Food Stamps and Beyond

Here is my pet peeve of the day: Food stamps. I was at Tops today buying stuff for our upcoming Memorial Day picnic, and there were two youngish women in front of me. One had a stroller with a toddler in it, one was by herself. The one by herself was buying a bottle of pop, and instead of money, she was using her Medicaid benefit card. Of course, I know we are not to be judgemental. But here's the thing. People who get food stamps, are, for one reason or another, unable to make enough buy to buy their groceries on their own. I am curious as to why food stamps can't be more like WIC. WIC, which stands for Women, Infants, and Children is a program that provides food for lower-income mothers and their children. They receive coupons which detail what they can get. There are a lot of things available. Milk, cheese, bread, eggs, cereal, juice, among others. Snack foods and extras can't be purchased with WIC checks. This forces people to buy healthy and wholesome foods for themselves and their children. Food stamps should be the same way. They should be able to buy meat, milk, bread, eggs, cereal, fruit, vegetables, water, juice, rice, noodles, cheese, etc. If they want potato chips and pop, they shouldn't be able to get them with food stamps. Buying a single cold, high-priced bottle of pop should not be allowed at the expense of taxpayers.