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Food Stamps Are a Bargain On D.C. Streets (So This Is Why Food Stamps Are "Stimulative") 1997
Washington Post ^ | December 28, 1997 | Hamil R. Harris

Posted on 08/26/2011 4:26:26 PM PDT by danielmryan

It was the first Monday of the month, and a line numbering more than a hundred spilled from the doors of the District's largest food stamp office and down the sidewalk nearly a half-block to the corner of Seventh and H streets NE.

Children darted among the adults as the procession moved at a funereal pace toward the building -- a 10-minute walk from the U.S. Capitol -- where food stamps are dispensed. The hustlers who trade drugs, stolen goods and cash for food stamps waited patiently outside for people to emerge clutching books of stamps.

"For a $65 book, I am not going to give you over $30," a man wearing a leather jacket said as he and his partner did a brisk business almost within earshot of a security guard posted at the front door.

(Excerpt) Read more at web.archive.org ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Crime/Corruption
KEYWORDS: foodstamps; fraud; keynesianism
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To: PapaBear3625

Not everyone who gets food stamps is on total welfare. Some are working poor and pay taxes as well. They have children to feed and with the price of everything inflated now a days - the food stamps help. Some of you are so judgmental. Never judge a person until you walk a mile in their shoes. People who have lost their jobs in this economy are having to get food stamps to feed their families as well. They’ve paid their fair share of taxes in the past, and I feel they deserve to reap some help from helping others. Some of you want them to eat rice, beans, etc. when you yourself wouldn’t touch the stuff. Just because tax dollars pay to help those in need, not a one of you would want to be told what you can and can’t purchase for your family. That is unless you are Moochelle Obama and ilk.

Jesus said in the gospels: I was hungry and you fed me not. Are any of you helping to feed the poor? Yes, you are, with your tax dollars. Sure, there is some waste in the system, and some buy luxury items. If you’ve ever worked at a voluntary food bank - you’d get an idea of what some of you good-hearted folks think the poor should eat. Can after can of off-brand tomato soup, that the donor and family wouldn’t eat themselves. Cheap boxes of mac & cheese - lots of them, and the list goes on.

Don’t judge a few who have milked the system by those honest people who really do need the help. Some have the idea that food stamp recipients drive fancy cars. None that I’ve seen do - just as there is abuse in everything - there is abuse in food stamps, but some want to punish everyone because they pay taxes and think they should tell others to be good food stamp recipients and eat their beans and rice. Some of you may be in a situation some day when you will have to apply for help. Not everyone has family and friends who can consistently help out to feed families. Nor do they want to. I find most people today selfish and greedy and judgmental toward others who need help.

Ok, end of my rant.


41 posted on 08/26/2011 8:05:49 PM PDT by Catsrus
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To: PapaBear3625

Not everyone who gets food stamps is on total welfare. Some are working poor and pay taxes as well. They have children to feed and with the price of everything inflated now a days - the food stamps help. Some of you are so judgmental. Never judge a person until you walk a mile in their shoes. People who have lost their jobs in this economy are having to get food stamps to feed their families as well. They’ve paid their fair share of taxes in the past, and I feel they deserve to reap some help from helping others. Some of you want them to eat rice, beans, etc. when you yourself wouldn’t touch the stuff. Just because tax dollars pay to help those in need, not a one of you would want to be told what you can and can’t purchase for your family. That is unless you are Moochelle Obama and ilk.

Jesus said in the gospels: I was hungry and you fed me not. Are any of you helping to feed the poor? Yes, you are, with your tax dollars. Sure, there is some waste in the system, and some buy luxury items. If you’ve ever worked at a voluntary food bank - you’d get an idea of what some of you good-hearted folks think the poor should eat. Can after can of off-brand tomato soup, that the donor and family wouldn’t eat themselves. Cheap boxes of mac & cheese - lots of them, and the list goes on.

Don’t judge a few who have milked the system by those honest people who really do need the help. Some have the idea that food stamp recipients drive fancy cars. None that I’ve seen do - just as there is abuse in everything - there is abuse in food stamps, but some want to punish everyone because they pay taxes and think they should tell others to be good food stamp recipients and eat their beans and rice. Some of you may be in a situation some day when you will have to apply for help. Not everyone has family and friends who can consistently help out to feed families. Nor do they want to. I find most people today selfish and greedy and judgmental toward others who need help.

Ok, end of my rant.


42 posted on 08/26/2011 8:06:01 PM PDT by Catsrus
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To: Catsrus; PapaBear3625
Jesus said in the gospels: I was hungry and you fed me not. Are any of you helping to feed the poor? Yes, you are, with your tax dollars. Sure, there is some waste in the system, and some buy luxury items. If you’ve ever worked at a voluntary food bank - you’d get an idea of what some of you good-hearted folks think the poor should eat. Can after can of off-brand tomato soup, that the donor and family wouldn’t eat themselves. Cheap boxes of mac & cheese - lots of them, and the list goes on.

Don’t judge a few who have milked the system by those honest people who really do need the help. Some have the idea that food stamp recipients drive fancy cars. None that I’ve seen do - just as there is abuse in everything - there is abuse in food stamps, but some want to punish everyone because they pay taxes and think they should tell others to be good food stamp recipients and eat their beans and rice.


A. Jesus wasn't talking to the U.S. federal government or to a handful of bureaucrats to use government power to extort money from one person to give it to another.

B. From what I have seen in over 7 years of very intimately watching food stamp use, most of it is unnecessary and serves as a means of freeing up dollars to be used for drugs, tobacco, alcohol, entertainment, lottery, bling, and a bazillion other things that are simply not necessities of life by any stretch of the imagination. Yes, food stamp use should be tightly regulated and restricted to the purchase of basic foodstuffs that must be prepared at home in order to be used. No swordfish. No ice cream. No Doritos or candy. No FRIGGING BUBBLE GUM OR BOTTLED WATER!!!!
43 posted on 08/26/2011 8:24:10 PM PDT by aruanan
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To: Catsrus

If you are a Christian, then make your point without bringing Christ into your argument for government.


44 posted on 08/27/2011 12:47:30 AM PDT by ansel12 ( Bristol Palin's book "Not Afraid Of Life: My Journey So Far" became a New York Times, best seller.)
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To: Teflonic
How about we start giving out FOOD instead of food stamps from now on?

Prison Loaf

45 posted on 08/27/2011 12:54:18 AM PDT by Moonman62 (The US has become a government with a country, rather than a country with a government.)
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To: Catsrus
Jesus said in the gospels: I was hungry and you fed me not. Are any of you helping to feed the poor?

Jesus admonished people to directly take care of the poor.

Jesus never took money at gunpoint to redistribute.

46 posted on 08/27/2011 2:47:34 AM PDT by PapaBear3625 (When you've only heard lies your entire life, the truth sounds insane.)
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To: Moonman62; Teflonic; Catsrus

The Salvation Army soup kitchens were a good example of effective nutrition-distribution. They didn’t give out money. They didn’t give out food that could be re-sold for drugs or booze. They provided a place where the hungry could come in and eat, at the price of listening to a sermon and maybe being cajoled into improving their lives.


47 posted on 08/27/2011 2:53:07 AM PDT by PapaBear3625 (When you've only heard lies your entire life, the truth sounds insane.)
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To: Catsrus
Christ also said there would always be poor among us because of who sits in Moses seat... Moses was the law giver and the law has become so perverted that by law poor are created.

Now as for your rant on eating beans and rice, I know many people whose diet consistently contains beans and rice... Why I fixed that combination myself just yesterday. But of course I was able to add to them items that I raised from my garden, such as tomatoes, corn, cucumbers, etc....

For so many cooking from scratch was never a lesson learned and toooo many rely upon a box of something or a ready made meal zapped in the microwave.

Maybe these food pantries might give cooking classes using the ‘cheap’ food items such as rice and beans with the off brand tomato soup. I would say growing up our primary staple was beans and whatever else that was grown to fix a meal. Many a year my after school snack was a baked sweet potato. I maybe have used a boxed cake mix less than ten times in all of my cooking years.

48 posted on 08/27/2011 3:28:39 AM PDT by Just mythoughts (Luke 17:32 Remember Lot's wife.)
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To: danielmryan

They haven’t used food stamp books in years. It’s on a debit card now.


49 posted on 08/27/2011 4:39:56 AM PDT by autumnraine (America how long will you be so deaf and dumb to the chariot wheels carrying you to the guillotine?)
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To: Admin Moderator
Thanks for adding the year of publication to the title.
50 posted on 08/27/2011 4:54:40 AM PDT by danielmryan
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To: danielmryan
THE GREAT OBAMA DEPRESSION

THE GREAT OBAMA DEPRESSION, where the soup lines have been replaced with food stamps, 99 weeks of Unemployment, and having your mortgage paid by the few tax serfs still working.

Politicians are like dirty diapers should be changed often.

51 posted on 08/27/2011 6:32:45 AM PDT by GailA (Any congress critter who fails to keep faith with the Military, will NOT keep faith with YOU!)
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To: PapaBear3625

And they still do. Some of you want to justify your selfishness. Yes, there are abuses with the system - just like there is in other things. But, to punish those who need it most because of those who abuse it - is heartless.


52 posted on 08/27/2011 8:00:56 AM PDT by Catsrus
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To: Just mythoughts

Why don’t you give the cooking classes since you are so arrogant and holier than thou? I was only referring to beans and rice because most who look down their noses at those less fortunate - harp on these 2 items. There is nothing wrong with them and oh how self-righteous you are when you say you fixed them youself yesterday. Not everyone has the advantage of putting out a garden - nor the space to do so.

No wonder people get the idea that Republicans don’t care about the poor - from the posts in this thread - I’d have to say they are right.

Oh, so now some never learned to cook from scratch? Why don’t you also give your holier-than-thou lessons on how to do that? You people are so arrogant.


53 posted on 08/27/2011 8:05:27 AM PDT by Catsrus
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To: ansel12

I’ll bring Christ into any argument I so wish to.


54 posted on 08/27/2011 8:06:26 AM PDT by Catsrus
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To: ansel12
If you are a Christian, then make your point without bringing Christ into your argument for government.

Shut the hell up. Seriously.

55 posted on 08/27/2011 8:07:59 AM PDT by Lazamataz (SmithL stole my tagline and won't give it back.)
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To: aruanan

You sound like a liberal Democrat. Eat what I tell you to eat. What a bunch of hypocrites on this forum.Oh, so because someone is poor, they aren’t entitled to some ice cream once in a while?

I hope you never have to get in a position to use food stamps. On second thought - I hope you do. Then you wouldn’t be so quick to run off at the mouth and tell others what they can and can’t eat or drink.

Yes, there is some abuse in the system - I’ve seen it - but, you hypocrites on here want to punish those who really need the help because of a few who take advantage of every thing.

No, Jesus wasn’t talking to the U.S. government, but, neither have the churches and so-called CHristians done what he has instructed them to do. Some have food pantries, which are never full enough to help all those who need it. So, when the church doesn’t do what its supposed to do - someone has to pick up the slack. Everyone who has ever paid taxes helps those out - and Jesus also told us to render unto Caesar the things that are Caesars, and unto God the things that are Gods. SO, your argument is mighty weak and puny. The government is made up of people - it isn’t a non-human entity.

So, what have some of you control freaks on here done to help the poor, other than run your mouths because they are getting help when needed?


56 posted on 08/27/2011 8:13:18 AM PDT by Catsrus
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To: PapaBear3625

Oh how ridiculous. The government doesn’t hold you at gunpoint to pay taxes. What a stupid argument. Some on here are really whacko.


57 posted on 08/27/2011 8:14:42 AM PDT by Catsrus
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To: Catsrus

While not a typical food pantry, I do out away the food donations for our St. Vincent dePaul monthly food drive. The food ranges from store brands to gluten-free goods and organic. Sure, there is always some of the donated goods I end up having to throw away, but for the most part, we get healthy, good food. The pantry looks similar to mine, overall. So, while advocating for others not to make wholesale judgments (and I agree with you), please consider the same for yourself.


58 posted on 08/27/2011 8:15:43 AM PDT by Patriotic1 (Dic mihi solum facta, domina - Just the facts, ma'am)
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To: Moonman62

Because those who give out food would keep the best for themselves, and give their leftover , unwanted items to the poor. They don’t give the things they would eat - just the crap they wouldn’t eat. Its just the way it is. Those on here complaining know I’m talking about you.

And for the record. every year I donate food to local charities. Name brand items - not the leftover, tasteless things most donate and think they have done their charitable duty. Items I would feel proud to eating myself.


59 posted on 08/27/2011 8:19:11 AM PDT by Catsrus
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To: Patriotic1

I’ll have to give it to St. Vincent DePauls - they do give out great food boxes for the most part. I’ve helped with these as well. I’ve read wholesale judgments on this forum from those who are heartless and truly seem to be uncaring individuals. Let them eat cake! Or in this case - its rice and beans! (nothing wrong with rice and beans - I’m just making a point that they are saying the same things the moochele obama says and believes)


60 posted on 08/27/2011 8:23:24 AM PDT by Catsrus
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