Him: well what's your big brain idea to eliminate food assistance fraud?
Me: universal food assistance
Him:
Me: because there wouldn't be a system to cheat, everyone would just get a check
Him: and who does that benefit?
Me: family farmers and human beings who rely on food for nutrition
Him: what about rich people?
Me: what about them?
Him: you would give them food assistance too?
Me: that's what universal means
Him: you can't do that
Me: yesterday you said I couldn't tax them and now you won't let me feed them either?
Him: they can afford food
Me: then it should be fine to tax them
Him: but if you tax them they won't have as much money
Me: I'm willing to offer universal food assistance
I like the conclusion. "Aw, the poor billionaire would have less money? Don't worry free food assistance!"
The government says an adult needs $297 to eat for 1 month, and I have found this to be 100% adequate in my state (yes I am on SNAP right now).
I am pretty sure a billionaire sometimes tips an amount bigger than that just to impress someone.
@Extra_Special_Carbon@mastodon.world
Double that food money if you have allergies. Companies price that stuff like it’s a luxury not to be sick all of the time.
I started my young adult life without a car. There is bus service in the city I lived in, but carrying groceries on the bus usually meant 2 bags of groceries at most, so a lot of canned and dried foods.
Now I have a car and can buy 5 bags for 2 weeks, and fresh produce is 80% of my shopping trip and is not only healthier, but cheaper.
Buying a 5lb bag of potatoes and 3 lb bag of onions is a cost savings, but one you have to have a little privilege for.
I might have had some of the milder food allergies, like gluten, but at that age and minimum wage I just had chronic inflammation, obesity, swelling, and I spent my whole life not knowing I wasn't absorbing Magnesium and Iron because of it.
Caring about my health was a luxury I couldn't afford, and other people judging me thinking I was lazy was a thing I couldn't help.
It will probably shorten my life by 20 years.
When I was young and broke, we'd go to a handful of various joints that had large proportions for ~$3 a pop - China Kitchen, El Ranchero, CiCi's Pizza, Anthony's 3.50 (Yes, it was in the name.), maybe Tbell. And, of course, Ramen was 12c a pack. I'm in the south, so I got by on grits a good bit. It was a wretched diet, nutrition-wise.
I was in a similar way. Putting a can of tuna in raman was fancy and a way to get some protein in when I could afford it.
The number of times I tried to substitute something, like mayo, for expensive milk and butter in generic mac and cheese. Yeach.
The barely meat $1 bag of hot dogs - 1 hot dog, removed and cut up, to "spice up" a pot of mac n cheese.
So much macaroni, which I am probably allergic to, and so much cheese powder.
Not good times.
yeah, 5 years in and a few raises, plus getting a car which caused my employer to jump my pay by $1/hour (suddenly they knew I could drive to some better job) and I could afford to hit those super cheap Chinese buffets.
So much sweet and sour "meat".
Eating healthy was a thing I had to be able to afford more than a decade later.
