Liberals outraged: Trump wants to replace food stamps — with food!

The Washington Times ^ | 2-13-18 | Joseph Curl

[Diana in Wisconsin]

In his big budget proposal Monday, President Trump offered a novel idea: Instead of giving needy people stamps they can redeem for food, why not just give them actual food?

As you might guess, liberals were enraged by the notion. How dare Mr. Trump try to take food stamps away from hungry people and give them — of all things — food?

Here’s how the liberal HuffPost saw it: “Facing a trillion-dollar deficit because of his just-passed tax cuts, President Donald Trump has an idea for how to get some of that money back: making poor people eat beans and rice.”

Oh, the humanity!

Currently, food stamps — known officially as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) — are provided for some 42 million people, 80 percent of whom get food vouchers each month worth at least $90 per person. They can be redeemed at many stores for food, but the program is rife with abuse.

*SNIP*

Under the Trump proposal, those 80 percent of all SNAP recipients would get about half of their benefits in the form of a “USDA Foods package,” NPR reported. “The package was described in the budget as consisting of ‘shelf-stable milk, ready to eat cereals, pasta, peanut butter, beans and canned fruit and vegetables.’”

The program would be called “America’s Harvest Box.” Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue called it “a bold, innovative approach to providing nutritious food to people who need assistance feeding themselves and their families — and all of it is home-grown by American farmers and producers.”

[Buckeye McFrog]

You raise a sore point of mine. There is a church near my home that operates a food bank out of its basement. I am all for Christian charity to help the less fortunate, but when you see people there on distribution days driving high-end automobiles, wearing very expensive tennis shoes and leather NFL jackets, you know they don’t really need to be there.

I guess we have to tolerate the grifters to make sure the people who really need the help get it.

[NEMDF]

Maybe they can get some extra free food by working at the distribution site!

[Georgia Girl 2]

We need to do away with food stamps. If you are hungry go to the food bank. You stand in line they give you food you go home.

[jdsteel]

Stinky cheese? It was very good. Here’s some history for you:

On December 22, 1981 President Ronald Reagan signed and authorized into law that five hundred and sixty million pounds (250,000 metric tons) of cheese that the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) had had stockpiled should be released, saying that it...

“...will be distributed free to the needy by nonprofit organizations.” Ronald Reagan, in his official statement about the distribution of the Cheese Inventory of the Commodity Credit Corporation, said, “The 1981 farm bill I signed today will slow the rise in price support levels, but even under this bill, surpluses will continue to pile up. A total of more than 560 million pounds of cheese has already been consigned to warehouses, so more distributions may be necessary as we continue our drive to root out waste in government and make the best possible use of our nation’s resources.”[4]

[bk1000]

“This will all be turned around on Trump to expose his elitism and disregard for the least of us. The media will beat it like a dead horse.”

Just like they do with any utterance he might make. The last thing Trump needs to do is consider what the media will think about a decision he has to make.

[raiderboy]

If you are able bodied you need to do public service from 8am until 5 pm with 30 mimutes for lunch or no food stamps. This will reduce costs on infrastructure work and will hurry the reentry of welfare recipients into the real job world. Since 90% of government jobs are “ make work” we can fire countless thousands and replace with welfare recipients. Thus killing two birds with one stone!!

[Heart of Georgia]

“Who’s going to put the boxes of food together?”

Seems like a perfect work opportunity to me.

So why not put the recipients to work so they’ll have the satisfaction of actually EARNING what they receive.

[Leep]

This is similar to what I have always wondered.
That is..why can’t the government hire recipient to make, process and distribute food to other recipients?
Even have cafeterias where the kitchen and serving staff are recipients.
Talk about “work fare”

[NEMDF]

I am with you. They can DESIRE that all they want, but if they really wish to have some, maybe they will get a JOB so they can make their own choices about how to spend their hard-earned food money (like the rest of us).

We also NEVER had soda as kids. I don’t remember about potato chips. But I remember eating lots of VERY low-budget meals (even in my recent past), because that was all we could afford.

If these people need FOOD, we should give them FOOD, not money. Hope this gets some traction for POTUS. Maybe we can get the Russian bots to bombard our congresspeople with messages in favor. (HA)

[MAexile]

Now along comes Department of Agriculture telling food stamp recipients the same thing?

If you're going to eat on the public's dime, the public should have a say in what you order.

Mooshelle was telling everyone what to eat, regardless.

[Rebelbase]

Surprised the libs have missed the tragic outcome of Trump’s plan. If the food isn’t microwave ready people will starve.

[raiderboy]

How can they buy lottery tickets on food?

[jdsteel]

Why libs would love this if it wasn’t Trump:
* Vegetarian
* Healthy
* Eliminates “food deserts”
* Determines food choices like Michelle’s lunch program

[NEMDF]

My kids volunteered over the holidays at one of the shelters or the like. The place was distributing gifts/toys for “those who would go without Christmas presents”. They were STUNNED by the high-end vehicles being driven by the supposedly impoverished recipients of the free gifts.

[Heart of Georgia]

Doing that would develop some needed job skills.

Having little ones should be no excuse, as we’re already footing the bill for daycare, pre-school, and pre-pre-school, and after-school programs.

[Still Thinking]

No, they’ll just sell or barter the food too. Nevertheless, this is a good idea.

[mosaicwolf]

I have an idea....How about giving them two military MREs per person per day. (For you civilians MRE is Meal Ready to Eat) They are already in production and frankly they are quite good when one considers the options. Option 1 No food. Option 2 No food and hungry. Option 3 No food and very hungry. If it is good enough for the military warrior it is more than good for the civilian population. Another benefit they have a long shelf life.

[caww]

After my dad died from war wounds, my mother was left to raise 4 kids on her own. We were given “Surplus food” which consisted of the basics, flour, shortening, butter, powdered milk, blocks of cheese, rice etc. all you would need to ‘prepare’ a meal. She made it work while also working low income jobs to keep the household going.

Later she got her nursing degree....

I write this remembering that we didn't know we were poor. Food was food we enjoyed because she made a point to be creative with what she had to work with.

Again we didn't know we were poor.....she managed to make special events special with so little. I have the greatest respect for my mother. Who taught us all how to stretch a nickel!....and all four of us kids grew up to be successful.

[Rebelbase]

“while those of us who worked waited in line to pay our hard earned cash for hamburger.”

Seeing someone buy a boatload of shrimp and crablegs using a benefits card then drive off in an Escalade is one of the few things in this world that invokes an instant pissed off response in me.

[NEMDF]

One advantage that I see with this type of program, is that the value of the “free” food being given out will be VERY LOW for use in bartering or selling it, because there will be a glut of supplies.