LePage to go ahead with food stamp junk food ban without federal OK

[jpak]

Source: bangor daily news

AUGUSTA, Maine — Gov. Paul LePage says despite his proposal being rejected by the Legislature and federal government, Maine will move forward with restricting the purchase of what he calls junk foods with food stamps in Maine — or give up administration of the program altogether.

“It’s time for the federal government to wake up and smell the energy drinks,” wrote LePage in a letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which provides full funding for benefits for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly called food stamps. “Doubtful that it will, I will be pursuing options to implement reform unilaterally or cease Maine’s administration of the food stamp program altogether. You maintain such a broken program that I do not want my name attached to it.”

A USDA representative did not respond to a question about whether the federal government administers the program in any state, though the USDA website indicates that it is a state-run program without any other explanation.

On Tuesday evening, U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree, a Democrat who represents Maine’s 1st District, said that the USDA had informed her that if Maine opts out of administering SNAP, recipients in the state would lose benefits.

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Read more: http://bangordailynews.com/2016/06/21/politics/lepage-says-hell-go-ahead-with-food-stamp-junk-food-ban-without-federal-ok/

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I bet LePutin buys and eats plenty of junk food with our tax dollars.

Drug test him.

yup

[300gools]

1. would this be constitutional

in the USA?

[bluestateguy]

2. Maybe the supermarkets can defy the governor

and say that federal law supercedes the governor's illegal orders.

[mrmpa]

3. Good thought & idea.........

I don't have the answer, but I think it needs answered.

[davidthegnome]

4. Sadly, that is unlikely.

At least in my part of Maine. I used to work at a small convenience store - and the boss had one of those machines that could take EBT cards. I don't think she approved of people using their food stamp money to buy soda, junk food and so on... but she was a moderate democrat in a very conservative area. Anyhow, I don't know if it was the State or Federal government that decided to do this - but the Boss told me that the government was going to start charging 50 dollars a month, or something like that, for use of the EBT machine. Her way of looking at it was that she didn't make enough money out of the EBT cards to make it worth it to pay the monthly fee. So she put up a sign on the door explaining that we would (effective in another month or so) no longer be accepting EBT cards.

I had quite a number of people come to me and praise that decision, grumbling about free loaders, druggies and scum bags - these were the same sort of people who would immediately start trash talking those in the store who used EBT cards - after they left the store. It was a quiet little place in a quiet little town, but one of those places where people would stop to shoot the breeze - some times with me. I had any number of conversations about food stamps. Mostly I asked the angriest people (those insisting that we had to get rid of the program completely) if they wanted to see people starve. I asked them what they would do if they suddenly lost it all - not get food stamps out of pride? Starve out of stubbornness? As they were almost all "Christians", I may or may not have said, "There but for the grace of God go you or I". They may or may not have rolled their eyes and decided that I was an evil commie, or something.

I can say though... that I have heard as many democrats as republicans complain about the food stamp program. About any kind of welfare program that supports those most in need. I have heard the angry denouncements of "free loaders", "low lifes", "Lazy... <insert word>". LePage will, at the very least, get the support of most of my conservative County for this - if he needs it. Even those dems typically inclined to tell LePage to go to hell might just cheer him on in this.

The man is a despicable, ignorant bigot. A petty tyrant. A vicious, hate mongering douche bag with the intellectual abilities of a piece of dog crap. Nonetheless, something could come of this. I hope that there is some way to block him federally - because our state legislators do not seem to be able to counter him. We couldn't even get medicaid expansion passed.

[Midnight Writer]

5. These "junk food bans" are intended to discourage food stamp use and acceptance.

Scott Walker and the Republicans in Wisconsin just pulled a similar stunt.

By making the program so complicated (for example, a five pound bag of potatoes is eligible, a ten pound bag is not) that folk will have trouble figuring out the ever shifting rules and that stores will no longer accept them.

This is a damn shame, because the food stamp program benefits not only the needy, but the farmers, producers and stores that rely on consumption.

[Sam_Fields]

6. What I buy with my SNAP card.

$18.00 - 36 frozen skinless chicken breast strips (not breaded or fried)
$ 2.00 - 2 lbs dried beans
$ 2.50 - 2 LBS dry rice
$10.00 - 12 frozen hamburgers
$12.00 - 4lbs of sliced ham
$ 2.00 - 2 lbs frozen brocolli
$ 2.00 - 2LBS frozen Green beans
$ 5.10 - 18 pkgd bagels
$ 5.00 - 4 loaves of bread
$ 3.00 - 6 cans of tuna
$ 3.00 - Mayo/mustard/ketchup
$ 3.00 - 18 eggs
$ 5.00 - Peanut butter 40 oz
=======
$72.60

I receive $68 in SNAP benefits per month.

[philosslayer]

7. A shame it doesn't even cover your food bill