I know in California it is supposed to be restricted to the homeless, elderly and disabled but if a restaurant accepts any EBT card at all, any of them can be used there regardless. I see it in use about every time I go to a fast food place and a grocery store. I think the whole SNAP program is rife with fraud, been offered cards for fifty cents on the dollar outside a store one too many times.
Another way to look at it is--if we're going to have this government program, best thing to do is to load it up with regulations and rules so it's as unwieldly and hard to administer as possible. Add layers of bureaucrats too.
So you think an 80 billion dollar per year program isn't already loaded with layers of bureaucracy already?
I don't recall anyone crying that WIC is overburdened with regulations and layers of bureaucracy, even though it has strict rules about what can be purchased with the vouchers.
and why is it called WIC?
(women, Infant Children)
I'm sure that there are single fathers who should be eligible fathers.
Should be called
PIC!
You know the govt wants to be PC
No, I'm saying Salty's idea for specific restrictions on food stamp purchases is a bad idea.
Funny how some conservatives are in favor of block grants to the states, allowing the states to spend federal money as they see fit, free of federal regulations, yet are in favor of regulations detailing how individuals may spend their federal benefits.
Actully, my opinion is that the Federal govt should get completely out of the Food Stamp business.
It should be up to the State/Commonwealth if they want to participate - and any regulations they see fit.
I agree to an extent. The problem is that some states might opt out of the program altogether. Why not give food stamp block grants to the states and let them administer the program as they see fit?
Well, a man cannot get WIC because women only get it if they are pregnant, postpartum for 6 months and/or nursing.
An INFANT or CHILD can get WIC, however.
It is available for children up to age 5.
For those who don't know, WIC restrictions are set up so that you get a coupon for a particular size and type of an item and the store will make sure that you can get that.
So let's say it says milk -one gallon of whole or 2% -
you cannot buy a gallon of skim or a half gallon of whole.
It is the same with formula, diapers, baby food, etc.
The restrictions are WAY tighter than food stamps.
Additionally, did you know that you can buy seeds on food stamps?
So you can buy seeds to grow a garden with your SNAP benefit.
:)