Kansas considers a new red card for food stamps

[proud2BlibKansan]

Kansas officials are considering replacing the current benefits card for residents who get food stamps with a bright red one.

The current Vision cards have an artistic impression of a sunflower, while a prototype of the new card is red with the “Kansas Benefits Card” label.

The Kansas Department of Children and Families said the card would be replaced because the agency has a new vendor. However, Tawny Stottlemire of the Kansas Association of County Action Programs said the proposed redesign could return Kansas to an era when public assistance recipients were unnecessarily stigmatized.

The Vision cards were introduced in the 1990s to allow food stamp recipients to use a plastic card to buy food at stores and for people who get temporary cash assistance.

The Associated Press

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2013/01/11/4006586/kansas-considering-new-red-card.html#storylink=cpy

[orwell]

1. It's the "Christian" thing to do...

Jesus would want us to shame the poor.

[quinnox]

2. of course this is the kind of idea they think up in a place like Kansas

It will probably catch on in the rest of the backwards states down there. I'm surprised they don't make food stamp recipients wear bright prison like shirts with "Food Stamp Recipient #2356A" emblazoned on them in big letters.

[SheilaT]

36. How about, every single person who has a government job

be required to wear a bright fuschia jumpsuit with "State Employee # 12345" on it. The Governor gets to have "State Employee #1" in larger letters than anyone else.

I actually do respect the vast majority of public employees and I'm not serious about this suggestion. Other than maybe for all the elected officials, not the civil service types.

[Denninmi]

3. Oh. We're really into stigmatization and beating people when they 're down in this country.

Trust me, I've learned a lot about the topic of stigma in five months. More than I ever cared to. A real eye opener.

As someone diagnosed bipolar, I found people, even healthcare workers, treated me like I am stupid, didn't understand topic x, so couldn't make a valid choice about my life.

The poor no doubt get the lazy and worthless message. A real disgrace.

[NutmegYankee]

10. It's practically a national pastime

There are people who need food stamps (SNAP) and won't get them because of the embarrassment or shame that people would stigmatize them with. The end result is that they almost starve to ensure their children get fed.

[hobbit709]

4. The NEW Scarlet Letter

[Mrs. Overall]

7. +1

[MuseRider]

5. I wonder how obvious

and humiliating Sam can make things for some people before the people who vote for him wake the fuck up about his true character and intentions?

This man is a fake Christian, and a fake human being. He is a person out only for his own benefit and all of it, ALL of it, is on the backs of anyone he can use.

I find this behavior beyond anything anyone with any decency could abide let alone support.

[proud2BlibKansan]

6. And I wonder

how long it will be before the Democrats in Kansas have a candidate to run against Sam. At this point, it looks like the election is theirs to lose.

[MuseRider]

11. I wonder if they will even bother.

Unless they can find a candidate that can fund themselves and compete with the Koch money there will be only the same outcome as last time. Nobody will know Sammy has a challenger until they see the name on their ballots.

Most people will vote for the devil they know.

[gollygee]

8. Shame shame shame

Let's make them feel shame. That'll help.

[TheKentuckian]

9. If so then Jayhawks of good conscience should demand bright red cards from their banks in solidarity

Say FUCK YOU to their stigma ploy.

[blockhead]

12. I like this idea. n/t

[nadinbrzezinski]

17. If they got Navy Fed

They don't have too...it is bright red...so are a few Bank of America cards.

[niyad]

13. so how much is this new, offensive, obvious card going to cost kansas? wow, just. . .wow

[msanthrope]

14. Why not make them wear yellow, star-shaped badges? Easier to identify that way!

(to the jury...that was sarcasm!)

[duffyduff]

15. Another reason to use self-checkout

I have SNAP here in Oregon, and I use self-checkout all the time. I am spared the ignorant and judgmental looks.

What kills me is so many people are on SNAP now, there shouldn't be anybody judging others. After all, those of us who need the benefits pay taxes as well.

[nadinbrzezinski]

18. And I am glad my taxes help you

[jwirr]

20. Thank you Nadin.

[Fumesucker]

16. I use a SNAP card, there are so many different cards out there now most don't pay attention

I know I certainly don't pay attention to what debit/credit cards people use, I have far better things to do with my time.

So the state's going to spend a bunch of money changing cards to increase stigma and 90% of people who are supposed to be doing the stigmatizing will never notice.

Sounds like a typical Republican return on investment.

I wonder if the card will look like this?

[jwirr]

19. This defeats the purpose of the EBT card. I can now take my $78 if food stamps to the store and

avoid the staring of my fellow shoppers. I can buy special foods that help my diabetes without being accused of misspending the program.

[nadinbrzezinski]

23. That's the point.

This marking of the deserving poor goes back to the 16th century.

[jwirr]

24. I know - it is a real shame that we have not learned in all these years that the pull yourself up by

your bootstraps is not a good system and never will be. It is just a greed system. Especially when there are not bootstraps.

[FarCenter]

21. Red is not unusual; doesn't anyone have a Target card?

Also, other cards can be had in red:

[Tempest]

27. Look at the card they have in mind. Nothing like the examples you provided.

http://m.cjonline.com/node/147375/photos

[FarCenter]

28. On my monitor it looks similar to the orange Discover card.

The large text saying "Benefits Card" is more distinctive than the color.

Red is a red herring.

[Tempest]

29. Why can't it be more like the other examples from other states on the page?

Why does Kansas want it to be so pronounced?

Only one reason I can think of, especially considering it's Kansas.

What IS wrong with that state?

[FarCenter]

31. Single color card stock with black print is probably as cheap as it gets.

And color or graphics have nothing to do with the functionality of a credit card.

They could save a little more by blowing off the state seal. It's completely unnecessary.

[2pooped2pop]

33. looks like it matches the orange jumpsuits of the jail population

pretty darn well. Ya sure it's red?

[jsr]

22. What about corporate welfare recipients

and agribusinesses on farm subsidies?

[duffyduff]

25. The proposed card looks hideous

A link with the picture is here:

http://m.cjonline.com/news/business/2013-01-11/might-new-food-stamp-card-stigmatize-users

[proud2BlibKansan]

30. Yuck

No reason for this other than to shame recipients.



Compare to Florida's card:


And Hawaii:

[jsr]

32. or California

[Tempest]

26. Why not just make them wear a red star on their jackets?

Insensitive, I know. But not much different.

[kestrel91316]

34. Nathaniel Hawthorne would recognize this for what it is: poverty shaming.

It's akin to slut-shaming.

[Odin2005]

35. The scarlet card.

Gotta keep the poor shamed and humiliated.

[Takket]

37. maybe instead of a red card...

they could just wear a bright yellow star on their clothing with a proximity chip inside of it that they could just place against a reader to pay with? Just a thought.