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It’s no secret that Michelle Obama has made herself into the unelected food czar when it comes to what our children eat in schools across the nation. It is also no secret that kids across the nation have shown their disdain for the food that FLOTUS Obama and her minions have forced onto the menus of our nation’s schools.
Now comes another proposed food-control program that Mrs. Obama supports. This time the target of her need for control is the sector of the public who receive food stamps. In a recently released report entitled “Approaches for Promoting Healthy Food Purchases by Snap Participants,” an organization called ICF International reports on its research. The committee sought to develop ideas on how the government can force SNAP participants who use Electronic Benefit Transaction (EBT) cards (the modern version of “food stamps”) to buy more fresh produce, whole grains and other healthy consumables. In return, the ICF was paid $999,891 for its efforts. (Way to keep it below a million dollars, ICF!)
What ICF proposes is for grocery stores to have segregated shopping carts of a designated color for use solely by consumers using EBT cards. Those carts would, in effect, be “smart carts” which would monitor what card users put into their carts. It would then talk to the shopper and give them clues on what to buy or not to buy. It would also give them verbal praise when they chose a set amount of healthy products. The idea is that after receiving enough praise, benefits recipients will choose tofu over hamburger without having o be praised. Pavlov himself would drool over this idea.
It is estimated that the cost to outfit each grocery store with the equipment necessary to allow the First Lady to control the minds purchases of low-income shoppers would be about $30,000. Estimates are that for a chain of stores such as Safeway (which is common in the D.C. area), it would cost about $40,000,000 for the hundreds of stores to be equipped.
Naturally, this begs the question: Who would bear this cost? Well, if the government is willing to give $50,000,000 to a Texas company to renovate a resort hotel to house 600 illegal alien children, perhaps it will also give away free money to Safeway, Giant, Kroger, Publix, HEB, and the hundreds of other chains of groceries across the nation so that they can buy the tricked-out talking shopping carts for SNAP program participants. (Ignore the fact that the Baptist organization withdrew its request for funds to overhaul the resort after backlash from across the nation. Maybe those unused funds can be used to supply smart shopping carts to 15 grocery stores.)
Will EBT card users fall for this behavioral conditioning tactic? And will those who voted for Obama continue to be enthralled with him when his wife starts dictating what they can and cannot buy at the grocery store? Or perhaps they finally will understand the true meaning of the saying: ” A government big enough to give you everything you want is big enough to take everything you have.” In this case, the giving of food results in the loss of freedom to choose what to eat. After all, the government knows better than do we what is good for us. And they tell us so every day.
Mrs Miller wrote:
What ICF proposes is for grocery stores to have segregated shopping carts of a designated color for use solely by consumers using EBT cards. Those carts would, in effect, be “smart carts” which would monitor what card users put into their carts. It would then talk to the shopper and give them clues on what to buy or not to buy. It would also give them verbal praise when they chose a set amount of healthy products. The idea is that after receiving enough praise, benefits recipients will choose tofu over hamburger without having o be praised. Pavlov himself would drool over this idea.
Now, I actually approve of that idea, though not for the reasons Mrs Obama does. Segregated shopping carts would let other shoppers know who is there, buying groceries on the taxpayers’ dollars rather than their own, and perhaps enforce some set of shame into the welfare recipients, and nudge them toward getting a job!
Ahhh, who am I kidding; there is no shame at all amongst welfare leches!
Terrific point! Maybe a little shaming would be good. Of course, it’s a badge of pride for many who mooch these days!
Sam Banner says: Glad this never happened, lord. First – its against federal law to treat snap recipients differently than anyone else at all. You’d think Obama would know that but… ya know.
Second- this would cause people in food desserts to literally starve to death- and if you don’t know what a food dessert is, then you shouldn’t even have an opinion on any of this at all.
Xavier says: I cannot wait to hack those carts. Sarah Palin, Allen West, and Pam Geller will be getting a new soapbox.
Since I just got off food stamps about 2 months ago after using them for about 5 months, I can tell you from personal experience that it is already shameful for those of us who have fallen into the safety net briefly. It nearly brought me to tears every time I had to tell the cashier I was paying with EBT. If I had to use a “special cart” where every person in the store knew, I think I would have foregone the card and sold myself on the street for cash. At least that way, it would just be me and a handful of men who would also feel the shame and no one would talk versus a whole store of people and community members knowing of my brief financial downfall.
To address the post itself, what it comes down to is that the SNAP program allows many crappy choices. Sodas, cakes, donuts, etc. The WIC program is very limited to whole grains, 100% fruit juices, etc. This can easily be done with the SNAP program, limiting to raw materials, ie flour, sugar, baking powder, spices, meats, and also limiting to whole grain breads and cereals, no sodas, no cookies, whatever. This isn’t rocket science.
LL, thank you for sharing your personal experience. It is a stark reminder to me that the SNAP program does have very meritorious application. When I was a child, my parents had to get food stamps from time to time, along with government peanut butter and cheese. I recall my mother’s embarrassment at having to use the stamps. In reality, there was nothing to be ashamed of since she had 11 children to feed. Almost all of us need help of some kind at some time in our lives. Some would say these days that having a large family was irresponsible of my parents, but we siblings are now all productive members of society and have families that are stable and self-sufficient since we learned to work hard and not be dependent on welfare. I think my point was that carts of a different color would indeed act to deter those who are most deserving and for whom the program should be available. As always, those who take advantage of any program generally will not feel any shame in getting free things — it is a game of sorts for some to see how much they can get for free.
It can be an interesting dilemma. For people like me, I wanted to have the smallest impact on the taxpayer. But the most expensive things in the store are the fresh fruits and veggies! So you buy canned, looking for the No Salt versions, and you look for the canned fruit that is in natural juices, not heavy syrup. But fresh stuff that can’t be canned, lettuce/tomatoes/cucumbers (salad makings), and seasonal fruits, do you buy them or not? They eat up a lot of money.
I bought dried milk, I bought canned goods, I bought dried beans and staples that would keep for a while in my basement. As I get back on my feet, that is what I am slowly using up in addition to using my paycheck money for the fresh stuff. Being able to mix the two and stretch things out until I find a balance in life again financially, that is a godsend.
Barbara says: That is what is so insane about the whole thing. “Swaying, encouraging, asking…” how about TELLING those who receive the food stamps that they are not allowed to buy specific things. I am so sick and tired of picking out the cheapest foods for my family only to get behind someone in line who’s children are wearing Michael Jordan sneakers while they are talking on their Iphones, and buying name brand foods. They then pull out their “food stamp credit card” to pay for the food only to pack it into their Chevy Suburban and drive away. Gotta think they’re laughing all the way to the bank. I just can’t believe the mentality of our government officials who will tell businesses they MUST pay for abortion drugs, they must charge more for sugar drinks, they must post calorie counts on their cheeseburgers, but can’t force a food stamp recipient to purchase decent foods! This isn’t rocket science is correct LL! And, to add more rage to your day, they are also talking about “incentivizing” food stamp recipients to purchase certain foods by rewarding them with movie tickets!!! That’s one way to supplement Hollywood for their liberal slanted moviews! Unbelievable!
Anonymous says: It sounds like someone doesn’t understand the Ghetto Food Pyramid. Regardless of intent, the food stamps will be traded for cash and the funds used to purchase blunt wrappers, weed, malt liquor, menthol cigarettes, red and/or purple fruit punch, and Twinkies. These are the things that the bodegas in the bad part of town sell, because it’s what these people want. Short of sending the police to their homes to hold them at gunpoint and force them to eat their vegetables, nothing’s going to change except the national debt, which keeps getting bigger.
Important question: will some crony of Obama’s get the contract to manufacture the talking shopping carts?
Also, if the “special” talking shopping carts for the welfare crowd prove technically workable, won’t it be wonderful if every supermarket, everywhere, has to buy them for everybody?
Follow the money.
Jane Doe says: Just what exactly is going to force EBT card (“foodstamps”) users to get the “shame carts” designed just for THEM? I wonder how will THAT go down? What will keep them from getting a ‘regular’ shopping cart? Will there be snitch BASKETS too (the baskets w/handles for buying just a few items)? Maybe people will just start bring ‘makeshift’ carts into the stores if this ridiculous bullsh*t actually happens.
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