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Comments

• [1] Kenny April 20, 2009 - 10:33AM

  Don't we have an obesity problem in this country?

  
  
• [2] Ralph April 20, 2009 - 10:38AM

  What are the qualifications for food stamps? There are so many recent immigrants in Rego Park, Queens who have these food stamp cards. A lot of Russians bring their parents here. The parents live with the kids in the house (i guess they are able to obtain green cards or something) and the parents get Social Security, Medicaid and Food Stamps.

  This doesn't seem right. At least with a young person there is a chance that they can be productive. I fail to see why bringing senior citizens into this country and giving them foodstamps is productive use of the Nation's resources.

  If we also give amnesty to the illegals, will this cause a flood to the entitlement office for Welfare, food stamps and medicaid?

  
  
• [3] Kate April 20, 2009 - 11:08AM

  I'm wondering: Do store HAVE to accept food stamps?

  
  
• [4] Hugh from Brookyn April 20, 2009 - 11:12AM

  My understanding is that Mayor Bloomberg *opposed* easing eligibility for food stamps.

  The Food Bank for New York City has reported that about 1.3 million people in the five boroughs rely on soup kitches and food pantries.

  They also report that nearly half of the city's population is "experiencing difficulty affording food for themselves and their families" -- double the number in 2003.

  See

  http://www.foodbanknyc.org/go/food-poverty-in-nyc

  
  
• [5] Jeb April 20, 2009 - 11:14AM

  Can the foodstampers be made to shop at a separate line? I find it annoying to be delayed by people who are living on my tax dollars.

  
  
• [6] j from nyc April 20, 2009 - 11:15AM

  so all of the executives taking $1 a year, do their future stock options count as salary or savings? [they're fingerprints are on file if they deal with stocks anyway]

  and i knew someone on food stamps who actually needed it. it's not an easy program. You can also use food stamps at the Farmers market, i think I saw signs for it there in the past year.

  
  
• [7] Chicago Listener April 20, 2009 - 11:15AM

  Are there any steps in place to help people make smarter food choices? I think we've all been behind someone in line who has a cart full of chips, soda, hot dogs, frozen pizza and etc, who then pays with government script.

  
  
• [8] bill from brooklyn April 20, 2009 - 11:16AM

  I work as a freelance journalist in the media industry for multiple news organizations. That being the case, I don't have a steady check from an employer, but rather multiple smaller checks (per assignment) from a group of employers. How does one demonstrate a verifiable low-income level given this situation?

  
  
• [9] Igor April 20, 2009 - 11:17AM

  Can I buy foodstamp cards from people and get there PIN#? I remember a friend of mine in the 1980s who use to buy foodstamps from junkies and whinos when he visited his mother in Brooklyn (when they were paper) at 50 cents on the dollar and fill his fridge for a month.

  
  
• [10] Leah from Brooklyn, NY April 20, 2009 - 11:19AM

  I was wondering if there is any regulation on the types of food that can be purchased with food stamps? For example, I witnessed a woman and her young child buying a lot of unhealthy processed snacks and used food stamps for the purchase.

  If the government can add a "sugar tax" to soda should this be regulated too?

  -Leah

  
  
• [11] hjs from 11211 April 20, 2009 - 11:19AM

  jeb

  ya! maybe they should not be allowed in the store at all, they could shop from the loading dockets or better yet they should have to go up to the farms and pick their own food.

  
  
• [12] JJ April 20, 2009 - 11:20AM

  What if you have low income but have assets like a house, 401k, equity investments for retirement etc. Can you get food stamps? How destitute do you have to be?

  
  
• [13] Chicago Listener April 20, 2009 - 11:21AM

  [[5 - Jeb April 20, 2009 - 11:14AM Can the foodstampers be made to shop at a separate line? I find it annoying to be delayed by people who are living on my tax dollars.]]

  Yes! And let's cut off their right hands and make them wear sack cloth! If they should dare gaze upon us, we shall put out their eyes!! Kill the poor!!!

  
  
• [14] Jeb April 20, 2009 - 11:22AM

  hjs from 11211,

  That defeats the purpose. If they expend all of those calories to get the food. They will need more food.

  
  
• [15] Chicago Listener April 20, 2009 - 11:23AM

  Are there "term limits" for food stamps, either consecutive months or lifetime?

  
  
• [16] Chicago Listener April 20, 2009 - 11:24AM

  Where does the money for food stamps come from? Is it funded annually, based on demand?

  
  
• [17] Jeff April 20, 2009 - 11:24AM

  Can I buy ethanol gas with my foodstamps?

  
  
• [18] Laura Rich from New York April 20, 2009 - 11:27AM

  Food stamps are touchy topic - who should receive them? We addressed the yuppy-out-of-work question of food stamps from two perspectives:

  http://www.recessionwire.com/2009/04/03/yuppies-and-food-stamps/

  http://www.recessionwire.com/2009/03/17/should-yuppies-take-food-stamps/

  Glad to see the subject of food stamps getting further attention and exploration.

  
  
• [19] See from NJ April 20, 2009 - 11:27AM

  #7 count me out, I've been grocery shopping for my family for 40 years and I have never seen a person with a cart full of garbage pay with food stamps. American Express, definitely, food stamps, never.

  This is the "welfare queen" rewritten

  
  
• [20] hjs from 11211 April 20, 2009 - 11:28AM

  Jeb 14

  let them eat cake!

  or no extra food, if they are hungry they won't have the energy to rob me

  
  
• [21] Jeb April 20, 2009 - 11:28AM

  Chicago Listener,

  All that does increase emergency room visits. And, it will make my health insurance premiums more expensive, which are already high due to the illegals in the emergency room and defensive medicine (due to frivolous lawsuits) Where they will hangout with the illegals who are also overrunning our emergency rooms.

  
  
• [22] hjs from 11211 April 20, 2009 - 11:34AM

  see, 19

  not true i worked in a convenience store in the 90's and saw some junkies buy $50 worth of junk, ie twinkies, hohos and other snacky cakes with food stamps.

  i just thought HAVE FUN! hope they're better today.

  
  
• [23] Chicago Listener April 20, 2009 - 11:46AM

  [[19 See from NJ April 20, 2009 - 11:27AM #7 count me out, I've been grocery shopping for my family for 40 years and I have never seen a person with a cart full of garbage pay with food stamps. American Express, definitely, food stamps, never. This is the "welfare queen" rewritten.]]

  no, actually, it's a concern for the correlation between poverty and obesity and a realization that at least some of the people who are trapped in poverty may not have learned good shopping, cooking and eating habits. it's also an attempt to look at the range of issues attached to poverty and hunger and to use each contact with people as an opportunity to address those issues.

  
  
• [24] Former Medicaid Supervisior from Brooklyn April 20, 2009 - 11:52AM

  Please tell the gentleman from Harlem that he may have a “back door” into the food stamp program. With his wife being pregnant, if she is eligible for WIC, she is also eligible for Medicaid under expanded eligibility, which also makes her eligible for food stamps under the same expanded eligibility. He or she must remember to tell the eligibility specialist, or their supervisor to check and/or refer the application for food stamps under the expanded eligibility program.

  
  
• [25] Jon P. from The Garden State April 20, 2009 - 12:35PM

  To all that have seen people on food stamps buying junk food, this must be a New York thing and an Illinois thing. In NJ, I have seen someone using food stamps be denied to be able to buy a box of Capt N’ Crunch because of the high sugar content and I saw a person with a Katrina card be dined to buy a box of donuts for the same reason.

  
  
• [26] Annie April 20, 2009 - 03:14PM

  We had one inquiry about where to find the original post about the Teaneck deli. You can see the post and a photo in Your Uncommon Economic Indicators story archive.

  Here is the link to paste in your browser: http://panzera.wnyc.org/indicators/contributions/id/461/

  
  
• [27] Lyn from http://fromwembleypark.com April 21, 2009 - 02:57PM

  I am very glad to hear that Russians are bringing their families to NY and are taking advantage of food stamps. Hopefully more White Europeans will do it too.

  
  
• [28] Dubai Boy from London - NYC November 02, 2009 - 07:57PM

  FOOD STAMPS are a literal American caste system. (you) need to identify people by their "social-economic" status. Its all u have.