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Readers' Comments
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Submitted by: Anonymous
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Submitted by: pbarnrob
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Submitted by: EarlBowden
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Submitted by: Anonymous
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Submitted by: Anonymous
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Submitted by: Anonymous
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Submitted by: Anonymous
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Submitted by: Anonymous
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Submitted by: Anonymous
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Submitted by: AndrewG
I understand people should not use this for junk (soda, chips, etc) but it seems contradictory that one can't get organic items as they have been proven to be healthier just as soda & sugary snacks have been proven not to be healthy. I have DIAGNOSED Celiac Disease and cannot have Wheat, Barley, Rye or Spelt, I will be hospitalized if I do. Although it seems logical to make my own bread, it is not always cheapest since I have to keep a minimum 3 gluten free flours on hand that are NOT cheap. I think one with these conditions should have the option of buying gluten free items as well as the ingredients that make them. Stop kick those that are already down.
I work hard for my money and buy the Value brand bread, the value brand milk, cheese etc. I shudder at the fact that people supplied with a healthy amount of funds in forms of food assistance have the option to choose quality brand name food products. If your on a food assistance program you should be limited to the "value" brands. I am limited to them because my budget (which i earn myself) limits me. Your lazy and broke and you get to eat farm fresh cage free eggs? NO. Limiting food stamps usage is a grand idea, but needs to be limited even further! doing so would cut back on the WIC and Food-share budgets immensely. I mean come on starving people in Africa would kill for some "great value" bread and butter. Quit whining and get a job.
I live in Milwaukee so i have a pretty goo idea of what goes on here. Perhaps you should research things before spouting off
Who cares if he is low income or not? TO be given $200 a month, plus whatever other benefits he gets, and being allowed to eat whatever he please is insane. Again working people paying into that system cannot even afford to eat that well why should those getting handouts
The list is pretty arbitrary. American cheese and juice boxes are junk. I suppose I can understand why wic doesn't allow organic, it is cost. But it sounds like food share is like EBT in RI and people are allotted money for groceries. If you want to buy organic eggs and cheddar cheese and skip the juice and excess meat, I don't see why that is a problem. If you need to make the money last all month, you'll figure it out.
If we're going to set limits, let's say no packaged snack foods, no single serving juice. Pick things that make sense.
you are an idiot because you indicated this bill would keep people from getting beer and cigarettes with their food stamps which is something they already can not do.
Annonomous, if you know someone getting $200 a month in food stamps just for himself it's because he has no income or if he has income it is going out on medication expenses which is deducted from his gross income. Don't judge something you know little about.
into the system is the selfish idiot not those complaining about the quality of their free food? LOL you are an example of what is wrong with so many people today
If you have a medically proven reason you can't eat something ok that is one thing however if you just prefer this to that then that's an issue. There is no reason that you, or anyone not just picking on you, should be eating say soy milk,organic eggs etc. while the people paying taxes into that system cannot afford to it that. There comes a point when you have to think that those living off the tax payers are living better then the taxpayers and that's where we are today. Things need to be cut back from food choices to funding, you know i know someone who gets $200 a month for groceries and that's just for him lol i spend less then half of that.
The portion of this bill relating to gluten-free bread is a violation of the American Disabilities Act. Someone should put the sponsors of this bill on notice with regard to this violation. How - embarrassing!
all the issues. Sure you stop true "junk" food purchases but again the program was designed to help struggling families not provide them with all organic/craft foods. I have let to hear anyone address why they advocate for these people to be able to get all organic/brands yet those paying taxes to support the program cannot afford those themselves. I can speak from experience that these guidelines as well as say the food share program are much to lax. When you can walk out with sushi and a bucket of cold chicken in addition to what free things you get from wic there is a serious problem.
"Anonymous" should not even be printed here because he/she is not willing to stand up under their own name. Come out from under your bridge, troll.
The prohibited foods are often CHEAPER than the required foods, and are definitely more healthy. Do T9i want to pay more money to treat medical conditions like heart disease, celibacy disease, and tickets? And for those who have food allergies and couldn't work if forced to eat these foods? This is yet another example of the corporate food lobbies paying off the legislature. And forcing kids to drink cor--syrup-laden drinks instead of real juice? By brand name? "Juicy Juice" gets profits from the taxpayers while we pay again forth health problems of obesity.
I have a severe dairy allergy, making it impossible to consume any milk product. So I use my FoodShare to get soy or almond milk. How exactly does that make me a bad person who is somehow abusing the system? I drink alternative "milks" because I have to, not because I want to. I'm not being fancy. I'm just having a damn bowl of cereal.
Besides, it's not as though people on FoodShare who buy these "fancy" or "junk" items are allotted extra credits for them. The "milk" I buy is more expensive than cow milk, so I have to budget my FoodShare accordingly, generally sacrificing any non-essentials and relying more on bulk/frozen/canned goods rather than fresh. Again, what's the problem? I'm trying to stay healthy by eating things that don't make me sick (and, thus, unable to be a productive member of society). I have several friends with similar problems-- celiac disease, medically-required reduced consumption of animal fats, and so on. Go ahead and prevent FoodShare recipients from buying junk food-- nobody should be eating that crap, let alone on the State's dollar-- but restricting eggs to "white only?" Give me a break. If people want to eat fewer foods because they purchase more expensive items, let them. It all comes out even in the end.
Not sure how they do it but all you have to do is take a trip towards the north side and you can see small liquor stores that will go as far as having signs saying they accept WIC/food share etc. Again even alcohol aside there is no reason the taxpayers should be paying for food for those living off the goverment they cannot afford to buy themselves. The guidelines should be strict, exceedingly strict, on what can and cannot be bought with their essentially free food. Organic/brand names are not required to live and that is what people fail to understand. Furthermore there needs to be verification these people are looking for work, trying to better themselves etc. instead of just collecting checks so i am all for that as well. I personally hope that if this comes into law that the punishment for not following guidelines would be having those benefits stripped. I can't believe we even need to have this argument where those getting handouts are complaining they can't get enough free stuff. I think a stop in Milwaukee would be good for you just so you can seeing what our tax money is buying these people
Your a selfish idiot who doesn't know what you are talking about. Where is your heart and Christian love.
The WIC list was designed to be a list of supplemental foods to go with regular groceries to enhance the health of a pregnant or nursing woman. It would be a terribly unhealthy list for anyone with food allergies or dietary restrictions. It would also prevent cooking from scratch for many recipes. For instance, you could buy commercial, chemical-filled bread but not purchase flour or cornmeal to make your own. The list contains many boxes of chemically-laden cereals but not plain oatmeal. This list is too restrictive for a healthy family or aging adult.
If individual businesses break the law, that's not a valid argument for adding new restrictions to the law that have nothing to do with the violations you describe. I can't figure out how it would work, though, since these benefits are administered via an EBT card that cannot be used for things like paper towels or cleaning products, let alone alcohol, tobacco, etc. It is an automatic division that happens when items are being rung up.
If your concern is junk food and soda, why not simply restrict those food products that are taxed? That would eliminate the ability to purchase soda, candy, and snack foods. A person would still have lots of choices for foods that fit their diets and be able to shop for a healthy variety.
The point is that the guidelines are overly restrictive, excising not just what would be generally consider "junk food" or even what you might deem "fancy food," but plenty of healthy and basic staple foods.
I'm so sorry, the link to these guidelines was accidentally dropped from the article. I've replaced it. Here it is: http://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/publications/P4/P44578.pdf Keep in mind that these restrictions (with added exemptions as mentioned in the article) would apply -- as the bill currently stands -- to two-thirds of the FoodShare benefit.
There are shops in Milwaukee where you can use food stamps etc to buy liquor also while those items you listed are not "junk food" they sure aren't something those living off goverment aid should be given. The point is to give you what you need to live not feed you organic food/craft foods while those who are working cannot afford it. There is a difference between wants and needs and people need to realize that
Also, neither food stamps nor WIC can be used to buy beer as current statutes stand.
Honestly this makes perfect sense to any logical person. If you don't work and are having the gov give you money why you should be able to buy junk food/beer etc. with it? Why should you eat better then those who work for a living and can not afford to buy the organic alternatives? I can see why Dems complain as it hits there voting base but honestly this is a pure logical step in curbing those living on entitlements. Now let's just hope that job search requirement goes further and is enforced better than the unemployment requirements.
I am a lactose intolerant celiac on food share assistance. Because I have a pending disability claim with no income, food share is my only means of acquiring food.
I've read the text of AB110, but could not find where it talks about organics, bulks goods, milk and eggs. What are your sources? Where did this information come from? Do you have access to the list of authorized foods?
I'm not understanding here. WIC requirements demand that nutritionally dense foods be purchased, and FoodShare is intended to help the poor make sure that they can purchase nutritional foods, yes? I could see an exception made for those with specific, medically sound and backed nutritional requirements, but I don't see any reason that the state should have to pay for organic or other "fancy" foods when the staples will do just fine. Further, there is no additional work to verify these things, just some education of those on FoodShare.