Im sorry Im old, food stamps are not food stamps?

[JohnnyEgo]

If we're going to buy this BS that government should have some sort of hand in paying for poor people's food then we need to do away with this EBT crap and open up a chain of Government Stores where poor people can go pick up their free food. Then it will be healthy and cost effective.

Then we'd have yet another government agency/department to fund with the equivalent of store clerks getting government scale and benefits, not to mention the overhead related to facilities, etc... Plus, when is the last time you can think of that the .gov has done something better/faster/cheaper that didn't run the risk of explosion. You'd end up with the Kroger equivalent of the TSA.

I have a sister-in-law who is at the absolute bottom of the socio-economic ladder, which is why I have now inherited a niece/daughter and the associated costs with raising an unexpected teenager. But I digress. My sister-in-law was a master of selling food stamps or cashing them out pre-EBT. She's still a master at cashing them out, but it's a bit harder, she complains more, and has to get outside. I'd rather the whole program be significantly redesigned. I'd like you to be forced to take your kid(s) with you in order to use your food stamps. But I think EBT, however flawed, is better than what came before.