Republicans in the Iowa Legislature want to limit the foods that people who are on food stamps may purchase. They don’t think poor people deserve to eat well. They also want to lower the threshold for eligibility so that fewer people can get food assistance.
What can you say about such cruelty? Why does anyone vote for them? People without the milk of human kindness in their bodies.
Salon reports:
Iowa House Republicans introduced a bill that would place restrictions on the state’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, limiting who qualifies for food assistance and what foods they can buy.
The new bill, House File 3, dictates what the more than 250,000 Iowans who rely on SNAP can or cannot buy at grocery stores, Luke Elzinga, spokesperson for local food nonprofit DMARC told Axios Des Moines.
HF3 also targets several other public assistance programs, such as Medicaid, and reduces the income level Iowans need to qualify for the program…
Some of the proposed restrictions mean that low-income, older, and disabled Iowans who rely on SNAP benefits would not be able to purchase items like fresh meat, white bread, or sliced cheese.
The bill dictates that people can only purchase 100% whole wheat bread, brown rice and 100% whole wheat pasta — no white grains allowed.
Also on the “do not buy list” are baked, refried or chili beans. Instead, recipients must purchase black, red, and pinto beans. Cooking oil, spices, and salt and pepper would have to be crossed off the shopping list, along with soup, and canned vegetables and fruit.
Fresh meats are off the table, as Iowans would only be able to purchase canned products like canned tuna or salmon. Sliced, cubed, crumbled, and American cheese would also be eliminated from SNAP food purchases….
“I don’t think the 39 co-sponsors of this bill know just how restrictive this is, and that it would ban meat,” he said. “Under this bill, no ground beef, no chicken, no pork in the state of Iowa. I just can’t believe that they knew that was what it was when the bill was introduced.”
Do Republicans believe in freedom? Or control?
Diane Ravitch's blog 
This is disgusting and disturbing.
Also fitting that bill: DeSantis just outlawed classroom libraries in the state of Flor-uh-duh’s public schools.
There can be no libraries not vetted by a librarian as being free of anything that violates Flor-uh-duh laws. Any violation (on page 386 of this book, there’s a mention of sex) would mean the library could be charged with a felony.
In the last school that I taught in, kids who were generally poor students kept showing up in my classes suddenly inspired to read. Why? Well, one of our reading teachers had a large classroom library and an uncanny knack for hooking kids up with the right books.
In other words, she was converting kids and turning them intio readers. She was saving lives. And what was her secret weapon? Her classroom library, which she had vetted over decades by reading tons and tons and tons of YA literature.
Now, in DeSantis’s Flor-uh-duh, with its Thought Police, having that classroom library is a felony.
A felony.
And, it’s now illegal for a student to bring a book from home to school.
Yup, if a kid brings a book from home, e.g., a Bible, he or she can be arrested.
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DeSantis is a fascist.
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If it quacks like a duck, . . .
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Good morning Diane and everyone.
Hi Bob,
Until teachers and administrators collectively say no to this, it will go on and get worse. It’s going to be hard. How long can one be an educator in an institution that doesn’t support education? Educators may have to find other employment, schools may have to fall apart but it’s going to have to be the only way.
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Unfortunately, Florida is (ironically) a right-to-work state. Teachers and unions have very little power in the state.
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If unions had any power in Florida, these abuses would stop.
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We can be educators, or we can be good school employees. We can’t be both. Pick a side.
Also, now might be a good time to start organizing and networking with mutual aid efforts for teachers willing to live by convictions.
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“Until teachers and administrators collectively say no to this, it will go on and get worse.”
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha, whoa Nellie!
Have teachers and adminimals collectively said no to any of the educational malpractices yet? The answer ain’t yes, except for the very few of us, probably less than a couple of dozen in the whole country.
The GAGA Good German teachers and adminimals, and school boards have set themselves up like bowling pins to be bowled over by ever more insane, absurd, harmful to the students, demands of the demented. First they came for. . . .
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Elcaldy
“Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will. Find out just what any people will quietly submit to and you have found out the exact measure of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them, and these will continue till they are resisted with either words or blows, or with both. The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppress. ” The guy Trump thought was 200 yrs old .
That said Right to Work is an attack on funding. Designed to bankrupt Unions by allowing those who benefit from them not to pay for the services they receive. Before the NLRA made organizing easier only made partially more difficult since Taft Hartley, workers put their economic and physical well being on the line. Workers fought for gains in a far more hostile environment. Even at risk of mothers being beaten and having their children taken from them. ( Bread and Roses strike of 1912 )
The problem is with the people in FL. including teachers who tolerate the existence of the law and vote for the politicians who bring these policies. The people of Michigan finally rejected Republican Legislative Control for the first time in decades and the first order of business in the new Legislature is a repeal of Right to Work .
The problem is with Union members who take their Pensions earned in high wage States and move to Fl. to take advantage of low wages and taxes. Forgetting the Unions that brought them these benefits and voting Red .
The problem is with the workers who do not pay dues or tolerate the treatment they receive. From wages and conditions to the loss of Academic Freedom.
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And Republicans believe that DeSantis will have national appeal?? Even out here in Blue California, we have the Trump contingent on social media like Nextdoor always complaining about the situation in CA and the “damn progressives.” They were particularly rabid during the Newsom recall attempt, and I think convinced themselves by the volume of their comments that they held the upper hand. In the end, they failed miserably. The recent midterms also did not turn out to be a big Republican victory. Although the Trump threat still exists, I think that its moment has passed. If the Republicans have any brains left (a big IF), they will choose neither DeSantis nor Trump to be their next presidential candidate. The final nail in that party’s coffin would be if they send the U.S. into default on its debt, though we would all lose in that event. Right now I just don’t see how the U.S. can serve as a role model for any other country… (see my comment on the Gary Rubinstein blog article today). Hopefully we’ll make it through this new year intact and then begin to drag ourselves out of the gutter.
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Unfortunately, DeSantis will have a national appeal. He is a more polished Trump. They like Trump’s ideas, but not his messiness. They’ll see DeSantis as cleaning up the liberal agenda of indoctrinating and grooming children. It doesn’t matter if it is true or not as their followers believe it (per the Goebbels quote). They don’t have to really stand for anything this way and can continue to gripe about M & Ms rather than improve any of the country’s real problems. In the meanwhile, they will set us back 150 years via white, Christian nationalism and put an end to any remaining respect we have on the world stage.
Sorry for the rant, but I live in Florida (the blue part) and every day there is something new and outlandish from the zealot governor.
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I’m waiting to see if Trump demolishes him with verbal abuse, as he demolished Jeb and others.
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I understand your concern, and it would drive me bonkers too if I lived in a place where that political persuasion was in a majority. Yes, there will be advocates for DeSantis in every state in the U.S., but I still doubt if they will pull off a national win if the Democrats put up a decent centrist candidate. I am increasingly concerned, though, that Biden, despite some good things that he has accomplished, is not that candidate.
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David: We have the same on Nextdoor in Illinois.
Illinois just passed the Protect IL Communities Act, including an assault weapons ban (the 9th state to do so), & a number of County Sheriffs are refusing to enforce the P.I.C.A. claiming, of course, violation of the 2nd Amendment. & the lawsuits are flying.
As are the negative Nextdoor comments…
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Wow! I teach in Florida and am just now hearing this! It’s becoming untenable to teach in Florida. If I were closer to retirement I would leave.
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If you want to feel better, watch this. It is a speech you will never hear from fascist DeSantis. The video shows Gov. Andy Bashear of KY veto a charter school bill while declaring his total support for public schools and chiding the state legislature cutting funding.
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Article and video: https://curmudgucation.blogspot.com/2023/01/ky-andy-bashear-gets-it.html
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Class libraries are a particular love of mine. I’ve seen how powerful they are.
And how wonderful it was to have one of my own and be able to exemplify concepts by walking over to my bookshelves, in class, choose a volume, and read out a passage to the kids.
Illegal now in Fascist Florida.
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@Bob “The Legend” Shepherd…Amen to classroom libraries. I spent years going to our local library book sale to bring back great books to my classroom. I got kids to read who said, “I hate reading.” Two books the kids never put down were, “A Child Called It” and “Dispatches from Juvenile Hall.” It made the kids realize they weren’t alone. Plus, I made sure I had a book for any interest. I had more than 300 books at one time that lifted kids up, took them on adventures, and explained the world to them on their terms. I told them, “The great equalizer is being able to read and COMPREHEND what you read. And, when you don’t, you ask me questions or someone who can help you understand. And for the little kids, I had all the good books as well. Many of my kids didn’t have a library card or transportation, so the closest thing to a library was in my room. And, they could read a book that was easy or challenged them as opposed to only being allowed to check out a book in the school library according to how they tested on the AR tests. Ahh, the Scholastic book clubs and reading lists…they took me on many adventures right from my desk. Sad they take more and more away just like the arts. Peace out.
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Who has a classroom library?
Every good elementary school teacher, reading teacher, English teacher, language teacher, and a lot of great social studies and science teachers.
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@Bob “The Legend” Shepherd…And when I taught art (whaaa, art, what’s that?) I had a huge magazine cabinet that the kids could go and find pictures for collages. I saw this group of boys back there having a great time. I said, “What are you doing? I told you no READING back there, just get a magazine and go!” They stopped for a second while I went back to check on them. “Mr. Charvet this is so cool. Look at this giant spider egg…and this other cool science stuff.” I replied, “You boys read as much as you like…I find myself looking for one thing and then finding an article I just can’t put down.” Mind you these were old National Geographics from 1964 (we were in the ’90s). I fought the school so the kids could read great magazine articles (of interest to them) to encourage reading of all kinds. The school said, “Only books. And only these books. R.L. Stine, ‘Bah, Humbug’ that’s not a real book!” And then the other time when I got in trouble for not turning in my “Just Read” count. So I went to the library and checked out as many kids books; poetry books; and books with great illustrations. The kids said, “Mr. Charvet, these are baby books.” I said, “The rules stated that you could read to your little brothers and sisters too, right?” “Yeah.” “Well how do you know if the book is any good if you hadn’t read it first. Catch my drift?” So we all read. And they laughed. And they remembered their favorite teachers when they read to them. For the first time in a long while the kids were back to “loving reading” with no strings attached. In fact, I found some very cool books with excellent illustrations that I used for art lessons. Pure gold.
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Art, what’s that? Haaaaaaaa! IKR?
Having a supply in the class of books and other reading materials that will appeal to the whole range of kid tastes is extremely important. DeSantis is an idiot and a Fascist. He acts in areas that he is clueless about, like a bull in a China Shop.
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And thanks for sharing these stories! I love hearing about great teachers teaching.
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@Bob Shepherd — on another ART note, check out two people I know in Florida. http://www.derekgores.com and my childhood friend, Bonnie Keane, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYlsoET8GO8&t=6s and https://www.fluidzbykeane.com Just another SF Bay Area kid doing good from Alameda, CA. Bonnie also SAVES the Manatees. It hurts my heart the things they take away from kids because through art one learns about life and all that it entails. And as far as my stories, I am still composing, “The Education of Mr. Charvet: The Life and Times of Some Guy in Teaching.” Peace out.
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Bob, in the interest of telling both sides of the story, I should also relate the following incident. When I decided to return to teaching over a decade ago, my wife encouraged me to substitute teach first, saying that classroom conditions had radically changed since I had previously taught. I followed this advice, and typically took math and science substitute jobs, but, once you are signed up, the school has you for the day and can fill in “free periods” with other demands.
One time I was asked to fill in for an English teacher at the last minute. Part of the lesson plan was to read a selection out loud to the class and discuss it. The selection had been xeroxed and made available to the students. Having been called in at the last minute I had no time to preview what I was getting in to and was completely unprepared for what I encountered. I am not a Christian fundamentalist; in fact I am an agnostic and a Ph.D. scientist, but as I started reading the selection to the class (which they all had copies of), it was clearly what I could only describe as “smut,” and I was amazed that it would be presented in a classroom setting. Yes, it would clearly get teenagers’ attention, but, perhaps I am too old-fashioned, this is not a method that I would choose to get them to read. I have often seen news videos of parents protesting about similar items at school board meetings, and, having experienced this incident myself, I often wonder if these parents are really just the “rubes” that the media tries to portray them as, or if they have a valid point.
While I agree that every great teacher has a classroom library, it is also true that every profession has its bad apples. Given the sad state of our society lately, I sometimes wonder how prevalent they are now or how desperate some teachers may become to get kids’ attention… When I was a Peace Corps teacher years ago, it only took one volunteer to screw-up and then taint everyone from the Corps serving in country!
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@David…very true. I have encountered some CRAZY things as well — pure garbage and then new RULES are made making EVERYONE out to be “the bad apple.” Peace out.
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Thanks for your reply. This is what happens when the extremes take over. I do not like people like DeSantis trying to push their views on me, but I can also clearly understand why religious people don’t want a public school teacher pushing their avante gard moral agenda on their kids. The teacher may think that they are enlightening narrow-minded people who are stuck in the dark ages, but the parents will view it as an attempt to corrupt their kids. At the risk of sounding like an “old fogey” (although I am one! 😁), when I was young, one kept both politics and religious issues out of public schools. Sure, this was essentially a type of censorship, but it seems like we have become so “real” now that students are having active shooter drills… There has to be a middle ground, but my faith in humanity reaching it is rapidly diminishing.
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David,
I am not sure that teachers are pushing a political agenda, although I suppose some parents don’t want their children to be exposed alto messages opposing hatred, racism, homophobia. Like, if you kids to be accepting of others, that’s a political agenda. Maybe it’s just me, but I think it’s good to teach kindness, respect for others who are different.
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@Dianne…Yes! I was taught to teach children “how to think” not “what to think” and even though I may have felt differently, I told children to do the research, to find at least three resources before developing an opinion, and to listen to both sides of the story — entertain others’ ideas to gain insight, but hold true to your convictions but never step on the ideas of others. We are to debate concepts not to attack people. Despite what I thought when I taught American Government, I always made sure to show both sides and perpetuate natural inquiry. Thank you for listening.
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You are/were a good teacher.
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@Dianne…All I ever did was try to add value to my students no matter their circumstance, elevate dreams, and be an advocate. I always felt, “If I was in their shoes, would anything I say or do help them lead a better life? Will I give them the skills to navigate the world and sustain themselves? Will I teach them that ignore “the haters” and keep getting back up when you get knocked down? I led by example. I tried to give them all the advantages I had from a sincere perspective. I have said this before and specifically to WASC, “My main concern is for my students welfare beyond the classroom walls. My hope is for them to achieve their dreams no matter how big or small and once they go through that door for the last time into the world, they will be okay. My teaching career was rich and I was privileged to be able to guide these young people to better lives; to educate them to understand the rules, laws, and to create rapport with people. Many times I was admonished for my efforts, but I stood up for what was right. Thank you for letting me in your salon.
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Mr. Charvet,
You just described why people become teachers, why they dedicate their professional lives to their students, and why they persist despite low wages, idiotic critics, and unsupportive public officials.
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I agree in the general case, Diane, but at the same time, I can’t help that some teachers do go beyond what is admittedly a very fuzzy line. And as I tried to say with my Peace Corps example above, it only takes a few such incidents to give the folks at Fox News and similar organizations fodder for their evening propagandacasts.
My grandmother was a Jehovah’s Witness, and, in her concern for the salvation of my soul when I was young, sent the local Witnesses in California to my house to save me. That was a lost cause, but I listened to them respectively, had some Bible studies with them, but these eventually ended when they had to go all the way to the national Watchtower Society to get answers to my skeptical questions. The answers ended up being unsatisfying (and the local Witnesses also understood my concerns about the national answers). Nonetheless, we were friendly and civil to each other throughout, not confrontational.
After Jan 6th, 2020, I started a local discussion group on Nextdoor called “Public Affairs” in an attempt to get people of different viewpoints talking to each other again and reduce the toxicity in the air. At first it grew rapidly and people seemed enthusiastic about the idea. Eventually, however, the people on Trump’s side left the group, and the discussion ceased.
I found that the Trump side rarely would concede any points made by the left even though others on the left would acknowledge some of the right’s points in an attempt to find common ground (and there were some very well-educated Trump supporters in the discussion group, e.g., lawyers).
I see that same segregation into silos happening everywhere now, and I think it is largely due to our seeing ourselves as members of various special interests first, and as citizens of our country who must try to live together and make “a more perfect union” second (or maybe even 5th, 10th, etc.).
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David,
I try to foster debate and discussion, but I have my limits.
I delete people who insult me, as I would ask someone to leave my home if they said the same. You would be shocked by some of those insults.
I delete hate speech. It may be okay in the public square, protected by the First Amendment, but my blog is not the public square. It’s my parlor.
I delete people who rant against public health measures.
I insist on a decent regard for civility.
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I agree with your stand on moderation completely. I moderate my own blog for similar reasons.
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Hi Diane, I wrote a reply to your comment above, agreeing for the most part, but it seems to have disappeared into the ozone. Before I retype the entire thing, is it sitting in a moderation queue?
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It got swept into moderation. It is no longer. WordPress has its ways.
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Thanks for taking care of it!
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Love the description of what you have been doing!!!! It’s a wonderful thing to encounter great teachers here at Diane’s salon!
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When I was teaching second grade I had over 2,000 books in my room. (I had a ‘yard sale” when I retired and sold them for $.50 and made $900!) I could not imagine a classroom without readily available books for the students to choose from. That’s criminal!
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Awesome, Sharon!
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<3!!!!!!!
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I think the real purpose of this bill is to make life so bad in Iowa that the poor, elderly, and others will be forced to leave the state in order to survive. If the 250,000 people who depend on SNAP leave the state then the Republicans don’t have to worry about taking care of them. The poor and needed will no longer be a problem that Republicans have to deal with each year. Out of sight. Out of mind.
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Re: “I just can’t believe that they knew that was what it was when the bill was introduced”
Oh, believe it, believe it …
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I think this is BS how are you going to limit them from buying certain foods and how are you going to make it to where poor people can’t get food stamps I make $18 an hour don’t get food stamps and eat maybe once a week because the society has everything so f****** priced highly it’s ridiculous you people don’t want us to live you want us to f****** have to be starving and f****** needing for everything cuz you don’t pay good enough and you keep raising the prices on everything now you want to stop people from getting food stamps and stop people from being able to buy food how much of a crock of s*** is this you people shouldn’t be allowed to control the world worthless bastards
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As one who benefits from SNAP here in MO, they check outs automatically separate out those items that are not eligible. We don’t have such absurd restrictions as those proposed in the state to the north. Sometimes sliced cheese can be bought cheaper than block cheese. Brown rice, whole wheat products and similar items are usually more expensive than white bread, white rice, etc. . . . But hey let them survive on gruel.
“Please sir, may I have some more gruel.”
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Punishing people for being poor. That’s par for the course for the Greedy Old Party.
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Given the importance of meat production to the Iowa economy, the no fresh meat portion is surprising.
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“They don’t think poor people deserve to eat well. They also want to lower the threshold for eligibility so that fewer people can get food assistance. ”
^^^ this is so disingenuous and just shows you are a political activist/hack and trying to create division through your group think mentality
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Are you sure you know what “disingenuous” means? Please define it. Then explain how the passage you cite is disingenuous. If you can’t, then you are just bringing more noise to this forum–something I know you do well.
Incidentally, I wouldn’t let my students get away with nonsense like your post.
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If I may be cordial to a newcomer: Please sukinzeeeggs!
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^^^ This is so dishonest/deceiving/”pretending to some made up underlying motivation” and just shows you are a political activist/hack and trying to create division through your group think mentality
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Yet more noise!
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You can not make this Sh– up. Snap is included in the Farm Bill . The State with the highest farm subsidy is Texass Near 40 billion in Farm subsidies. Texass a state with near 30 million people . Right behind them is Iowa 35.5 Billion in Farm Subsidies and 3 million people. Almost 12 k of my Tax Dollars per person person in Iowa.
Those subsidies are going to roughly 100 k farmers in Iowa.
Stop the Checks Joe!
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This is “let them eat cake” thinking. People in Iowa should respond with “Off with their Heads,” but at the ballot box.
Wealthy legislators harbor misconceptions about the poor, the myth of the welfare queen lives on. Most people on SNAP are not drug addicted lunatics and drug testing for benefits proved that there was little to support this false belief. “People think when the unemployment rate goes down, then SNAP becomes less important,” said Elaine Waxman, senior fellow at the Urban Institute’s Income Benefits Policy Center. ” However, many people on SNAP are the elderly, veterans and the working poor with dependent children.
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I would recommend that politicians be placed on the same restrictive diets they advocate for low income people.
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Oh, if only!
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“The bill dictates that people can only purchase 100% whole wheat bread, brown rice and 100% whole wheat pasta — no white grains allowed.”
This statement, along with the “Let them eat cake” reference from retired teacher, reminds me of the bread issue in the French Revolution. The various stages of revolution happened in part to the recurrence of bread shortages. The problem was, white breads needed more wheat than brown breads, but the people preferred lighter breads. This always put pressure on the wheat market. Riots associated with bread shortages usurped the efforts to govern under the various governments that tried to establish constitutional monarchies. The Jacobins finally Solved the problem by dictating that a pArticular blend of flour be sold and none other was allowed.
That Iowa Republicans would introduce a measure concerning the bread not unlike the Jacobins is irony beyond anything I can think of.
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Indeed!
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If these proposed restrictions on what food can be purchased with food stamps become law, poor people in Iowa will actually be better nourished. Humans do not need animal meat to survive, and much research shows that humans would be healthier if they eliminated meat, not to speak of the environmental benefits from reducing cattle farming. And whole grains are much healthier than white, heavily processed bread.
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“Humans do not need animal meat to survive,” Perhaps not, and I certainly don’t agree with that statement at all. But in order to thrive and not just survive-what a sad concept-meat eating is one of the few pleasurable delights in eating that is also good for one’s health.
I wouldn’t be surprised if the author of that bill wrote as a jab at vegetarians.
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Certainly it was the health of poor Iowans they were concerned about. Which is why they cut medicaid and lowered the dollar threshold to cap people out of the programs.
I am fine with it all as long as the Feds get back the 35 Billion going to farmers in Iowa the biggest boondoggle in America .
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It is important, if one is going to eat a vegetarian or vegan diet, to make sure that one gets sufficient amonts of nutrients such as vitamin B12 and creatine. Its also important to avoid eating a diet too loaded up with carbs, which can lead, eventually, to diabetes. Yes, it is possible to eat a healthy veggie diet, but one has to be mindful of balance in the foods consumed.
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Don’t you mean they want to RAISE the threshold for eligibility so fewer people are eligible for benefits? With food prices going “through the roof,” let’s limit access. I am having trouble understanding the logic, but I can almost see a group sitting around a kitchen table commenting on what they saw someone buying with their Snap benefits. Unfortunately, all that whole grain stuff tends to cost MORE. I’m not sure what I am supposed to use to make soup stock since buying meat of any kind with bones is out. I take advantage of sales on a weekly basis. That can of chicken can’t compete with the .99/lb special that I wouldn’t be able to buy if I was a poor Iowan.
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“With food prices going “through the roof,” let’s limit access.”
My SNAP benefits were cut by $35/month because my SS benefits increased by $40/month. Food prices haven’t come down anywhere near to cover that loss.
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Republicans tend to believe in harsh punishment for what they think are crimes (often based on their so-called Christian religious views that have nothing to do with what Jesus Christ taught), even when they are not legislated crimes,
So, it looks like these Iowan MAGA RINOs want to find a way to punish people for being homeless, poor, an immigrant, a woman, a liberal, to be college educated, to be hungry, starving, et al.
I do not think Iowa’s MAGA RINO controlled legislature is going to be able to enforce such a law that may be unconstitutional since “The federal government pays 100 percent of SNAP benefits. Federal and state governments share administrative costs (with the federal government contributing nearly 50 percent). SNAP is the largest nutrition assistance program administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.”
“In 2021, the total cost of the U.S. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) was around 113.74 billion U.S. dollars. This is a significant increase from the previous year, when the total cost of SNAP amounted to 79.1 billion U.S. dollars.” That is less than 2 percent of the federal budget. In Iowa less than 8 percent of the people are on SNAP, compared to 12 percent for the US population.
This may be more orchestrated drama to keep Traitor Trump’s ignorant and dangerously angry MAGA RINOs voting during elections. Without that block of voters, the Republican Party might become a political dust bowl and blow away with the wind.
And here’s an interesting note: “Recipients of Subtotal, Farming Subsidies from farms in Iowa totaled $21,961,000,000 in from 1995-2020‡.”
Who not also pass laws in Iowa to control how farmers may spend their federal welfare money?
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Wow. This is just egregious…but sadly, it does not surprise me anymore. They just continue to keep putting people in boxes.
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Yeah. The rich will keep pushing their toy until they break it.
And then it will get really ugly.
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So very true, Bob. I turn on the news, and it feels like we live somewhere else. Since Roe being overturned, I have found myself pretty numb to the news I see. I fail to get too shocked…
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The party of Freedumb wants to micromanage the lives of the poorest folks. When will uneducated voters in the U.S. begin to grok this evil?
This reminds me of when the Jabba the Trump maladministration revised the eligibility rules in order to cut a million kids from the free lunch program,
literally stealing food from the mouths of little children.
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Off-Topic
Check out this speech against a charter school bill by the governor of Kentucky. He offers a great, coherent argument. I hope more Dems are walking away from the charter school compromise of the 2000s and 2010s.
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Someone on his staff reads, studies, understands and has internalized Diane Ravitch’s arguments. This is really good, succinct, and effective. Thanks for sharing.
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I tweeted that, and I plan to post it.
Gov Beshear is wonderful.
Kentucky had a horrible red governor, and Beshear decided to make public schools his #1 issue. He chose a teacher as his running mate.
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It took me a while but I found the complete list of allowed and not allowed foods. They even include allowed brand names.
https://www.womeninfantschildrenoffice.com/iowa-wic-food-list-wf15
Now this is all contingent on getting a waiver from the US government.
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Cheryl, if I am right, this is the current list of approved foods. The Iowa Republicans plan to offer a more restricted list of foods that a person in the SNAP program may purchase.
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The US government has a full list that allows a vast majority of fresh meats, etc. But the list above is ‘the’ Iowa WIC (restriction) list.
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I must add that I read the proposed bill and this is the list the bill refers to. The bill also states they must apply and receive waivers from the US gov. in order to enforce this.
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Again, the list you posted is the current list. Republicans are proposing a new list. They don’t need new legislation or a waiver to use the current list. They are proposing new legislation to narrow the list.
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I stand corrected. But that new list has not been posted anywhere – or even created at this point.
I thought the list I posted was it because it bans American cheese, white bread, white rice, and refried beans.
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That’s a WIC list which may, probably isn’t, not be the same as the SNAP benefits.
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The proposed bill recommends narrowing SNAP food purchases to only what is on the state’s approved WIC list. “request a waiver from the food and nutrition service of the United States department of agriculture to provide that, for the purposes of state administration of the supplemental nutrition assistance program, eligible foods as defined in 72C.F.R.§271.2 include only those items defined as supplemental foods in 7C.F.R.§246. as specified in the most current Iowa special supplemental nutrition program for women, infants, and children approved foods list.”
https://www.legis.iowa.gov/legislation/BillBook?ga=90&ba=HF3
They don’t want to use the SNAP list of approved foods. The link I gave previously is the most recent Iowa WIC list of approved foods.
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Thanks for the clarification!
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When it comes to the Russia RepubliQan party it’s always about the cruelty.
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The American Psychiatric Association needs to classify American fascism as a mental disability.
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This proposed cruelty reminds me of something Samuel Johnson remarked to his friend Hester Thrale Piozzi: What signifies, says some one, giving halfpence to beggars? they only lay it out in gin or tobacco. “And why should they be denied such sweeteners of their existence (says Johnson)? it is surely very savage to refuse them every possible avenue to pleasure, reckoned too coarse for our own acceptance. Life is a pill which none of us can bear to swallow without gilding; yet for the poor we delight in stripping it still barer, and are not ashamed to shew even visible displeasure, if ever the bitter taste is taken from their mouths.”
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Johnson, by the way, says “gilding” where we would say “sugar-coating.”
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And SJ, a conservative on matters of governance, would empty his pockets repeatedly, giving coins to the poor. If he had had white bread, he would have given up his last slice to feed a starving beggar.
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Stop making excuses for them, they’re not children and have the ability to read. They know, it’s intentional cruelty
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