Ah the soda wars, that age old battle. /r/facepalm debates Pepsi vs. . . wait, what?!?! Lobster. (np.reddit.com)
SubredditDrama
24 ups - 0 downs = 24 votes
43 comments submitted at 15:43:27 on Jul 10, 2014 by imakuram
Ah the soda wars, that age old battle. /r/facepalm debates Pepsi vs. . . wait, what?!?! Lobster. (np.reddit.com)
SubredditDrama
24 ups - 0 downs = 24 votes
43 comments submitted at 15:43:27 on Jul 10, 2014 by imakuram
Ah yes, the old "How dare poor people ever want to enjoy things?!?!"
It's not about making sure poor people never have any joy, it is, however, about making sure that taxpayer dollars aren't wasted. I don't want people who are on food stamps buying unhealthy or expensive things. I care where my tax dollars go. You want to splurge and buy a candy bar every now and then, great. But you shouldn't be buying Powerade in bulk, it's not exactly the healthiest thing you can buy. Hell, why are they buying name brand anyway? They could stretch those dollars further if they bought store brand items.
> I care where my tax dollars go.
Then things people buy with food stamps should be the least of your problems.
Buying things in bulk, however, is an excellent way to cut down on your total costs. Do you even Extreme Couponers?
Poor people can be unhealthy if they want. They are capable of making those decisions (and how the hell do you know that person wasn't getting some of those for contributions to children's sport activities or had a family member prone to stomach issues who needed a lot of high-calorie liquids around or whatever else). They are also capable of deciding for themselves if they want to budget their food assistance money to splurge on something nice once in a blue moon.
>Buying things in bulk, however, is an excellent way to cut down on your total costs.
True, but Powerade is a luxury. People only need water. If you want flavor, buy some flavor packets. If you're living off my tax dollars, I damn well get a say in what you spend my money on.
>how the hell do you know that person wasn't getting some of those for contributions to children's sport activities
Drink water? Buy generic? Have all the parents pitch in money for drinks?
>They are capable of making those decisions
Nope, they lose most of their agency when they accept money from others to fund their necessities. Think of it this way: we have the ACA, we are all paying for everyone's healthcare now. So when Steve down the block eats unhealthy and requires more medical care than you or I, we have every right to be pissed at him and, since we're now all on the hook, we should be able to impose limits on what they can do.
> They are also capable of deciding for themselves if they want to budget their food assistance money to splurge on something nice once in a blue moon.
Never said they weren't but able to buy something nice once in awhile. My issue is you buying brand name products when store brand are cheaper and the exact same. I also do like the fact that it's money given to people, you want to reduce this kind of abuse? Go back to actual stamps.
This is not even abuse, just someone doing something you don't like. Do you whine about public libraries stocking books you think are bad, or roads you don't think are important being repaired, or any other "waste" of tax dollars as well?
>If you're living off my tax dollars, I damn well get a say in what you spend my money on.
The wonderful thing here is that you actually IRL don't, you just think you deserve one.
Also, you don't get a say in other people's health care needs, either.
> Do you whine about public libraries stocking books you think are bad
I hate to say it, but some people do complain about this...
You're missing my point. If society is funding your lifestyle then we have every right to regulate it. Of course it's not going to be individuals, it's the people we vote in and who, in turn, find people to staff the bureaucracy. And if you don't care that people can use your tax dollars for whatever they want and consequences be damned, fine, but you're letting them waste your money.
it is regulated, just not by you.
There's plenty of rules, you just don't think they're strict enough, which it turns out doesn't matter to anyone.
But only if society is directly funding your lifestyle?
We give mortgage interest write-offs to people who buy houses. Do I get to decide which house they buy? We give taxpayer subsidized student loans and student loan interest is deductible. Do I get to decide which college and classes everyone is taking now? People with children get tax benefits. Can I decide what clothes they buy their kids, too? Gosh, kids don't need sports equipment like bicycles or skates or basketballs - walking is free! From now on, no one who claims a deduction for their kid is allowed to purchase sports equipment!
I'm not so foolish to think it's guaranteed that I would never need welfare or government assistance with health insurance, so I recognize that I shouldn't impose upon others a shitty existence I may one day have to endure.
Plus, controlling what people buy and eat and shit is some hardcore government overreach that would end up costing way more in enforcement than it would even save.
> Plus, controlling what people buy and eat and shit is some hardcore government overreach that would end up costing way more in enforcement than it would even save.
Which in itself is terribly ironic considering the overlap of people who dislike government intervention in areas they find important (religion, gun ownership, small business) are perfectly happy to allow the government to closely regulate and restrict other areas of life that they might not utilize.
>My issue is you buying brand name products when store brand are cheaper and the exact same
I buy pretty much every store brand I can, but sometimes the name brand is cheaper when it's on sale. And sometimes there isn't a store brand equivalent.
Regardless, that's still a personal decision I've made with my budget. I don't buy store brand personal products like handsoap or shampoo because they give me a rash. Who the fuck cares?
> If you're living off my tax dollars, I damn well get a say in what you spend my money on.
haha, no you don't. Are you entitled to talk itno a school and tell the teachers how to use your property tax money? Can you go tell a state wildlife biologist how to apportion game limits with your state tax money? Are you going to go to the NIH what diseases to study? Advise the army on defense contracts?
>Powerade is a luxury. People only need water. If you want flavor, buy some flavor packets. If you're living off my tax dollars, I damn well get a say in what you spend my money on.
I have hypovolemia and POTS, I drink electrolyte enhanced water all day to increase blood volume and lower heart rate. (Salts and potassium help the kidneys retain fluids and my cardiologist recommended salt tablets and propel water.) People with cancer or bowel issues drink enhanced water to stay hydrated during times when they can't eat very much. You don't know everyone's situation or why they need what they need, and a lot of people with serious health issues are on assistance.
> I damn well get a say in what you spend my money on.
Once the government collects that money, it's not yours anymore.
You realize that they're going to spend that money regardless, right? It's not like they are going to get an increase in their monthly EBT amount just because they weren't able to buy enough food the previous month.
If they are going to be on EBT regardless, why do you care what they buy with it?
Your tax dollars go to giving people who cannot afford food an allowance of $x per month on food. Which they then spend on food.
There are rules to this in place, which are governed by the agency that gives the allowance.
Hopefully this helps you understand why the food they purchase isn't any of your business.
Its an allowance, they get $X, and can only spend $X. If they don't budget right, they're the ones that suffer. If they blow half of it on Powerade, they're the ones who have to deal with the consequences.
Tax dollars get wasted on a lot of shit, the odd person with bad shopping habits is pretty low on my priorities.