Second there was a fascinating article in the Palm Beach Post this morning about a bill that would ban the purchase of junk food with food stamps. Read the article here:
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/state/florida-bill-would-prohibit-welfare-cards-as-payment-2136763.html
The bill that passed the House Health and Human Services committee (HB 1401) sponsored by Rep. Rhonda Storms (R-Valrico) would ban the purchase of the following items:
- sweetened beverages including sodas,
- sweets such as gelatin dessert, candy, ice cream, pudding and Popsicles.
The original bill went even further and included:
- muffins, sweet rolls, cakes, cupcakes, pies, cobblers, pastries, and doughnuts;
- salty snack foods, such as corn-based salty snacks, pretzels, party mix, popcorn and potato chips.
I have all kinds of reactions to this bill. It saddens me to think about all the little kids that would be affected by this law. I know that we all need to feed our kids nutritious food but the occasional snack food and dessert is deserved too. I can't imagine never letting my kids have pretzels as a snack or ice cream for dessert. Is it really the government's place to tell these moms (mostly) what they can and can't feed their children? Of course they could buy these items with cash instead of food stamps but what if that's all the family has left to spend on food that month.
I absolutely hate going to the store with my kids because they do ask for so much junk food that is just not necessary. One Friday I had my little guy with me at the store. He wanted to get his own basket. I was curious just what he would put in it so I indulged him knowing that I would put most if not all of it back on the shelf. Here's what he picked out:
- a bag of Ghiradelli dark chocolate
- a loaf of white bread
- a bag of Doritos
- a one liter bottle of fanta orange soda
- red jello
- a carton of hummus
- a package of chocolate chip cookie dough
It was so funny. I think it's obvious that he has me wrapped around his little finger. We ended up buying everything but the white bread. My husband could not believe it... but he was just so cute. I had visions of him in college on his own. I am pretty sure this will be his grocery list. I ended up pouring the Fanta out after I looked at the nutrition label (74 grams of sugar in a glass!).
Ok so the point of this story is I don't think we should tell parents what they can and can't buy with food stamps. We need to trust that moms will make good decisions (most of the time) and if they don't then let's make up for it with nutritious school lunches. One last question...Are we only subjecting poor people to these rules? Why not ban the purchase of junk food by everyone?
Now with all that said this bill is meaningless unless the federal government agrees to a state waiver that would include these new bans. They have yet to approve them for any other state. So it's basically a complete waste of time.
The bill would also do the following:
- prohibit the use of food stamps at fast food restaurants
- prohibit ATM transactions at liquor stores, gambling and strip club establishments. TANF (welfare) cash benefits are deposited on a debit card that can be accessed at ATMs.
The state has found that $63,000 (.03% of total transactions) over a 2 year period was withdrawn at establishments with liquor licenses. Is it worth passing a bill to potentially keep $63,000 from possibly being spent on liquor??
It seems like a gargantuan effort for a tiny benefit. It seems to me this effort is really meant to stigmatize and demonize the poor. Enough. Stop wasting taxpayer time on this issue.
I am so excited about the trip next week to Tallahassee. Perhaps this will be the issue that I discuss with my legislators. Don't forget to print out the list of your legislators and call their offices to make appointments. Just take a few minutes to talk about your opinion on a bill or an issue that you are passionate about.
Happy Tuesday,
Dr. D.
Happy Tuesday,
Dr. D.
I agree. It would be so demeaning to have someone controlling what you buy your children at the store. I feel the same way about free and reduced lunches here at our high school. They only get one choice while all the other kids can pick what they want. You can tell who is on free and reduced lunches by their plates when they sit down. Horrible!
ReplyDeleteWell, I have a different thought on this one. I do not think that they are trying to tell poor people what to eat, but rather tell them what they cannot buy with our taxpayer’s money. The food stamp should be for nutritious food only; the program is to put nutrition in your child's body not unhealthiness. I have personally witness people trade food stamp for drugs, therefore I was not shock to read about the possible money spent on liquor, but I was shock to see the dollar amount. Wow! That is a lot of the taxpayers money spent irresponsibly. I think that if the government would drug screen every recipient of the welfare system it would be a start of saving money and not worrying about children eating unhealthy food once in a while.
ReplyDeleteDiane,
ReplyDeleteThe governor did try drug testing welfare recipients. No one failed. It was a complete waste of taxpayer money.
I oppose this bill. Although i do agree that some of the items mentioned above that are not necessarily healthy should be limited. The interpretation i receive from this proposed bill is that because you need assistance we will tell you what you can eat and if you don't like it go and buy your own.
ReplyDeleteWell, I’m against the bill for several reasons. The bill mainly affects the children (who are the true beneficiary). I do not see the harm in giving your child a treat every now and then. Everybody cannot afford to a buy a toy, to put a smile on their child's face. Let’s be real, sometime when you needed that sweet escape, did you pop a carrot in your mouth or did you bit into a snicker bar? Not everybody can afford the luxury the world has to offer but for the poor, food is a type of luxury. If the government is so concerned with healthy habits/eating than why did they remove PE out of the schools? They should be setting up nutrition classes to educate the poor. I do agree with the second part of the bill about transactions at the liquor stores, strip club, and casinos
ReplyDelete