Wisconsin Republicans Don’t Want Food Stamp Recipients Buying Beans, Potatoes, Pasta Sauce

[hue]

Source: THINKPROGRESS

Low-income Wisconsin families won’t be able to buy shellfish with food stamps, and will have a much harder time getting basics like dried beans, pasta sauce, and cooking spices into their kitchens, under the latest state-level Republican proposal to tighten the government’s grip on the poor.

A bill proposed by state Rep. Robert Brooks (R) would ban stores from accepting Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) cards for lobster, shrimp, and any other form of shellfish, and set a long list of additional rules for the first two-thirds of a recipient’s monthly spending. Lawmakers held a committee hearing Thursday on the bill, which would require a federal waiver to implement.

An average of 420,000 households received SNAP each month in Wisconsin in 2014. The average recipient household got $220 per month from the program last year. Brooks’ restrictions would apply to all but $72.60 per month for the average household affected. And even that amount could not be spent on any form of shellfish.

Read more: http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2015/05/01/3653919/wisconsin-food-stamps-shellfish/

[eloydude]

1. Then I would suggest that the Wisconsin Republicans go on SNAP effective immediately

and their salaries reduced to the minimum wage until further notice.

[Jackpine Radical]

28. Minimum Wage only for the hours worked.

[eloydude]

36. Yep, Clock in, clock out, boys.

No in-betweens. No askies.

[Art_from_Ark]

164. And dock their pay if they come in late

or leave early. Five minutes max for a bathroom break (up to 2 a shift), and 30 minutes for lunch.

And keep reminding them that they're lucky to have a job, even if it is a minimum wage shit job. And they should work harder, so they can pull themselves up by their bootstraps and get their lazy asses off the public dole.

[roguevalley]

44. When I hear shit like this I want to give the whole state in question a middle finger

How the hell do states elect these fuckers? I don't exclude my own but this is fucked up shit. Pardon my graphic language but this state is losing its mind.

[ananda]

112. Wisconsin is a harbinger ...

... of what the Kochs want all blue states to become.

[wordpix]

156. recent PBS special re: Hitler's early days in power reminded me of today's repukes

Repetitive lying, propaganda, beating and murdering political opponents, blaming everything wrong on one group (Hiter/Jews: repukes/Obama admin., using undereducated/mentally ill youth as SS troopers. I kept thinking as I watched Hitler's methods, "That's just what's going on here in the US."

We really need to stop these people in next election or it will get worse.

[yeoman6987]

84. Think about the nightmare for the cashiers

Oh sorry but we have to wait and see if you spent two thirds to see if you can buy this or sorry no beans for you.
Not to mention the embarrassment of the mom or dad having to stand there.

[davidpdx]

88. Yeah, that would be a logistical nightmare

All of the grocery stores should come out against it. It would be a huge waste of time and just piss everyone off.

[trillion]

161. yes, civil disobedience. If the grocery stores or even checkers don't agree, they should practice it

[AuntPatsy]

151. Best response to such intolerable ignorance....

[niyad]

2. what the **** is the matter with these creatures (not people, creatures from some alien

hate-filled universe). no beans (a staple), no pasta sauce??? honestly, these creatures are sick, perverted, diseased wastes of skin and oxygen.

[project_bluebook]

83. Most republicans are sociopaths

they are incapable of feeling compassion for anyone but themselves. They are evil and evil has taken over many states.

[Judi Lynn]

92. Exactly. Good people are never obsessed with creating suffering for others. Never. n/t

[trillion]

162. I've come to the same conclusion. They attack the poor because they can get away with it.

They're bullies and will attack us all if they could get away with it. And yes, absolute sociopaths.

[shraby]

3. Are they afraid the poor people are going to eat all the shrimp and lobster and they won't

be able to find any to buy for their own dinners?

[Rosa Luxemburg]

117. shrimp and lobster are only for the very rich!

to eat with their caviar and champagne

[Jamastiene]

165. That is probably the real reason behind it.

Oddly enough, that is probably what set this whole thing off. Some rich asshole went into a store that had sold out of whatever they wanted. They really are that assholish about things.

[Historic NY]

4. Isn't SNAP a federal program...??/

Maybe taking it out of the states hand it the answer.

[valerief]

67. Ding ding ding ding ding! nt

[GoneFishin]

5. But if there was a rash of people trading their SNAP benefits for guns or bullets the teabagsters

would not have a problem with it.

[ret5hd]

18. Bullshit! THOSE people are BLACK!

[GoneFishin]

20. Oh. I overlooked that.

[niyad]

6. contact info for this hate-mongering insane person:

Representative Robert Brooks's Home Page

(this is what hatred looks like)

Historical information Madison Office:
Room 107 West
State Capitol
P.O. Box 8952
Madison, WI 53708 Telephone:
[phone]
[phone] Fax:
[phone] Email:
[e-mail]

[NoJusticeNoPeace]

32. Started to email him, I dont want a bunch KKK members killing me and my wife so I wont

[SunSeeker]

34. Dude doesn't look like he's ever missed a meal.

[LiberalElite]

66. Thank you for this nt

[DhhD]

78. All of those voting for him need to set up food banks.

[Lancero]

7. Republicans handwaved previous restrictions...

Saying that benefits shouldn't be wasted on such costly items... And now they are starting in on the low value items.

Can't wait to see what they pull out of their asses to justify this.

For fucks sake, pasta sauce? a 16 oz can goes ~$1, it's cheap as hell.

[AC_Mem]

63. it's not enough

That they want to control what is or is not in my uterus, now they want to control what we put in our stomachs? Seriously, this shit is getting insane.

And they wonder why people are rebelling. If we do not get out the vote folks, this and more of it, is our future. They will not stop. We must stop them.

[awoke_in_2003]

119. They want people dead. nt

[Jamastiene]

166. They prefer to keep people alive, but too weak to fight them.

That way, they can make money off the suffering of the poor and keep us barely alive to serve them and too weak to fight them.

[daleanime]

8. What's next? People using food stamps....

must allow strangers to split at them as they go in and out of the store? Was planning to read for a bit, now I had better step away from the computer (can't afford to replace it).

[Wellstone ruled]

9. Say what?

Wisconsin has huge Potato Growers near Stevens Point and these Idiots propose this. Some of the highest quality beans are grown in the North Western part of the State and these Idiots propose this. Ingredients for Pasta Sauce comes from Wisconsin and these Idiots proposed this. Enough said,you folks in my home state have some real explaining to do.

[bulloney]

61. It's a fact that food stamps have a greater multiplier effect on the economy than tax cuts.

It's something like $1.70 for every $1.00 expended in food stamps. Tax cuts' multiplier effect barely breaks even.

What's left to buy from food stamps when you're not allowed to buy low-cost staples like pasta, beans and potatoes?

[Wellstone ruled]

70. Have been following this Food Stamp issues in Wisconsin for some time.

When the ALEC/Koch Brothers thing popped up. If one understands the Libertarian as well as the John Bircher's societal beliefs,this is what you get.

[Scuba]

98. No, you don't have this right ...

Tax cuts don't come close to breaking even.

[midnight]

110. Food stamps, generate a huge benefit to the overall economy and not just for it's recipients.

[bulloney]

135. Thanks for the clarification, Scuba. Note that this chart comes from Moody's.

I would usually not expect a global investment company to have a liberal bias on these types of things.

I would expect detractors of this chart to throw out some line that the source of the chart is some liberal think tank or community organization.

[niyad]

10. more

The law would restrict access to a whole range of commonplace ingredients. Some of the things that would be harder to buy for poor families who cook include “herbs, spices, or seasonings,” all nuts, red and yellow potatoes, smoothies, spaghetti sauce, “soups, salsas, ketchup,” sauerkraut, pickles, dried beans sold in bulk, and white or albacore tuna. (Cans of “light tuna” are allowed under the rules.)

[Jackpine Radical]

31. Herbs, spices, seasonings--

They'd best not be caught buying salt, pepper, garlic…

[Volaris]

54. They will be allowed Bland Thin Gruel as befits their station in life and usefulness to the 1%.

Because anything to make the rich and their puppets feel better regarding what they must know about (namley, that they are the souless and undeserving of our help)

[Jackpine Radical]

82. Yeek--how often do you hear the expression "thin gruel?"

Without having seen this post, I just used the phrase in another thread.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1014&pid=1082817

CG Jung lives!

[Volaris]

100. lol awesome

And that's what I keep telling my PHL Professors this semester (that Jung Lives),
They don't believe me. Clearly, they don't understand the logic that is Fellow DU-ers hahaha

[wordpix]

138. "please, sir, may I have more?"---Oliver Twist

these repukes are just too idiotic for words.

[drm604]

11. What is the point of all of this?

Is this saving the state money somehow? People get the same amount regardless of what they spend it on and the state will have to spend money implementing and policing the new restrictions, so this will end up making the program more expensive.

And why beans? They're cheap and healthy, aren't they?

[Jack Rabbit]

24. ^ ^ ^ Somebody please answer this ^ ^ ^

Usually when I hear something like this from a Republican, my knee jerk reaction is that they just want to be mean spirited. That isn't really true, is it? At least not in all cases.

[Jamastiene]

167. I've never known a Republican not to be mean spirited

and hateful. They begrudge the poor for anything and everything. They get in pissy moods and go on and on about welfare being the most expensive thing in the entire US government. Try pointing out our military budget to them and they still insist welfare costs the most. They despise poor people. I have never known a Republican not to be mean spirited. It is their daily attitude from the minute they wake up until the minute they go to bed.

It would not surprise me if they don't mumble their catch phrases in their sleep in between snores. Snore...welfare....snore....baby killers...snore...homo-secks-you-alls.....snore.....I wanted shrimp tonight and the store is out of stock, it's all these damn welfare queens living it up and eating all my damn shrimp and now I have to eat something else or go to another store....snore.....so sick of having to deal with all these poor people who serve me. They shouldn't be allowed to even shop at the same supermarket as I do. Eat all my damn shrimp before I get there. I'll show them...snore....

If that is not what they do while they sleep, it would surprise me. I live in a very red area. That is how they are.

[Jackpine Radical]

35. Yes it saves the state money, in several ways--

mostly by killing off the poor with nutritional diseases or forcing them to move to civilized parts of the world like Minnesota or like Illinois used to be.

[awoke_in_2003]

120. Bingo...

they want them dead or gone

[barbtries]

39. it's to humiliate poor people.

i can think of no other reason.

[Skittles]

69. POOR PEOPLE MUST BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE

WAR PROFITEERS, NOT SO MUCH

[wordpix]

140. as for the KochBros, dumping pet coke 4 stories high on Detroit River banks is fine

[Skittles]

145. repukes cost us all way more money than poor people do

conservative "fiscal responsibility"

[cstanleytech]

71. To make them miserable and to heap on more punishment for being poor, thats the point. nt

[Gormy Cuss]

87. The point is to make it impossible to use SNAP benefits

and when most recipients can't use up their allocation, use that stat to demonstrate that there is no need for program after all.

[joshcryer]

91. Shaming. Punishing.

They actually do allow beans but they put it in another category, so basically they're forcing people to eat plain beans, and not be allowed to have spices or sauces. In other words, they're trying to force feed a bean diet on people even though the vegetable category should include beans.

[Midnight Writer]

94. In old English folklore, beans are the preferred food of demons

It was a test to determine if someone was demonically possessed or consorting with demons to check out how much beans they ate.

I don't know if this has anything to do with this restriction, but it sure the hell wouldn't surprise me to hear some Republican fundamentalist point to this.

[Jackpine Radical]

122. Maybe back then they thought

farts were demons escaping.

[Jamastiene]

168. Depending on the type of bean,

some farts do seem that way, lol.

[Scuba]

99. It's not about saving money ...

... it's red meat for their base.

[ohnoyoudidnt]

137. Attacking the poor is a favorite Republican tactic.

It distracts those a little better off from realizing how bad they are screwing everyone.

[JHB]

155. What is the point? To grandstand for the Teafoamer set, of course

To the people who think "we're goin broke" due to "moochers living it up on MY TAX DOLLARS!!!!!!"

People who know what they know, especially when what they know just ain't true.

[niyad]

12. is there any place where he explains how he arrived at his list, and his justification for

forbidding herbs, spices, ketchup (which, according to ronnie ray-gun, is a vegetable)?

[peacebird]

13. Dried beans are a very inexpensive and nutritious food, why ban them?

I do not get it. No seasonings? WTF?

[jmowreader]

58. They banned BULK dry beans

Bags of beans in pound bags (the expensive way to buy them) are still allowed.

[jmowreader]

124. I can get them at Winco for about a dollar a pound

Prices at Highway Robbery Foods would be higher.

[jmowreader]

132. That is in bulk - the only way I buy them

[awoke_in_2003]

121. Buying them in bulk...

is cheaper by the ounce.

[wordpix]

141. wtf? so bean sellers will make more profit?

[jmowreader]

144. But the recipients will receive less for their money

[Radael]

152. Shhh

They want to read happy things. Dont clarify.

[marle35]

72. I know. There must be a reason?

There must be some hare-brained reason. They wouldn't just make it up, right?

The vindictiveness and insanity of these people is amazing, as has been expressed in this thread.

I don't understand banning peanuts. You can get a 35 ounce jar of peanuts which is 4 days worth of food for $5. They are very nutritious, filling, convenient, and non-perishable.

But as someone else said, none of these restrictions save the government any money. People receive the same amount in food stamps, no matter what they spend it on. Republicans just have on obsession with food stamps, and their solution to seemingly everything these days is to cut them. A Maryland legislator even talked about cutting them for the parents of kids protesting in Baltimore. Now, with this proposal in Wisconsin, you can't even follow the logic of it anymore. It's just vindictiveness.

[jmowreader]

125. The only possible reason I can see...

...is to make government food benefits so hard to use everyone just gives up.

[Scootaloo]

131. Sadism.

[guillaumeb]

14. Is this the biblical approach to benefits?

If so, will all the men be required to grow beards and refrain from mixed fiber garments?

[xocet]

17. It is hard to say - Kosher milk & cheese seem to be banned without a special note on the check....

Maybe this is the New Testament "love your neighbor as yourself" approach to benefits...

[Lionel Mandrake]

15. Just when I thought I'd seen the worst the GOP has to offer,

they come up with this. What ever happened to the golden rule?

[xocet]

16. What a bizarre list they have constructed! Here are some of the other forbidden foods...

...

no cranberry sauce...
no pie filling...
no ketchup...
no salsa...
no English muffins...
no bagels...
no pita bread...
no organic(?) brown rice...
no hard taco shells...
no organic(?) tortillas...
no sharp or extra sharp cheddar...
no Swiss cheese...
no feta...
no organic(?) eggs...

...

https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/publications/p4/p44578.pdf

[LeftyMom]

19. Can you imagine checking out behind somebody who has to navigate those rules?

God, it's bad enough being behind people using WIC "oh, you got the wrong cereal, I'll send somebody to get the right one." "You're not supposed to get these eggs. The other ones were out? Sorry."

It's a win-win for the poor haters. They get to declare that they're depriving the decadent poor of the largesse they're receiving on the taxpayer dime, and they get to draw more attention to them and build up even more resentment before the inevitable next round of cuts.

[xocet]

33. Yes...

Those on WIC whom I have encountered seem to always apologize for holding up the line.

No one should have to apologize for obtaining food and feel ashamed that way.

Rather, I would like to see - to name just a few groups - the bankers, warmongers and insurance companies (these are not necessarily distinct groups) out in public on their knees apologizing for all the damage that they have done.

[azurnoir]

41. with all due respect

the PDF you posted is for WIC (women, infants, children) a supplemental food program and completely different and separate from SNAP, it's all about nutritional content and too be honest has gotten far more liberal in what it allows since I was on it back in the 80's and 90' , back then it was cheese , certain cereals, eggs, juice, milk, and baby formula also participation is restricted to women who are pregnant or breast feeding and infants and children 6 years old and under and at least back then income guidelines were far less restrictive than SNAP , I'm not sure about now

[xocet]

56. That is a good point, and I appreciate you making it...

I obtained the other (fractionally) restricted items from the PDF that is linked in the fourth paragraph below:

Wisconsin Republicans Don’t Want Food Stamp Recipients Buying Beans, Potatoes, Pasta Sauce

by Alan Pyke | Posted on May 1, 2015 at 1:42 pm

...

A bill proposed by state Rep. Robert Brooks (R) would ban stores from accepting Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) cards for lobster, shrimp, and any other form of shellfish, and set a long list of additional rules for the first two-thirds of a recipient’s monthly spending. Lawmakers held a committee hearing Thursday on the bill, which would require a federal waiver to implement.

...

Next to other recent state-level SNAP restrictions, Brooks’ bill looks like an attempt at compromise. It mandates that at least two-thirds of a recipients food stamps be spent on designated categories of food, and leaves the last third unrestricted. Republicans in other states have sought outright prohibitions rather than Brooks’ partial, ratio-based ban. Brooks says he has resisted calls from colleagues to add steak to the list of banned foods. The ban on shellfish is more moderate than a ban on all seafood proposed by one Missouri lawmaker earlier this year, meaning that cheap sources of protein like canned tuna would still be unrestricted for Wisconsin’s poorest families.

But the fact that Brooks doesn’t want to go quite as far as the worst ideas of his colleagues doesn’t mean his proposal would benefit society or make it easier to get out of poverty. Adding more rules to the ones that already constrain food stamps families makes their shopping experiences more stressful and removes their already-limited control over what they put on the dinner table.

The law would restrict access to a whole range of commonplace ingredients. Some of the things that would be harder to buy for poor families who cook include “herbs, spices, or seasonings,” all nuts, red and yellow potatoes, smoothies, spaghetti sauce, “soups, salsas, ketchup,” sauerkraut, pickles, dried beans sold in bulk, and white or albacore tuna. (Cans of “light tuna” are allowed under the rules.)

...

http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2015/05/01/3653919/wisconsin-food-stamps-shellfish/

I presume that the restrictions proposed by Brooks would be fractionally compounded with these WIC-based restrictions if a federal waver can be obtained.

April 22, 2015 - Introduced by Representatives R. Brooks, Brandtjen, Allen,
Czaja, Gannon, Horlacher, Kerkman, Knodl, Kremer, Nygren, Rohrkaste
and Petersen, cosponsored by Senators Marklein and Nass. Referred to
Committee on Public Benefit Reform.

1. An Act to create 20.435 (4) (cm), 49.79 (7m), 227.01 (13) (tm) and 253.06 (9) of
   
2. the statutes; relating to: limiting the foods that may be purchased under
   
3. FoodShare; requiring a report on the cost to implement and comply with the
   
4. food limitations; requiring review, updating, and publication of the list of
   
5. authorized foods; providing an exemption from rule-making procedures; and
   
6. making an appropriation.
   

Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau

Under current law, the federal food stamp program, now known as the
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and called FoodShare in this
state, assists eligible low-income individuals (recipients) to purchase food. SNAP
benefits are paid entirely with federal moneys. The cost of administration is split
between the federal and state governments; the program is administered in this
state by the Department of Health Services (DHS).

Under this bill, DHS must require that not less than 67 percent of the SNAP
benefits used by a recipient in a month be used to purchase any of the following foods:
foods that are on the list of foods authorized for the federal special supplemental
nutrition program for women, infants, and children (WIC foods); beef; pork; chicken;
fish; fresh produce; and fresh, frozen, and canned white potatoes. In addition, DHS
must prohibit using SNAP benefits for the purchase of crab, lobster, shrimp, or any
other shellfish. To facilitate compliance with the requirements, DHS may authorize
grocers and other retailers that sell food to recipients (retailers) to swipe a recipient's
benefit card before scanning any items that the recipient is purchasing.

Under the bill, DHS is required to reimburse retailers and warehouse suppliers
in this state for their initial implementation costs associated with the new
requirements. Before implementing the new requirements, DHS must determine
what the implementation and compliance costs associated with the new
requirements will be to retailers and warehouse suppliers in this state and must
submit a report with that cost determination to the Joint Committee on Finance.

If DHS determines that a federal waiver is needed to implement the food
limitation requirements or the authorization to pre-swipe benefit cards under the
bill, it must request the waiver and may not implement the requirements or the
pre-swipe authorization unless the waiver is granted. DHS must implement the
requirements within three years after the bill is enacted or, if a waiver is necessary,
within two years after the waiver is granted.

The bill requires DHS annually to review, and to update as appropriate, its list
of WIC foods and to publish a current list of WIC foods on its Internet site. DHS also
must publish on its Internet site a list of the foods for which 67 percent of a recipient's
benefits must be used.

For further information see the state fiscal estimate, which will be printed as
an appendix to this bill.

...

http://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/2015/related/proposals/ab177

It was my mistake to take the WIC document as a newly generated set of restrictions instead of a pre-existing set of restrictions. Thank you for pointing that out.

What do you think of the WIC guidelines? Should they be seen as reasonable, Draconian or somewhere in between?

[questionseverything]

116. what this bill would do is add the wic restrictions to 67% of the food stamp purchases

plus meats(there is no meat included in wic)

i do not think the wic restrictions are too un reasonable within the wic program as it is truly a supplemental program (the income guidelines are not as low)

but to have to spend 2/3 of your monthly snap benefits on them would be restrictive in my opinion...altho when we include meat in that 2/3 it would probably be easy to do/////all in all it is just another hoop to jump thru

[azurnoir]

157. When it comes to just the WIC guidelines no I don't think they're unreasonable at all

WIC is about nutrition period some of the limitations like no bulk products stem from WIC coupons are very amount specific saying 1lb of dry beans ect other restrictions are due to cost the tuna would be an example white albacore is more expensive that regular tuna and sharp or in my area extra sharp cheese is more expensive than other varieties of the same brand cheese WIC pays for 100% of whats on each coupon-what I would change is I would loosen the age restrictions for children and raise the age limit to 12 or even 14 years of age rather than 6, nutrition for older children is very important too

also very sorry for how long it took for me to reply

[xocet]

158. Hey, no problem - everyone has stuff going on. It is always nice to read detailed responses...

...and those cannot be instantaneously composed.

Since WIC is all about nutrition, do the WIC programs offer nutritional education (i.e., cooking classes, cookbooks) to those who use WIC to shop?

Thanks for your thoughts.

[Comrade Grumpy]

109. Is there any method to this madness? What is the rationale for these exclusions?

It doesn't make sense.

[wordpix]

142. lol - bring on the food police! And don't support the organic growers!

these people are completely

[Still In Wisconsin]

21. So everyone on assistance can sustain themselves with dog food on white bread sandwiches.

I'm surprised the rat bastards didn't ban baby food.

[LeftyMom]

26. White bread? Hell no, they need to grind their own flour, *then* make bread.

It was good enough for my great grandma, it's good enough for them! Lazy good-for-nothings think we're just going to give them bread? Ha!

On second thought, I shouldn't give them any ideas.

[xfundy]

75. Can't buy dog food on food stamps.

spam is available, though. As is scrapple.

[tanyev]

22. What, no free market solution?

[Bigredhunk]

23. I STILL DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT THE BIG FUCKING DEAL IS WITH WHAT PEOPLE BUY??!!

Let's say someone who receives assistance gets $200/month. Who gives a shit if they buy caviar and champagne with it? There's always somebody whining, "Oh, I saw someone buy steak with food stamps. I can't afford steak!!" Uh, yeah you can. Whatever $$ you're spending on whatever you're buying, buy however much steak that $$ will buy you instead.

Who gives a shit if somebody buys a few expensive things or a bunch of cheap things? It's still the same amount of $$ they're spending/getting. If my grocery budget is $150/week, I could buy organic milk/produce + free range chicken/grass fed beef. Or I could buy a bunch of mac & cheese, non organic milk/produce, chips, soda. I could either buy a small number of expensive things or a greater number of cheap things. Regardless of what I buy, I'm spending the same amount of money.

Why are people so concerned with what other people do? And what about farmers getting subsidies, wealthy people getting write-offs, etc...? Nobody gives a shit what they buy. Nobody gives a shit if some rich asshole owns 10 houses.

[JaneyVee]

50. Because Republicans ONLY care about control...

Whether its controlling what we can do with our bodies, who we can love/marry, now what people can eat. The list is endless.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

52. Exactly--I get the impression

that some of these tightie-righties think that if a poor person say, spends all their SNAP allotment on steak and lobster, they can go down to the welfare office and get more to buy another lobster and another few steaks.

No, they get a certain amount of SNAP money per month, and that's it. As far as the taxpayer is concerned, it does not matter what the recipient eats.

[Stainless]

25. Republicans are mostly insane cruel bastards

What I can't understand is the stupid voters who choose to put them in charge.

[Ed Suspicious]

27. These people are the most useless idiots ever. Good lord, do something fucking useful, pukes!

[Dont call me Shirley]

29. So basically the WI gop is saying they only want SNAP recipients to eat junk food. Who

proposed that dumbass ALEC law? KRAPP aka Kraft foods, Conman Agra, ADM, Frito Lay, junk food kings?

[NoJusticeNoPeace]

30. Makes my hands shake with RAGE, i want a piece of these motherfuckers, i admit it

You MOTHER FUCKERS think that all poor people are BLACK people eating fucking Lobster

dont you

I have to stop, get away, I have a heart condition

grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

[Snarkoleptic]

74. And most of the Faux Newz zombies immediately refer to their meme about

some surfer kid eating lobster, sushi and drinking beer on the beach.

My wife tangled with my dad about this BS about a month ago. He was so pissed off he trotted down to the basement to avoid having to talk/think the thing through.
All they have are bumper-sticker talking points and they collapse upon scrutiny.
Further proof that Fox is worse than misinformation, it is malinformation.

[barbtries]

37. they're so mean. so cruel.

i can hardly believe this kind of cruelty.

[Starry Messenger]

38. wtf.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

40. I think it's another effort to make the poor as miserable as possible.

Make it almost impossible to buy decent, nutritious meals; they won't even be able to buy herbs and spices to make whatever "approved" food they can get taste a little better. After all, they deserve to suffer, don't they?

WTF is wrong with these legislators? It's gone beyond merely being "careful" with the state's money (which is what they'll claim to be doing); it seems they are deliberately doing things that are designed with malice aforethought to cause suffering. They actually seem to take pleasure in hurting "those people." To me, that's the clearest definition of pure evil.

[Evar]

42. How much more will the good people of Wisconsin take?

This report makes me sick. I used to run a local food pantry, and the basic staples for the needy families in our rural area were pasta, pasta sauces, and dried beans. This hatred of the poor is so contrary to human nature, so ugly. It's fascism. How much more are folks in Wisconsin going to allow?

[jtuck004]

43. What do the people who will no longer be selling things there think about all that

lost revenue?

[stage left]

45. What the hell

What the hell is wrong with these fucking idiots? And what's wrong with the fucking idiots who elected them?

[YOHABLO]

46. Let's get real. No one is buying lobster with SNAP. It's too damn expensive. So are shrimp.

But for god's sake, beans? I would suggest that if they're going to limit food stamps to the types of foods that people will be able to purchase, then a panel of nutritionist should be the one's who decide what's good for you. This is it folks, these scum, who wine and dine at high end restaurants, shop at Whole Foods, are now going to tell you what to eat. How long will it be before we are lined up around the corner to get our pale of oatmeal?

[dragonlady]

93. Another suggestion

By the way, Walker has also proposed requiring drug testing for people who get public assistance and unemployment compensation (this will help them get jobs, so he says).

So here's a suggestion from one of the best Wisconsin bloggers, referring to the per diem that Wisconsin legislators are entitled to when in Madison on state business:

Let's have legislators be drug-tested before they can receive their $44-$88 tax-free daily meal, lodging and housing payments and make sure they are only buying healthy meals with public, entitlement payments.

http://thepoliticalenvironment.blogspot.com/2015/04/about-new-wi-gop-rules-for-food-stamp.html#links

[central scrutinizer]

47. You can only buy pork

That will show those damn Muslim terrorists that they aren't welcome in Wisconsin.

[kairos12]

48. The Reich Wing won't be happy until the poor has only saw dust to eat.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

49. I suppose next they will start jailing them....

They can learn a trade in jail,...right?

Next we'll build special jails designed as factories.

Hey,..."working" is good and "camping" is fun, we can call them "work camps".

[alterfurz]

51. "The poor can never be made to suffer enough." -- Jimmy Breslin

[NoJusticeNoPeace]

53. Every time I hit latest threads and see this title my hands start shaking in rage

[riverbendviewgal]

55. this is sadistic

I can not imagine that this inhumanity will go through. Potatoes!!!! The Irish had ptstoes to help them survive.

As a Canadian I can only see Americans who propose this as sadistically insane.

[delrem]

65. no shit!

But they're elected, it tells on the petty mean sadistic mindset of the majority of the electorate.

My god but I'm glad I don't live among such people.

[hue]

57. Charge them with depraved heart homicide.

[delrem]

59. mean sadistic fucks.

and they're ELECTED.

[pugetres]

60. I was under the impression that states

were limited to determining eligibility, the amount received and actually getting the SNAP benefits to the recipients. And, of course, they ensure that laws are followed and benefits aren't abused.

But, since SNAP is federally funded, the federal government is who determines what food items food are eligible. Not the state.

[Cha]

62. Simon Legrees.. I hope people on food stamps get out and vote. If walker wins the gop then this

should be highlighted.

[LiberalElite]

64. This drip drip drip thing - why don't they just come out with it

they want to let the poor starve.

[cascadiance]

68. They just want you to have some gruel, sit down and STFU and BEG for your food...

... like this!

[xfundy]

73. We on food stamps are gourmets.

If they would just stop restrictions on alcohol we'd all buy campagne to have with our filet mignons, beans and seafood.

[ThoughtCriminal]

76. 2019 - GOP votes to restrict SNAP cards to purchasing Soylent Green

[Skarbrowe]

77. It's obvious. They don't want these "people" in Wisconsin.

The more restrictions and humiliation they can pile on the poor, the more likely the struggling will try to leave their state. Anyone who might need assistance thinking about moving there would think twice.

[UncleTomsEvilBrother]

79. This has gotta have a negative impact on their own repuke base.

In this case, the seafood industry and grocers like WalMart and Kroger. Their sales have to be taking a hit when people are not allowed to buy certain products. EBT/WIC money goes directly back into the economy. It helps it more than it hurts it. Limiting certain foods is only going to hurt certain Big Food companies.

[Runningdawg]

80. I have a sick feeling someday

the ONLY public food assistance will be "soup" kitchens ran by the same companies who feed prisoners rat poison-laced meatloaf.

[TeamPooka]

81. They are trying to get it down to bread & water. nt

[CatholicEdHead]

85. Ok, he is in the WI 60th, in the Land of Oz

Good old Ozaukee county, the northern Milwaukee exurbs. It is a VERY conservative area and very heartless by the story. There is fiscal conservative and there is just plain mean and vindictive. He falls into the latter categories.

[Beartracks]

86. OMFG Wisconsin FINALLY figures out where the problem is! It's SNAP!!

I don't live in Wisconsin, but I can be damn sure that ALL of the state's problems, any fiscal difficulties, a lot of corruption, and probably most crimes as well as infrastructure deterioration, potholes, drunk driving, and water pollution are probably caused by poor people spending luxuriously on shrimp.

That makes perfect sense. It's so damn obvious, I shouldn't even have to explain how $220 per month of shrimp is way more costly to the state and taxpayers than $220 per month of cornflakes.









WTF WI?

=========================================

[SoapBox]

89. My gawd...they really are out to kill Americans.

They'll make it so difficult to get food that people will starve.

[turbinetree]

90. This is the new Gestopo republican mentality................

What is normally called concentration camp living and survival of the fittest.

This country and the 27 republican controlled states ( Kansas, Wisconsin, Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas, ect.... you now have a gestopo state).

Wisconsin state majority legislature----REPUBLICANS has now pulled ahead of Kansas and there REPUBLICANS along with there gestopo federal representatives (Paul Ryan----Wisconsin---Budget Committee Chairman in Congress and his band or REPUBLICANS are now gutting a social program called SNAP, because they think in there gestopo way of concentration camp mentality mind that the poor are the problem and so now you have to limit what they can have to eat.
When in fact it's there gestopo governors, gestopo legislature, gestopo justice system and federal gestop representatives.
And the people of Wisconsin must like being ruled by the republican gestopo

[Beauregard]

95. More stuff on the blacklist:

The law would restrict access to a whole range of commonplace ingredients. Some of the things that would be harder to buy for poor families who cook include “herbs, spices, or seasonings,” all nuts, red and yellow potatoes, smoothies, spaghetti sauce, “soups, salsas, ketchup,” sauerkraut, pickles, dried beans sold in bulk, and white or albacore tuna. (Cans of “light tuna” are allowed under the rules.)


http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2015/05/01/3653919/wisconsin-food-stamps-shellfish/

[wordpix]

143. smoothies! We don't want the poor getting healthy now, do we?

[left-of-center2012]

96. Republicans must be bipolar

With all these restrictions, what happened to the GOP demands for smaller government and fewer regulations?

[romanic]

97. Poor people don't cook anyway.

They just buy candy, fast food and pop. /sarcasm

Republicans make me sick with their callousness.

[NaturalHigh]

101. First it's steak and shrimp, now beans and potatoes?

I thought they wanted everyone living on beans and potatoes (except the rich of course).

[wordpix]

139. and cheese, too - repukes are against sharp cheddar fraud

To demonstrate the perils of food policing at Thursday’s hearing, a Democrat on the committee held up a plate of four different kinds of cheese. Although they are nutritionally indistinguishable, three of the four cheeses would be prohibited. “When you look at something like this cheese plate, there’s no evidence of sharp cheddar fraud. People are not buying sharp cheddar in order to defraud FoodShare, and there’s no nutritional difference. So if those are the stated goals, the bill is not accomplishing either,” Rep. Mark Spreitzer said.

[My Good Babushka]

102. And who are they going to pay

to spend their days winnowing through poor people's grocery carts? Low income workers are already pressed for time, they don't need the added, time-swallowing burden of more obstacles added to their trips to the grocer's.

[jmowreader]

130. That's what computers are for

They'll just whip a nice little unfunded mandate on the grocery industry to program their front-end systems to weed out all the non-food stamp-allowed items.

[Hotler]

103. If HRC was truly for the low income and middle class....

and she knew of this she would come out and condemn this kind of shit that the repugs are doing.

[midnight]

104. Tax subsidized millionaires must be identified and drug tested

"But who is more of a “public aid recipient” than Diane and John? Walker does not have a monopoly on conversations with God, and my higher power tells me a story about the difficulty of the wealthy to gain entrance into the kingdom of heaven. You know the camel and eye of the needle thing. It is time to help unfortunate wealthy out. They must be taxed and drug tested. Look at the huge tax subsides provided John and Diane compared to the mom at Walmart with toddlers in hand. Not only would we spare the most unfortunate few further shame and embarrassment, but the eye of the needle would be greased a bit. Maybe they could slip right on through to the kingdom of heaven."

Share this:


https://fitzwalkerstan.wordpress.com/2015/05/01/drug-test-diane-hendricks/

[jamzrockz]

105. Hate to play devils advocate on this

But the reporting on this is Fox news esque. The restrictions are not for general SNAP program but for the special SNAP program called WIC which the author conveniently left out of the article

WIC is a special supplemental nutrition program, funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, provided at no cost to eligible moms, babies and children. Its goal is to offer education on healthy eating, nutrition and breastfeeding, and make referrals to other services and help improve health by providing nutritious foods to supplement diets

Items provided

The food items provided by WIC are juice (single strength), milk, breakfast cereal, cheese, eggs, fruits and vegetables, whole wheat bread, whole grain items including brown rice and tortillas, fish (canned)(for Exclusively Breastfed Mothers), legumes (dry/canned), and peanut butter. The program also provides tofu, soy milk, and medical foods for children and women with various metabolic or other diseases. The food packages provide participant choice and variety. Foods such as tortillas, brown rice, soy-based beverage, canned salmon, and a wide choice of fruits and vegetables provide State agencies flexibility in prescribing culturally appropriate food packages.[13] Organic fruits, vegetables, legumes and grains are covered under WIC while organic milk, cheese, juice, peanut butter and eggs are not covered under the program. Some organic forms of WIC-eligible foods (e.g., milk, eggs, cheese) meet the nutritional requirements set forth in WIC regulations and are therefore authorized. However, WIC State agencies are responsible for determining the brands and types of foods to authorize on their State WIC food lists. Some State agencies may allow organic foods on their foods lists, but this will vary by State. The decision may be influenced by a number of factors such as cost, product distribution within a State, and WIC participant acceptance

Also from a few mins researching on the internet, it seems like the WIC program has historically been more restrictive than the regular SNAP program for adults. The WIC focuses on nutritional foods for infants and breastfeeding mothers. Lastly, it does not make it harder to buy dried beans, just dried beans in bulk.

This is not honest reporting, Fox news would be very proud of this type of reporting

[questionseverything]

111. me thinks you are mistaken

http://host.madison.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/wisconsin-lawmakers-to-discuss-bill-restricting-food-stamp-purchases/article_65af1ec8-2680-5452-b9a5-0e5fe1371e6a.html

A Republican proposal would place restrictions on the types of food that could be purchased with food stamps in Wisconsin.

State lawmakers will discuss that bill, along with a proposal to require drug testing for those seeking state job training and unemployment insurance, on Thursday in the Assembly Committee on Public Benefit Reform.

A bill proposed by Rep. Rob Brooks, R-Saukville, would require that two-thirds of all purchases made with FoodShare benefits must be spent on foods approved under the federal nutritional program for women, infants and children (WIC) or beef, pork, chicken, fish, fresh produce and white potatoes.

Under the bill, SNAP benefits could not be used to buy crab, lobster, shrimp or any other variety of shellfish.

///////////////////////////////////

he is proposing that 2/3 of the food stamps benefits have to be spent on wic approved staples plus
beef, pork, chicken, fish, fresh produce and white potatoes.....and yes wic is pretty restrictive

[jamzrockz]

113. The whole bill is talking about the WIC program

which is a type of SNAP or run under the SNAP program. The bill is not talking about regular type of food stamps for adults and non infants. But the author wrote it in such a way that most people reading it would come out thinking the bill was addressing regular food stamp program.

Regardless, this is a very deceptive title because no place in it did they try to inform the reader that the bill is addressing the WIC program specifically.

Again, Fox news will be proud.

http://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/2015/related/proposals/ab177 - The bill

https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/publications/p4/p44578.pdf - Public version I think. The page clearly says "WIC Approved foods"

[questionseverything]

114. read the link,you are mistaken

Under current law, the federal food stamp program, now known as the
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and called FoodShare in this
state, assists eligible low-income individuals (recipients) to purchase food. SNAP
benefits are paid entirely with federal moneys. The cost of administration is split
between the federal and state governments; the program is administered in this
state by the Department of Health Services (DHS).
Under this bill, DHS must require that not less than 67 percent of the SNAP
benefits used by a recipient in a month be used to purchase any of the following foods:
foods that are on the list of foods authorized for the federal special supplemental
nutrition program for women, infants, and children (WIC foods); beef; pork; chicken;
fish; fresh produce; and fresh, frozen, and canned white potatoes. In addition, DHS
must prohibit using SNAP benefits for the purchase of crab, lobster, shrimp, or any
other shellfish. To facilitate compliance with the requirements, DHS may authorize

///////////////////////////////////////////

i know what wic is....i have used it

i know what food stamps are, in wisconsin it is called foodshare and this bill would mean that 67% of the benefits used have to be used on wic approved foods plus ..i wish i knew how to highlight for you but i will just repeat a smaller part of the bill....

Under this bill, DHS must require that not less than 67 percent of the SNAP
benefits used by a recipient in a month be used to purchase any of the following foods:
foods that are on the list of foods authorized for the federal special supplemental
nutrition program for women, infants, and children (WIC foods);

//////////////////////////////

[jamzrockz]

123. I really think there is some confusion somehwere

cos the link to the brochure describing the food restriction clearly stated WIC program. This is a new low even for republican if its actually not a confusion where SNAP was mistaken for WIC. I was under the impression that WIC was a program under the SNAP program since it provides food supplement just like food stamps.

But I guess I am wrong, thanks for the correction. I am still scratching my head as to why anyone would try and pull something this ridiculous. There has to be a low somehwere

[questionseverything]

129. i agree it is confusing

i had to read about 3 different articles before i figured it out

the wic restriction were described because 2/3 of the snap has to be used for those foods plus meat, trying to look at both sides.... the wic guidelines are super healthy and a person would still have 1/3 of their benefits to spend on sugar,coffee,whatever they wanted
but in the long run i see it as an additional hoop to jump thru

while researching this i saw whr wisconsin has already added work requirements of like 20/hrs a week to receive snap,for adults with no children and no medical exemptions////so that is 80 hours a month of "volunteering" to receive about 160 bucks worth of food stamps...that is criminal,slave wages

my wish would be that every1 except the 1%ers would receive snap benefits.....adding $1.79 for every dollar spent to the gdp would be a wildly successful stimulus and the families making 40-50 grand a year would stop resenting the poor

unfortunately i do not think we have seen anything close to their "low" as yet

[marle35]

134. I think a 2/3 requirement is nearly just as bad

Recipients will have to keep track of what proportion of their spending falls under the "not" list. I can imagine that being more stressful in some ways than knowing certain items are just covered. People will end up being more conservative about it just to make sure they don't exceed the limit, so a 2/3 requirement becomes more like 90% in effect.

I can understand why people say being poor is like a full time job. Bureaucratic hoops are everywhere, and Republicans have an unending appetite for playing around with the lives of the impoverished.

[questionseverything]

149. i tend to agree

i was just pointing out some folks were not understanding the article correctly

if this bill is passed it will make grocery check out a nightmare, for example you are allowed to buy brown rice on wic but not white rice (which is about a 1/3 the cost)

[Recursion]

148. No, it's an attempt to limit SNAP purchases to the WIC "basket"

I thought that too, at first, but this article is more clear:

https://badgerherald.com/news/2015/05/01/assembly-committee-holds-public-hearing-for-foodshare-drug-testing-bills/

[DebJ]

106. And yet the criticize Michelle Obama for being the food police?

sick people. sick people.

[questionseverything]

150. one thing folks DO NOT LIKE

about the new wic restrictions that the first lady pushed is that they only get 1% milk after a certain age....i know the caseworkers in my town tell peops to buy a box of powdered milk and mix it in so the kids will drink it soooooooooooooo

it is actually having the opposite effect of what i guess the feds wanted

[DebJ]

154. But that is simply what competent pediatricians recommend.

If the only milk a child has is 1%, he will drink it.

Or, you can let the child control the situation, and insist on chocolate milk, strawberry milk, etc.

[questionseverything]

159. then you should be right on board with this republican bill

micromanaging exactly what poor peops are allowed to eat

[DebJ]

160. Ha! I guess I have to say touche on that comeback, but that wasn't what I had

in mind at all, LOL. Rather, what came to mind from the previous post, was the relatively large numbers of people I have come across
in recent years, who seem to just stop dead in their tracks and not know what to do, when a child doesn't like something, doesn't want something, balks at doing something, or whines and cries. They don't seem to know what to do, except to alter their behavior and allow the
child to do. as the child demands. No matter the age of the child, or the child's ability to make a good decision on their own.

[questionseverything]

163. the problem is most American citizens do not want their gov't

to treat them like children

not when the first lady does it or some neocon pol

[malthaussen]

107. Wisconsin Republicans don't want food stamp recipients buying food.

They don't want food stamps at all.

-- Mal

[d_legendary1]

108. Using the poor for political gain

The only thing left on this scape goat is to grind the bones.

[justiceischeap]

127. The misnomer of the welfare queen

This, I suspect, is because of the "welfare queen" belief that many Republicans have.

I bet their reasoning is if we make having food stamps harder and limit what "they" can purchase, they'll get off their "lazy" butts and get a job.

What they're missing is that many probably already have jobs that don't pay enough that some folks need this to supplement what little they bring home.

[Scootaloo]

128. So basically they're literally trying to starve the poor

What grotesque parodies of people Republicans are.

[Ken Burch]

136. What possible objection would they have to the poor buying dried beans?

What would they still be allowed to buy? outdated lunch meat and Velveeta?

Who amputated the Wisconsin GOP's soul?

[Judi Lynn]

146. You'd think they'd love the idea of dried beans, as they require more work, more time to prepare

than a lot of other food. That in itself should elicit murmurs of appreciation from these clowns, drooling over the idea of poor people peeling onions, carrots, celery, etc., cutting them all in small pieces, and cooking, stirring, it all in hot kitchens as soon as they get back from their grueling, depleting, backbreaking jobs, then spending the rest of the night washing the dishes, among other things.

It's enough to make a right-winger weep for joy, unless he believes there's the slightest chance the recipient might even enjoy it slightly.

[Recursion]

147. Dried beans? WTF? That's probably the best, cheapest source of nutrition there is

I was on beans and rice for most of graduate school because I could feed myself for a week on $8. Why the hell would anybody be against that?

[Radael]

153. What does the bill exactly say about beans?