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<insert food desert> But you see people with SNAP pushing around carts full of things that aren't eggs and beans and potatoes... and why would they? The maximu

<insert food desert> But you see people with SNAP pushing around carts full of things that aren't eggs and beans and potatoes... and why would they? The maximum monthly benefit for a family of 4 is $939/month, you can buy whatever you want with that. <insert excuse that poor people can't cook or don't have time or ...>

KerrAvon 4y ago
The most corrosive idea in our society is the notion that someone somewhere is getting slightly more than they deserve, just slightly more than you think they earned through their god-given talents, and that it’s therefore worth trying to correct at huge expense, because we certainly can’t have that tiny bit of unfairness in the universe. And the correction, when applied, is always to the detriment of a huge number of other people who actually needed the help. This is how we get means-testing, SALT caps, and bad immigration law. We have got to be more humane than this.
- ramesh31 4y ago
  >The most corrosive idea in our society is the notion that someone somewhere is getting slightly more than they deserve, just slightly more than you think they earned through their god-given talents, and that it’s therefore worth trying to correct at huge expense, because we certainly can’t have that tiny bit of unfairness in the universe. Maybe. But this is how America works. We wont let you starve to death. If you're truly physically disabled, we won't leave you to die. But beyond that it's up to you. And in exchange, what's "up to you" is limitless and celebrated and compensated endlessly. Other societies make this tradeoff in a different direction. But I'm happy there's at least one place on earth that doesn't.
  - trentgreene 4y ago
    The last number I’d heard was that around 100/year starve to death in the US, but I suspect that number is higher when including deaths from folks who incur fatal health conditions from insufficient nutrition.
  - bruce511 4y ago
    >> But beyond that it's up to you It's up to you, but please be aware that you will be playing a rigged game. In this game, those with money will be competing with you. They will also make the rules. In most situations they will also be referee. Therefore please make every effort to be born into at least some money. That is, by far, your best chance of success. Of course we are not heartless. We let a tiny number of previously poor people rise up to serve as both inspiration, and example to the rest. This helps re-enforce the idea that you too can rise up if you just worked "a little bit harder." Unfortunately we cannot raise the standard of living for everyone - since most of you simply don't deserve it. Plus your cheap labour is necessary for our current comfort levels. But I sleep well at night since my life is completely deserved, clearly we all had the same opportunities, I just worked harder than you did.
    - throwaway6734 4y ago
      >Unfortunately we cannot raise the standard of living for everyone The standard of living has been rising constantly throughout American history
      - bruce511 4y ago
        Indeed, as it has been doing globally. There's no doubt that a pauper today lives like a king compared to just a couple centuries ago. Perhaps by statement is better said as "we can't raise the standard at the same rate for everyone." This isn't a universal rule though. Many countries have raised the standards of the poor in proportion to the rich. But you'll see fewer billionaire yachts or private jets in those places too.
  - thebradbain 4y ago
    > We wont let you starve to death. Yes you will > If you're truly physically disabled, we won't leave you to die. Yes you will Do you really think that as a nation that lacks so much empathy for the poor, THAT’S where we suddenly realize someone’s humanity? No, in fact if someone is at this point, most Americans would probably not even notice (and some amount would likely celebrate) their passing. If the safety net lets someone fall this far, why would it catch them now? Just think of the blind eye we turn to people experiencing homelessness— as if their neighbors aren’t already wishing them harm while sipping a bottle of wine with their family and friends during their holiday dinner.
    - UncleEntity 4y ago
      You seriously have no clue how this stuff really works. I used to live in downtown Phoenix and I’d have people trying to feed me when I was just riding my bike random places. Like, I’d be half a block away and they’d shout out “hey, man, you hungry?” And this is just people who would roam around looking for people to help not counting the permanent places that served food on a regular basis. If you’re willing to accept help ‘merica has enough to go around but you have to show up to the shelters sober and have to at least put in the barest minimum of effort to maybe, just maybe, appear to be trying to improve your lot in life. I spent nine years driving a cab and a big chunk of that job was hauling people to/from medical appointments because they didn’t have transportation (or couldn’t afford to drive) and the state was paying for their medical care. Once Uber/Lyft came to town that’s pretty much all I did and I kept pretty busy.
  - vpilcx 4y ago
    > We wont let you starve to death. If you're truly physically disabled, we won't leave you to die. Unless you're a diabetic, then fuck you. Die.
trentgreene 4y ago
I mean —- have you been poor? I can say when my mom and I were dirt poor, we literally didn’t have the time. My mom didn’t take benefits mainly due to pride, but all the foods you mention were way out of her time / price bucket
- bluedino 4y ago
  What time/price bucket do bananas fall in?
  - ramesh31 4y ago
    > What time/price bucket do bananas fall in? Somewhere well below frozen burritos and pizzas: https://efficiencyiseverything.com/calorie-per-dollar-list/ https://efficiencyiseverything.com/calorie-per-dollar-list/
    - trentgreene 4y ago
      True, banana + frozen burritos / pizza for protein and fat are an excellent combo in this situation
  - trentgreene 4y ago
    Oh, bananas are god tier — I probably ate 2-3 a day for years. But you can’t live off them. 5+ Bananas a day really made me feel sick during some lean times. Nutritionally also pretty poor for sustenance, no fat or protein, and they digest very quickly.
HarryHirsch 4y ago
Just saying - when you work 60 hours/week you really don't have time to cook. Cooking is not an option. Not cooking is not out of choice.
- carrolldunham 4y ago
  pouring water and olive oil into some self-raising wholemeal flour and throwing it on a hot pan to make naans (90 seconds to cook) twice a day, comes in under $1/day and 30min/day with washup. for one person
  - deleted 4y ago
    [deleted]
  - bruce511 4y ago
    You are both right. Cooking takes time. Working too many hours (for good reasons) robs you of that time. Cooking adds other time-consumers, shopping, washing up and so on. Equally, once you have a skill set, cooking doesn't need to take a lot of time. If you are lucky you learned to cook growing up, or if you have the time you can learn to cook as an adult. While your nan breads are perhaps not the best example of quick cooking (flour isn't necessarily the best starting point) it's true that stir-frying some veggies, or anything with eggs etc can be done in a couple minutes. But cooking quickly takes skills, and practice, and acquiring those takes time. As an anecdote we required our children to learn to cook young, and by 13 cook a regular meal for the family once a week. Ultimately some enjoyed the process more than others, but all are able to feed themselves quickly, and with little effort. If I have one bit of useful advice it us to encourage kids to learn how to cook for themselves, and for others. And yes, alas, I'm aware of the cost in money and time in doing that.
  - deleted 4y ago
    [deleted]
- malandrew 4y ago
  I work 60 hours a week and cook most days. Where it gets hard is over 70 hours a week.

KerrAvon 4y ago

The most corrosive idea in our society is the notion that someone somewhere is getting slightly more than they deserve, just slightly more than you think they earned through their god-given talents, and that it’s therefore worth trying to correct at huge expense, because we certainly can’t have that tiny bit of unfairness in the universe. And the correction, when applied, is always to the detriment of a huge number of other people who actually needed the help. This is how we get means-testing, SALT caps, and bad immigration law. We have got to be more humane than this.

ramesh31 4y ago
>The most corrosive idea in our society is the notion that someone somewhere is getting slightly more than they deserve, just slightly more than you think they earned through their god-given talents, and that it’s therefore worth trying to correct at huge expense, because we certainly can’t have that tiny bit of unfairness in the universe. Maybe. But this is how America works. We wont let you starve to death. If you're truly physically disabled, we won't leave you to die. But beyond that it's up to you. And in exchange, what's "up to you" is limitless and celebrated and compensated endlessly. Other societies make this tradeoff in a different direction. But I'm happy there's at least one place on earth that doesn't.
- trentgreene 4y ago
  The last number I’d heard was that around 100/year starve to death in the US, but I suspect that number is higher when including deaths from folks who incur fatal health conditions from insufficient nutrition.
- bruce511 4y ago
  >> But beyond that it's up to you It's up to you, but please be aware that you will be playing a rigged game. In this game, those with money will be competing with you. They will also make the rules. In most situations they will also be referee. Therefore please make every effort to be born into at least some money. That is, by far, your best chance of success. Of course we are not heartless. We let a tiny number of previously poor people rise up to serve as both inspiration, and example to the rest. This helps re-enforce the idea that you too can rise up if you just worked "a little bit harder." Unfortunately we cannot raise the standard of living for everyone - since most of you simply don't deserve it. Plus your cheap labour is necessary for our current comfort levels. But I sleep well at night since my life is completely deserved, clearly we all had the same opportunities, I just worked harder than you did.
  - throwaway6734 4y ago
    >Unfortunately we cannot raise the standard of living for everyone The standard of living has been rising constantly throughout American history
    - bruce511 4y ago
      Indeed, as it has been doing globally. There's no doubt that a pauper today lives like a king compared to just a couple centuries ago. Perhaps by statement is better said as "we can't raise the standard at the same rate for everyone." This isn't a universal rule though. Many countries have raised the standards of the poor in proportion to the rich. But you'll see fewer billionaire yachts or private jets in those places too.
- thebradbain 4y ago
  > We wont let you starve to death. Yes you will > If you're truly physically disabled, we won't leave you to die. Yes you will Do you really think that as a nation that lacks so much empathy for the poor, THAT’S where we suddenly realize someone’s humanity? No, in fact if someone is at this point, most Americans would probably not even notice (and some amount would likely celebrate) their passing. If the safety net lets someone fall this far, why would it catch them now? Just think of the blind eye we turn to people experiencing homelessness— as if their neighbors aren’t already wishing them harm while sipping a bottle of wine with their family and friends during their holiday dinner.
  - UncleEntity 4y ago
    You seriously have no clue how this stuff really works. I used to live in downtown Phoenix and I’d have people trying to feed me when I was just riding my bike random places. Like, I’d be half a block away and they’d shout out “hey, man, you hungry?” And this is just people who would roam around looking for people to help not counting the permanent places that served food on a regular basis. If you’re willing to accept help ‘merica has enough to go around but you have to show up to the shelters sober and have to at least put in the barest minimum of effort to maybe, just maybe, appear to be trying to improve your lot in life. I spent nine years driving a cab and a big chunk of that job was hauling people to/from medical appointments because they didn’t have transportation (or couldn’t afford to drive) and the state was paying for their medical care. Once Uber/Lyft came to town that’s pretty much all I did and I kept pretty busy.
- vpilcx 4y ago
  > We wont let you starve to death. If you're truly physically disabled, we won't leave you to die. Unless you're a diabetic, then fuck you. Die.

trentgreene 4y ago

I mean —- have you been poor? I can say when my mom and I were dirt poor, we literally didn’t have the time. My mom didn’t take benefits mainly due to pride, but all the foods you mention were way out of her time / price bucket

bluedino 4y ago
What time/price bucket do bananas fall in?
- ramesh31 4y ago
  > What time/price bucket do bananas fall in? Somewhere well below frozen burritos and pizzas: https://efficiencyiseverything.com/calorie-per-dollar-list/ https://efficiencyiseverything.com/calorie-per-dollar-list/
  - trentgreene 4y ago
    True, banana + frozen burritos / pizza for protein and fat are an excellent combo in this situation
- trentgreene 4y ago
  Oh, bananas are god tier — I probably ate 2-3 a day for years. But you can’t live off them. 5+ Bananas a day really made me feel sick during some lean times. Nutritionally also pretty poor for sustenance, no fat or protein, and they digest very quickly.

HarryHirsch 4y ago

Just saying - when you work 60 hours/week you really don't have time to cook. Cooking is not an option. Not cooking is not out of choice.

carrolldunham 4y ago
pouring water and olive oil into some self-raising wholemeal flour and throwing it on a hot pan to make naans (90 seconds to cook) twice a day, comes in under $1/day and 30min/day with washup. for one person
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
- bruce511 4y ago
  You are both right. Cooking takes time. Working too many hours (for good reasons) robs you of that time. Cooking adds other time-consumers, shopping, washing up and so on. Equally, once you have a skill set, cooking doesn't need to take a lot of time. If you are lucky you learned to cook growing up, or if you have the time you can learn to cook as an adult. While your nan breads are perhaps not the best example of quick cooking (flour isn't necessarily the best starting point) it's true that stir-frying some veggies, or anything with eggs etc can be done in a couple minutes. But cooking quickly takes skills, and practice, and acquiring those takes time. As an anecdote we required our children to learn to cook young, and by 13 cook a regular meal for the family once a week. Ultimately some enjoyed the process more than others, but all are able to feed themselves quickly, and with little effort. If I have one bit of useful advice it us to encourage kids to learn how to cook for themselves, and for others. And yes, alas, I'm aware of the cost in money and time in doing that.
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
malandrew 4y ago
I work 60 hours a week and cook most days. Where it gets hard is over 70 hours a week.