Food Stamps and the $41 Cake (1 Viewer)

[jonboltz]

My mentally ill mother and brother are on food stamps. They don't have a car, but there are outreach programs which will help them with basic errands like shopping once a week for an hour or two. Outside that, if they want anything in their relatively rural locatioh, they have to walk a mile to the store, or two or more miles to a discount store or grocery store. My mother doesnt use the internet, but my brother goes to the library when the weather is ok and uses their connection for the short time allowed. The amount of energy required to perform the very basic tasks that we take for granted is enormous. My brother, before the mental illness made him functionally incapable of working, developed a smoking habit, gets takeout, and drinks beer whenever he can sneak away. He spends his money as fast as it comes in. My mother is the opposite - she doesn't eat meat, wont order food at a restaurant unless she's dragged there, has never drank or smoked, stashes cheap foodstuffs in her fridge and cupboards with an intricate collection of leftovers that she shares with friends when they run out of money at the end of the month, and is as generous as they come. When I hear people complaing about people on welfare, and look at the scraps my family lives on because they had the same genes I do but just didn't have the good fortune I've had in my life, it makes my stomach turn. Ive lived in low income, urban neighborhoods and seen people abuse the system, and those who dont. I've seen more affluent people lose their job and need unemployment to avoid losing their homes, and I've seen wealthy owners of small seasonal businesses claim unemployment during the months they choose to close up shop. If you create a system to help people, some undeserving people will always abuse it. But don't throw the baby out with the bathwater.This guy sees someone buy a ####### cake, decides its too expensive for them, then pats himself on the back for being able to afford a costco membership, a car, the time and gas to go across town 20 extra minutes on the weekend, the space in his home to store huge boxes of bulk goods, and the money to spend on things today that he wont use until tomorrow. But he doesn't take the time to ask if this is a single mom who is trying to help her kid have a cake with his friends so he will have some self confidence and wont feel like the poor kid who can't have a birthday party for reasons that have nothing to do with him, or if this mother is dealing with some other life issues like mental illness, substance abuse, or unemployment, or if this mother has the luxury to go on longer trips to the store or if it means that shed have to bring her youger baby in a car seat she can't afford or leave them with a babysitter who can't be bothered to watch a kid for a couple hours while she gets a two gallon jar of mayonnaise. He just says, this ladys stupid, and we shouldn't give her money anymore. Maybe he can spit on some homeless people on the way home and make himself feel even better.

Sorry about your family, but this isn't an isolated case. One of the reasons we are in the mess we are in is because of people(dirtbags) who pull crap like this. I spent 10 years working in retail grocery and believe me, this is not an isolated case. People will buy shrimp trays, nice cuts of meat, and other 'luxuries' that even most of the employees of the store (most of whom bust their ### for $8.00 an hour) cannot afford. Whatever though, from the sound of most of the jokers on this thread, nobody gives a rip about this, which is why these parasites are able to get away with such graft. Only an idiot would suggest that we get rid of welfare, it is however high time to take a close look at what people are able to purchase with their 'free' money. I don't think it would be a bad idea to make them all go to government warehouses to pick up the staples that are needed to survive. In the end, that is most likely what is going to happen anyways once the dollar is no longer the standard currency and the libs run out of other peoples' money to borrow and spend.

I am a social worker. The person buying a $41 cake is MUCH MORE of the isolated case than people that use food stamps as a means of managing to not starve. I don't particularly agree with her decision, nor do I agree with those that are able to buy items at stores that skirt the rules. However, outside of finding ways to crack-down on the stores and/or provide tons of additional regulations on what can be bought (like extending some of the rules in supermarkets -- like they already cannot purchase hot meals, and extending that to "luxury" items), I'm not sure of a solution, nor am I sure that the additional cost to impose these additional regulations and oversight is cost beneficial.I do know that the solution isn't to provide cuts to this safety net because a very small portion of people on this benefit find ways to skirt rules and/or make poor decisions.

 

[meatwad1]

My mentally ill mother and brother are on food stamps. They don't have a car, but there are outreach programs which will help them with basic errands like shopping once a week for an hour or two. Outside that, if they want anything in their relatively rural locatioh, they have to walk a mile to the store, or two or more miles to a discount store or grocery store. My mother doesnt use the internet, but my brother goes to the library when the weather is ok and uses their connection for the short time allowed. The amount of energy required to perform the very basic tasks that we take for granted is enormous.

My brother, before the mental illness made him functionally incapable of working, developed a smoking habit, gets takeout, and drinks beer whenever he can sneak away. He spends his money as fast as it comes in. My mother is the opposite - she doesn't eat meat, wont order food at a restaurant unless she's dragged there, has never drank or smoked, stashes cheap foodstuffs in her fridge and cupboards with an intricate collection of leftovers that she shares with friends when they run out of money at the end of the month, and is as generous as they come.

When I hear people complaing about people on welfare, and look at the scraps my family lives on because they had the same genes I do but just didn't have the good fortune I've had in my life, it makes my stomach turn. Ive lived in low income, urban neighborhoods and seen people abuse the system, and those who dont. I've seen more affluent people lose their job and need unemployment to avoid losing their homes, and I've seen wealthy owners of small seasonal businesses claim unemployment during the months they choose to close up shop. If you create a system to help people, some undeserving people will always abuse it. But don't throw the baby out with the bathwater.

This guy sees someone buy a ####### cake, decides its too expensive for them, then pats himself on the back for being able to afford a costco membership, a car, the time and gas to go across town 20 extra minutes on the weekend, the space in his home to store huge boxes of bulk goods, and the money to spend on things today that he wont use until tomorrow. But he doesn't take the time to ask if this is a single mom who is trying to help her kid have a cake with his friends so he will have some self confidence and wont feel like the poor kid who can't have a birthday party for reasons that have nothing to do with him, or if this mother is dealing with some other life issues like mental illness, substance abuse, or unemployment, or if this mother has the luxury to go on longer trips to the store or if it means that shed have to bring her youger baby in a car seat she can't afford or leave them with a babysitter who can't be bothered to watch a kid for a couple hours while she gets a two gallon jar of mayonnaise. He just says, this ladys stupid, and we shouldn't give her money anymore. Maybe he can spit on some homeless people on the way home and make himself feel even better.

Sorry about your family, but this isn't an isolated case. One of the reasons we are in the mess we are in is because of people(dirtbags) who pull crap like this. I spent 10 years working in retail grocery and believe me, this is not an isolated case. People will buy shrimp trays, nice cuts of meat, and other 'luxuries' that even most of the employees of the store (most of whom bust their ### for $8.00 an hour) cannot afford. Whatever though, from the sound of most of the jokers on this thread, nobody gives a rip about this, which is why these parasites are able to get away with such graft.

Only an idiot would suggest that we get rid of welfare, it is however high time to take a close look at what people are able to purchase with their 'free' money. I don't think it would be a bad idea to make them all go to government warehouses to pick up the staples that are needed to survive. In the end, that is most likely what is going to happen anyways once the dollar is no longer the standard currency and the libs run out of other peoples' money to borrow and spend.

I'd guess that the bigger reason that we are in the current mess has a lot more to do with the billions of dollars lost through shady dealings of wealthy hedge fund managers, banks, broakers, and investment types than food stamp recipients. Dirbags on food stamps got us into this mess? Food stamps? Really? Food stamps? Are you effing kidding me? Food stamps? Jesus H. Christ, I feel like Allen Iverson talking about practice. We're talking about Food Stamps, right? Food stamps? That's the cause of the nation's ills? Food stamps?

What you are talking about is a different subject. Maybe the liberal Messiah should put his money where his mouth is and go after some of these hedge fund managers. Of course he won't do that seeing that they are his peers. Both classes of leeches that we are speaking of are dirtbags.

 

[urbanhack]

This guy sees someone buy a ####### cake, decides its too expensive for them, then pats himself on the back for being able to afford a costco membership, a car, the time and gas to go across town 20 extra minutes on the weekend, the space in his home to store huge boxes of bulk goods, and the money to spend on things today that he wont use until tomorrow. But he doesn't take the time to ask if this is a single mom who is trying to help her kid have a cake with his friends so he will have some self confidence and wont feel like the poor kid who can't have a birthday party for reasons that have nothing to do with him, or if this mother is dealing with some other life issues like mental illness, substance abuse, or unemployment, or if this mother has the luxury to go on longer trips to the store or if it means that shed have to bring her youger baby in a car seat she can't afford or leave them with a babysitter who can't be bothered to watch a kid for a couple hours while she gets a two gallon jar of mayonnaise. He just says, this ladys stupid, and we shouldn't give her money anymore. Maybe he can spit on some homeless people on the way home and make himself feel even better.

No one should be buying a $41 cake with public benefits. Sorry.

You dont sound like someone who has walked a mile in those shoes. I hope for your sake you don't have to.

Who cares if anyone has walked a mile.....if they want a cake they should buy a Pillsbury one and frost it themselves for $15 instead of $40. It is really bothersome that some of you libs lack the intellect to understand that we don't get money from a money tree. What you obviously fail to comprehend is that the money this woman grafted is money that will not be able to go to somebody that actually needs it! So when your brother becomes indignant enough where he finally cannot care for himself, the facility they put him in will be lacking in funds precisely because of GARBAGE LIKE THIS!!!!!! Seriously man, take off the rosie-rose glasses and smell the smellin' salts....if you are telling us that you have a mentally ill brother, you should be smart enough to understand that people like that, unfortunately, are at the bottom of the pecking order when it comes to demanding money to live on. When push comes to shove, your brother is going to be rotting away in a filthy, decrepit, understaffed, madhouse while millions of losers (unconcerned with work/society/etc.) are stuffing themselves with $4.00 packs of twinkies, $7.48 Tombstone Pizzas, $50.00 shrimp trays, and $41.00 sheet cakes purchased from the stores who are all too happy to exploit taxpayers like you. If I were you, with your family situation,I would be very concerned about problems such as this. The fact that you could care less is very puzzling, yet also quite telling.

Faith and Family!

 

[hutchins929]

One time I was at a strip club and a guy paid for his lap dance by swiping his food stamp card down her ### crack! I can't believe he paid that pregnant woman that much!!!

 

[meatwad1]

This guy sees someone buy a ####### cake, decides its too expensive for them, then pats himself on the back for being able to afford a costco membership, a car, the time and gas to go across town 20 extra minutes on the weekend, the space in his home to store huge boxes of bulk goods, and the money to spend on things today that he wont use until tomorrow. But he doesn't take the time to ask if this is a single mom who is trying to help her kid have a cake with his friends so he will have some self confidence and wont feel like the poor kid who can't have a birthday party for reasons that have nothing to do with him, or if this mother is dealing with some other life issues like mental illness, substance abuse, or unemployment, or if this mother has the luxury to go on longer trips to the store or if it means that shed have to bring her youger baby in a car seat she can't afford or leave them with a babysitter who can't be bothered to watch a kid for a couple hours while she gets a two gallon jar of mayonnaise. He just says, this ladys stupid, and we shouldn't give her money anymore. Maybe he can spit on some homeless people on the way home and make himself feel even better.

No one should be buying a $41 cake with public benefits. Sorry.

You dont sound like someone who has walked a mile in those shoes. I hope for your sake you don't have to.

Who cares if anyone has walked a mile.....if they want a cake they should buy a Pillsbury one and frost it themselves for $15 instead of $40. It is really bothersome that some of you libs lack the intellect to understand that we don't get money from a money tree. What you obviously fail to comprehend is that the money this woman grafted is money that will not be able to go to somebody that actually needs it! So when your brother becomes indignant enough where he finally cannot care for himself, the facility they put him in will be lacking in funds precisely because of GARBAGE LIKE THIS!!!!!! Seriously man, take off the rosie-rose glasses and smell the smellin' salts....if you are telling us that you have a mentally ill brother, you should be smart enough to understand that people like that, unfortunately, are at the bottom of the pecking order when it comes to demanding money to live on. When push comes to shove, your brother is going to be rotting away in a filthy, decrepit, understaffed, madhouse while millions of losers (unconcerned with work/society/etc.) are stuffing themselves with $4.00 packs of twinkies, $7.48 Tombstone Pizzas, $50.00 shrimp trays, and $41.00 sheet cakes purchased from the stores who are all too happy to exploit taxpayers like you. If I were you, with your family situation,I would be very concerned about problems such as this. The fact that you could care less is very puzzling, yet also quite telling.

I'm pretty sure this is exactly what Jesus would say.

Jesus would be pissed to see that people are taking advantage of each other like this. I'm not saying it doesn't occur on both ends, but your argument is essentially that since one side does it, it is o.k for the others to also. Pretty dimwitted approach if you ask me.

 

[bostonfred]

Who cares if anyone has walked a mile.....if they want a cake they should buy a Pillsbury one and frost it themselves for $15 instead of $40.

My mom can't make a cake like you're describing. She has a tiny oven less than a foot across in her subsidized studio. She doesn't own a cake pan and doesn't have a lot of room to store one. She can't always get a ride to the store, and the last time she walked, she fell and hit her head. She's a wonderfully kind hearted woman who wants to feel like her life is worthwhile and she's terribly depressed because she doesn't have the ability to do things for other people. Shes repeatedly tried working and can't because she sometimes flakes out and has to pray or thinks she's talking to god. When my son, her only grandson, comes to her rundown smalltown apartment, which is on the short list of things keeping her going, she doesn't have a tv with cable, or video games, or a computer, or a bunch of fancy toys for him. If she wants to buy a forty one dollar cake for him, in the hopes that he remembers that one good time at nanas house when he's older, do you really think that calling her a grafter is going to help? who the #### are you to pass judgement on her?

 

[meatwad1]

This guy sees someone buy a ####### cake, decides its too expensive for them, then pats himself on the back for being able to afford a costco membership, a car, the time and gas to go across town 20 extra minutes on the weekend, the space in his home to store huge boxes of bulk goods, and the money to spend on things today that he wont use until tomorrow. But he doesn't take the time to ask if this is a single mom who is trying to help her kid have a cake with his friends so he will have some self confidence and wont feel like the poor kid who can't have a birthday party for reasons that have nothing to do with him, or if this mother is dealing with some other life issues like mental illness, substance abuse, or unemployment, or if this mother has the luxury to go on longer trips to the store or if it means that shed have to bring her youger baby in a car seat she can't afford or leave them with a babysitter who can't be bothered to watch a kid for a couple hours while she gets a two gallon jar of mayonnaise. He just says, this ladys stupid, and we shouldn't give her money anymore. Maybe he can spit on some homeless people on the way home and make himself feel even better.

No one should be buying a $41 cake with public benefits. Sorry.

You dont sound like someone who has walked a mile in those shoes. I hope for your sake you don't have to.

Who cares if anyone has walked a mile.....if they want a cake they should buy a Pillsbury one and frost it themselves for $15 instead of $40. It is really bothersome that some of you libs lack the intellect to understand that we don't get money from a money tree. What you obviously fail to comprehend is that the money this woman grafted is money that will not be able to go to somebody that actually needs it! So when your brother becomes indignant enough where he finally cannot care for himself, the facility they put him in will be lacking in funds precisely because of GARBAGE LIKE THIS!!!!!! Seriously man, take off the rosie-rose glasses and smell the smellin' salts....if you are telling us that you have a mentally ill brother, you should be smart enough to understand that people like that, unfortunately, are at the bottom of the pecking order when it comes to demanding money to live on. When push comes to shove, your brother is going to be rotting away in a filthy, decrepit, understaffed, madhouse while millions of losers (unconcerned with work/society/etc.) are stuffing themselves with $4.00 packs of twinkies, $7.48 Tombstone Pizzas, $50.00 shrimp trays, and $41.00 sheet cakes purchased from the stores who are all too happy to exploit taxpayers like you. If I were you, with your family situation,I would be very concerned about problems such as this. The fact that you could care less is very puzzling, yet also quite telling.

Faith and Family!

Oh....you got me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!If you think I'm serious with an avatar.username like that, you have many challenges ahead of you in life.Cheers.

 

[hook014]

Poor people make bad financial decisions all the time, it's part of the reason they're poor. And 41 is a lot for a cake, but you don't survive long on welfare without learning how to budget. That last week of the month can really be a hungry one if you;re not careful and even if you are.

I'd wager this woman knew exactly the sacrifice this purchase would mean for the rest of her month. Even her child expressed surprise at the cost and her willingness to pay it. He knew it wasn't normal. But people have motivations that arent readily apparent. Maybe this woman had a sister that raved about the doggone cake at this store and always got them for her kid's birthdays. Maybe she just had enough of the sisters cutting remarks and pity at her inability to get her son this expensive treat. So she says screw it, I'll pay it and eat peanut butter for a week. Cause thats the price, less food later.

Any system will get it's share of abuse. But I'll save the outrage for those that buy booze and drugs with their assistance and leave moms buying birthday cakes alone.

For the article... One star out of five. Would not reread.

 

[urbanhack]

This guy sees someone buy a ####### cake, decides its too expensive for them, then pats himself on the back for being able to afford a costco membership, a car, the time and gas to go across town 20 extra minutes on the weekend, the space in his home to store huge boxes of bulk goods, and the money to spend on things today that he wont use until tomorrow. But he doesn't take the time to ask if this is a single mom who is trying to help her kid have a cake with his friends so he will have some self confidence and wont feel like the poor kid who can't have a birthday party for reasons that have nothing to do with him, or if this mother is dealing with some other life issues like mental illness, substance abuse, or unemployment, or if this mother has the luxury to go on longer trips to the store or if it means that shed have to bring her youger baby in a car seat she can't afford or leave them with a babysitter who can't be bothered to watch a kid for a couple hours while she gets a two gallon jar of mayonnaise. He just says, this ladys stupid, and we shouldn't give her money anymore. Maybe he can spit on some homeless people on the way home and make himself feel even better.

No one should be buying a $41 cake with public benefits. Sorry.

You dont sound like someone who has walked a mile in those shoes. I hope for your sake you don't have to.

Who cares if anyone has walked a mile.....if they want a cake they should buy a Pillsbury one and frost it themselves for $15 instead of $40. It is really bothersome that some of you libs lack the intellect to understand that we don't get money from a money tree. What you obviously fail to comprehend is that the money this woman grafted is money that will not be able to go to somebody that actually needs it! So when your brother becomes indignant enough where he finally cannot care for himself, the facility they put him in will be lacking in funds precisely because of GARBAGE LIKE THIS!!!!!! Seriously man, take off the rosie-rose glasses and smell the smellin' salts....if you are telling us that you have a mentally ill brother, you should be smart enough to understand that people like that, unfortunately, are at the bottom of the pecking order when it comes to demanding money to live on. When push comes to shove, your brother is going to be rotting away in a filthy, decrepit, understaffed, madhouse while millions of losers (unconcerned with work/society/etc.) are stuffing themselves with $4.00 packs of twinkies, $7.48 Tombstone Pizzas, $50.00 shrimp trays, and $41.00 sheet cakes purchased from the stores who are all too happy to exploit taxpayers like you. If I were you, with your family situation,I would be very concerned about problems such as this. The fact that you could care less is very puzzling, yet also quite telling.

I'm pretty sure this is exactly what Jesus would say.

Jesus would be pissed to see that people are taking advantage of each other like this.

 

[AAABatteries]

nice cuts of meat

I would think you'd be in favor of this

 

[meatwad1]

Who cares if anyone has walked a mile.....if they want a cake they should buy a Pillsbury one and frost it themselves for $15 instead of $40.

My mom can't make a cake like you're describing. She has a tiny oven less than a foot across in her subsidized studio. She doesn't own a cake pan and doesn't have a lot of room to store one. She can't always get a ride to the store, and the last time she walked, she fell and hit her head. She's a wonderfully kind hearted woman who wants to feel like her life is worthwhile and she's terribly depressed because she doesn't have the ability to do things for other people. Shes repeatedly tried working and can't because she sometimes flakes out and has to pray or thinks she's talking to god. When my son, her only grandson, comes to her rundown smalltown apartment, which is on the short list of things keeping her going, she doesn't have a tv with cable, or video games, or a computer, or a bunch of fancy toys for him. If she wants to buy a forty one dollar cake for him, in the hopes that he remembers that one good time at nanas house when he's older, do you really think that calling her a grafter is going to help? who the #### are you to pass judgement on her?

Dude....wait a minute here. I am beginning to doubt that anything you say is even true because when you described your mom at first, you spoke of her as a person who would never even think to do anything extravagant. Now she is the person out wasting the money? We are talking about apples and oranges here. In any event, it also sounds as if she has very little assistance in life, perhaps you should take a look in the mirror to solve that issue, and stop praying to your hero President Obama.

 

[Sweet J]

I'm with fred: I grew up on Welfare. I can remember going down to the supermarket as a kid and buying my ####ing Cherios with those ####ing neon-bright bills that you can spot from about a mile away, and trying to slink into my shoes as I pay. I can remember being a little embarrassed any time I threw something in the cart that wasn't completely healthy. It felt like I was stealing. I was embarrassed to eat free lunch for most of my school years. Right up through my senior year of HS. Without welfare, my family would have been homeless, and hungry. The investment the government made in my family has probably been returned 100 fold when you consider the taxes that I pay, my two sisters and one brother pays, that my mother pays. The public service jobs that now are held, the volunteer work that gets done, and the charity and church contributions. When I think about the moral indignation and tut-tutting of conservatives about Welfare -- those same conservatives who appear to give the robber-bankers a free pass -- and it's enough to make my head explode.

Welfare may have serious flaws. The biggest being that I'm not entirely sure it, as a system, is more beneficial for the population it services than is harmful. But "they'll just waste their money on non-nutritious food" is the worst of the worst of the arguments.

 

[glock]

My mentally ill mother and brother are on food stamps. They don't have a car, but there are outreach programs which will help them with basic errands like shopping once a week for an hour or two. Outside that, if they want anything in their relatively rural locatioh, they have to walk a mile to the store, or two or more miles to a discount store or grocery store. My mother doesnt use the internet, but my brother goes to the library when the weather is ok and uses their connection for the short time allowed. The amount of energy required to perform the very basic tasks that we take for granted is enormous. My brother, before the mental illness made him functionally incapable of working, developed a smoking habit, gets takeout, and drinks beer whenever he can sneak away. He spends his money as fast as it comes in. My mother is the opposite - she doesn't eat meat, wont order food at a restaurant unless she's dragged there, has never drank or smoked, stashes cheap foodstuffs in her fridge and cupboards with an intricate collection of leftovers that she shares with friends when they run out of money at the end of the month, and is as generous as they come. When I hear people complaing about people on welfare, and look at the scraps my family lives on because they had the same genes I do but just didn't have the good fortune I've had in my life, it makes my stomach turn. Ive lived in low income, urban neighborhoods and seen people abuse the system, and those who dont. I've seen more affluent people lose their job and need unemployment to avoid losing their homes, and I've seen wealthy owners of small seasonal businesses claim unemployment during the months they choose to close up shop. If you create a system to help people, some undeserving people will always abuse it. But don't throw the baby out with the bathwater.This guy sees someone buy a ####### cake, decides its too expensive for them, then pats himself on the back for being able to afford a costco membership, a car, the time and gas to go across town 20 extra minutes on the weekend, the space in his home to store huge boxes of bulk goods, and the money to spend on things today that he wont use until tomorrow. But he doesn't take the time to ask if this is a single mom who is trying to help her kid have a cake with his friends so he will have some self confidence and wont feel like the poor kid who can't have a birthday party for reasons that have nothing to do with him, or if this mother is dealing with some other life issues like mental illness, substance abuse, or unemployment, or if this mother has the luxury to go on longer trips to the store or if it means that shed have to bring her youger baby in a car seat she can't afford or leave them with a babysitter who can't be bothered to watch a kid for a couple hours while she gets a two gallon jar of mayonnaise. He just says, this ladys stupid, and we shouldn't give her money anymore. Maybe he can spit on some homeless people on the way home and make himself feel even better.

 

[parasaurolophus]

This guy sees someone buy a ####### cake, decides its too expensive for them, then pats himself on the back for being able to afford a costco membership, a car, the time and gas to go across town 20 extra minutes on the weekend, the space in his home to store huge boxes of bulk goods, and the money to spend on things today that he wont use until tomorrow. But he doesn't take the time to ask if this is a single mom who is trying to help her kid have a cake with his friends so he will have some self confidence and wont feel like the poor kid who can't have a birthday party for reasons that have nothing to do with him, or if this mother is dealing with some other life issues like mental illness, substance abuse, or unemployment, or if this mother has the luxury to go on longer trips to the store or if it means that shed have to bring her youger baby in a car seat she can't afford or leave them with a babysitter who can't be bothered to watch a kid for a couple hours while she gets a two gallon jar of mayonnaise. He just says, this ladys stupid, and we shouldn't give her money anymore. Maybe he can spit on some homeless people on the way home and make himself feel even better.

No one should be buying a $41 cake with public benefits. Sorry.

You dont sound like someone who has walked a mile in those shoes. I hope for your sake you don't have to.

You know you are dead wrong here. There is no reason you have to pay 41 bucks for a birthday cake. Period. Ever. End of discussion. If her son's self esteem hinges on a cake costing 20 bucks or 41 bucks, then you sir have at least identified the problem.

 

[Willie Neslon]

If anyone should be mad it should be the child because those food stamps are supposed to feed him and the rest of the family. If mom is spending all the stamps on expensive cheeses and expensive prepared foods then the family will have less to eat. Tell the child he has a choice, eat delicious food but less of it or have average food and a lot of it. Last i checked the soup kitchen will choose generic creams over cool whip every time.

 

[bostonfred]

Who cares if anyone has walked a mile.....if they want a cake they should buy a Pillsbury one and frost it themselves for $15 instead of $40.

My mom can't make a cake like you're describing. She has a tiny oven less than a foot across in her subsidized studio. She doesn't own a cake pan and doesn't have a lot of room to store one. She can't always get a ride to the store, and the last time she walked, she fell and hit her head. She's a wonderfully kind hearted woman who wants to feel like her life is worthwhile and she's terribly depressed because she doesn't have the ability to do things for other people. Shes repeatedly tried working and can't because she sometimes flakes out and has to pray or thinks she's talking to god. When my son, her only grandson, comes to her rundown smalltown apartment, which is on the short list of things keeping her going, she doesn't have a tv with cable, or video games, or a computer, or a bunch of fancy toys for him. If she wants to buy a forty one dollar cake for him, in the hopes that he remembers that one good time at nanas house when he's older, do you really think that calling her a grafter is going to help? who the #### are you to pass judgement on her?

Dude....wait a minute here. I am beginning to doubt that anything you say is even true because when you described your mom at first, you spoke of her as a person who would never even think to do anything extravagant. Now she is the person out wasting the money? We are talking about apples and oranges here. In any event, it also sounds as if she has very little assistance in life, perhaps you should take a look in the mirror to solve that issue, and stop praying to your hero President Obama.

I think its fascinating how easily you can pass judgement on me and my family from your elitist ivory tower.

 

[Sweet J]

http://www.huffingto..._n_1517572.html

To much of the world, it was Monday. To Mario Batali, it was Day Four.

The chef, his wife and their two teenage sons are eating for a week on the equivalent of a food stamp budget in protest of potential cuts pending in Congress to the benefit program used by more than 46 million Americans.

That's $31 per person for the week, or about $1.48 per meal each.

Goodbye restaurants, free nibbles on his talk show "The Chew" and all the luxe offerings at Eataly, the high-end New York City market he co-owns. Hello Trader Joe's, Jack's Dollar Store, Gristedes and Western Beef, a low-cost supermarket chain.

"I'm (expletive deleted) starving," said Batali, who's on the board of the food relief agency Food Bank for New York City, which issued the challenge to celeb pals like Batali and anybody else who wants to know what it's like.

You can get a lot more than $120 a month in food stamps.

If you play by the rules, living on food stamps is pretty hard. the problem we have though are that there are many people playing the system and flat out stealing. Of course, not everybody is like this. Limousine liberals like Batali like to close their eyes and pretend that none of this crap ever goes on.

Please. How much money per year does the Average FBG, take from the government buy way of the Mortgage Deduction? $3,000 $4,000? $5,000? More? Who is going behind them to make sure they are spending that money properly?

 

[tommyGunZ]

Where was this cake purchased - NYC? Is $41 really that extravagant for an ice cream cake that can feed 15-20 people?

I'll have to ask my wife how much the cake we bought for my daughters birthday 2 months ago cost. It wouldn't surprise me if she paid $30-$40.

 

[bostonfred]

This guy sees someone buy a ####### cake, decides its too expensive for them, then pats himself on the back for being able to afford a costco membership, a car, the time and gas to go across town 20 extra minutes on the weekend, the space in his home to store huge boxes of bulk goods, and the money to spend on things today that he wont use until tomorrow. But he doesn't take the time to ask if this is a single mom who is trying to help her kid have a cake with his friends so he will have some self confidence and wont feel like the poor kid who can't have a birthday party for reasons that have nothing to do with him, or if this mother is dealing with some other life issues like mental illness, substance abuse, or unemployment, or if this mother has the luxury to go on longer trips to the store or if it means that shed have to bring her youger baby in a car seat she can't afford or leave them with a babysitter who can't be bothered to watch a kid for a couple hours while she gets a two gallon jar of mayonnaise. He just says, this ladys stupid, and we shouldn't give her money anymore. Maybe he can spit on some homeless people on the way home and make himself feel even better.

No one should be buying a $41 cake with public benefits. Sorry.

You dont sound like someone who has walked a mile in those shoes. I hope for your sake you don't have to.

You know you are dead wrong here. There is no reason you have to pay 41 bucks for a birthday cake. Period. Ever. End of discussion. If her son's self esteem hinges on a cake costing 20 bucks or 41 bucks, then you sir have at least identified the problem.

I understand that you don't get it.

 

[parasaurolophus]

This guy sees someone buy a ####### cake, decides its too expensive for them, then pats himself on the back for being able to afford a costco membership, a car, the time and gas to go across town 20 extra minutes on the weekend, the space in his home to store huge boxes of bulk goods, and the money to spend on things today that he wont use until tomorrow. But he doesn't take the time to ask if this is a single mom who is trying to help her kid have a cake with his friends so he will have some self confidence and wont feel like the poor kid who can't have a birthday party for reasons that have nothing to do with him, or if this mother is dealing with some other life issues like mental illness, substance abuse, or unemployment, or if this mother has the luxury to go on longer trips to the store or if it means that shed have to bring her youger baby in a car seat she can't afford or leave them with a babysitter who can't be bothered to watch a kid for a couple hours while she gets a two gallon jar of mayonnaise. He just says, this ladys stupid, and we shouldn't give her money anymore. Maybe he can spit on some homeless people on the way home and make himself feel even better.

No one should be buying a $41 cake with public benefits. Sorry.

You dont sound like someone who has walked a mile in those shoes. I hope for your sake you don't have to.

You know you are dead wrong here. There is no reason you have to pay 41 bucks for a birthday cake. Period. Ever. End of discussion. If her son's self esteem hinges on a cake costing 20 bucks or 41 bucks, then you sir have at least identified the problem.

I understand that you don't get it.

ok

 

[urbanhack]

This guy sees someone buy a ####### cake, decides its too expensive for them, then pats himself on the back for being able to afford a costco membership, a car, the time and gas to go across town 20 extra minutes on the weekend, the space in his home to store huge boxes of bulk goods, and the money to spend on things today that he wont use until tomorrow. But he doesn't take the time to ask if this is a single mom who is trying to help her kid have a cake with his friends so he will have some self confidence and wont feel like the poor kid who can't have a birthday party for reasons that have nothing to do with him, or if this mother is dealing with some other life issues like mental illness, substance abuse, or unemployment, or if this mother has the luxury to go on longer trips to the store or if it means that shed have to bring her youger baby in a car seat she can't afford or leave them with a babysitter who can't be bothered to watch a kid for a couple hours while she gets a two gallon jar of mayonnaise. He just says, this ladys stupid, and we shouldn't give her money anymore. Maybe he can spit on some homeless people on the way home and make himself feel even better.

No one should be buying a $41 cake with public benefits. Sorry.

You dont sound like someone who has walked a mile in those shoes. I hope for your sake you don't have to.

Who cares if anyone has walked a mile.....if they want a cake they should buy a Pillsbury one and frost it themselves for $15 instead of $40. It is really bothersome that some of you libs lack the intellect to understand that we don't get money from a money tree. What you obviously fail to comprehend is that the money this woman grafted is money that will not be able to go to somebody that actually needs it! So when your brother becomes indignant enough where he finally cannot care for himself, the facility they put him in will be lacking in funds precisely because of GARBAGE LIKE THIS!!!!!! Seriously man, take off the rosie-rose glasses and smell the smellin' salts....if you are telling us that you have a mentally ill brother, you should be smart enough to understand that people like that, unfortunately, are at the bottom of the pecking order when it comes to demanding money to live on. When push comes to shove, your brother is going to be rotting away in a filthy, decrepit, understaffed, madhouse while millions of losers (unconcerned with work/society/etc.) are stuffing themselves with $4.00 packs of twinkies, $7.48 Tombstone Pizzas, $50.00 shrimp trays, and $41.00 sheet cakes purchased from the stores who are all too happy to exploit taxpayers like you. If I were you, with your family situation,I would be very concerned about problems such as this. The fact that you could care less is very puzzling, yet also quite telling.

Faith and Family!

If you think I'm serious with an avatar.username like that, you have many challenges ahead of you in life.

Why are you so angry?

 

[urbanhack]

Who cares if anyone has walked a mile.....if they want a cake they should buy a Pillsbury one and frost it themselves for $15 instead of $40.

My mom can't make a cake like you're describing. She has a tiny oven less than a foot across in her subsidized studio. She doesn't own a cake pan and doesn't have a lot of room to store one. She can't always get a ride to the store, and the last time she walked, she fell and hit her head. She's a wonderfully kind hearted woman who wants to feel like her life is worthwhile and she's terribly depressed because she doesn't have the ability to do things for other people. Shes repeatedly tried working and can't because she sometimes flakes out and has to pray or thinks she's talking to god. When my son, her only grandson, comes to her rundown smalltown apartment, which is on the short list of things keeping her going, she doesn't have a tv with cable, or video games, or a computer, or a bunch of fancy toys for him. If she wants to buy a forty one dollar cake for him, in the hopes that he remembers that one good time at nanas house when he's older, do you really think that calling her a grafter is going to help? who the #### are you to pass judgement on her?

Dude....wait a minute here. I am beginning to doubt that anything you say is even true because when you described your mom at first, you spoke of her as a person who would never even think to do anything extravagant. Now she is the person out wasting the money? We are talking about apples and oranges here. In any event, it also sounds as if she has very little assistance in life, perhaps you should take a look in the mirror to solve that issue, and stop praying to your hero President Obama.

No offense, but you seem like a pretty big tool.

 

[glock]

Who cares if anyone has walked a mile.....if they want a cake they should buy a Pillsbury one and frost it themselves for $15 instead of $40.

My mom can't make a cake like you're describing. She has a tiny oven less than a foot across in her subsidized studio. She doesn't own a cake pan and doesn't have a lot of room to store one. She can't always get a ride to the store, and the last time she walked, she fell and hit her head. She's a wonderfully kind hearted woman who wants to feel like her life is worthwhile and she's terribly depressed because she doesn't have the ability to do things for other people. Shes repeatedly tried working and can't because she sometimes flakes out and has to pray or thinks she's talking to god. When my son, her only grandson, comes to her rundown smalltown apartment, which is on the short list of things keeping her going, she doesn't have a tv with cable, or video games, or a computer, or a bunch of fancy toys for him. If she wants to buy a forty one dollar cake for him, in the hopes that he remembers that one good time at nanas house when he's older, do you really think that calling her a grafter is going to help? who the #### are you to pass judgement on her?

Dude....wait a minute here. I am beginning to doubt that anything you say is even true because when you described your mom at first, you spoke of her as a person who would never even think to do anything extravagant. Now she is the person out wasting the money? We are talking about apples and oranges here. In any event, it also sounds as if she has very little assistance in life, perhaps you should take a look in the mirror to solve that issue, and stop praying to your hero President Obama.

No offense, but you seem like a pretty big tool.

Seriously. Alias check anyone?

 

[TexanFan02]

clinton

So, she was statistically more likely to be black or hispanic. Purely based on the evidence, of course.

/clinton

Fixed it for you.

 

[Zow]

Let them eat cake.Sorry, couldn't resist.

You can't have your cake and eat it too... unless you have an EBT card

 

[parasaurolophus]

Who cares if anyone has walked a mile.....if they want a cake they should buy a Pillsbury one and frost it themselves for $15 instead of $40.

My mom can't make a cake like you're describing. She has a tiny oven less than a foot across in her subsidized studio. She doesn't own a cake pan and doesn't have a lot of room to store one. She can't always get a ride to the store, and the last time she walked, she fell and hit her head. She's a wonderfully kind hearted woman who wants to feel like her life is worthwhile and she's terribly depressed because she doesn't have the ability to do things for other people. Shes repeatedly tried working and can't because she sometimes flakes out and has to pray or thinks she's talking to god. When my son, her only grandson, comes to her rundown smalltown apartment, which is on the short list of things keeping her going, she doesn't have a tv with cable, or video games, or a computer, or a bunch of fancy toys for him. If she wants to buy a forty one dollar cake for him, in the hopes that he remembers that one good time at nanas house when he's older, do you really think that calling her a grafter is going to help? who the #### are you to pass judgement on her?

You dont bake an ice cream cake. HTH

 

[mozzy84]

Where was this cake purchased - NYC? Is $41 really that extravagant for an ice cream cake that can feed 15-20 people? I'll have to ask my wife how much the cake we bought for my daughters birthday 2 months ago cost. It wouldn't surprise me if she paid $30-$40.

the ones at dairy queen are like $20-$23. And they are worth every damn penny.

 

[bostonfred]

when most people go to the store to get a cake, they drive. They choose the store that has the product they want at the price they want, choose between cake mix and cake, and they might even buy some candles or some milk or some other groceries while they're out. If the only cake there is forty one bucks, they leave, or they just have forty one fewer bucks to blow on entertainment that week.

If my mom goes to the store, and hasn't planned a week in advance to buy it on her outing, then she's walking for 20 minutes or so each way. Hope the weathers nice. She goes to the closest store that might sell cake, ideally the cheaper store if there are a couple options. She doesn't have a lot of cooking equipment - she tends to use meatloaf pans because they're cheaper and stackable and she can fit several in her small oven at once. Thats not really conducive to making a cake. If there isn't a lot of variety or she doesn't like the price, she goes home. That's an hour of her life, and shes in her sixties, so she's isn't taking lots of walks like that every day. If she wants the cake and some milk, she better figure out a way to carry both. She uses old reusable shopping bags because they're softer on her hands for long walks, but with a cake you really want to use both hands. If she spends forty bucks on something, she literally figured out to the dollar what she has to cut from her budget.

If she decided to buy a cake because I told her I was bringing her only grandson over for his birthday, and she wanted him to enjoy a day with her, when she feels embarrassed that she can't do more for him and wants nothing more than to enjoy a happy day with her family, then God bless her, even if it costs forty TWO dollars. Id try to take her grocery shopping later, and id pay for her groceries knowing she couldn't afford too many luxuries. But once in a while, let her feel some self worth, for providing something to a child who doesn't understand why he sees one grandma every day and the other one every few weeks, and the first grandma has nice toys and a backyard, while the second one has a small apartment where there's nothing to do and not much room to run around. Begrudging someone a one time expense without knowing the rest of the story is just wrong.

 

[Flying Spaghetti Monster]

My mentally ill mother and brother are on food stamps. They don't have a car, but there are outreach programs which will help them with basic errands like shopping once a week for an hour or two. Outside that, if they want anything in their relatively rural locatioh, they have to walk a mile to the store, or two or more miles to a discount store or grocery store. My mother doesnt use the internet, but my brother goes to the library when the weather is ok and uses their connection for the short time allowed. The amount of energy required to perform the very basic tasks that we take for granted is enormous.

My brother, before the mental illness made him functionally incapable of working, developed a smoking habit, gets takeout, and drinks beer whenever he can sneak away. He spends his money as fast as it comes in. My mother is the opposite - she doesn't eat meat, wont order food at a restaurant unless she's dragged there, has never drank or smoked, stashes cheap foodstuffs in her fridge and cupboards with an intricate collection of leftovers that she shares with friends when they run out of money at the end of the month, and is as generous as they come.

When I hear people complaing about people on welfare, and look at the scraps my family lives on because they had the same genes I do but just didn't have the good fortune I've had in my life, it makes my stomach turn. Ive lived in low income, urban neighborhoods and seen people abuse the system, and those who dont. I've seen more affluent people lose their job and need unemployment to avoid losing their homes, and I've seen wealthy owners of small seasonal businesses claim unemployment during the months they choose to close up shop. If you create a system to help people, some undeserving people will always abuse it. But don't throw the baby out with the bathwater.

This guy sees someone buy a ####### cake, decides its too expensive for them, then pats himself on the back for being able to afford a costco membership, a car, the time and gas to go across town 20 extra minutes on the weekend, the space in his home to store huge boxes of bulk goods, and the money to spend on things today that he wont use until tomorrow. But he doesn't take the time to ask if this is a single mom who is trying to help her kid have a cake with his friends so he will have some self confidence and wont feel like the poor kid who can't have a birthday party for reasons that have nothing to do with him, or if this mother is dealing with some other life issues like mental illness, substance abuse, or unemployment, or if this mother has the luxury to go on longer trips to the store or if it means that shed have to bring her youger baby in a car seat she can't afford or leave them with a babysitter who can't be bothered to watch a kid for a couple hours while she gets a two gallon jar of mayonnaise. He just says, this ladys stupid, and we shouldn't give her money anymore. Maybe he can spit on some homeless people on the way home and make himself feel even better.

Sorry about your family, but this isn't an isolated case. One of the reasons we are in the mess we are in is because of people(dirtbags) who pull crap like this. I spent 10 years working in retail grocery and believe me, this is not an isolated case. People will buy shrimp trays, nice cuts of meat, and other 'luxuries' that even most of the employees of the store (most of whom bust their ### for $8.00 an hour) cannot afford. Whatever though, from the sound of most of the jokers on this thread, nobody gives a rip about this, which is why these parasites are able to get away with such graft.

Only an idiot would suggest that we get rid of welfare, it is however high time to take a close look at what people are able to purchase with their 'free' money. I don't think it would be a bad idea to make them all go to government warehouses to pick up the staples that are needed to survive. In the end, that is most likely what is going to happen anyways once the dollar is no longer the standard currency and the libs run out of other peoples' money to borrow and spend.

I'd guess that the bigger reason that we are in the current mess has a lot more to do with the billions of dollars lost through shady dealings of wealthy hedge fund managers, banks, broakers, and investment types than food stamp recipients. Dirbags on food stamps got us into this mess? Food stamps? Really? Food stamps? Are you effing kidding me? Food stamps? Jesus H. Christ, I feel like Allen Iverson talking about practice. We're talking about Food Stamps, right? Food stamps? That's the cause of the nation's ills? Food stamps?

Take the money we gave the banks for their bailout and tell us how many years of food stamps that would pay for, take the amount of money we give to corporations in the form of subsides and tax breaks and put that money into local food banks or school lunches.

The poor do not give campaign contributions and can't afford lobbyists.

 

[tommyGunZ]

Who cares if anyone has walked a mile.....if they want a cake they should buy a Pillsbury one and frost it themselves for $15 instead of $40.

My mom can't make a cake like you're describing. She has a tiny oven less than a foot across in her subsidized studio. She doesn't own a cake pan and doesn't have a lot of room to store one. She can't always get a ride to the store, and the last time she walked, she fell and hit her head. She's a wonderfully kind hearted woman who wants to feel like her life is worthwhile and she's terribly depressed because she doesn't have the ability to do things for other people. Shes repeatedly tried working and can't because she sometimes flakes out and has to pray or thinks she's talking to god. When my son, her only grandson, comes to her rundown smalltown apartment, which is on the short list of things keeping her going, she doesn't have a tv with cable, or video games, or a computer, or a bunch of fancy toys for him. If she wants to buy a forty one dollar cake for him, in the hopes that he remembers that one good time at nanas house when he's older, do you really think that calling her a grafter is going to help? who the #### are you to pass judgement on her?

You dont bake an ice cream cake. HTH

Oof. Stay down Rock. You're embarrassing yourself.

 

[Flying Spaghetti Monster]

when most people go to the store to get a cake, they drive. They choose the store that has the product they want at the price they want, choose between cake mix and cake, and they might even buy some candles or some milk or some other groceries while they're out. If the only cake there is forty one bucks, they leave, or they just have forty one fewer bucks to blow on entertainment that week. If my mom goes to the store, and hasn't planned a week in advance to buy it on her outing, then she's walking for 20 minutes or so each way. Hope the weathers nice. She goes to the closest store that might sell cake, ideally the cheaper store if there are a couple options. She doesn't have a lot of cooking equipment - she tends to use meatloaf pans because they're cheaper and stackable and she can fit several in her small oven at once. Thats not really conducive to making a cake. If there isn't a lot of variety or she doesn't like the price, she goes home. That's an hour of her life, and shes in her sixties, so she's isn't taking lots of walks like that every day. If she wants the cake and some milk, she better figure out a way to carry both. She uses old reusable shopping bags because they're softer on her hands for long walks, but with a cake you really want to use both hands. If she spends forty bucks on something, she literally figured out to the dollar what she has to cut from her budget. If she decided to buy a cake because I told her I was bringing her only grandson over for his birthday, and she wanted him to enjoy a day with her, when she feels embarrassed that she can't do more for him and wants nothing more than to enjoy a happy day with her family, then God bless her, even if it costs forty TWO dollars. Id try to take her grocery shopping later, and id pay for her groceries knowing she couldn't afford too many luxuries. But once in a while, let her feel some self worth, for providing something to a child who doesn't understand why he sees one grandma every day and the other one every few weeks, and the first grandma has nice toys and a backyard, while the second one has a small apartment where there's nothing to do and not much room to run around. Begrudging someone a one time expense without knowing the rest of the story is just wrong.

GD dude wow.

 

[Chairshot]

The point that most of you are missing is that it doesn't matter how much the cake is. It's not like the lady gets an extra $41 if she decides to get an ice cream cake. Her benefits are what they are. How she spends that benefit is left to her.

We can't go around checking recipients receipts after they leave the store. How much cake is allowed? What if she spent $40 on 15 cakes, would that be OK?

Regardless of the cost of the cake, her benefits stay the same. If she buys one cake or 20 boxes of crackers with the money she still gets the same amount. It costs the taxpayer nothing more than it already did.

You could probably get mad at her for spending so much of her benefit on the cake, I guess, but you have no idea what her situation is. Maybe she's a fantastic shopper and had the money left. Maybe she cut corners that month just so she could get her kid a cake. Maybe she's and idiot that places no value on her benefits.

No matter what she does, it doesn't cost anyone a dime extra than it already would, so I don't see what the big deal is.

 

[Slapdash]

I am a Little Debbie distributor and EBT fraud is rampant. I was in a store today and a woman purchased Twisted Tea with her card. The store just rang the alcoholic beverages as something else.

So?

So? It's fraud.

I guess it is just pretty low on the list of fraudulent things that bother me.

 

[FatMax]

Who cares if anyone has walked a mile.....if they want a cake they should buy a Pillsbury one and frost it themselves for $15 instead of $40.

My mom can't make a cake like you're describing. She has a tiny oven less than a foot across in her subsidized studio. She doesn't own a cake pan and doesn't have a lot of room to store one. She can't always get a ride to the store, and the last time she walked, she fell and hit her head. She's a wonderfully kind hearted woman who wants to feel like her life is worthwhile and she's terribly depressed because she doesn't have the ability to do things for other people. Shes repeatedly tried working and can't because she sometimes flakes out and has to pray or thinks she's talking to god. When my son, her only grandson, comes to her rundown smalltown apartment, which is on the short list of things keeping her going, she doesn't have a tv with cable, or video games, or a computer, or a bunch of fancy toys for him. If she wants to buy a forty one dollar cake for him, in the hopes that he remembers that one good time at nanas house when he's older, do you really think that calling her a grafter is going to help? who the #### are you to pass judgement on her?

Dude....wait a minute here. I am beginning to doubt that anything you say is even true because when you described your mom at first, you spoke of her as a person who would never even think to do anything extravagant. Now she is the person out wasting the money? We are talking about apples and oranges here. In any event, it also sounds as if she has very little assistance in life, perhaps you should take a look in the mirror to solve that issue, and stop praying to your hero President Obama.

I think its fascinating how easily you can pass judgement on me and my family from your elitist ivory tower.

In his defense, he already told us what Jesus would think about publicly-assisted ice cream cakes. When someone throws around that kind of expertise, it's pretty safe to assume he's qualified to pass judgment on whatever he feels like.

 

[GoFishTN]

No matter what she does, it doesn't cost anyone a dime extra than it already would, so I don't see what the big deal is.

I think most rational people would get upset if they gave someone $100 to feed their family and they spent almost half of it on an ice cream cake.

 

[BigSteelThrill]

I am a Little Debbie distributor

You work for the Devil! Those little tasty and cheap snacks are soooo evil!

 

[parasaurolophus]

The point that most of you are missing is that it doesn't matter how much the cake is. It's not like the lady gets an extra $41 if she decides to get an ice cream cake. Her benefits are what they are. How she spends that benefit is left to her.We can't go around checking recipients receipts after they leave the store. How much cake is allowed? What if she spent $40 on 15 cakes, would that be OK?Regardless of the cost of the cake, her benefits stay the same. If she buys one cake or 20 boxes of crackers with the money she still gets the same amount. It costs the taxpayer nothing more than it already did. You could probably get mad at her for spending so much of her benefit on the cake, I guess, but you have no idea what her situation is. Maybe she's a fantastic shopper and had the money left. Maybe she cut corners that month just so she could get her kid a cake. Maybe she's and idiot that places no value on her benefits. No matter what she does, it doesn't cost anyone a dime extra than it already would, so I don't see what the big deal is.

So why have restrictions at all? Why shouldnt they be able to buy liquor then? If they get what they get no matter what, why does it matter what they buy?

 

[GoFishTN]

No matter what she does, it doesn't cost anyone a dime extra than it already would, so I don't see what the big deal is.

I think most rational people would get upset if they gave someone $100 to feed their family and they spent almost half of it on an ice cream cake.

Heaven forbid they spend $10 of it on pride.

 

[SacramentoBob]

Are we really arguing over ice cream cakes here?

 

[SacramentoBob]

If he wanted to create real outrage, at least he could've talked about how easy it is to walk into any corner store in placed like Camden, NJ and swipe your EBT card on a fake sale and get about 50% cash back off the "purchase" so she can go buy what she really wants.

 

[Parrothead]

No matter what she does, it doesn't cost anyone a dime extra than it already would, so I don't see what the big deal is.

I think most rational people would get upset if they gave someone $100 to feed their family and they spent almost half of it on an ice cream cake.

Heaven forbid they spend $10 of it on pride.

sure, but pride won't feed the family the last week of the month- That said, I really don't care how people spend thier money, and, as others have said, hard for me to judge this lady without more details- who knows, maybe they saved a few bucks a month for the cake? If that's the case, more power to them- life is nothing without the occasional treat. Nothing here for me to get outraged over..

 

[urbanhack]

No matter what she does, it doesn't cost anyone a dime extra than it already would, so I don't see what the big deal is.

I think most rational people would get upset if they gave someone $100 to feed their family and they spent almost half of it on an ice cream cake.

Heaven forbid they spend $10 of it on pride.

That said, I really don't care how people spend thier money, and, as others have said, hard for me to judge this lady without more details- who knows, maybe they saved a few bucks a month for the cake? If that's the case, more power to them- life is nothing without the occasional treat. Nothing here for me to get outraged over..

 

[Parrothead]

Are we really arguing over ice cream cakes here?

wait till we find out that she didn't pay her electric bill and $20 worth of deliciousness melted down the street..

 

[hutchins929]

when most people go to the store to get a cake, they drive. They choose the store that has the product they want at the price they want, choose between cake mix and cake, and they might even buy some candles or some milk or some other groceries while they're out. If the only cake there is forty one bucks, they leave, or they just have forty one fewer bucks to blow on entertainment that week. If my mom goes to the store, and hasn't planned a week in advance to buy it on her outing, then she's walking for 20 minutes or so each way. Hope the weathers nice. She goes to the closest store that might sell cake, ideally the cheaper store if there are a couple options. She doesn't have a lot of cooking equipment - she tends to use meatloaf pans because they're cheaper and stackable and she can fit several in her small oven at once. Thats not really conducive to making a cake. If there isn't a lot of variety or she doesn't like the price, she goes home. That's an hour of her life, and shes in her sixties, so she's isn't taking lots of walks like that every day. If she wants the cake and some milk, she better figure out a way to carry both. She uses old reusable shopping bags because they're softer on her hands for long walks, but with a cake you really want to use both hands. If she spends forty bucks on something, she literally figured out to the dollar what she has to cut from her budget. If she decided to buy a cake because I told her I was bringing her only grandson over for his birthday, and she wanted him to enjoy a day with her, when she feels embarrassed that she can't do more for him and wants nothing more than to enjoy a happy day with her family, then God bless her, even if it costs forty TWO dollars. Id try to take her grocery shopping later, and id pay for her groceries knowing she couldn't afford too many luxuries. But once in a while, let her feel some self worth, for providing something to a child who doesn't understand why he sees one grandma every day and the other one every few weeks, and the first grandma has nice toys and a backyard, while the second one has a small apartment where there's nothing to do and not much room to run around. Begrudging someone a one time expense without knowing the rest of the story is just wrong.

What you couldn't stop by and take her to the grocery store a couple times a week? You couldn't buy your kid an extra birthday present and give it to your mom to give to your kid? You know what??? That post proves one thing... You suck as a son!

 

[tommyGunZ]

Are we really arguing over ice cream cakes here?

I'm waiting for parasaurolophus to explain how one makes the cake part of an ice cream cake w/o baking.

 

[SacramentoBob]

I'm with fred: I grew up on Welfare. I can remember going down to the supermarket as a kid and buying my ####ing Cherios with those ####ing neon-bright bills that you can spot from about a mile away, and trying to slink into my shoes as I pay. I can remember being a little embarrassed any time I threw something in the cart that wasn't completely healthy. It felt like I was stealing. I was embarrassed to eat free lunch for most of my school years. Right up through my senior year of HS. Without welfare, my family would have been homeless, and hungry. The investment the government made in my family has probably been returned 100 fold when you consider the taxes that I pay, my two sisters and one brother pays, that my mother pays. The public service jobs that now are held, the volunteer work that gets done, and the charity and church contributions. When I think about the moral indignation and tut-tutting of conservatives about Welfare -- those same conservatives who appear to give the robber-bankers a free pass -- and it's enough to make my head explode.

Welfare may have serious flaws. The biggest being that I'm not entirely sure it, as a system, is more beneficial for the population it services than is harmful. But "they'll just waste their money on non-nutritious food" is the worst of the worst of the arguments.

Old school food stamps were like monopoly money.

 

[SacramentoBob]

when most people go to the store to get a cake, they drive. They choose the store that has the product they want at the price they want, choose between cake mix and cake, and they might even buy some candles or some milk or some other groceries while they're out. If the only cake there is forty one bucks, they leave, or they just have forty one fewer bucks to blow on entertainment that week. If my mom goes to the store, and hasn't planned a week in advance to buy it on her outing, then she's walking for 20 minutes or so each way. Hope the weathers nice. She goes to the closest store that might sell cake, ideally the cheaper store if there are a couple options. She doesn't have a lot of cooking equipment - she tends to use meatloaf pans because they're cheaper and stackable and she can fit several in her small oven at once. Thats not really conducive to making a cake. If there isn't a lot of variety or she doesn't like the price, she goes home. That's an hour of her life, and shes in her sixties, so she's isn't taking lots of walks like that every day. If she wants the cake and some milk, she better figure out a way to carry both. She uses old reusable shopping bags because they're softer on her hands for long walks, but with a cake you really want to use both hands. If she spends forty bucks on something, she literally figured out to the dollar what she has to cut from her budget. If she decided to buy a cake because I told her I was bringing her only grandson over for his birthday, and she wanted him to enjoy a day with her, when she feels embarrassed that she can't do more for him and wants nothing more than to enjoy a happy day with her family, then God bless her, even if it costs forty TWO dollars. Id try to take her grocery shopping later, and id pay for her groceries knowing she couldn't afford too many luxuries. But once in a while, let her feel some self worth, for providing something to a child who doesn't understand why he sees one grandma every day and the other one every few weeks, and the first grandma has nice toys and a backyard, while the second one has a small apartment where there's nothing to do and not much room to run around. Begrudging someone a one time expense without knowing the rest of the story is just wrong.

What you couldn't stop by and take her to the grocery store a couple times a week? You couldn't buy your kid an extra birthday present and give it to your mom to give to your kid? You know what??? That post proves one thing... You suck as a son!

Is there some kind of contest to be the worst ####### poster on the board that I'm not aware of?

 

[Marvin]

One of the reasons we are in the mess we are in is because of people(dirtbags) who pull crap like this.

Yes, I think the federal budget is about 1/3 Social Security, 1/3 defense spending and 1/3 overpriced cakes.

 

[Marvin]

$41.00 sheet cakes

It was an ice cream cake, IIRC.

 

[Nugget]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/15/mario-batali-food-stamp-challenge_n_1517572.html

To much of the world, it was Monday. To Mario Batali, it was Day Four.The chef, his wife and their two teenage sons are eating for a week on the equivalent of a food stamp budget in protest of potential cuts pending in Congress to the benefit program used by more than 46 million Americans.That's $31 per person for the week, or about $1.48 per meal each.Goodbye restaurants, free nibbles on his talk show "The Chew" and all the luxe offerings at Eataly, the high-end New York City market he co-owns. Hello Trader Joe's, Jack's Dollar Store, Gristedes and Western Beef, a low-cost supermarket chain."I'm (expletive deleted) starving," said Batali, who's on the board of the food relief agency Food Bank for New York City, which issued the challenge to celeb pals like Batali and anybody else who wants to know what it's like.

Can a family of 4 not get by on over $500 month for food at a grocery store? Can coupons not be used with food stamps? This does not seem that tough to me.