wanna deal w/ picky eaters so I got my kids hooked on fruits & veggies when they were babies.

Janet_2011

@baileygoose thats true, i completely agree, but imagine how a kid would feel if he cant even have a piece of candy because their parent cant afford it and they cant use food stamps to buy it either.

StarKrayzie

When I was 18 I worked at Meijer in the Seafood/Meat department so I know exactly what you mean @baileygoose I don't drink pop or juice. I drink my tap water & ff milk. I only buy pop from the Dollar Tree cuz they sell 3 liters for $1 so I get those looks when I swipe my card & I understand completely.

Moroccanmexicanbaby

Lol! I do have major problem with people buying BEER! i assume Kids don't consume it, but c'mon! Give the decent ppl a break. I buy for Kids as any well natured mom would do. I am a HIGH RISK mom and I work my butt off till the due dates. Plus i am a hard working single american mom! So i don't worry about others cuz They don't feed my Kids. But some sweets and healthy and exercise is very good for the soul.

StarKrayzie

@janet_2011 @luvbump @beautifulone @lae3 @caffeinated_katie

I totally agree with nutrition classes. If parents had more knowledge & could see how easy it is to make better choices then the kids will learn as well.

My mom didn't allow video games in our house & my kids don't have them either. Kids are boggled down w/ all the technology we have now & the parents are as well. They don't spend enough time playing w/ their kids because they're so consumed w/ themselves.

BeautifulOne

That's true. I'll be damned if I let my lil man get fat because he's too lazy to play outside instead of sitting around playing video games. Also if parents get active WITH their kids it could help a lot. I mean I know some parents don't have a lot of time, but the weekends could be a great time to do fun family activities together.

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BeautifulOne

@caffeinated_katie Yep. Easy fixes like fast food every other day aren't so easy to fix once the pounds start packing on.

StarKrayzie

@beautifulone People nowdays make it sound like a chore to spend time w/ their kids. I see more posts on FB about people complaining about them then enjoying them. Every parent needs a break now & then & gets frustrated but it's sad when they can't find an hour to spend quality time w/ them but they have all the time in the world to sit on the couch & watch soap operas & Jerry Springer.

BeautifulOne

Exactly, but that's just how it is. I guess people will soon start realizing these things. read that article earlier about a Dr who thinks people with obese kids should have them taken away and that they would be better off in foster care. Now I think that's ridiculous. :-q

StarKrayzie

@caffeinated_katie It takes me forever to grocery shop cuz I look at every label, check serving sizes, total weight, nutrient info etc. When I worked as a direct care manager I was voted to do grocery shopping because of how much I was able to stretch the amount of money we got. 2 of my 4 clients were on weight watchers they were 19 & 22 & all the other staff would just give them salad, raw veggies, yogurt, fruit, cottage cheese to eat because they didn't want to educate themselves on what else they could eat.

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StarKrayzie

@beautifulone I think that dr should spend some time in a foster home or youth center before openning his mouth. The emotional trauma that child would endure is much worse then the twinkie he's putting in his mouth. The state has to pay for these foster kids so why not take that money & do something positive. I don't get my WIC benefits unless I take their nutrition classes so why can't we do that for other programs? Our country is ass backwards. Instead of trying to implement the tools necessary to make a change for the better they go for the extreme drastic measure to take a kid away. What are you gonna do then? Put them on a diet? Get them a membership to a gym?

valentinasmommy

Wow. He's an asshole. Wtf! That made me laugh. So what about people that aren't on foodstamps and their kids are obese:/

BeautifulOne

Yeah it's crazy! My dad and his wife are foster parents and I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy. It's horrible to feel unwanted, abandoned, and not loved. That dr needs to shut up and keep it moving.

StarKrayzie

@2ndbutfirst I totally agree. I prefer to eat at Burger King if I'm eating out because their side salads are more filling then the other places & it's only $1.

[Deleted User]

I think it depends. I agree that if you are on it for a short while. But if you have been on foodstamps for 7 yearsi think it should be limited. My brother worked in a grocerystore for 10 years he hates that all some people buy is soda and junk food. Most people who have foodstamps have medicaid if you have kids and the doctor is concerned about their diet then I think there should be a healthy plan. Or maybe give people a choice. Here's more $ but you have a junkfood limit.

KalikoJenie

@morracanmexicanbaby are you talking about buying beer in general? Cuz I don't think you can buy beer with food stamps.. or at least you can't where I live

I agree that healthy food should be cheaper if you want people to eat healthier. I also agree that maybe there should be a limit of the ammount of sweets such as soda and snack cakes should be bought perhaps. But it isn't just what people call junk food that make people fat or obese. Eating too mjch of anything can make you big. Pasta isn't a junk food but full of carbs and will make you fat as well as eating too much cereal or dairy or anything. I think we as people should be more conscience about how much food we put into our mouths as well as what we put in our mouths. The average adult meal is (in fast food terms) or should be the size of a happy meal.

I don't agree with peoples children being taken away because they are too big. I think that warning the parents that their kid is overweight and they need to go on a diet should have been implemented first then reccomend them to go to a nutrition classes (not taught by obese people) as well as a few more steps before you can say a parent is unfit. I also agree that children should spend more time outside playing or at least doing something physically taxing for about an hour a day. My children love to watch tv but they also love to play outside. There is a happy medium that you could achieve. Maybe let them relax after school for a bit by watching a tv show or two then have them go outside and play or something. Even if you can't do it everyday due to work, who ever is watching your children should allow them to play... when you get a day off take them to a park let them run around for a couple hours or take them to a community pool or even let them ride a bike or something. I dunno I think too many people (not everyone there are some practive parents) just do what is easy and what they can do to just get by. Perhaps one day there will be more education on the subject and we won't have to worry about this.. jmo

StarKrayzie

Here in MI they are in the process of making it a law that any type of benefits are capped off at 4 years. I think it's ridiculous if you get food stamps or other benefits for an excessive length of time. @kalikojenie I agree w/ everything you said.

@ll10 You can't buy beer, alcohol, wine or energy drinks w/ food stamps.

laura536

I worked as a cashier in a grocery store and also a bulk foods store and I can honestly say that people who buy total garbage with their benefits far outweighs people who use it for actual healthy food. We used to have of group of people who came into the bulk foods store and used their foodstamps to buy candy that they would turn around and sell for cash...that was their job! My sister and I have talked about it before and I really feel like foodstamps should be handed out with vouchers like WIC. Pop and candy aren't a human right or even a necessity....My husband works 60 hr weeks and we still can't afford to buy pop.

nicoleok87

i do agree that obese children's parents should be looked into. thats child abuse. deadly child abuse.