Food Stamps With No Soft Drinks Better for All

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg wants to take soft drinks off the list of things you can buy with food stamps. Critics will say there's Bloomberg, godfather of the nanny state, trying to tell people what they can or can't do…And I say, 'Thank goodness.' Bloomberg got cigarette smoking out of the bars and restaurants, forced fast food outlets to post calorie counts -- hard to argue with either.

NY May Ban Buying Sugary Drinks with Food Stamps

America is eating itself to death. Eating foods with grotesquely high calorie counts and sloshing it down with high sugar and high fructose drinks. It's a formula that's turned us into a people too fat to fight off diabetes. The price tag is practically incalculable. Living on food stamps isn't easy. And maybe it feels like a treat to buy soda for the kids, but eliminating those soft drinks will be better for everybody, and it's a way to stretch the buying power of those food stamps a little farther.

Just a minute. I'm Harry Smith, CBS News.

115 Comments Add a Comment

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linfinster says:

...smokers should stop smoking in public place and not around children. And people getting food assistance should buy nutritious healthy foods.


chapter7 replies:: linkicon reporticon emailicon; Agreed that smokers should not smoke in public places but there should be some places they can go to socialize where they don't have to put up with nonsmokers. People getting food assistance should be able to buy what they normally would, not be dictated to by others who are more fortunate and have no restrictions themselves.


linfinster replies:: linkicon reporticon emailicon; more fortunate? No restriction? Really?! Well I don't agree. It isn't about fortune and restriction .. If you get Food Assistance, use it for nutrition .. buy the other stuff with your own money! Don't have any money? Well then you SHOULD be utilizing the benefit in the most beneficial way? The benefit doesn't meet a complete month of eating anyway, so where do people make up the differences ... food pantry's, friends and family ... it's there to feed and keep people healthy.

And as for the non smokers .. there are clubs that you pay a dues to that allow smoking .. I belong to one. Don't know if that kind of thing is allowed all over the US but here in Maine it is.

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chapter7 says:

Yes, by all means put the soft drink industry out of business too. The banks/credit card companies we bailed out with our taxpayer money have their customer service centers overseas, so do Tracfone and Net 10 (Verizon).

And lets kick the poor people when they are down. Instead of allowing them to eat or drink what they normally do, lets force them to change their diet entirely while they are on food stamps while the wealthy continue to be able to drink all the soft drinks (and alcohol)they want. It's bad enough that the kids on government food programs are already banned from cereal (or anything else) with flavor.

The only thing helping some people to NOT gain weight is the diet soft drinks. For some people it is the only beverage they drink. Since this is not "sugary" obviously it isn't contributing to obesity. Milk is fattening. So is fruit juice. Want to make the problem worse? Ban soft drinks (which includes diet drinks).

Why not also put Hershey's, Nestles, Little Debbie, Hostess, and all makers of "white bread" out of business too. Then when the collection agencies call (from India) you can explain how you can't find a job because there aren't any left in the U.S.

There is a misconception that people on food stamps are on welfare. This is not true. If you have no children there is NO assistance you qualify for (no medical,dental or monetary). Most people getting food stamps are working part time minimum wage jobs and can't get enough hours to pay their bills yet they are expected to be on call 24/7. Maybe the same thing should happen to that idiot mayor (and the self righteous people agreeing with him) so they can see how fun it is.


linfinster replies:: linkicon reporticon emailicon; You're an iDi0t! If people are working and getting stamps .. then they have money to buy the crap food with their OWN money!!! Lol. I stand by my comment! Stamps are OTHER peoples donated money and should be used for NUTRITIOUS meals. PERIOD. ESPECIALLY so when there are children involved.

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linfinster says:

You're full if it if you think people don't eat good foods with government assistance. Tea? Coffee? No! There are plenty of other more nutritious things to buy than that and soda. If someone wants soda.. use your OWN money ... what?? don't have any and that's why you're on FS? Well then you shouldn't waste it on something with zero nutritional value! Duh!


chapter7 replies:: linkicon reporticon emailicon; An even bigger waste of our tax dollars is paying for "your" salary and benefits.

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creative32mc says:

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg wants to take soft drinks off the list of things well i think he should have to be on food stamps for at least 3 months i don't think he wold like that at all if the shoes is on the other feet like if some one told him he cant have his his coffee tea or what ever he likes to drink a foolish man that makes foolish decisions i hope he don't run his city like he try's to run people in general new york want's a mayor not a dick tater .


chapter7 replies:: linkicon reporticon emailicon; Totally agree.

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mecoram says:

I receive EBT benefits and I do not buy sugary drinks...I buy generic Crystal Light, other than that coffee. I shop at Aldi and Save-A-Lot; I buy beans, meat, vegetables; not hot dogs or bologna. My child does not like those anyhow, that's good! You can buy food seeds in Missouri so you can grow your own food, which I have. Cheaper tomatoes that way :) I plan my meals in advance so I can get as much out of them and freeze the rest for other meals. That's how I stretch my food stamps... our bodies weren't designed for SUGAR; that accounts for a lot of health problems in just that one word.


linfinster replies:: linkicon reporticon emailicon; Good for you!! Very smart and a great example for others.

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msabril says:

some people focus on the wrong things in life. Soldiers need to be freed. Higher paying jobs so that welfare recipents can make a living without depending on assistance. soda's bought with snap's could be purchased by an elderly with diabetes who may need a drink if his/her sugar is low. what about children being molested, raped or abused. why do we focus on minor things in life. the people with the negative opinion if you are worried about drinks being purchased with stamps, when was the last time you helped the elderly and fight for them to recieve more stamps. 10- $30 is not enough. WE CAN FOCUS ON SCHOOLS PROTECTION, AND MANY OTHER THINGS LIKE FIGHTING FOR SOCIAL SECURITY TO LOWER THE AGE SO THAT OUR ELDERLY WANT HAVE TO DIE TRYING TO GET IT, OR HALF DEAD TO RECIEVE IT


linfinster replies:: linkicon reporticon emailicon; Pleeze, get off your soap box and see the reality of it! You talk about SNAP .. do you KNOW what that stands for> SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITIONAL FOOD PROGRAM ... that SUPPLEMENTAL ... it isn't meant to carry someone for the entire month .. and it doesn't .. those in the field know that. NUTRITIONAL .. use it for nutritional FOOD .. and PROGRAM .. this IS NOT your money being spent .. it is a GIFT, we only ask that it be used smartly. You want to get junk and crap food to eat then buy it with your own money.

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hhandyman says:

First of all as a dialysis patient on Food Stamps I am limited on beverages already to excess. when you eliminate diet soda (lemon lime, rootbeer,and others that are allowable on the diet you must understand Orange, Grapefruit, Kiwi, banannas mellons are not allowed Milk limited to half a cup per day total including if its in a food.
just how restrictive do you want my life to be?
this is why i feel that this is not fair for all to be stuck with the limits that may be healthier for a few.


linfinster replies:: linkicon reporticon emailicon; And so do you not have other money? Do you eat meats and veggies? Then use your stamps for those and spend your own money on the other stuff.


chapter7 replies:: linkicon reporticon emailicon; Why is it assumed that if someone buys soft drinks that they don't buy ANY so called "nutritious" food? They probably have to buy "nutitious" food with their "own money" after they run out of stamps anyway so what's the difference? (That is if they have any money left after buying toilet paper, shampoo and other things people take for granted but that they are not "allowed" to buy with food stamps.)

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tashamay21 says:

I feel that is is not right for government to ban soft drinks for people who has food stamps. now i get stamps and i do not buy soda for my kids but that's the choice i make as a parent. what because we get help from the government they should be telling us what to buy that's crazy. and i understand kids are big. but its not only kids who parents gets food stamps. so what about those kids who are not on stamps what are you doing for them. what they need to be cracking down on are the people who are getting stamps and selling them or men who are on stamps when they should be out working. i am a mother who works 80+ hours a week with a set of twins and i have to fight tooth and nail just to some stamps to feed my kids instead of the government trying to change the people on aid they should try to change the system so that it works a little better. instead of trying to control what we eat try to open up more programs for inner city kids so that they can play sports and other active things for kids so that they can stay fit. the neighborhoods are getting so bad that all a kid can do to be safe is sit down in the house and look at tv. so fix are city and not what we buy as long as noone is abusing the system


kippertoo replies:: linkicon reporticon emailicon; Yea, heaven forbid the government try to change the behavior of people who have become dependent on taxpayer handouts.

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sandyanddusty says:: Unbelivable he has the time to provide leadership and direction on this issue. I certainly respect his opinion, but I would think there are more important concerns or issues in regards to the economy, jobs, crime and the corruption in business and government. It appears its easier to pick on those who we perceive at the bottom of the food chain, although everyone who receives food stamps and welfare assistance are not always there as a matter of choice. I wonder whatever Mr. Bloomberg's passion is, a bottle of fine wine, a vacation retreat, if someone suggested he had to give up those things as a matter of we the public did not feel it was healthy to his overall well-being or better yet what is he willing to sacrifice to lead by example.; reply

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Heidi1980 says:

I have read a lot of your comments and I have to say you people have no idea what the supplemental programs were made for. They were not for government control or to support people who didn't want to support themselves. They were to help the working class person when times got hard. I assume by reading most of your posts that none of you have gone through rough times, I hope you never do. There is a screening process to getting assistance and it isn't like those who receive assistance even really get enough to live off of. It is hard and not at all "comfortable" as I recall one person claiming it is. Especially when you went from making $3000 a month to depending on assistance to care for your family. Small minded and delusional is all I can say about all of.