Readers' Comments

You have just shown us that as a freedom loving American you enjoy the right to have a choice. People that receive food assistance have a much, much, smaller budget than you. Just because they can buy better things than value brand food doesn't mean they actually do. I've seen first hand the idiots who waste what they have, yet they were much more rare than the people who clipped every coupon, stocked up at every sale, and shopped smart.

The second thing you have shown is your poor reading comprehension ability. "Quit whining and get a job", are you serious? Did you read the same article as me? It points out that 858,000 people from WI are on food stamps, and that Walker has failed to create the 250,000 jobs he promised since 2010. That means a solid 1/3 of the people on food stamps who more than likely want a job can't even get one because jobs are unavailable.

"Quit whining and get a job" has to be the most insulting thing you could say to your fellow Americans who are making an honest struggle to get by.

"medical conditions like heart disease, celibacy disease, and tickets"

LOL!

Why is it any concern of yours if the person ahead of you chooses to spend $8 on a small tray of sushi (maybe for a celebration?) instead of 2 dry pounds of beans, 2 dry pounds of brown rice, and some fresh or frozen vegetables?

That person has either saved up some of their benefits for a treat, or is going to be facing too much month at the end of their food. Either way, it's their choice.

If someone wants to feel like they're eating more healthfully by buying non-gmo or non-chemical foods, and they understand that they'll be eating less, why is that a problem? Most of us should eat less.

Notice that soy milk would also be prohibited. It's healthier for us than cow milk. And since you can't get goat milk in gallons, people would be limited to drinking cow milk with all its moral & chemical problems.

defending health
"you really have no right to complain. I mean would you rather have nothing or the regular food everyone else eats"

People are always allowed to speak up in defense of their own health.
And while some of what's proposed to be prohibited is really junk food, some of the required things are junk food too.

I mean seriously - you want me to be able to buy single-serving juicy-juice boxes which are nutritionally worthless and per-ounce much more expensive than buying a half-gallon of just about any juice?
Or you want to force me to eat "American cheese" (crap) instead of being allowed to buy real Wisconsin cheeses?
The white eggs I agree with, because they're no different nutritionally from brown eggs. It's just a different breed of chicken. But organic or free-range are more nutritious.

What does it matter how they spend their little funds. If they chose to get all organic, they will just be able to buy less of it. It's not like they get a voucher for a carton of eggs, they get a $5 food stamp to use. Just because a family falls on hard times should not mean they are no longer entitled to eat Cheddar cheese or gluten free bread. This is america, let they worry about their own budget. Worry more about the lazy minority gaming the system that about the family that have found they need to rely on help.

You are assuming that people receiving foodstamps are not working. Every single person I worked with at my previous job, that had children, still qualified for food assistance even while working full time. That should be more appalling then someone buying a six pack of soda with their benefits.

Dear "sir," (and I use the term loosely...

I work hard for my money too, and have, when times were bad, or in between jobs, used Food Stamps. Money that I had already been contributing to via the taxes I paid.

I also tend to put a higher value on foods that have ingredients that I can pronounce. I save a little extra each month to ensure that my children are not eating pesticide-laden foods, or toxic chemicals. And that's my choice as a parent.

"Quit whining and get a job..." (first off, you spelled it incorrectly, and secondly, when was the last time you looked for a job? In this economy, you'd be surprised who is and who is not on food stamps.)

Instead of whining yourself, what are your solutions? If a woman has a child, and the only option is a job that pays LESS per week than the cost of living, should she just suck it up and feed her child saltine crackers and water? Are you aware that a minimum wage job, at 40 hours per week, which most employers will NOT offer, because then they'd have to offer benefits, which no employer wants to do. On average, the monthly rental of an apartment is $1000-$200, depending on location, size, etc. The frugal amount one can spend on utilities per month is approximately $150.00 (and that's being frugal). Continuing the frugal theme, you can feed a family of 4 for about $400.00 per month in an urban metropolis. Then there's daycare - the cheap daycares are about $200.00 per week (AT BEST). A monthly transportation card (cheaper than a car!) is about $100.00 per month. Add it up, on the cheap end? BARE bones to just eek by, and heaven forfend you get sick, or your kid needs to go to the doctor, or you want to eat more than beans and rice, is about $2,500.00.

If you are making minimum wage, at a rate of $7.25-$8.25 (higher in an urban metropolis such as NYC or Chicago), you're getting about $300.00 GROSS per week. Which is about $1100.00 per MONTH, and that's BEFORE taxes.

So you do the math, sir. There's something wrong with this country when we demand folks get a job, but aren't willing to pay them to cover their BASIC needs.

Milwaukee and know for a fact there are shops on the north side of town that will accept food stamps/foodshare towards the purchase of alcohol. Not hard to figure out what they buy in a liquor store when they come out with a brown paper bag lol

I understand people should not use this for junk (soda, chips, etc) but it seems contradictory that one can't get organic items as they have been proven to be healthier just as soda & sugary snacks have been proven not to be healthy. I have DIAGNOSED Celiac Disease and cannot have Wheat, Barley, Rye or Spelt, I will be hospitalized if I do. Although it seems logical to make my own bread, it is not always cheapest since I have to keep a minimum 3 gluten free flours on hand that are NOT cheap. I think one with these conditions should have the option of buying gluten free items as well as the ingredients that make them. Stop kick those that are already down.

I live in Milwaukee so i have a pretty goo idea of what goes on here. Perhaps you should research things before spouting off

The list is pretty arbitrary. American cheese and juice boxes are junk. I suppose I can understand why wic doesn't allow organic, it is cost. But it sounds like food share is like EBT in RI and people are allotted money for groceries. If you want to buy organic eggs and cheddar cheese and skip the juice and excess meat, I don't see why that is a problem. If you need to make the money last all month, you'll figure it out.
If we're going to set limits, let's say no packaged snack foods, no single serving juice. Pick things that make sense.