Texas HB4364 - Ban Soda, Candy & Energy Drinks from Food Stamp Program

May 02, 2019, 12:24 PM

I hope this passes. It's asinine that taxpayer money goes to more than the basics (improve your lot in life if you want luxuries), and it's even worse when the taxpayer money goes to products that contribute to costly medical bills.

quote:
Texas Wants to Ban Soda, Candy & Energy Drinks from Food Stamp Program
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Ken Webster jr - May 1, 2019

Why do we let food stamp recipients use taxpayer money to buy energy drinks?!

That's a question Texas lawmakers are asking this week as they consider a bill, HB4364, that would prevent people with SNAP benefits from purchasing candy, soda and unhealthy snacks.

Filed by State Representative Briscoe Cain (R-Baytown) on March 8 in House Committee for Human Services, Cain says, "At-risk Texans and families who utilize the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program are often the most susceptible to diabetes and the serious complications associated with it.

According to Cain, over 3 million people have diabetes in Texas. Should tax payers be funding a program that gives unhealthy food to low-income individuals?

The annual cost of diabetes treatment to Texans is about $23.7 billion every year.

I'm with Cain - I have no interest in paying taxes so I can give poison to sick people. That's insanity.

Link to Texas HB4364

May 02, 2019, 12:57 PM

arfmel

Those aren’t the only “foods” that should be eliminated, IMO.

They should only get inexpensive, nutritious, basic foods. Like cheese, milk, oatmeal, cabbage. Ideally, stuff that there’s a surplus of.

And there should be mandatory drug testing as a condition of receiving the free shit.

Of course, this won’t happen.

May 02, 2019, 02:04 PM

egregore

Why were those things ever on the program? Surely it didn't start out that way.

May 02, 2019, 08:34 PM

shovelhead

quote:
Originally posted by arfmel:
Those aren’t the only “foods” that should be eliminated, IMO.

They should only get inexpensive, nutritious, basic foods. Like cheese, milk, oatmeal, cabbage. Ideally, stuff that there’s a surplus of.

And there should be mandatory drug testing as a condition of receiving the free shit.

Of course, this won’t happen.

Oh, like several years back the day before the Super Bowl there was a couple at the local Meijer's in front of me. Csrt loaded with meat,veggie and fruit trays, chips,dips and pop. Discussing what they needed to do before the party the next day. Three guesses what they paid for this with, Michigan Bridge Card. Yep, my tax dollars at work.

May 02, 2019, 08:45 PM

ZSMICHAEL

Sadly this piece of legislation is more "feel good" than anything else. An intelligent recipient can quickly and easily find ways around it. Think about it.

May 02, 2019, 08:56 PM

Edmond

To hell with that. Just give them the leftover MREs left over from what the troops don't eat like the veggie omelette MRE. That will inspire someone to get a job to pay for their own food really quick.

May 02, 2019, 09:00 PM

Aquabird

quote:
Originally posted by ZSMICHAEL:
Sadly this piece of legislation is more "feel good" than anything else. An intelligent recipient can quickly and easily find ways around it. Think about it.

Back years ago, when I was in high school and worked at a grocery store, food stampers would stand outside the market and sell their food stamps and then go buy alcohol with the money.
We even had one who bought multiple bottles of Nyquill. It had alcohol in it.