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Peterson: Congress should 'look at' banning caloric pop from food stamp purchases
www.minnpost.com ^ | 05/14/10 | Derek Wallbank

Posted on 05/14/2010 5:55:37 AM PDT by TornadoAlley3

WASHINGTON — Rep. Collin Peterson on Thursday suggested Congress consider banning caloric soft drinks from being purchased with food stamps as a way to address obesity.

According to multiple reports, Peterson said the proposed ban is "clearly is something we need to look at," though he added that he neither supports nor opposes the suggestion at this point.

Peterson's comments followed a House Agriculture Committee meeting, in which a panelist suggested the embargo. The hearing was one of many Peterson is holding as an early preview of the 2012 Farm Bill, which includes the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

The exact suggestion Peterson was responding to, as reported by Reuters' Charles Abbott:

Wellesley College professor and food expert Rob Paarlberg suggested the ban during a hearing to review the 2008 farm law, which includes food stamps as well as crop subsidies. Food stamps help low-income people buy food. One in eight Americans receives food stamps.

The anti-hunger program accounts for 40 percent of Agriculture Department spending and outweighs crop subsidy and land stewardship spending of $10 billion this year.

"I would argue caloric soda should be made ineligible for purchase under SNAP, like tobacco and alcohol," said Paarlberg, using the new name for food stamps, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. He later said sugary sodas are "a huge part of the obesity problem."


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Government; Politics/Elections; US: Minnesota
KEYWORDS: foodstamps; obesity; peterson; pop
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To: From The Deer Stand

Government handouts breed resentment of our fellow human beings... as I believe they are intended to do at some level.


41 posted on 05/14/2010 6:20:49 AM PDT by MrB (The difference between a (de)humanist and a Satanist is that the latter knows who he's working for.)
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To: TornadoAlley3
Hey, I have a better idea.

Congress should 'look at' banning all food stamp purchases

42 posted on 05/14/2010 6:21:48 AM PDT by Arrowhead1952 (Remember in November. Clean the house on Nov. 2. / Progressive is a PC word for liberal democrat.)
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To: ncfool

Cigarettes, beer, and ice cream too.


43 posted on 05/14/2010 6:22:55 AM PDT by sniper63 (I am the leader of the TEA Party, I, myself am the leader of me, myself for I am the TEA Party!)
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To: sickoflibs
I honestly didn't know they can buy soda with food stamps.

Working families who are paying for it all can't feed their families anywhere near that well. Next time you're in a grocery store, hang out a while and watch for a food stamp recipient (they'll use a government debit card), and take a look at the bounty they have in their cart. You'll be shocked. I don't remember the last time I could afford a standing rib roast, prepared pies, top of the line frozen vegetables, and cases of Pepsi like that.
While you're at it, notice their professionally manicured nails, designer clothing, and salon hair styles.
The tax payers are getting fleeced - big time.

44 posted on 05/14/2010 6:23:22 AM PDT by concerned about politics ("Get thee behind me, Liberal")
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To: TornadoAlley3
When you eat goobermint chit, you eat the chit they give ya.

Try explaining that to one of the "i'm gettin' over" class and you get a less than blank look.

45 posted on 05/14/2010 6:27:12 AM PDT by metesky (My retirement fund is holding steady @ $.05 a can.)
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To: o_zarkman44
There have been a few times when my mom has purchased food for some of the low-income families she works with. She only does it if they are out of all types of funding for the month and she knows they are trying to be good parents. She usually brings them a cut up fryer chicken, bag of potatoes and some canned vegetables, things that will last for a few meals. It never fails, the mother will look at the chicken and potatoes and ask, “What do I do with these?”
46 posted on 05/14/2010 6:28:04 AM PDT by Spudx7
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To: TornadoAlley3

Ban Food Stamps. They are illegally traded for booze, prostitutes, and cash.
Open commodity stores where nutritious foods would be given to the poor to be cooked at home...no Sara Lee cakes, Cokes, chips etc. Obesity would be halted in its tracks.
If the government is telling us what to eat, it should only pay for caloric necessities, not fattening frills, in their feeding programs.


47 posted on 05/14/2010 6:29:18 AM PDT by kittymyrib
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To: rightwingintelligentsia
If people are going to insist on having other people support them, they should accept whatever guidelines are imposed upon them. Might make welfare and other gov’t programs less attractive.

Bears repeating.
Here's a take -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMnIY7NADvk

48 posted on 05/14/2010 6:29:54 AM PDT by babyfreep
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To: o_zarkman44

Add cookies, chips, and candy to the list, and go back to the old food stamp coupons with NO CASH BACK! They swipe their cards when they purchase food and get $20 in cash, then turn around and buy cigs, beer, and lottery tickets with the money.


49 posted on 05/14/2010 6:30:11 AM PDT by GailA (obamacare paid for by cuts & taxes on most vulnerable Veterans, retired Military, disabled & Seniors)
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To: TornadoAlley3

you should only be able to buy the staples with food stamps, just enought to keep you alive.


50 posted on 05/14/2010 6:30:36 AM PDT by TexasFreeper2009 (Obama = Epic Fail)
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To: TornadoAlley3

This Congress should seriously look at employment elsewhere.


51 posted on 05/14/2010 6:30:36 AM PDT by freekitty (Give me back my conservative vote; then find me a real conservative to vote for)
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To: concerned about politics

I’d better get off this thread, I’m starting to get angry!


52 posted on 05/14/2010 6:31:14 AM PDT by Spudx7
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To: catman67

They still do that with the seniors. Powered milk, cheese, canned veggies and fruit.


53 posted on 05/14/2010 6:31:30 AM PDT by GailA (obamacare paid for by cuts & taxes on most vulnerable Veterans, retired Military, disabled & Seniors)
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To: Spudx7

why do you think the single common denominator of the American poor is that they are obese?


54 posted on 05/14/2010 6:31:41 AM PDT by TexasFreeper2009 (Obama = Epic Fail)
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To: dasboot

I would add milk to that and be in complete agreement.


55 posted on 05/14/2010 6:32:33 AM PDT by TexasFreeper2009 (Obama = Epic Fail)
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To: albie
It’s a great illustration to my kids on the “wonders” of hand outs! The complex is called “Optimist Apartments” too! Right next to “Optimist Field” which is always empty. Sitting on the porch wears a fellow out.

My husband is an accountant for subsidized housing. Doctors, lawyers, etc., come into the offices looking for one of the apartments. They don't know it's welfare housing. If you don't actually open the door to one of the occupied apartments, they look very expensive.
One of the complexes was sold to a private buyer. She turned the apartments into expensive town houses. All she did was have the bio hazard teams clean them up, and called in the exterminator. Then she had them painted.
Before the welfare people move in, these apartments are fantastic. They always trash them, though. House work is just too much for them to bare.

56 posted on 05/14/2010 6:32:54 AM PDT by concerned about politics ("Get thee behind me, Liberal")
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To: Spudx7

YES! I went grocery shopping Tuesday, lady in front of me had a cart full 75% was junk food. Paid for with food stamps, $120, both her kids were chunky. They can buy any people food you can, and get cash back off their food stamp credit card, to go buy cigs, beer, dog food, and lottery tickets.


57 posted on 05/14/2010 6:34:28 AM PDT by GailA (obamacare paid for by cuts & taxes on most vulnerable Veterans, retired Military, disabled & Seniors)
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To: GeronL
Hey, you take largess from the government, they have every right to constrain how you use it.

You don't like it, don't take welfare or food stamps. Simple and logical.

I think they should restrict it to balogna, processed cheese, the cheapest bread, and milk-if you have a baby. Make it bad enough and maybe people will work instead of lying on the couch at home making more welfare babies.

Governmental "charity" should be subsistance level only; the bare minimum to preserve life and health . . . 1500-2000 calories/day. If they want more, they would have to work for it.

further, if you have a large screen TV, cable-or some variation-pay TV, or cell phones, you should lose all public assistanc . . .you ain't poor enough.
58 posted on 05/14/2010 6:34:31 AM PDT by Sudetenland (Slow to anger but terrible in vengence...such is the character of the American people.)
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To: o_zarkman44
Soda pop bans? Better to ban public schools, since each family who joins the food stamp program also gets free lunches at school. Go take a look at the offerings - it is a horror fest including that yummy strawberry milk with twice the sugars as the sodas they've banned from school grounds. Breakfast will be syrup soaked pancakes wrapped around sausage links and served with butter. Lunch is PIZZA DAY with a side of french fries.

I'm a teach a man to fish kinda guy. Offer real cooking classes for food stamp participants, show people how to make reasonable cooking decisions, so they don't have to rely upon those red box Banquet obesity meals, processed lunchables, and hamburger fatso helper. Many of our young families have no clue how to roast a chicken, steam vegetables, or even how to turn a head of lettuce into a salad.

59 posted on 05/14/2010 6:34:55 AM PDT by kingu (Favorite Sticker: Lost hope, and Obama took my change.)
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To: ilovesarah2012

Don’t government pretty much control what we eat already?

Not so much the choices now, but the sources. If the “Food Safety Act” passes home garden agriculture will disappear and all of our food will come from foreign sources.

I think if people are getting government food handouts, the government does have the right to tell them what they can eat.

My food budget is limited choice because of mortgage and car payments. People living in rent free government housing, subsidized utility bills, and driving old uninsured cars get to live pretty high on the hog when it comes to groceries.

My dollar, my choice. Government dollar, government choice. As a taxpayer, we enable government to make life too easy for freeloaders. Anything we can do to convince government to encourage frugality, and personal responsibility, I’m game.


60 posted on 05/14/2010 6:38:28 AM PDT by o_zarkman44 (Elect Chuck Purgason, US Senate, Missouri! http://www.purgasonforsenate.com/)
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