Found a link to this posted on twitter this morning that had a video documentary on food stamps. I used to be on food stamps till I got mad at the jerk who took over it at Meigs Job and Family Services. I decided it was better to tough it out then put up with his insults.
Anyway, the video really annoyed me. Why?
1. The guy tries to make you feel sorry for him, and everyone else on food stamps.
2. He makes it out that everyone on food stamps is starving to death.
3. The video implies that if you’re on food stamps you’re destined to be fat. (gee, doesn’t that contradict #2?)
Watch it for yourself and see what I mean.
Can you say, “Liberal bull crap.” I can. Let’s look at reality. What does food stamps actually do, aside from lower your self-esteem, of which it does:
1. Teaches you to meal plan.
2. Eat healthier because you can’t afford crap.
3. Cook from scratch.
4. Be creative in your cooking.
5. Not waste food.
FACTS:
According to the US Environmental Protection Agency:
In 2011 alone, more than 36 million tons of food waste was generated…
Obviously the food waste mentioned here is from a variety of sources: farms, production, stores, etc. But the waste is still there in our homes, as we’ll see in the next find.
An article from the Washington Post on food waste, Aug. 22, 2012 states:
Households: This appears to be the big one. According to various estimates, American families throw out between 14 and 25 percent of the food and beverages they buy. This can cost the average family between $1,365 to $2,275 annually. A big factor here, the NRDC report notes, is that food has become so cheap and readily available. So, most people reason, what's the big deal if some of it gets tossed? The report also notes there's a great deal of confusion around expiration labels, which tend to be confusing and often prompt people to throw out food prematurely.
It’s very true that food prices have gone up greatly in the past couple years. We all feel it. BUT! That still doesn’t stop the waste.
I found it interesting that the biggest loss of food in supermarkets is produce. Why is that? Because it’s easier to buy processed, then it is to buy fresh.
For myself, I don’t eat as much fresh food as I should. That’s because I live on a farm in the middle of nowhere and don’t have the transportation to get to the store as often as I need in order to buy it. When I go, I usually shop for the entire month because of transportation issues.
Anyway, back to the liberal, pity me, video. The fact is, if you’re on food stamps and think you’re starving to death, you’re lying to yourself. Look at all the ways you’re wasting money:
1. Smokes
2. Alcohol
3. Junk food
4. Take out food
If you’re hungry – you’re hungry by choice.
So, what do y’all think?
As someone mentioned on fb, not everyone is hungry by choice. I agree. I think for the most part, it's folks who need food stamps and can't get it because they make a dollar or two too much (and it really does determine it) go hungry. There's no doubt about it.
ReplyDeleteThe one's I mean who are hungry by choice, are the ones you see in the checkout lane who buy the above mentioned crap. Those are the folks that would rather let their kids go hungry than go without a cigarette.