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Food stamps may become like Blue Apron. In the Great Depression, they started with blue coupons.

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Blue_State

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For decades, beneficiaries of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) have received their benefits in the form of paper coupons or electronic benefit-transfer cards. Now Trump wants to give the vast majority of eligible recipients about half of their benefits in what it calls “America’s Harvest Box” — a container of nonperishable food items such as milk, juice, grains, pasta, canned meat, fruits and vegetables.
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https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/retropolis/wp/2018/02/13/food-stamps-may-become-like-blue-apron-in-the-great-depression-they-started-with-blue-coupons/?utm_term=.7a4bf16bd5d5

This is going to feel like we are taking something away from people. People are going to get upset. At the end of the day, what is the goal of the program and are we meeting this goal in the most efficient manner? Trump says neigh when it comes to food stamps.
 
I cant imagine UPS or anyone else being overly thrilled about doing so many deliveries to poor people.
 
Trump's proposal doesn't include any delivery costs. I'm skeptical that with those included, the actual amount of money it will take to administer the program will decrease. It'll just push a lot of those costs on the individual states.
 
Anagram said:
Trump's proposal doesn't include any delivery costs. I'm skeptical that with those included, the actual amount of money it will take to administer the program will decrease. It'll just push a lot of those costs on the individual states.
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That appears to be the main point of his so-called infrastructure plan.
 
So the U.S. government will compete with the private sector in the preparation, delivery, and selection of food?

:lamo

You've got to admit... it's getting stranger every month.
 
This seems to be a plan that was formed when the planner was drug induced. The current system is efficient and electronic. The proposed system is clunky, expensive to administer and logistically complex.

we currently have a well developed food distribution system relying on private supermarkets. Why wouldanyone want to disrupt that?
 
Kushinator said:
So the U.S. government will compete with the private sector in the preparation, delivery, and selection of food?

:lamo

You've got to admit... it's getting stranger every month.
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I don't think its about competing as so much to make the point, if you are on food stamps, buy food that's "healthy" not the sugar and prepared stuff which is full of crap.
 
MTAtech said:
This seems to be a plan that was formed when the planner was drug induced. The current system is efficient and electronic. The proposed system is clunky, expensive to administer and logistically complex.

we currently have a well developed food distribution system relying on private supermarkets. Why wouldanyone want to disrupt that?
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Because they're a batch of incompetent hypocrites, who think they can use this to strangle another safety net out of existence? That's my guess.
 
austrianecon said:
I don't think its about competing as so much to make the point, if you are on food stamps, buy food that's "healthy" not the sugar and prepared stuff which is full of crap.
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So you're fine with the government deciding what food people should buy? Nice.

Small government! Freedom and liberty! Except for the poor.
 
Blue_State said:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/retropolis/wp/2018/02/13/food-stamps-may-become-like-blue-apron-in-the-great-depression-they-started-with-blue-coupons/?utm_term=.7a4bf16bd5d5

This is going to feel like we are taking something away from people. People are going to get upset. At the end of the day, what is the goal of the program and are we meeting this goal in the most efficient manner? Trump says neigh when it comes to food stamps.
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Many people who rely on food stamps are people with disabilities who are unable to find gainful employment to support themselves. Most people with disabilities would like to work. Probably more than a small percentage of people with disabilities have issues with certain foods or certain types of foods. The reasons vary. Trump's blue box idea would be another little piece of hell for a lot of disabled people.
 
austrianecon said:
I don't think its about competing as so much to make the point, if you are on food stamps, buy food that's "healthy" not the sugar and prepared stuff which is full of crap.
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They are proposing competition with the private sector... and shipping food stuffs which is a logistics nightmare. None the less, your defense on the basis of unhealthy choice is comical at best. If the United States Department of Agriculture really wanted poor people to avoid starch-heavy foods, they can be added to the exclusion list like alcohol and household supplies. There is absolutely no need to create a government program to purchase, store, package, distribute, insure, etc... food for the poor. It's just a really dumb idea.
 
Visbek said:
So you're fine with the government deciding what food people should buy? Nice.

Small government! Freedom and liberty! Except for the poor.
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A) where did I say that?
B) the current system has the government rightfully decide that snap receipients can’t buy alcohol or tobacco with their cards.
 
Visbek said:
So you're fine with the government deciding what food people should buy? Nice.

Small government! Freedom and liberty! Except for the poor.
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I never said that. Just that's probably the thinking. But if you wanna go that route. It's tax payers money. If you are cool with people eating fatty and bad food. Donate to people. Don't tax me for it.
 
Anagram said:
Trump's proposal doesn't include any delivery costs. I'm skeptical that with those included, the actual amount of money it will take to administer the program will decrease. It'll just push a lot of those costs on the individual states.
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Oh, not just delivery costs.

They need to account for all sorts of things: allergies, diseases, etc. Can't send someone with a severe peanut allergy a can of whatever made in a factory that shares space (and it can get weird which factories produce what mix of thigns). Can't send various ranges of things to diabetics. It could create "food deserts" by putting local sellers out of business or at least, some of them out of business. Yadda yadda.

It's a logistical nightmare on many fronts.





Here's the thing that gets me....

This isn't an idea that people can oppose or agree with because of ideological principles they think should override pragmatism or whatever. It's an idea that people should reject because it is objectively stupid.
 
Anagram said:
Trump's proposal doesn't include any delivery costs. I'm skeptical that with those included, the actual amount of money it will take to administer the program will decrease. It'll just push a lot of those costs on the individual states.
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More government. Imagine that?
 
Kushinator said:
They are proposing competition with the private sector... and shipping food stuffs which is a logistics nightmare. None the less, your defense on the basis of unhealthy choice is comical at best. If the United States Department of Agriculture really wanted poor people to avoid starch-heavy foods, they can be added to the exclusion list like alcohol and household supplies. There is absolutely no need to create a government program to purchase, store, package, distribute, insure, etc... food for the poor. It's just a really dumb idea.
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I am not defending anything. It's not competing. You know this. Is it really a logistics nightmare? Postal Service in place which ironically competes with Fed Ex, UPS and even DHL.

This is sorta how the SNAP program started. It's going back to its roots in which once again we are keeping basic food prices (eggs, milk, meats and grains) artificially high to keep Farmers happy.
 
Blue_State said:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/retropolis/wp/2018/02/13/food-stamps-may-become-like-blue-apron-in-the-great-depression-they-started-with-blue-coupons/?utm_term=.7a4bf16bd5d5

This is going to feel like we are taking something away from people. People are going to get upset. At the end of the day, what is the goal of the program and are we meeting this goal in the most efficient manner? Trump says neigh when it comes to food stamps.
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It will be nothing like Blue Apron. The only similiarities between the two are that they will be delivered in boxes. He is planning on going back to commodities, like my grandparents used. Generic peanut butter, powdered milk and government cheese, with no fresh fruit or veg. Blue Apron is nothing but fresh fruit and veg.
 
austrianecon said:
I don't think its about competing as so much to make the point, if you are on food stamps, buy food that's "healthy" not the sugar and prepared stuff which is full of crap.
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Coming from the administration that is known for eating nothing but Big Macs and KFC, that's pretty ironic. We HAD a FLOTUS who tried to make healthier lunches for kids, and the right complained for years.
 
What exactly is this supposed to fix? It would have to be something quite significant to warrant disrupting a tuned system.

Also, if they want to make SNAP healthier they had better be ready to increase spending per person. Healthy food costs up to 20x more than crap food per calorie. McDonalds is bad and all but try and find more nutrition than a $2 double cheeseburger, you can't.
 
austrianecon said:
I never said that. Just that's probably the thinking. But if you wanna go that route. It's tax payers money. If you are cool with people eating fatty and bad food. Donate to people. Don't tax me for it.
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You don't get to decide what happens with your tax money. When you pay your tax money, it ceases to be yours, and becomes the government's money. They get to decide. This decision? Stupid and will hurt a lot of people. Nobody is even taking food allergies into account. Millions of people have peanut allergies, yet one of the staples in the box is peanut butter.
 
Verax said:
What exactly is this supposed to fix? It would have to be something quite significant to warrant disrupting a tuned system.

Also, if they want to make SNAP healthier they had better be ready to increase spending per person. Healthy food costs up to 20x more than crap food per calorie. McDonalds is bad and all but try and find more nutrition than a $2 double cheeseburger, you can't.
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Amen. I've been saying that for years. It's a lot cheaper to buy a pound of cookies than a pound of strawberries. Some people have to buy in quantity, not quality. It's the only way they can feed their families.
 
Visbek said:
So you're fine with the government deciding what food people should buy? Nice.

Small government! Freedom and liberty! Except for the poor.
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...they are being given this food for free, if they want to decide what they can buy they can actually buy it and quit accepting government benefits.
 
austrianecon said:
I am not defending anything. It's not competing.
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It is competing, and simultaneously reducing choice.

Is it really a logistics nightmare?
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Absolutely! What happens when food is stale/rotten/damaged? What happens if it doesn't arrive? Do you really believe government will be effective in this endeavor?

Postal Service in place which ironically competes with Fed Ex, UPS and even DHL.
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SNAP is a means tested welfare program, not public infrastructure.

This is sorta how the SNAP program started. It's going back to its roots in which once again we are keeping basic food prices (eggs, milk, meats and grains) artificially high to keep Farmers happy.
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It's far easier to restrict what people can purchase with benefits. This proposal is dumb as ****.
 
Superfly said:
Amen. I've been saying that for years. It's a lot cheaper to buy a pound of cookies than a pound of strawberries. Some people have to buy in quantity, not quality. It's the only way they can feed their families.
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Agree. Price of fish for instance. Healthiest meat and quite expensive.
 
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