Food Stamps are given to needy families to help them buy food for their families. Many people believe that food stamp recipients should be limited on what they spend the food stamps for. Food stamp recipients are already banned from purchasing alcohol and tobacco.
In an article on Oct. 7, 2010 by Hartocollis, the mayor of New York, Michael Bloomberg, made a request to the United States Department of Agriculture to ban the purchase of soda and other sugary drinks by food stamp recipients. In a fight against obesity in America he does not want those on welfare purchasing unhealthy things such as soda and other sugared drinks. They want food stamps to be spent on healthy foods such as vegetables and fruits. The ban would not allow them to spend the food stamps on soda but they could use their own money not “taxpayer dollars” as suggested by Dr. Farley and Dr. Daines.
Dr. Farley said in an article on Oct. 16, 2010 by Hartocollis, he said that he did not believe that the government was trying to control people’s diets but help them. Mayor Bloomberg of New York is just trying to fight obesity and diabetes by removing soda and increasing the amount of “good food” being bought by food stamp recipients. He is not just targeting them though. He has tried passing laws that would tax all sugar-sweetened beverages. He cannot control the general population, so he went after something he could control.
The government is trying to prevent obesity and diabetes and improve the overall health of its citizens. But by targeting the food stamp recipients only before the whole population seems to be discriminating. Banning food stamp recipients instead of the whole population is not right.. The government needs to push to ban sugary drinks in a different way. If everyone is taxed or sugary drinks banned then do the same to the food stamp recipients too not to them first.
Works cited.
Hartocollis, Anemona, “New York Asks to Bar Use of Food Stamps to Buy Soda”
New York Times. Oct 6 2010. Date accessed Nov 16 2010
Hartocollis, Anemona, “Unlikely Allies in Food Stamp Debate” New York Times
Oct 16, 2010. Date accessed Nov 16 2010.
