I wouldn't really have a problem with a WIC type setup, but it really does add complications that won't accomplish all that much. It seems like it's just something that makes people not as resentful about the program. My guess is that most the time people see what looks like extravagance using food stamps is the result of the family being exceptionally frugal the entire month and having a little bit left over and trying to have a little treat like any normal human being would want.
People talk about folks with nice things like cell phones and such and using food stamps, but not everyone on food stamps has been on them for years and years. For a lot of people, I'd guess a pretty good portion of people, food stamps are a temporary thing. Should people have to completely destroy every good thing or every luxury item they have in order to get food stamps to help with a temporary situation?
It's the attitudes that if you're gonna use food stamps you should only eat rice and beans that makes me question weather these programs should exist at all. Not because people aren't being helped, but because the people doing the helping (the taxpayers) get such a sense of superiority and authority in regard to the person taking assistance. The idea is that if I'm paying for your food you should eat like a dog in a third world country. If I'm going to help someone I want them to maintain a certain level of normalcy in how they live and hopefully they can maintain at least a shred of their dignity.
These are all good points, and I agree with you on just about all of it. That being said, I still stand by what I wrote originally, but maybe with some clarification.
Should people have to completely destroy every good thing or every luxury item they have in order to get food stamps to help with a temporary situation?
Of course, every situation is different, but for the most part I would say yes. You lost your job and you have bills coming up that you can't pay? Sell your 65" HDTV and pick up a free one on KSL for the interim. Cancel your DirectTV or Comcast cable for a few months, or if you're in a contract, scale it down to the bare minimums. Drop the data plans from your phones for a few months. I promise, you don't need to be on the web 24/7. You've got three cars with stupid payments? Sell one. Sell two. Park one, drop the insurance to comp only and get a buss pass. There are tons of things that probably should happen before someone should "need" assistance. Do I think people should sell their homes and live in a box down by the river? No. Wants Vs. Needs should be paramount in this situation.
When the housing bubble went boom and all of the people I knew that were either builders, mortgage lenders, or flippers were losing their homes, I watched as they kept all of their toys, their expensive cars, their lavish lifestyles, etc. all while filing chapter 7's and getting any/all gov't assistance possible. Sure, that's what it's for, and like franklin said, I guess we all have "paid into it", but to see these same people use their food stamp dollars to fund neighborhood BBQ's with steaks, dogs, chicken, cold drinks, and deserts... It boils the blood. I had a friend proudly explain how he couldn't use the entire monthly amount even if he tried, so he'd go to Costco and buy the expensive baby food (like fifty bucks a box) and then return it the next day for a gift card that he'd use to buy gas or DVD's.
If I'm going to help someone I want them to maintain a certain level of normalcy in how they live and hopefully they can maintain at least a shred of their dignity.
I don't want or expect people to eat like dogs in third world countries, that is silly. What I do want and expect is for there to be some sort of checks & balance going on. Families in need should be given "needs", not whatever the Hell they want. WIC allows for certain staples, and I think that the food stamp program should be the same. There is nothing wrong with Western Family style products, and they are often 30 to 50% less than the name brand stuff. The Mo's have the right idea; when someone needs assistance, they go to the Bishop's Storehouse, or whatever it's called, and they go through a shopping list with someone who works/volunteers there (the shopping list is done in advance with someone in the ward) and they put the food into a cart. Almost all of it is either packaged and made by the church, (out of their canneries or bakeries) and the rest is non-name brand food. Instead of giving a family $500.00 a month to spend on whatever the crap they want, how about $250.00 per month and a shopping list with approved food items on it.
It's not about looking down on people, since I've been there before and so have lot's of my friends and family. Everyone goes through struggles, loses a job, loses a loved one, etc., but that shouldn't give the state the right to be wasteful with tax payer monies. The majority of this lies on the shoulders of the offenders, and unfortunately, there isn't much that can be done about that. People, by their very nature, will take a mile when offered an inch. (guilty)
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I <3 you, Brigham.
