Chit-Chat: The Feels

[tearknee]

13 minutes ago, Dimity said:

Republicans always remind me of the ex-husband of a friend of mine who figured he should be able to drop off a loaf of bread and a jar of peanut butter once a week and that would be his child support sorted. 

I am sure they would love nothing more than to be able to micro-manage every cent that someone on benefits receives.  What a lot of the electorate may soon learn, to their dismay, is that things like Social Security are also considered to be "hand outs" and if Musk has his way (assuming they still even receive their SS) there will be many strings attached.

 

There was elderly relative in my childhood usually got things like a store-bough roast chicken and carton of milk as his 'reward' for being 'allowed' to have the much-enjoyed experience of his own granddaughter staying at his house in the week between Christmas and New Year.

Yet another way that the adult woman in question was a Debra McCurdy

[bluegirl147]

10 minutes ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

There's also prepared foods not being covered by SNAP at the grocery store. I know some states have changed this because it is beyond asinine that you can use your benefits to buy a whole raw chicken using your benefits but not the precooked rotisserie chickens. This is one of the reasons why so many low income people eat an unhealthy diet. The deck is stacked against them. Unhealthy foods are quick, easy, and covered by the meager benefits they do get. Healthy foods will always cost more when you factor in the time it takes to make them.

Back in the mid 90s I was a single mother going to cosmetology school and I received SNAP, back then it was called food stamps. There was a 7/11 beside the school so sometimes at lunch I would go there and buy something. If after buying something I wanted to use their microwave to heat it up I was told I cannot do that.  But someone paying with cash or card could.  I argued with the clerk it was not cooked when I bought it but she would still tell me I had to leave.  Sometimes the cruelty is the point.

Years ago there was a story that went viral about a woman standing in line at a grocery store who loudly complained about a woman in front of her using SNAP to buy a birthday cake.  The woman buying the birthday cake responded on social media saying she was the woman buying the birthday cake and it was for her daughter who was dying and this would most likely be her last birthday.  I don't know if that story was true but it's a good lesson on how to mind your own business and don't judge other people.

41 minutes ago, Dimity said:

Anyone else remember the "ketchup as a vegetable" controversy that happened under Reagan's watch?  What it boiled down to was another example of Republican indifference to the well being of poor kids.  Nothing's changed.

I've looked at my granddaughter's school menus and they are nothing like I grew up with.  Very skimpy and not a lot of variety. I was lucky enough to go to a school (K-8th) that did the cooking on site.  I can't be certain but I'm pretty sure they made up their own menus and either didn't receive or didn't follow menus from the county board of education.  We were definitely spoiled because when we went to high school we were like WTF is this stuff?

[Dimity]

33 minutes ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

Healthy foods will always cost more when you factor in the time it takes to make them.

Like many others I try to pick up a few items for the Food Bank whenever I do my groceries and I've been trying to get away from the "cheap but filling" items like pasta and baked beans as I've read these are the items that the Food Banks get aplenty.

One thing I read was that while it's great to donate things like boxed macaroni and cheese in order for someone to use it they need access to milk and margarine which, of course, are perishable and getting pricier and pricier.

[peacheslatour]

9 minutes ago, Dimity said:

Like many others I try to pick up a few items for the Food Bank whenever I do my groceries and I've been trying to get away from the "cheap but filling" items like pasta and baked beans as I've read these are the items that the Food Banks get aplenty.

One thing I read was that while it's great to donate things like boxed macaroni and cheese in order for someone to use it they need access to milk and margarine which, of course, are perishable and getting pricier and pricier.

I also add baby formula and pet foods. I never had any milk of my own when my son was a baby and due to allergies, he had to have soy formula. It's pretty expensive so I always add a few of those in  with a bag of dog or cat food. It's important to remember that pets are important for many people's mental health.

[DanaMB]

So Trump got Andrew Tate released from Romanian custody and he’s on his way to Florida. Disgusting. 

Edited Thursday at 05:08 PM by DanaMB

[peacheslatour]

Just now, DanaMB said:

So Trump got Andrew Tate released from Romanian custody. Disgusting. 

He'll probably make him Secretary of Women.

[bluegirl147]

7 minutes ago, DanaMB said:

So Trump got Andrew Tate released from Romanian custody and he’s on his way to Florida. Disgusting. 

Just in time for Spring Break. Maybe they could put out an Andrew Alert. Like an Amber Alert but to notify there is an accused sex trafficker and rapist in the area.

[tearknee]

the only good Tates:

[Lantern7]

9 minutes ago, DanaMB said:

So Trump got Andrew Tate released from Romanian custody and he’s on his way to Florida. Disgusting. 

Why? The guy is human scum. There's no reason to spring him . . . unless, of course, you were to do it for "the lulz." Trump's whole existence seems to be for "the lulz" . . . the worst kind.

I fear pardoning Bill Cosby is on the table.

[peacheslatour]

2 minutes ago, Lantern7 said:

Why? The guy is human scum. There's no reason to spring him . . . unless, of course, you were to do it for "the lulz." Trump's whole existence seems to be for "the lulz" . . . the worst kind.

I fear pardoning Bill Cosby is on the table.

And Harvey Weinstein.

[tearknee]

Can Andy or Harvey be hit with state-level charges (which DT can't pardon)?

[Ohiopirate02]

4 minutes ago, Lantern7 said:

Why? The guy is human scum. There's no reason to spring him . . . unless, of course, you were to do it for "the lulz." Trump's whole existence seems to be for "the lulz" . . . the worst kind.

 

Two reasons to spring him--

#1 Tate has a huge following of young men and Tate now owes Trump one so Tate can extol the virtues of Trump and his administration

#2 Nothing Tate has done is a crime in the eyes of Trump. He's yet another victim of cancel culture, wokeness, etc. just like all those Jan 6ers who he pardoned last month.

[Lugal]

30 minutes ago, DanaMB said:

So Trump got Andrew Tate released from Romanian custody and he’s on his way to Florida. Disgusting. 

Just in case the women of America didn't get the message before about how much MAGA hates them.

Also waiting for all the QANON people that scream about human trafficking to comment on Tate...

[Dimity]

32 minutes ago, DanaMB said:

So Trump got Andrew Tate released from Romanian custody and he’s on his way to Florida. Disgusting. 

Good old Trump, he never disappoints.  Just when you think he can't possibly stoop any lower...he does.

1 hour ago, bluegirl147 said:

Sometimes the cruelty is the point.

I recall during the last Trump fiasco there were a lot of articles about what they called "lunch shaming".  

Quote

Being poor is about far more than lacking money or resources. To be poor is also to be shunned and stigmatised. “Lunch shaming”, where children in some school districts in the US who can’t afford a hot meal are publicly humiliated, in some cases by being made to clean canteen tables in front of other pupils to pay off their food debt, was thrust into the spotlight recently when the state of New Mexico passed a landmark law outlawing the practice. The law, spearheaded by local anti-poverty groups, is a welcome rebuttal to such callous practices.

Other reported incidents of shaming include a child in Alabama whose arm was stamped with “I need lunch money”. Canteen workers have been instructed to throw out the meals of youngsters unable to pay.

No doubt this will be making a comeback.

[kittykat]

1 hour ago, bluegirl147 said:

Years ago there was a story that went viral about a woman standing in line at a grocery store who loudly complained about a woman in front of her using SNAP to buy a birthday cake.  The woman buying the birthday cake responded on social media saying she was the woman buying the birthday cake and it was for her daughter who was dying and this would most likely be her last birthday.  I don't know if that story was true but it's a good lesson on how to mind your own business and don't judge other people.

Same thing happens when poor people and families own devices like phones and laptops.  Never mind that poor people need phones for daily communication like hearing about a job, considering most households no longer have landlines. Computers are required for typing homework assignments and accessing student portals, plus they could also be a holdover from COVID remote learning. A lot those devices could be refurbished, which are cheaper. But nooooo, the moment someone lower class is spotted with a phone or laptop they get shamed into thinking that they're wasteful spenders.

[lookeyloo]

1 hour ago, peacheslatour said:

I also add baby formula and pet foods. I never had any milk of my own when my son was a baby and due to allergies, he had to have soy formula. It's pretty expensive so I always add a few of those in  with a bag of dog or cat food. It's important to remember that pets are important for many people's mental health.

Agree with comments and also support Food Banks.  Some folks don't have anything to cook on, as in stove, pots, etc.  This is in addition to foods that need some extra ingredients to prepare.  I read Viola Davis's memoir and since I am a social worker it didn't surprise me but it did horrify me all over again.  We (we in general, not us who are aware)  who have a roof over our heads and food we can at least heat up and add a thing or two sometimes just can't relate to the abject poverty that is all around us.  Our community has a homeless population.  So much talk of "get rid of them". they are human beings and most of them would love a job and a place to live.  When it is suggested "will you hire them?"  Oh no, not me.  Someone else.  Very complicated.  

[lookeyloo]

1 minute ago, kittykat said:

Same thing happens when poor people and families own devices like phones and laptops.  Never mind that poor people need phones for daily communication like hearing about a job, considering most households no longer have landlines. Computers are required for typing homework assignments and accessing student portals, plus they could also be a holdover from COVID remote learning. A lot those devices could be refurbished, which are cheaper. But nooooo, the moment someone lower class is spotted with a phone or laptop they get shamed into thinking that they're wasteful spenders.

Totally agree. And most jobs require on line applications.  "Go to the library" is another useless suggestion.  Many of these people don't have transportation and there is no library on the corner.  Around here transportation options are sadly lacking.  Who is going to walk 5 miles to catch a bus and walk another bunch of miles.

[bluegirl147]

44 minutes ago, tearknee said:

Can Andy or Harvey be hit with state-level charges (which DT can't pardon)?

Tate's charges were in Romania. I thought Weinstein's charges were state charges.

[Dimity]

5 minutes ago, kittykat said:

Same thing happens when poor people and families own devices like phones and laptops. 

In a place I worked at years ago each Christmas we did a hamper for a family in need.  Food of course but also gifts for each member of the chosen family.  I will always remember one of the men who worked with us being angry, to the point of incoherence, at the idea that poor people had suggested DVDs or CDs as possible gifts.  According to him they couldn't possibly be poor then could they.  Sigh.

[bluegirl147]

5 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

"The reality is no, Florida is not a place where you're welcome with that type of conduct," DeSantis continued. "I don't know how it came to this. We were not involved, and we were not notified."

Who is DeSantis kidding?  I know it was before he was governor but Epstein lived in Florida for decades. And of course Trump lives there as well.

[peacheslatour]

5 minutes ago, Dimity said:

In a place I worked at years ago each Christmas we did a hamper for a family in need.  Food of course but also gifts for each member of the chosen family.  I will always remember one of the men who worked with us being angry, to the point of incoherence, at the idea that poor people had suggested DVDs or CDs as possible gifts.  According to him they couldn't possibly be poor then could they.  Sigh.

Yep. Fox News was appalled at this statistic.

 

[bluegirl147]

1 minute ago, Dimity said:

In a place I worked at years ago each Christmas we did a hamper for a family in need.  Food of course but also gifts for each member of the chosen family.  I will always remember one of the men who worked with us being angry, to the point of incoherence, at the idea that poor people had suggested DVDs or CDs as possible gifts.  According to him they couldn't possibly be poor then could they.  Sigh.

 When you are poor some people expect you to suffer. If you aren't suffering enough then you need to be made to suffer more.  

Speaker Johnson when talking about Medicaid said they aren't looking to cut off single mothers with children but "29 year old men who are sitting on the couch playing video games".  Republicans don't get it.  Most people receiving Medicaid already work.  The same with SNAP.  These people have jobs. Their employers pay them so little they qualify for these things.   But sure let's blame them and not employers like WalMart.

[Dimity]

3 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

Yep. Fox News was appalled at this statistic.

 

I am amazed they didn't have a statistic for the shocking number of "poor" people who have indoor plumbing. 

The thread today has been incredibly depressing...

3 minutes ago, bluegirl147 said:

Republicans don't get it.  Most people receiving Medicaid already work.  The same with SNAP.  These people have jobs. Their employers pay them so little they qualify for these things.   But sure let's blame them and not employers like WalMart.

I was in our local grocery store last night and the cashier had to be in her late 70s - and looked even older.  I really really doubt she was working there at 8 on a Wednesday night because she just loves people and needs to get out of the house.

[bluegirl147]

10 minutes ago, Anela said:

I can't believe I agree with DeathSantis on something. I made the mistake of checking twitter comments, and saw men saying things like, "DeSantis just ended his political career." 

That guy might be right.  The GOP may as well stand for gross old perverts.  How many of them have survived sex scandals? They even covered for Matt Gaetz and they all hated him.  You know who they did turn against?  Madison Cawthorne who let the cat out of the bag about some of his fellow Republican's sexual activities.

[fastiller]

16 minutes ago, bluegirl147 said:

 When you are poor some people expect you to suffer. If you aren't suffering enough then you need to be made to suffer more.  

Speaker Johnson when talking about Medicaid said they aren't looking to cut off single mothers with children but "29 year old men who are sitting on the couch playing video games".  Republicans don't get it.  Most people receiving Medicaid already work.  The same with SNAP.  These people have jobs. Their employers pay them so little they qualify for these things.   But sure let's blame them and not employers like WalMart.

Remember that time W congratulated a woman working three jobs?  (That link is to White House archives.)

Quote

 

Mary is with us. Mary Mornin. How are you, Mary?

MS. MORNIN: I'm fine.

THE PRESIDENT: Good. Okay, Mary, tell us about yourself.

MS. MORNIN: Okay, I'm a divorced, single mother with three grown, adult children. I have one child, Robbie, who is mentally challenged, and I have two daughters.

THE PRESIDENT: Fantastic. First of all, you've got the hardest job in America, being a single mom.

MS. MORNIN: Thank you. (Applause.)

<SNIP>

MS. MORNIN: That's good, because I work three jobs and I feel like I contribute.

THE PRESIDENT: You work three jobs?

MS. MORNIN: Three jobs, yes.

THE PRESIDENT: Uniquely American, isn't it? I mean, that is fantastic that you're doing that. (Applause.) Get any sleep? (Laughter.)

MS. MORNIN: Not much. Not much.

 

 

[tres bien]

I’ve taken to calling him Muskrat

Edited Thursday at 06:49 PM by tres bien

[Ohiopirate02]

23 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

Yep. Fox News was appalled at this statistic.

 

The only reason why that number is so high is because of legislation on multiple levels that require landlords to provide refrigerators. 

[abbyzenn]

I thought the AI generated Trump Gaza thing was a joke - I finally saw the full video on  (I think) either Stephen Cobert or Jimmy Kimmel.  Trump sunk to a new low when he retweeted this.  Nice way to inflame an already bad situation.  And now with this Andrew Tate stuff - there truly isn't anything too low to sink to for Trump.  Taking bets on how soon the Tates show up for dinner at Marlago.

 

[nokat]

53 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

Well, what do you know. I guess we'll see how long he sticks to this. From The Floridian, Feb. 27, 2025.

Gov. Ron DeSantis didn't know that right-wing podcaster Andrew Tate, facing rape and trafficking charges in Romania, was flying to Florida until he read about it in the media Thursday morning.

And the Florida Governor, who's taken a strong stance against sexual crimes throughout his two terms, is not pleased.

"I have confidence that whether it's [U.S. Attorney General] Pam Bondi or [Secretary of Homeland Security] Kristi Noem, that they will be looking at [rebuffing Tate's entry]," DeSantis said at a Thursday morning press conference in Starke, before noting that while the issue is a federal one, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier is looking into what "state hooks and jurisdiction" the Sunshine State may have.

"The reality is no, Florida is not a place where you're welcome with that type of conduct," DeSantis continued. "I don't know how it came to this. We were not involved, and we were not notified."

For some reason, I don't believe that DeSantis didn't know. He's such a small in all ways human.

[annzeepark914]

Well, today my Thursday morning coffee group had a birthday party for one of our folks. Lots of good treats and presents. We'd talk...and then a silence would occur. This happened several times. Several have adult children who are federal employees. We learned today that our book club friend who was fired several weeks ago, got rehired and then fired again.  We're wondering how the heck we're going to endure 4 years of this surreal sociopathic S-show.

[PRgal]

4 hours ago, Dimity said:

Like many others I try to pick up a few items for the Food Bank whenever I do my groceries and I've been trying to get away from the "cheap but filling" items like pasta and baked beans as I've read these are the items that the Food Banks get aplenty.

One thing I read was that while it's great to donate things like boxed macaroni and cheese in order for someone to use it they need access to milk and margarine which, of course, are perishable and getting pricier and pricier.

Same with most canned foods.  Save for fish, most canned items require a can opener, which a lot of people won't have.  I've seen glass jars of beans at some health food stores, which are an optiion too.  

What's really interesting is that so-called gold card for the ultra-wealthy.  It sounds like there's a double standard going on here for non-White residents.  If you're wealthy, then you're okay (since these people are most likely Middle Eastern, South Asian or maybe East Asian).
 

Edited Thursday at 08:53 PM by PRgal
just realized I wrote "residences" when it should be RESIDENTS. Corrected now.

[peacheslatour]

8 minutes ago, PRgal said:

Same with most canned foods.  Save for fish, most canned items require a can opener, which a lot of people won't have.  I've seen glass jars of beans at some health food stores, which are an optiion too.  

What's really interesting is that so-called gold card for the ultra-wealthy.  It sounds like there's a double standard going on here for non-White residences.  If you're wealthy, then you're okay (since these people are most likely Middle Eastern, South Asian or maybe East Asian).

Or Russian oligarchs.

[EtheltoTillie]

2 hours ago, tearknee said:

Can Andy or Harvey be hit with state-level charges (which DT can't pardon)?

 

1 hour ago, bluegirl147 said:

Tate's charges were in Romania. I thought Weinstein's charges were state charges.

Weinstein's charges are NY and California. 

59 minutes ago, tres bien said:

I’ve taken to calling him Muskrat

Oh, darn, now I will have "Muskrat Love" as an earworm. 

[PRgal]

7 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

Or Russian oligarchs.

I don't think they'd be predominantly Russian.

 

And Ontario people:  A gentle reminder to vote today (if you haven't already.  I voted by mail last week)!

Edited Thursday at 07:44 PM by PRgal

[Anela]

38 minutes ago, annzeepark914 said:

Well, today my Thursday morning coffee group had a birthday party for one of our folks. Lots of good treats and presents. We'd talk...and then a silence would occur. This happened several times. Several have adult children who are federal employees. We learned today that our book club friend who was fired several weeks ago, got rehired and then fired again.  We're wondering how the heck we're going to endure 4 years of this surreal sociopathic S-show.

My friend who was fired, and re-hired, is now wondering if she’s going to be fired again. She reported the DOGE email for phishing, and won’t cooperate with their other BS. 

[suomi]

Found this website when I was rummaging around looking for info about the 24-hour no spending boycott tomorrow. I didn't use the app.

The Blue Notebook On How To Fight Back With Your Dollars

The U.S. Supreme Court has said that corporations have a constitutional right to political speech. We want everyone to hear what they’re saying!

https://www.goodsuniteus.com/

[tres bien]

MANA Nutrition makes a special kind of peanut butter paste that fortified with milk and essential vitamins packed with calories and sent to severely malnourished children around the world 

On Wednesday Mark Moore CEO and co-founder of the Fitzgerald GA based plant was told by the US Agency for International Development that MANA’s contracts were being cancelled. 
Workers were stopped mid production to stop putting the USAID labels on the filled pouches. The labels say “from the American people USAID

The finished pouches are now trash

With USAID contracts being cancelled the humanitarian world has been left reeling 

I’m serious when I say I hate these fucking people. They’re reducing the most prosperous country in the world into an evil cold hearted shit hole

[Lugal]

3 hours ago, kittykat said:

Same thing happens when poor people and families own devices like phones and laptops.  Never mind that poor people need phones for daily communication like hearing about a job, considering most households no longer have landlines. Computers are required for typing homework assignments and accessing student portals, plus they could also be a holdover from COVID remote learning. A lot those devices could be refurbished, which are cheaper. But nooooo, the moment someone lower class is spotted with a phone or laptop they get shamed into thinking that they're wasteful spenders.

Poverty is de facto criminalized in America, and there's a neo-Dickensian attitude that if poverty is made horrible enough, than people will just stop being poor.  I remember some Republican years ago talking about how poor people shouldn't have frozen pizzas and only should get rice and beans.  Despite the fact that a frozen pizza can be made into a family meal in about 20 minutes which works out for people between shifts.  Rice and beans take much longer to cook let alone what it takes to make them flavorful.

The idea that poor people are wasteful spenders is clearly from people who have never been poor.  Poverty is expensive.  Not to mention the poverty tax (can't afford to see the dentist for a filling, wait a year or so and it will be a crown. Still can't afford it?  Wait a little longer and it will be a root canal)

Nothing pisses me off more than the idea poor people don't deserve any pleasures in life.

1 hour ago, peacheslatour said:

Just something I saw the other day: If you were to get $1000 a day every day for 315,000 years (about the time that Homo sapiens has existed as a species) you would still not be as rich as Bezos or Musk.  No one gets that rich from working.  You get that rich by stealing the wealth of humanity.

[heatherchandler]

4 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

I also add baby formula and pet foods. I never had any milk of my own when my son was a baby and due to allergies, he had to have soy formula. It's pretty expensive so I always add a few of those in  with a bag of dog or cat food. It's important to remember that pets are important for many people's mental health.

Yes it’s so important to remember that for some people, their pets are all they have.  Please donate (if you can) to the pet food banks.  
 

 

[Anela]

From a public Facebook post. 
 

Quote

ICE took these wonderfully kind owners of Jersey Kebab yesterday, a local business and my favorite restaurant, my friends. This sign is in their window, and shows how they always help anyone who needs it. We need to help them! Here’s what happened:

During the morning hours of Tuesday, February 25, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) warrantlessly picked up members of the Emanet family, Celal and Emine Emanet, from Jersey Kebab, located at 150 Haddon Avenue, Haddon Township, NJ 08108.

The Emanet family has an open case with United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and has been waiting since 2016 for a decision on their case. USCIS has not decided whether to approve or deny their green card application for the past 9 years. While waiting for their case to be decided upon, Celal and Emine Emanet were left without a status.

They are contributing members of society and taxpayers with a five-year valid business license. Celal and Emine own and operate Jersey Kebab, a beloved Mediterranean restaurant across from the Haddon Township Municipality and Police building. The husband-and-wife pair own and manage the restaurant together, a hub for the community, and regularly feed underprivileged members of the community - the sign on the door stating, “Free to anyone with a disability, homeless, or simply cannot afford it.” The couple start prep work together at 9 am and close up shop at 8:30 pm.

At the end of the night, Celal and Emine come back home where they live with their four children (Muhammed, Zeynep, Hamza, Hale), daughter-in-law (Hale), two grandchildren (Ali and Omer), and two cats (Oreo and Almond). Muhammed (25), the manager at Jersey Kebab, a graduate of Rutgers-Camden, is a husband and father to two children. Zeynep (23) is a Swarthmore College graduate and works at a local civil rights nonprofit organization. Their younger son, Hamza (15), and younger daughter, Hale (13), cannot imagine life without mom and dad together.

While Celal has been released from custody with an ankle monitor, Emine has been placed into the Elizabeth Detention Center in Elizabeth, New Jersey, awaiting her bond trial. This situation is especially devastating for their 15-year-old son, Hamza, who has autism.

Deporting Emine would cause Hamza immense distress, as he only speaks limited Turkish and relies on the specialized services available to him here in New Jersey. Uprooting him from this support system would have severe consequences for his well-being.

Emine is not a flight risk - she is a mother, community member, and neighbor. Neither Celal nor Emine have criminal records or prior orders of removal by an immigration judge. She needs to be released on bond so she can return home. Until she is released, the restaurant, which is their main source of income, is closed. So please help out any way you can.

https://www.facebook.com/kris.forrest/posts/pfbid025ZNQbeBTQ8AxtmuW4K9pEsownkD4hjeB1TzzYpxhwNbd99JudKccjteR8s9Y2Nfpl?__cft__[0]=AZXEkrzwRYBpCZh54vCizMnfeGJcr_gkgkz48-B4yxcjmJHvNpfdk_Ezlsb2sYHjW56EjJEKAc-k4q9zlTnWSnWm5pV-xRGinYBoBwddtFqyVGk8WXhQoAukn-k5iw9MQmE&__tn__=%2CO%2CP-R
 

Trump  treats them like criminals, but helps Andrew Tate, and his brother.  

[isalicat]

5 hours ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

There's also prepared foods not being covered by SNAP at the grocery store. I know some states have changed this because it is beyond asinine that you can use your benefits to buy a whole raw chicken using your benefits but not the precooked rotisserie chickens. This is one of the reasons why so many low income people eat an unhealthy diet. The deck is stacked against them. Unhealthy foods are quick, easy, and covered by the meager benefits they do get. Healthy foods will always cost more when you factor in the time it takes to make them.

I work at a food pantry and anyone (and yes, I mean anyone: we don't means test or ask about income or anything other than whether the person lives in our area as there are plenty of food banks/pantries elsewhere in the county for people not local to us) can come and get a big sack of fresh fruits and vegetables, a sack of butter, eggs, cheese with milk, juice and fresh meat/chicken/fish of their choice, and staples (oatmeal, tuna, peanut butter, pasta, rice, beans, etc. etc.) that feeds an entire family of 4-6 twice a month. What I have observed over the many years I have worked at the pantry is that people are LAZY and prefer packaged garbage food to fresh, nutritious food that they have to cook themselves. I see moms come in with little kids and ASK for soda and candy and cookies and sugary cereal and these 3 and 5 year old children are already substantially overweight. Low income people should be encourage to eat healthily, not given benefits to get free garbage food! So if that is "stacking the deck" against anyone, yeah, lets do it.

[heatherchandler]

4 minutes ago, Lugal said:

Nothing pisses me off more than the idea poor people don't deserve any pleasures in life.

Poor people deserve pleasures but I have to agree with the proposed soda ban.  Sugary drinks are literally sickening.  The damage done to the teeth is horrible.  I thought that everyone knew this but apparently not, as I’ve seen people put Mountain Dew into a bottle for a toddler.  Kids do not need soda, ever.  We don’t keep soda in the house.  They are so awful and addictive, zero nutritional value.  Actually adults shouldn’t have it either.

[Dimity]

1 hour ago, tres bien said:

On Wednesday Mark Moore CEO and co-founder of the Fitzgerald GA based plant was told by the US Agency for International Development that MANA’s contracts were being cancelled. 

I just read an article about this from CNN.  I am beyond angry right now:

Quote

Erin Boyd, a USAID nutrition adviser who was laid off from the agency in January, told CNN it is not an overstatement to say that children will die as a result of the decimation of USAID and funding for RUTF.

But at least millionaires will be getting tax breaks so it's not all bad.

[anony.miss]

On 2/26/2025 at 5:06 PM, isalicat said:

Google is your friend:

Why is fluoride banned in Europe?

AI Overview

Google AI has been criticized for misleading, incomplete or inaccurate info - frex, what you cut & pasted did not mention that higher fluoride levels can occur naturally in some water supplies:

"Most people proclaiming the dangers of fluoride are referring to studies that were done outside the United States, in areas where naturally high levels of fluoride are present in the water people drink. The levels of fluoride in these studies are significantly higher than levels intentionally put into community water supplies...Experts, including scientists from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, are critical of the findings of the studies linking fluoride to lower IQ and other neurological disorders. The studies were not conducted with rigorous methods and the evidence is low quality."

https://www.rutgers.edu/news/weighing-facts-against-myths-fluoride-debate

"What might happen if we stop adding fluoride to drinking water?

Water fluoridation has been shown to reduce tooth decay by 20% to 40%. New Jersey has very low rates of water fluoridation; only 16% of residents have fluoridated water supplies. A recent survey of children throughout New Jersey found that they had higher rates of untreated tooth decay than the national average. New Jersey residents also have higher rates of autism and Alzheimer’s disease than the national average, debunking the theory that these neurological disorders can be linked to fluoridated water."

 

Edited Thursday at 10:15 PM by anony.miss

[Lugal]

14 minutes ago, heatherchandler said:

Poor people deserve pleasures but I have to agree with the proposed soda ban.  Sugary drinks are literally sickening.  The damage done to the teeth is horrible.  I thought that everyone knew this but apparently not, as I’ve seen people put Mountain Dew into a bottle for a toddler.  Kids do not need soda, ever.  We don’t keep soda in the house.  They are so awful and addictive, zero nutritional value.  Actually adults shouldn’t have it either.

I agree with all of that, and if governments want to ban them as unsafe, I'm fine with that. But to just say that poor people can't have it, I can't agree with it.  And for the record, I haven't drank soda for probably twenty-some years.  Don't miss it.  People should not be drinking it for hydration.

[anony.miss]

35 minutes ago, isalicat said:

 What I have observed over the many years I have worked at the pantry is that people are LAZY and prefer packaged garbage food to fresh, nutritious food that they have to cook themselves.

Many younger parents have no idea how to cook nutritious meals from scratch, and even if they do, they often don't have the time  - calling them 'lazy' (or any other name) does nothing to help them or their kids, imo.

9 minutes ago, Lugal said:

 But to just say that poor people can't have it, I can't agree with it.

Agreed! (eta: to be clear, I agree with you, Lugal: my replying "Agreed!" to your "I can't agree" reads a little wonky ; )

Edited Thursday at 10:37 PM by anony.miss

[tearknee]

Just now, anony.miss said:

Many younger parents have no idea how to cook nutritious meals from scratch, and even if they do, they often don't have the time  - calling them 'lazy' (or other names) does nothing to help them, or their kids, imo.

Most people don't repair their own cars anymore - so they always misspell linchpin as lynchpin.

[peacheslatour]

17 minutes ago, tearknee said:

 

I was dropping my son off at daycare once and I saw that the two year old son of the owner was drinking something brown out of his baby bottle. Thinking the kid was maybe constipated, I said "Prune juice?" and she answered "Diet Coke." I got a new daycare soon after that.

[isalicat]

4 hours ago, Lugal said:

Just in case the women of America didn't get the message before about how much MAGA hates them.

Also waiting for all the QANON people that scream about human trafficking to comment on Tate...

More fact checking (Google is your friend) indicates Trump had nothing to do with this and did not know anything about Romania releasing the Tate brothers:

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cpq222rqv4po

https://www.npr.org/2025/02/27/nx-s1-5311621/andrew-tate-brothers-romania-florida

And it looks like they are not very welcome:

"When asked about their arrival, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis told reporters that while the decision to rebuff their entry lies with the Trump administration, the state's attorney general is looking into what authority "we may have to be able to deal with this."

"The reality is: No, Florida is not a place where you're welcome with that type of conduct up in the air," DeSantis said. "I don't know how it came to this. We were not involved, we were not notified." "

You know if you want to complain about stuff, its always good to make sure its real stuff. 😺

[anony.miss]

44 minutes ago, isalicat said:

More fact checking (Google is your friend) indicates Trump had nothing to do with this and did not know anything about Romania releasing the Tate brothers:

Yes, it's true, Trump denies having knowledge of the Tate brothers release. Unfortunately, his denials aren't worth much because he has a long, public (and dirty)  history of denying things which later proved to be true - being knee-deep in the insurrection, sexually assaulting E. Jean Carroll,  having "nothing to do "with Project 2025, etc etc. All to say - articles that just report his denial are not proof he's telling the truth about that denial.

Edited Thursday at 11:21 PM by anony.miss