Please note:
This is in no way meant to demoralize anyone who needs assistance in feeding their family.

I know it's not actual "stamps" that are given out anymore, the poor can now hold their heads up a little higher and slide the governmnet issued card right through the machine, leaving most people waiting in line none the wiser as to their situation.
I was in line behind someone not long ago who was pretty obvious about their form of payment. I do my best not to judge others, but sometimes I just can't help myself. This young girl hardly looked old enough to be mother to the 3 kids hanging onto the shopping cart, but yet they did call her "mommy" so there you have it.
It wasn't the fact that she was using my money to buy food for her kids, it was the fact that there was nothing but junk being rung up that got to me.
I'm sorry, but if you're destitute enough to need help buying groceries, then I think it should be used on nourishing food, not a bunch of sweets and snacks that do nothing for a childs health.
I'm sure there are ways to restrict what is being purchased with the states money, so why allow this?

I agree with that, if you need assistance, and there is nothing wrong with that, at least put the money to good use with fruits, veggies, milk, and nourishing food. Not stuff that will make the kids overweight, lazy, and rot their teeth.

Well restricting things might stop some people from buying junk food, but they will just use other money for the things that food stamps can't buy. I've seen people buying cigarettes with their own money and using food stamps to buy some food. There will always be loopholes unless we disallow people who qualify for food stamps from buying ANYTHING but food... since they could always go to a different line to buy cigarettes or whatever else.

But do we want to live in a country where the government is so involved in what we can or can't buy? I think there is a fine line here and I'm not really sure what the best solution would be.

I have no problem with someone using money they have "earned" to buy whatever they want, but if you need the states assistance to feed your family, then I think it should be used for nourishing foods only.

I'm not sure what the difference is between WIC and what you saw the other day, Angel, who qualifies for what & all that, but WIC only allows for certain nutritious foods to be purchased.

I have a real problem with people who can't buy food for their families using assistance money to buy unhealthy foods.

Of course, but in this situation the person was using food stamps and had extra money of their own to buy cigarettes. I was just saying if the government limits what you can buy with food stamps to only nourishing food then people will just use other money for junk food and buy things like milk with food stamps. I guess my point is that if you are on food stamps and can afford to use your own money to buy cigarettes and junk food (assuming food stamps were changed to only be good for healthy food) then maybe you don't need to be on food stamps in the first place. It's a loophole that can't easily be fixed unfortunately.

Pretty much a branch of the Welfare Queen argument of the Reagen era; anecdotal stories that discredit the welfare system. Thanks for the disclaimer to prevent this from being a welfare/tax rant thread.

Abuse of the welfare system implies reform rather than reduction.

Food stamps should have a fairly limited range of products. Everything that the FDA says is required semi-often should be covered. Besides that? No way.

The government has a duty to provide nutritional assistance to the poor to provide them with health to not be chronically ill (and thus strain Medicaid) and keep kids and adults able to perform well in jobs/college/school. If it's not nutritional, I don't see its purpose of being covered by food stamps.

I've had friends on WIC (women Infants and children) and it seems to be one of the few assistance programs that works. You can buy certain brands of milk, cereal, butter, bread, etc.. staple food. But, you have to buy the store brand or similar.