This is bullcrap any thing that is editable and drinkable should be allowed to be bought with food stamps it is our right to buy our food with food stamps I under stand that drinking alot of soda can rotten your teeth but most kids 9 times out of 10 dont really brush there teeth and for kids that do its not fair for every one to suffer

You prove a good point, teeth are decaying and america is becoming more obese. You're also right that it isn't just people with food stamps that buy to much junk food. Amy_adams you say its your right to buy what you want with your food stamps but what about the people that are paying taxes for you to have your food stamps shoudln't they get a say since it is the hard working people dishing out tax dollars for you to eat when junk food isn't a necessity. Get a job and don't rely on the state to cover your junk food habits and no one would be trying to limit what you can purchase with your food stamps.

I agree with Amy_Adams...It is bull crap. A lot of people don't let their kids have soda anyway. Usually it's for the adults. It's a beverage and you should beable to buy it. I think sportz28 is frigen ignorant for dising people that have food stamps. It might not be their fault that the fathers walked out on them, and now they have to receive food stamps just to get by. You're complaining cuz it's your tax money that's paying for everyones food stamp but if they didn't have food stamp then it would be your tax money paying for the kids that are in foster care!! Amy_Adams might have a job. How the heck do you know! Because you can still get food stamps if you have a job. So....It's her tax money too that's paying for her food stamps!!! You don't actually know unless you've been there!! You must think you're high class and never had to be on food stamps or was too embarresed to be on them!

Sooooo... Say, let's prohibit the use of Food Stamps to buy certain products. In a couple of years, let's extend that PROHIBITION to the entire population and limit the sale of those same products. Then, later, just plain outlaw their sale at all. Now you're talking! Before long, the government will be in your shopping cart every time you shop. Next in your bedroom every night. And checking out your reading material. I know we just elected a Democratic leader, but there should be limits on government in ordinary life. We are over-legislated on every level already. This isn't just about abuse of welfare. It's about too much government. It already stinks that people on welfare can't buy toilet paper. Does anybody else remember the former programs of food distribution--the cheese, butter, lentils, canned meats, etc.? The Food Stamp program was implemented in part to give users of the system more control over their diets and ease the restrictions on items they could get on the program. I say, keep outta peoples' personal lives. Live and let live. You know, we don't have to, nor are we called to judge other people. The Bible says there is only One who has the right to judge.

ya your right that was kind of ignorant but food stamps weren't created tohelp people get junk food it was created to help people get foods that are healthy and will help them grow and stay healthy i don't believe it isthere for people to get whateva they want. if it was they'd be able to get alcohol with it thats a beverage to so why can't they get that. you can always work more the only difference being is that the more you work the monre money you make what takes away state help because than they say you make to much so your better off not working. there are a lot of peoplethat abuse the system that really don't need the help and are able to go out and work but choose not to.like the mother in the other artilcle said she refuses to buy junk with food stamps. thats how it should be itshould be for fruits, veggies and meat. nutritional value items.

Compromise, throw out junkfood and add in BEER!

Dr, Shenkin has a a good point, to that I will agree. My husband and I are middle class hard workers and our 2 children have grown married and have children of thier own. we are in out late 4o's. I do not agree with Dr, Shenkins idea isnt this the land of the free..................?

I think in"my opinion" this is discrimination agains people who have little or no choice that they get food stamps in this economy.And yes there are some that get them for no good reason. I know for a fact that Dr, Shenkin is a wonderful dentist loving and caring with his patients. But let me tell you his office has rules and they dont like them broken and they are rude about it. would he like some one telling him what he could buy and not buy? I dont think so! come on here be fair. Let People make thier own choices and people our going to buy soft drinks and sugar drinks even if they cant get them wilh food stamps.He is not being realistic, And I pay taxes just like the rest I dont like abuse of the system but it happnes what can we do about it NOTHING!. The judgement is not yours the people who let thier children drink too much of this will have to judge, maybe DR, Shenkin shouldnt treat Maine care chilren if it is a problem, as i know the reimbusment probably isnt that great?

Say sportz 28 it appears to me that you must be just another one of the ignorant s.o.b,s. that have nothing to do in life except look around the world and find some thing to harp on or try to harm sombody ,with your jelousy .First of all if your telling people [amy] to get a job and get off the foodstamp help ,it must be that if you are up at 1;59 in the middle of night , early morning ,after hours, way too late for working people,etc etc etc. Get my point on this? no you don't. Let me gripe. If you are a working person why in hell are you up at these wee hours of the night ?shoudn't you be slepping,getting your rest for the next day of work.My not knowing you ,whitch is a good thing, you are probrobly a 300pounder from eating to many macs and chips and sodas yourself. woops there I go again being like the government wants to be ,juging people and wanting to tell and control their every breating moment.Let me tell you about my experience with food stamps. I am 55years old .Ihave rased three children since 1975 with gov. food [as freindly writes] the cheese and meats in a can and etc. etc. I then stood in them lines ripping out stamps from the programs book waiting in those lines too for all the people with money to wrie out there damn checks and then the wait to verify if it was good or not. I now today 33 years later now use the systems maine card. Does this make me lazy and want to leach on stamp from you so called hard working people that have to pay taxes? I have been a hard worker for 35years of that 33 raising 3 children .In fact I will at 55 right now chalange you or anyboy in this state of maine to try and keep up with me working right today .After 33years of supporting pepsi and humpty dumpty [with my food stamp] I still weigh in at 190 lbs. I couldn't eat at macdonalds with my food stamps. I couldn't glot myself on friday nights at the local restaurant getting fat with roallty with my stamps. Your government prohibits me from bying hot foods at the deli ,hot barb chiken,hot potatoe logs, pizza, hot sandwitches etc. etc. etc. hotstuff. By the way I worked my ass off for those first 18 years raising the three that are on foodstamps today rasing their two children. Check the books in the IRS and find that we all 4 and my wife aswell worked hard for 33yeras to support with food stamps. Iv'e now been2 years wating for my disability with zero $$$$$ to live on . Nothing but food stamps ,THAT"S IT. I could go on and write a book about fat bitching bums that think you and this cheap government wants and then i'd be a rich man with my books and off foodstamps. But you are not woth writting a book about . So just SHUT UP and go to bed for its early in the morning and you got to get up early to go and continue paying taxes to help needy people like me that have vey little or nothing but a MAine food stamp plastic card. Sportz, you wanna bitch about something worth bitchin about? Come see me in palmyra maine and we"ll start a partition to repel having to wear a seat belt while I drive into the store at 25 mph to get my food. That's what's worth bitching about. Never mind soda and chips, flapping your lips on something that is not worthy as a law, not on eatting chips and soda ,which is a law. You go Amy_ Adams,Kayleighnkayceesmom, you go freindly you all three keep on drinking with me,,,,,, Stortzy you keep on bithching and chip away at your persoal problems not ours. HAVE A SHITTY DAY!!!!!

Jeddy53, WOW YOU ARE A HYPOCRIT, If you can challenge anyone to keep up with you in the State of Maine working and then say you have been waiting 2+ years for disability, mabye the disability people should get a look at your comment, because it's because of people who ABUSE

(SORRY I GOT SO P'D OFF AT THIS GUY I HIT ENTER TOO EARLY,) ANY WAY, PEOPLE WHO ABUSE THE SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY SYSTEM THAT REALLY MAKE ME MAD, IF YOU CAN CHALLENGE ANYONE IN MAINE TO KEEP UP WITH YOU WORKING TODAY, GO GET A F*&^ING JOB AND WORK AND QUIT WAITING FOR SOCIAL SECURITY TO PAY YOUR ASS. AND BY THE WAY FOOD STAMPS ARE TO SUPPLEMENT YOUR FOOD NOT SUPPLY IT FOR THE WHOLE MONTH. I work every day with a split disc in my back and arthritis in my hips and back and Jeddy YOU'RE WELCOME SO WHEN YOU GET YOUR SOCIAL SECURITY RETRO AND DON'T REPORT IT, REMEMBER TO PAY US WHO ARE WORKING SO OUR GOVERNMENT CAN SUPPORT YOU. IF YOU DON'T LIKE THE GOVERNMENT HERE MOVE TO CHINA, MABYE YOU WOULD LIKE IT THERE BEING TOLD WHAT TO EAT, WHEN TO EAT IT AND NOT OWN ANYTHING WITHOUT THE GOVERNMENT SAYING IT IS OK. GO TO HELL JEDDY53 AND QUIT YOUR BITCHIN BY THE WAY MABYE YOU SHOULD TAKE SOME OF YOUR SOCIAL SECURITY MONEY YOU DO GET AND TAKE AN ENGLISH CLASS TO LEARN HOW TO SPELL. GRANTED I MADE SOME SPELLING ERRORS BUT IT IS SELF RIGHTEOUS SOB'S LIKE YOU THAT REALLY BURN ME. I HAVE AN ASSOCIATES DEGREE AND DESERVE MORE RESPECT THAN YOU SEEM TO THINK. AND MABYE SPORTZ 28 WORKS NIGHTS TO SUPPORT YOUR ASS. EVER THINK OF THAT????????? YOU CAN AFFORD A COMPUTER BUT CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT YOUR SOCIAL SECURITY? FUNNY IF I WERE STRUGGLING THAT HARD I WOULD SELL MY COMPUTER AND USE THE MONEY TO HELP THE FAMILY. SO AGAIN, I SAY IF YOU DON'T LIKE THE GOVERNMENT HERE, GO THE HELL SOMEWHERE ELSE AND LIVE FOR FREE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

P.S JEDDY53, I HAVE BEEN WORKING SINCE I WAS 14, YES 14 YEARS OLD SO YOU ARE WELCOME

I agree with Dr. Shenkin. No soda with food stamps! Let's add candy, sweets, and chips to the list while we're at it!!

good morning hardworkingmom.........I got up this morning in pain with my arthritis and am not in the happiest of moods because of it. But that's my life every minute of everyday....it's not my choice to have this and I have applied to SSI disability and have been denied 3 times. I can barely move and have to have help getting dressed and bathing and cleaning the house. We don't have anyone else to help us here and my husband and kid travel great distances to work everyday, that leaves me alone for 12 hours a day. Needless to say it's dificult. It would be nice to have the extra money to pay for someone to come and help us, but there isn't so I am sucking it up and getting more depressed each day.....

I am glad that you have an associates degree,but with your rotten mouth and attitude I don't believe that you deserve any respect for it at all.

Let them buy junk, it's cheaper, you don't get much in food stamps so of course buy the cheapest thing. Then we pay for dentist visits with our tax dollars already.

So people getting free food from the gov't are upset that we do not want them buying crap with the food stamps? Exactly what is the USRDA for soda and chips? If they do not like it, too bad - it's my money they're spending.

Funny, isn't it? Beggars being choosers.

ARE YOU TELLING ME THAT WHEN YOU GO TO THE STORE WITH FOOD STAMPS THAT YOU HAVE ENOUGH THAT YOU CAN BUY EVERYTHING THAT YOU NEED AND YOU STILL HAVE ENOUGH TO BUY SODA AND CHIPS? I DON'T

Those on FoodStamps need to learn that the money that they are being given is to suplement their diets and to allow them to provide nutritous options to their families. Why is it that those who take the most from this state get the largest say!? Food stamps should only be used for the purchase of meats, veggies, pasta, potato, 100% juice, whole grain breakfast cereals, milk, cheese, and other items that are necessary for the proper development of their family. Chips, cookies, soda, ice cream, TV dinners, and other forms of junk food and food that has no nutritional value should be taken off the list. Period. You did not earn the right to have Food Stamps - the state deemed you eligable. And you should not have a say in how they are used. If you want to buy junk and waste money - waste your own! Not mine.

omg Amy_Adams...get real!!!!!!!!

Food stamps should be for necessities only, not junk food and crap. It's an entitlement-minded society that says people on welfare are entitled to luxury items. It doesn't matter who the person is. No need to diss food stamp users or welfare recipients.

It's not your right amy you stupid idiot. It's the taxpayers right. Feel privelaged your on them and at least try to buy healthy. Food stamps are a stepping stone to hopefully get off them, and achieve some sort of financial independence, unfortunalterly most mainers, especially here downeast dont give a f***, and prefer to stay on welfare, and not do anything, so the rest of us can support them and they can sleep all day and do drugs and get payed to drive to a clinic.

I was at the store the other day and this guy bought beer and smokes with the cash portion of his foodstamp card, so us taxpayers are paying to support his drinking and smoking habit. Now thats wrong! Welcome to maine Baldacci. We are a welfare state, lets face it,run by dems for over 30 years. If you want a glimps of how the country will be run for the next 4 years anyway look at maine. So amy get a clue you stupid Morrrron!

Food stamps were not created to provide low income families with nutritious food. It was a way of supporting farmers. It still is; keep the demand up, keep the profits up, keep those big donations from agribusiness coming to the politicians. And if any of you think you can support a family on welfare and food stamps, you haven't tried it. You can't do it with welfare, food stamps, Medicare, and working full time at minimum wage. I say that low income people are as entitled to set their kids up for an early death from heart disease and diabetes as the rest of us. Besides that high fructose corn syrup that is rotting the teeth of soda drinkers comes from farm products so the maiin purpose of the program is still working.

My husband and I were talking last night about our tanking economy. We decided that as bad as it is, it may be a blessing in disguise. It will give millions of Americans the opportunity to see how the rest of us must live day to day. We lost everything we had worked for, (we both joined the workforce at the age of sixteen), when we became seriously ill at about the same time and had to do the three year social security waltz. We ended up on food stamps and whatever aid we could qualify for while we fought the government for the right to collect on insurance that we had been paying into for over thirty years. Now, everyday, we hear about hundreds of thousands of you losing your jobs and finding yourselves in similar financial situations. Don't believe it will not be so for you if you lose your paycheck because there are few job opportunitie left out there. Yes, the depression just may be a blessing, it will give the rest of you a taste of what so many of us endure. And by the way "klaive99" food stamps are a right. We paid the taxes that fund the program. Certainly in an ideal culture everyone would be educated enough to realize the need for nutrition over pleasure, but until you have walked a mile in my shoes, keep your damn mouth shut. (Pardon me, sore subject.)

We need a study to correlate sex frequency with income levels.

I think folks have forgotten what this program was intended to do. I remember having to go to the town hall to pick up, butter, rice, oatmeal, powdered milk, canned meat, cornmeal, cheese, etc. This was the original "sort of" foodstamp program. It was meant to help those with little or no income to have enough food to eat. I went once a month. Anything that was left over from month to month was cooked up and fed to our pig, which was butchered in the fall to feed us for the winter. There were no sugary treats to be found. I think we need to get back to this criteria in order for the program to work properly. We must stop taking advantage of a great program and purchase what is healthy for our families. If we can't or choose not to do this, then YES, I propose that the gov't has to dictate right and wrong. I wish we were all intelligent enough to make these decisions on our own, then no one would be able to complain about gov't infringement.

The Food Stamp program wasn't designed to help people buy snack food. It was designed to prevent them from starving. The fact that crap food can be purchased is partly about the kinds of cash registers that were being used at the time... they couldn't be programmed the way new register systems can. I think it's time to overhaul the whole system.... food stamps need to be changed to "household" stamps, for the purchase of nutritional food as well as such things as toilet paper, tampons, laundry detergent, etc. Several years ago my then husband and I were both only working part-time.... there were no full-time jobs available. (I've since moved out of state because of it) We had to rely on food stamps - it was aweful. I was VERY poor, so we qualified for over 400 dollars a month in food stamps. I'm a good shopper, that was more than I needed to feed my family. (it wouldn't be now) BUT, I couldn't afford to buy the other things I needed. It drove me nuts!! I could have bought lobster if I wanted to, but had to ask the neighbors for liquid tylenol for my baby's fever. To all the people on here scolding each other, here's some advice: If you've never needed the help, you are blessed, don't knock those that do need the help. To all of those that are recieving benefits, don't act like it's your business to buy crap for your family. It isn't. It's your business to bust your ass to do better for your family.

sacurtis: first of all the comment was not directed to you if you could read, I was commenting on jeddy53, so if you take everything someone on a comment board says personal sorry, next time you say that my attitude is rotten, let me tell you my story of ss disability and what has happened to my daughters father, till then read and understand what you are reading.

Let's face it people. The system has been abused since it was created and the "some" who have been in the system for years know how to work it to their advantage. This state dont "check up" on anyone to see if it is legitimate. I know a woman who has been "working the system" for 15 years and as far as my knowledge even has been reported but still lives high ont he hog. She receives almost $1000 a month cash, and over $600 with Food Stamps. She didnt work, her husband who has worked under the table his whole life pretends to have a mental problem so collects disability but yet never paid a cent to this state for taxes or child support for the 6 kids (only 2 are this woman's)he has at the age of 32. (He is in jail right now though...how sad.) She received a $10,000 inheritace. Instead of reporting it as income, she tells our grand state that she gave $7000 to her mother for rent (with whom she has never paid a dime of rent since she moved in 2 years ago) and the other 3 grand went to clothes. Her and her husband are full of tattoos...thats where the bulk of the money went. She continued to collect her monthly check and all her food stamps. Her mother got a partial inheritace (who she lives with) of 45 thousand. Tell me...is it fair that the taxpayers continue to pay these people's way? Do we not have a right as taxpayers to say NO when it comes to the distribution of taxpayers money? YES we do! But..thats not how it works. Itis people like this that ruin it for those that really need the help and who dont abuse the system. This woman is now working full time 40 hours a week @ $10 an hour and still is going to get a little over $500 a month in welfare check and the same amount of $600 in Food Stamps.

And..let's not forget...they are not only allowed to buy chips, soda, and candy..they also can buy live Lobster which I see alot of living here in Southern Maine. , Fresh Shrimp, crab ragoon from the freezer section. Ive worked in these stores and I have seen it for years. I know this to be factual.

Until this state draws up some new implements of how the system can be run and "keep track" of whats actually going on, it will continue.

Oh yeah...I almost forgot. For those of you in the system are now mad at me for my comment just remember this...I, Too, live check to check. I have 8 dollars and 32 cents in my check book after paying my bills and I dont qualify for 1 single penny of assistance. I have not 1 cent of "leftover money" to spare to fill my fuel tank which only has a quarter tank of fuel in it or have enough to pay my taxes. I ate bologna and toast all last week...what did you eat????? There will be a lien on my home by June but because I WORK...PAY MY TAXES (or try)..I dont qualify for any type of repreive from anyone....you have Free Medical..Food Stamps..A roof over your head and if you didnt/dont..then maybe I will see you sometime when I end up at the Shelter....ok...I'm done. Thank you very much. And I approve this message.

Rick, excellent point, I agree. And alot of you defending the food stamps are becoming quite hypocritical. Funny how some people can be disabled and BARELY able to move, yet they can still manage to get to that seat by the computer! Git r done! I love it....BEGGARS being CHOOSERS.....Couldn't be described ANY better....

I would like to reply to jaguarsky.... I have been in your shoes. A few years ago my husband lost his job and both him and myself spent weeks looking for work, for any work. And after nearly 3 months of being unemployeed, after depleting our savings and maxing out credit limits I was forced to apply for food stamps to feed ourselves and our 2 toddlers. And i was greatful for the help, and I used that money to stock up on everthing necessary to feed my family - Not junk food!! But you want to know the sad part, when I applied the woman told me not to worry, that it was ok and it wasnt. It is my job and my husbands to feed, shelter and clothe our family, but the nanny-state of Maine doesnt see anything wrong with anyone using and abusing the welfare system. I tell you what, I did not feel entitled to use food stamps, but the state sure told me that I was. So we stayed on them for a month or so, was lucky enough to finally find employment. And you know what, when I called to cancel they asked me why? And they tried to tell me that i was still eligible! Eligible?? How is anyone eligible for free money?! Its baffles me! So you know what, I have been there and I have used the programs available, but only when i needed them, and as soon as I was working again i stoped using the program regardless of being told that i still could, becuase that is what responsible and independant people do! These programs are there to aid people when they are at their worst, and help them get going again, not to be used as a way of life like they are currently being used. Laws need to change. Requirements need to change. Benefits need to change. Restrictions, lots and lots of restrictions need to be added. This program and other welfare programs are being used and abused and I am sick of watching it happen and paying for it too happen. The Govenor wants to balance the budget and pay for new programs... well cut out all of the unneccesary welfare and there will be oodles of money for that to happen

OpinionatedinMaine, bologna is expensive and unhealthy. You would have more money left over in your checking account if you switched to beans, rice, potatoes, and onions. Maybe you should get a better job.

I agree with opinionated %100 as I see alot of the same antics. anne_of_mdi. bologna may be unhealthy yes, but expensive? My husband eats .99 a package bologna sandwiches for lunch, not the the 3.99 deli cut stuff. Yet a guy he works with making more money, which he hides somehow, "qualifies" for food stamps and he eats 6.99 lb deli roast beef!! Somehow 10.00 /hr wages are the new middle class and qualifies for 3.00 a month food stamps. Boy we could live like royalty on that! These programs were meant to supplement lower income WORKING families that needed a little help, not for people to live on as the ONLY source of income. The system has been abused for many years now, and after reading people bitching because they can't buy junk food with them makes you realize how badly the system needs to change.

Jimmyb, are you a man or a woman? Yes bologna is more expensive and less healthy than beans, rice, potatoes and onions. Plus it's filled with carcinogenic nitrates. That's a horrible thing to be eating. Obviously you're not taking good care of your husband. Anyway, your post is a little confusing, but you say a guy who works with your husband makes $10/hr and, I'm guessing you meant, $300/ month food stamps. You just said he was working so I don't understand how this guy can be not working and living off food stamps. And are you saying that your husband makes less than $10/hr? Maybe we would all be better off if we demanded better wages!! Duh!

I have to respond to klaive99. A few years back, before the latest heating "crisis" there was a news story about the heating assistance program, and how they had so much available money, yet they felt that many who qualified were not coming forward to get it. They even went as far as to buy television ad time to get the word out. I just remember saying to myself, what is it that they don't understand about just because someone "qualifies" for a handout, does not mean they want it. Maybe they have this little thing called pride, and they figure that, yeah it's difficult, but I'll just manage it on my own, I don't actually need the handout to survive. Seems there are fewer and fewer of those people around these days.

hey anne....the bologna I buy id $1.99 a pound...alot cheaper than soem of the cat food you would probably widh I ate...ans as for a better job...Do you have one? Ive tried to switch jobs for months now with no luck...do you have any hidden secrets you can share since you are eating so well? The rest of the taxpayers who are also living check to check would love to know how you balance $1.oo for a half pound of bologna or a green pepper at 2.99 a pound? maybe you should try some bologna anne...much better than the crow you should be eating for your reply. While you are opening your mouth and inserting your foot...ill be eating my cheap bologna while you eat your green pepper.

hardworkingmom.......(if I could read!) are you for real? how rude! I know it wasn't directed to me but once things are said they are OUT THERE! Didn't you learn anything in college about being civil to your fellow man? I forget you have an ASSoc.degree and are a special person......pardon me!

anne, you just get a kick from pissing people off don't you?

.Isn't it unfair for the public to pay for other people's soda, and then for the public to also pay the medical bills when the people drinking that soda become sick or go to the dentist?

.

Seems to me that food stamps should only be redeemable for nutritional food, and not luxury foods or unhealthy foods.

.

Public support of the unfortunate should be limited to preserving life AND health, and to helping people get back on their feet economically.

anne...you wouldnt happen to be one of the ones buying Lobster with your Food Card are you?

We all used to live within our means years ago but the system has taken it away from us and decided it needed to go to people and places that dont necessarily need it as much as they claim it does. Like I said before...there are alot of people in this state that legitimatly need the help supporting their familys in such rough times andthen you have the ones working under the able and collecting everything.

Monthly Cash

Food Stamps

Free Medical

Any of 178,000 recipients qualify for the Bruce Roberts Santa fund (the woman I spoke of earlier takes advantage of this and puts her name on all the gifts)

My point being...ANNE...is that unless you are a Food Stamp recipient or receive a monthly check from the taxpayers...You cant even go to the nearest Food Bank and get any help. It use to be for "Anyone"...but not anymore. It is only for those who are eligible for the system. If you are a taxpayer anne and feel you are not contrubuting enough to the cause and feel I am talking out of my Asspa then maybe you can throw a little of your money my way so I can buy those fruits and vegetables you are talking about and in return I will make you one heck of a bologna roll up.

I think most people use food stamps correctly. I don't really think its necessary to overhaul anything, but I can see the point of trying to steer people who use food stamps to make better eating choices. People will eat whatever they want to eat and why should I care. I think we should blame the makers of foods more than the people buying the products.

With the State budget getting tighter and tighter, and money also being very tight for those who work and pay taxes, all of these welfare type programs need to be looked at to make sure they are operating as intended. That way, struggling tax payers can be reassured that at least their hard earned tax money is being put to good use by people who really need it to survive. Very few of us mind helping someone who is hungry until they can fend for themself, but not too many taxpayers that I know are thrilled about having their tax money going to buy people things that are not nutritious and/or damage health, which the the same taxpayers will also have to ante up to pay for.

Every time someone uses food stamps to buy something that's totally non-nutritious, they are making a statement that they don't really need all they are getting from the state in order to have adequate nutrition. Eventually, taxpayers who can barely afford to buy any luxury items for their own families will notice and object to such waste and the program will be cut and unfortunately some who have a genuine need will be hurt. The best thing that current food stamp recipients can do for other needy people is to make sure they put every bit of assistance they get to very good use so the tax payers can see that this program shouldn't be cut. Food stamps should be used strictly for necessities and NOT for unhealthy things like soda.

Why is it that articles about food stamps bring out the worst in people. So many of these comments are judgemental, stereotypical and really thoughtless. Are we Mainer's really this nasty to each other, or do some of just enjoy killing time on a rainy Saturday by taking shots at people who are disadvantaged?

My brother had friends that were on food stamps some time ago. They would give him $100 worth of stamps for like 60-70 dollars cash. They would go buy cigarettes, booze, pot and what not and my brother would go buy himself groceries and things he needed. I bring this up just so people know that this type of thing goes on, in this case, by single, male twenty-somethings.

Listen, This dentist is crazy!!!!! What NOTHING else better to do with your Time there buddy!!!!!!!!!!!! Hell, we get food stamps... We work and bust are asses just like you.......... we buy gas, and alot of things and we PAY taxes!!!!!!!!!! Hell,if you want to change and make all theese damn laws your in the wrong ocupation..

Do you think because, you stop soda pop, and candy from food stamps.. that kids teeth are not gonna go bad..THEY STILL WILL!!... THE KIDS HAVE TOO BRUSH THERE TEETH TO START WITH!!!!!!!!!!!! HELLO!!!!!!!!!!!!

AND FOR ALL THE PEOPLE ON HERE THAT TELL THE PEOPLE ON FOOD STAMPS TO GET A JOB!!!!! THATS BULL TOO.... ALOT OF PEOPLE ON FOOD STAMPS WORK..... THINK ABOUT PUTTING PEOPLE IN AUGUSTA THAT WANT TO RAISE THE HRLY WAGE!! AND PEOPLE WOULDN'T HAVE TO BE ON FOOD STAMPS.... I DON'T GET PISSED WHEN PEOPLE BUY POP OR COOKIES... I GET PISSED WHEN PEOPLE BUY LOBSTER, AND $14.00 STEAK!!! NOW COME ON... USE YOUR HEAD HERE!!!! YOU, HAVE A DOC THAT DOESN'T KNOW THE FACTS... THINKS HE DOES BUT, HE DOESN'T!!! LOOSER!!!!!!!!!!!!

So start educating on proper hygiene....

Oh ya SOMEONEFROMBANGOR HA A GOOD POINT!!!!!!! GOOD DEAL.... tHIS DENTIST IS REALLY PISSING OFF ALOT OF PEOPLE....... WHAT IS HE TRYING TO BE MR. BIG MAN OF THE STATE!!!!!!!!!!!!! GIVE IT UP!!!!!! OH, NO SMOKING IN YOUR CAR WITH KIDS... NOW THIS..... WHAT DO U WANT TO CHANGE THE WORLD!!!!!!!!!!! WHY DONT YOU RUN FOR OFFICE IF YOU WANT TO BE SO POWERFULL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YOUR PROBLEM IS THAT YOUR JELOUSE!!!!!!!!!!

SOMEWHEREDOWNEAST........... YOUR WRONG.... THE CASH PART OF THE CARD IS TANF......... THEY CAN DO WHAT EVER THEY DAMN WELL PLEASE WITH THAT PART OF IT.... ALSO, SOME PEOPLE IN SOME CASES CAN HAVE THINGS ADDED TO THAT PART OF THE CARD..... ALSO, WANTED TO ADD

THAT I AM DISABILED FROM THE MILITARY... AND IF I WANT TO BUY POP WITH MY FOOD STAMP CARD I WILL.. IT AIN'T NO DAMN DENTIST THAT WILL STOP ME.........

Honestly, you sound crazy jd. I don't understand what a well-off denist has to be jealous of? People who make less money than him? Hmm I dont think so...

Beggars become choosers....Right

Opininatedinmaine you have it right you have people like yourself and many others that could make $2 over the limit and the state won't give you any funding. when its kinda like the state is telling you to work less and they will help you than you'd be all set becuase most of your bills would be covered. And ya everyone pays taxes but some pay more than others and the ones paying more normally get a lot less back. Than theres the people that get state help and pay barely anything in to the government in taxes and get 3x more back than they put in when some are left paying more into the government. just not fair to penalize people for making more money than others. You're better off having kids and not working and the state will help you out hardworkingmom you were right i do work nights and i don't even get 25% back of what I pay in for taxes back. why is that so i can support people that don't work or to support their junkfood/ eating habits. does that sound right i work and pay for you to eat and get medical covereage when i have to pay all my own medical bills. Klaive99 completeyl right maine nannys people and tells them its alright not to work not in those specific words but they help so many people and not all but some of those people learn how to play the system to always benefit from it. A lot f things need to be changed in this state/country but never will because state help is just like insurance its everyone pooling their money together incase something ever happens to them but its the same 25% of people using the help instead of supporting themselves.

sacurtis, if I hadn't directed it to a specific person, then yes the comment would have been out there, so, think what you may, I do have compassion for my fellow man, and do realize that there are those who do need the help, so, keep running your chops at me and mabye your anger will go away toward the system that is taking it's sweet time finding you disabled, also having arthritis as bad as you claim, how can you type so much? Just worried about you being in PAIN from minding my comments and what you think are your business. NOW THIS WAS DIRECTED AT YOU. SO YES I CAN BE AN ASS. AND BELIEVE ME, IF COMPASSION IS DESERVED, I DO GIVE IT, BUT THOSE WHO DON'T DESERVE IT CAN GO TO, WELL YOU ARE SMARTER THAN I SO I THINK YOU CAN FIGURE THAT OUT!!!!!!!!!!!!:) you have a great evening.

Can't argue with an educated fool !!!!!!!

All this crap about bologna is unbelievable! I guess we are all damn hard up for any entertainment, as we're all reading this And commenting! And where are the better jobs hiding out? I guess your lucky if you have any job at all in this time. Anyway, I've never cared much for beans or rice, and only like my bologna fried, with mustard! And mine only costs $1.89 for a Big package!

People can have their paycheck, SSI, SSD or any other form of monthly cash benefit deposited to the EBT card. The cash they are spending may not be TANF it may be their own money. You dont know. If someone is making 10.00 an hour and getting 600 in food stamps, then they must not be reporting. While we were on food stamps, ONLY, my husband worked 40-45 hours a week at 11.00 an hour and we only got 120.00 a month in assistance for 6 people. We paid for our own insurance and everything else, we just needed help with buying food. I was out of work due to a lay off. We didnt buy junk either. Maybe a package of cookies once a week as desserts. We bought meat in bulk, divided and froze it. Not everyone buys crap. I understand both sides and wonder how many on here have actually been a part of this system? I dont think the answer is judgements and dentists spouting off. I think the state needs to get off its butt and fix the system.

Well that was quite the daily discussion if anyone wants to continue it come on down to the seadog tonight! get a black and blue theyre mighty tasty!

sacurtis, you are right I am a fool, a fool for believing that someone with your mentality could possibly comprehend the fact that not everything is ABOUT YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Mabye if you put as much of your energy into TRYING to understand where the majority of the people who commented on this article are coming from you would know that it is NOT ALL ABOUT YOU AND ONLY YOU. I directed my comment to one particular commenter and you seem to think that you are Savior to all. I always thought there was only one GOD, I must let people know that YOU ARE GOD forgive me for not knowing that before. And if you don't think I am educated, that is your choice. At least I, with my arthritis, and split disc, and yes pain every day WORK for my money.

I was just sitting here reading all of your comments. I'm sitting here in an apartment my husband and I can't afford. We have two kids, and my husband does work. He makes $8.50 an hour for forty hours a week. Our rent is $503 a month, and we pay an $80 light bill. Know what the big surprise is?! Yes, you guessed it, we get Food Stamps. Let me just ask you people, have you noticed that foods that are healthy are expensive? We actually use our Food Stamps to buy our food for the month. My husband's money has to go for other bills. My kids eat junk once and awhile, but not all the time. What's wrong with them being able to have a treat once and awhile? My kids are still healthy, and their teeth aren't rottten. I think you'll find the problem isn't with the Food Stamps, it's with the parents not taking the proper care of their children. I live in a neighborhood where the single moms on TANF buy booze and cigarettes, and party all summer. Their kids are neglected and mal-nurished. Do think those moms work? Hell no! It makes me angry, but I don't let it get to me. Life is too short. There are people that abuse the system. I see it all the time. But I'd rather go through this life honestly, and raise my kids to be honest people. some of you might say, I could go to work. Yes, I could. But I like being home when my kids come home. I had them so I could raise them, not a babysitter. People should not judge other people by what they get or don't get. You don't know me as I stand in the grocery checkout line, and I don't know you. So, don't judge me, because I certainly won't judge you.

I never said it was about me.......good night dear it's been fun chatting with you. Now tomorrow try to get up on the right side of the bed,k? God bless you .

ghosthundersfan, I hear what you are saying, but I think so many of us have seen someone abuse the food stamp program. I can say that I live next to a couple, he who works under the table, making good money (he likes to brag), she is going to school for free (I can only take one class at a time as that is all I can afford), and they get food stamps and heating assistance. Now they have a new truck, a hot tub, a above ground pool, patio set that you would find in better homes and garden...but they go buy food with their handy dandy food stamp card. So I do hold a bad taste in my mouth, it is because of people abuse the system. I do agree that no junk food be allowed to be bought with food stamps, I know after my husband and I pay our bills, my kids go without junk food..simple...and my kids have not had a cavity, and by the way they don't drink soda :) I also have to pay for their dentist bills. Lets look at the childhood obesity rate, and look at money mainecare pays for childrens rotten teeth...it would most likely shock people.

"I could go to work. Yes, I could. But I like being home when my kids come home." How about while your kids are at school, or in the evening while they sleep? Justification. I love it.

This comment is to Ghosthuntersfan- Do you honestly think for one moment that the rest of us working moms wouldn't like to stay home and raise our own kids too? I cannot afford to because I have to work 40+ hours a week, and so doesn't my husband SO YOU CAN STAY HOME WITH YOU KIDS!!!! If you couldn't afford the kids you should have gone to school, got a good job(at least one of you) and THEN had the kids. I will judge you! You are a perfectly healthy person who can get oput and work, but you don't want your kids to go to daycare! Screw you! You are where the system begins to fail. The reason so many people are so angry about all of this food stamp business is because we are tired of working really hard and not being able to get ahead, and yet- there is your little family, getting by just fine. I am soooo glad I could be of service to you. I hope your kids school likes that fact that you can volunteer there during the day- I cannot- I have to work to make sure you can buy your kids get treats once in a while. What a joke.

Ps- you can't afford to buy your own food but you can afford a computer and the internet, huh? Point made. I apologize for the typos in the last post- this really ticks me off!

Computers and internet can be found in a school or library for free. A food stamp program is there to help people buy food. What kind of food they buy is their business. Some people will always abuse a system no matter what system is in place. So the real question is, are the majority of people being helped? When I was first married I too was using food stamps. It was no fun. And no one, no one, lives 'high off the hog' on food stamps or any kind of welfare. Getting it is humiliating and dehumanizing. All of you commenters really need to get off your high horses, learn to spell and be a little more understanding.

Yes- I'm sure that she was at the library reading to her childern at 7:53pm on a Saturday evening. As for the spelling I normally am a great speller but am so upset that this continues on that I tend to type too fast. I will help any person who wants to help themselves-staying home when you could be working and helping buy your own food is not helping yourself. Not only will I not get off my "high horse" I will be sure I feed him extra grain tonight from the money that I make at MY FULL TIME JOB!

im not saying that food stamps are bad, but its how people use them. I work off my ass so people can buy soda chips and candy. Go buy some meats veg. fruit real food that you need for energy during the day. people are abusing this

sportz28 & ParkAvenueJoe I agree, and then many of these children are having to see the dentist (on Medicaid) to have their teeth pulled because they are rotting (because of the sugary foods) or maybe they are obese and face many physical problems because of not getting nutritious foods. This program is to make sure families are fed and fed good food, not to fill their sweet tooth. If they want the occasional sweet, then save for it. It should not be up the the govt or taxpayers to pay for the low incomes people every WANT the system is there to take care of their NEEDS!! I am not high class or snobby, people who read this may think so, but I feel that people who need help should take what they get and if the govt deems that is is only nutritious foods then take it.. Don't look a gift horse in the mouth. Help yourselves you will feel good for doing so. Many of us have had help in the past and there is no shame in it, if you deserve the help take it and use it well. If you don't agree with the terms, then don't take the assistance. There are plenty of programs out there that help low income people get access to fresh foods/veggies so help offset the costs in the markets. Hell Lobster is almost as cheap per pond and Hamburg now!!

_

whatever... I agree....I might add I am glad to see so many people that are on assistance and say they can barely get buy can afford a computer and the internet.... I would love to see your TV, bet they are better than mine! Yes they are available at the Library but let's be honest, most of these people aren't heading to the library! Some yes, most no!

This is bullcrap any thing that is editable and drinkable should be allowed to be bought with food stamps it is our right to buy our food with food stamps I under stand that drinking alot of soda can rotten your teeth but most kids 9 times out of 10 dont really brush there teeth and for kids that do its not fair for every one to suffer

With thinking like that i understand why you are on food stamps!

ghosthuntersfan, you're name says it all. Your're sitting there on the internet, and your a ghost hunters fan, so you must have cable. Well you know what, most people think those two things are luxuries when you can't afford food. And thats the problem, we are not subsidizing your food, we are subsidizing you're tv and cable, which I bet you pay more for than you get in foodstamps. You know, you can still get TV with rabbit ears, and if your favorite show is not on one of those channels, than tough. And they have internet at the library, so if you're hubby wants to go on-line and see if he can find a better job, surely, he could find the time to go there. If you wanted to be able to afford to sit home and be with you're kids, then before you had them, you should have come up with a little better career path for your husband, so he could actually take care of his family. I am sorry, but you beg to be judged. GIVE UP THE CABLE AND INTERNERT, or at least get an on-line education while you're waiting for your kids to come home.

Sacurtis you are right. Can't arguy with an educated fool you are right ,I repeat. So this allows hardworkinmom to keep on working so the food stamps keep on coming. By the way hardworkinmom who is it here that cannot spell with a degree in idiocy? You! It is spelled Juddy not Jetty. R--- got ya . have a shitty night. If you ever do get to china with all your inteligence please pick me up some residetial papers , seems to me that china is where all the work is in the world today so thats why we all live on foodstaps her in america. By the way be carful in china also if you should go there because over there if people stick their nose in other peoples business they get hooked up to a linching party, so if you do get there mind your own f----king business. Obviously the colledge you got your degree from didn't teach you mind your own business and shut your moth when you were not invited to a coversation out of your league. Again i do not apologize at all, I mean HAVE A SHITTY NIGHT!

this is JUDDY 53 and I aprove this message!

amy_adams.........learn to spell, get a job, and make your children brush their teeth!!!! I go to work every day, and I buy what my family needs, not what we think we deserve!!!!!! I've been behind stamp-tramps at the grocery store with a cart loaded with meat and seafood, while i'm buying no name brand goods because it's what i can afford!!!

First off yes I'm a woman, jimmyb is because of I'm a Jimmy Buffet fan if must know. Second, where you work does everybody make the exact same wages?? You have tunnel vision if you can't understand that 2 or more people working at the same place can't make different wages. Thirdly, I did mean 3.00 food stamps not 300.00. I applied for them and that's the amount they said we would qualify for. And lastly, due to the fact that the high and mighty like yourself DEMANDS higher wages is the reason so many US jobs go overseas where labor is dirt cheap. Who the hell can demand higher wages is an area where you are damn lucky to even have a job. You must peform special favors for your higher wages.

Previous reply for anne_of_mdi

bendover........not foodstamps!!!! TRAMP-STAMPS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT S@#T?? Evidently you can't use tramp_stamps to buy hooked on phonics!!

Hey, does it occur to anyone that if employers paid a living wage then we taxpayers wouldn't have to be subsidizing so many people with food stamps? Or Mainecare? Priorities, people. Look up the word "proactive." And stop being such horrible busybodies. You all say you're working your asses off so other people can abuse welfare, but obviously your not working that hard or you wouldn't have the energy to be whining here.

You know, if you want to be home with your kids then be home with your kids. But if you can not afford the money to feed said kids then get a job! There are plenty of places that allow you to work odd shifts so that you can be home. Try fast food places or convenient stores... they always hire for odd shifts. Its not that hard to work from 8a-2p while the kids are in school or 9p-whenever so you can put your kids to bed. I know... I have worked nights for the past 2+years - 9p-2a 3 nights a week at McDonalds and currently 8:30p-6:30a 2 nights a week at the local Circle K (Irving) and guess what!? I get paid and extra 50-cents per hour from 10p-6a for working the overnight. Plenty of time to be home, plenty of time to put my kids to bed at night, and enough money to make ends meet. And 'ya, I am a little tired after I get out of work, but I make it work - working around my husbands day off (when I can) so I can sleep and learning to deal with being tired. It's my and my husband's job to take care of our family and we do! And we have the wonderful sense of pride with saying that we have worker hard and earned the things we have. No sitter, no handouts. Just hard work, determination and self reliablity.

Oh jimmyb I am so sorry for you. Here you are sitting in judgment of people on food stamps and whining about how lucky you are to have a job and don't have the guts to demand higher wages, yet you're just not able to see what a hypocrite you are. and what was the kicker? I must perform special favors for my high wages. I'm self-employed, so I must be blowing myself! Hahahahahahah. Stay classy, jimmy the girl.

This is for all you people out there. We don't have cable, because we can't afford it. I guess you didn't read what my husband makes monthly. I do contribute. I babysit so I can stay at home. I have asthmatic children, I suffer from major depression, have degenerative disc disease, and I also suffer from anxiety. I have worked in the past, and my children suffered for it. And let me tell you, while staying at home for my kids, I had no help from the state except Maincare, which mine and my husband's tax dollars have contributed to. My husband and I seperated a few years back. I had a 40 hour a week job at the Brewer Wal-Mart. I got no TANF, and maybe $100 in Foodstamps for me and my two kids. I made $800 a month gross, and my rent was at least $300. I couldn't afford day-care for my son, because I would have had to pay full time for him. The state told me I had to quit my job, then get on the state, and then get my job back. Which is what I did. I went from forty hours a week to fifteen hours a week. Where is the justice in that? I did graduate high school, and I am damn smart! I would love to go to work but I can't. And to give you all a little clue, if you think we're just working the system, if we weren't able to get FoodStamps, my husband was going to work 2 jobs to buy food and pay our rent, and he's epileptic!!!!!!!!! He grew up in a home where his mother and father both worked and his brother and him were abused and neglected. I stay home because he wants me home with our kids so they have a good home life. We don't want a house, a fancy car, or all the little toys for our kids. I want my kids to grow up and be thankful that I stayed at home. I'll tell you another thing. My father retires next week at the age of 65. THe state of Maine has been taking taxes out of him for over 40 years. You know what he said to me? I've paid enough in, there's no reason why some of it shouldn't go to my grandkids if they need it. I saw enough of the single women on TANF and Foodstamps this summer getting drunk, stoned, and partying all around me to piss me off enough to not care if I get Foodstamps. I'm grateful for every damn cent I get from them. I don't feel that I am owed them or anything. We're in a tough situation right now, and the state is helping us out. My husband had a good job. He was an ssistant manager at the Dollar Tree on Stillwater Avenue, and he got hurt unloading a truck at work. When he reported it to his manager, she wouldn't let him go to the hospital to get it checked out. He punched out, and went to the hospital. When he reported everything to the district manger, she said he could come back but not as management. They took his position away, his rate of pay($10.80 per hour), and his confidence. They were going to give him 10 hours a week at $7.50 an hour. Surprise, can't afford a lawyer. So, he takes a job cleaning at night for $255 a week. I also shop at Save-A-Lot, and buy store brand food that sucks, to get the most out of what you call your hard working dollars. I shop at Good Will, and Hands of Hope. I also yard sale for my kids clothes. And just so you know, we haven't been on Foodstamps all the time. WE've only been on them since March of this year, and the only reason I did it was because we had to. How would you feel if you went to work everyday, missed your kids, and came home to see a TANF mother on her back porch getting drunk and smoking, every night!!!!!!!! Well, that's what my husband deals with every summer. It kind of makes you wonder why they can't get kicked off TANF and get a job. I stay at home because I choose too. I don't think what little bit we get for 4 people in Foodstamps is going to break the state. Drive through Capeheart to get a real look at your tax dollars at work. I don't live in low income housing either. And for your information, boogyman, I'm on a free month trial through my home phone service for the internet. When we can't pay for it, it gets cut. And by the way, to all you people complaining about my computer, it's three years old, and I was not on the state then. I needed it because my daughter has learing disabilities, and we needed it, and it was bought with my husbands tax dollars.

ghosthuntersfan you do not have to justify anything to these idiots. I am proud to live in a state that can and will help support you and your children. I am appalled that you had a full-time job at Wal-Mart and made only $800 a week. That is criminal! The state gives Wal Mart all kinds of tax breaks because supposedly they are providing jobs, but look at the kind of jobs, and all the profits are going out of state. It's absolutely disgusting.

Sorry, I meant to write "$800 a month."

Well everyone.Do we remember how they used to recieve paper food stamps? I do, I used to watch people go into corner stored and buy a debbie cake for 25 cents so they got back 75 cents..Then they used the change towards buying a pack of ciggy butts...Or how many knew someone who sold their entire books of fod stamps to someone else for cash to buy alcohol and ciggy butts and go to the bar...Now I see they use a swipe card..How lucky we all are that atleast those scumbags can't seel them anymore to get cash!

This is another instance of the ones WHO DO abuse the system...We all know there are plenty of them who don't because they love their children and they provide their every need...

I don't agree with foodstamps being used for junk, I think there is a bigger problem with this than just their teeth..It's called diabetes, obesity, it's a proven fact that these children over weight have heart valves large enough for a 40 year old...

In MY OPINION....the soda is not the only cause for the bad teeth, it's the parental lack in hygeine, not teeching their children to brush, not teeching them to floss, these kids are drinking the soda, eating the candy and their parents are putting them to bed without brushing and flossing!!!

There is alot of anger in regards to the State funded programs right now and I am one of the angry ones..I am sick and tired of my money being taken from my children to pay for others whom have no regard for the fact they are taking away from my children to feed theirs junk!

I get mad as hell when I stand in a grocery line and I have meat, dairy, fruits and vege's and the obese woman in front of me with 4 kids has ice cream, chips, soda, dip, candy bars, debbie cakes, and not one thing she is purchasing is healthy....Then she pulls out the infamous EBT card....My 5 year old is standing there, looking at the junk her kids have and asks for a candy bar..I loudly say..NO HUNNY WE HAVE GRAPES!!! He is quite content knowing when we get home he will have a mini bagel with cream cheese and some grapes!!

All you food stamp recipients on here thinking we are just IGNORANT for feeling you are wrong....Try making your child a fruit smoothie, make them a banana milk shake, give them some grapes, apple slices and some celery with peanut butter!!! Believe me they will enjoy it so much more than the 2 minutes they enjoy a candy bar!!

The State of Maine's welfare program is screwed because they are being screwed! No dentist regardless of how hard he tries will be able to change that!

I think we all should set a date, march our asses right to city hall or Baldacci office and tell em all face to face how fed up we are with their WASTEFULL WELFARE PROGRAM!!!!

To hrdwkngmom, I do buy my kids fruit and veggies. They get one "sweet" a day. I don't buy ice cream, or anything else that's junk on my stamps. What I call "sweets" are pudding cups, freezer pops, or pretzels. I bake them their cookies or cakes, and only on special occasions. I buy the chips and ice cream with our own money, and it's not that often because I worry about their health and their teeth.

Hey did it occur to anyone that if employers were forced to pay a higher wage, then they would hire less people, and everything would cost more? Everyone who uses that argument knows absolutely nothing about economics, has absolutely no business acumen, and does not seem to understand that minimum wage is not intended to be a livable wage. Unskilled labor is not worth much, really, if you don't have a specialized skill, what makes you worth a lot of money. What have you done to improve your skills and make yourself worth more? That's your job, not someone elses. Anyone can do what you are doing. And don't tell me I don't know what it's like. My first job out of college 10 years ago was for 7.00 an hour in the feild I wanted to be in. I was making $10 an hour doing grunt work to work my way through college, it was a starting wage, foot in the door job. Within six months, I went to about 11 an hour, after working nights, weekends, and giving up just about any life I had. A year later, my wage doubled, then it trippled, now it's about quintupled. Well I could have pissed and moaned about making 7.00 an hour, and you know what, had I done that, I'd still be making 7.00 an hour. Now, I was married, but I was smart enough to know I could not afford a kid at 7.00 an hour, so I waited until I could pay for my own child before having one. It was actually pretty easy, birth control actually works, try it sometime. Now for those of you who say you can't go to college, you can't afford it, you don't have the time, keep making excuses, and take a good look at where you are today, because in thirty years your still going to be there, so I hope your comfortable. Now, in these economic times, I may find myself out of work soon, who knows. If that happens, the first thing that happens is the internet goes, the sattelite dish goes, the car payment goes, and I'll grab the first available work I can, even if it;s cleaning toilets at the mall until I can get back to where I was.

Everyone should know that when you depend on the government for your survival that you risk losing your freedom to make your own choices. So many people want the government to provide health care and all kinds of other benefits to all its citizens, but how long do you suppose it would be before we were all told what we could eat or drink. We would be told how much we had to weigh and much how excercise we were required to get in order to be eligible for health care. I encourage everyone to strive to be selfsufficient so that you always have the freedom to make your own choices. Anyone can find themselves in a situation that requires social assistance but this should never become a permanent solutuion. People need to take more responsibility for themselves in order to overcome these down times. Stop playing the blame game! You and you alone are responsible for yourself, not the government. As long as you depend on the government for your needs then you should give up your choices as to what you are entitled to. Taxpayers should not pay for your poor choices of food or for bringing children into the world that you can't support. Eat healthy, work hard, and educate yourself and do it all for you!

I also believe that food stamps should not be used to buy lobster of filet mignon, and I have witnessed that on several occasions!

well ghost hunter fan then you have nothing to worry about for you are not the "type" we are talking about!! My closest friend recieved food stamps because her husband had major back surgery and could not work for several months..She not ONCE bought junk, she went to the Meat Store and bought meat packages, she bought bulk of everything she could to make sure they got by...I love my friend to pieces and respect her wholeheartedly...It's the moochers we despise...The ones who stop at the corner store and buy slush puppies, bags of gummy worms, chips, soda, and JUNK!!

Why is it that people can't read the comments we write in their ENTIRETY before they assume we are speaking of them??? Ghosthunter do you stop at the corner store and buy 3 large slush puppies, 4 bags of chips, a mountain dew, and 4 butterfinger ice creams and whip out your EBT card to pay and as soon as you finish paying with your EBT card you ask for a 3 pack deal of Marlboro??? Didn't think so...But this happened in front of my face as I stood in line to pay for gas!! Burns my rear end on fire and I am sick and tired of paying for it in the end for it is our tax dollars that's paying for that CRAP and then it's our tax dollars that pays for the Mainecare that pays for the rotten teeth!! GET MY DRIFT??

Maybe the state need to look closer into this. Someone needs to investigate these people. When someone is convicted of a crime, I think all state aid should be suspended for 5 years. I also agree with mandated drug testing for everyone on welfare. If these people can spend the money on a joint then they dont need to be getting help from me. Foodstamps are not a right for you. I think if I pay for your food I should have some say in what you are eating. Bempsgirl you are absolutely correct in saying that if you depend on the gov't you will be losing some freedoms. If you don't want the gov't intruding, dont ask them for a handout. Go find a job and stop having babies if you are having a hard time making ends meet.

HARDWORKING MOM!!!!!!!... i was actually thinking about organizing and bringing this to augusta as I was reading the comments in the Capehart forum. Tell me when! PS to whoever said it: BEGGARS BEING CHOOSERS... I think that's a great way to put it. Soda is pretty terrible. and the last thing these poor kids need is tooth decay (in addition to the terrible odds of them being successful adults with lazy ass mooching parents as an example) And those who require assistance... let me put it this way, you've already proven yourself incapable of caring for yourself. Just like parents and the rules they have for their children, the government needs to implement rules that are in the best interest of the people they care for. So of course you're being babied by setting restrictions. But you've proven that it is needed.

And I just don't understand... I'm a BS nursing student, in addition I work 20 hours a week... I can pay my rent, utilities, gas, food (I'm a vegan and eat mostly organic, talk about expensive!), car insurance, cell phone, vet bills (I'm still under my parents health insurance)... not to mention about $500 twice a year for books... Why on earth are people having trouble paying their own way? And if people are unhappy with making min. wage, why can't you go to school? If there's a will there's a way. And a secondary education is within everyone's grasp (learning a skill that makes you worth more than min. wage). HONESTELY, PEOPLE ON THE SYSTEM COULD YOU PLEASE ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS? what is a popular excuse? you can't work because you have physcial disabilites... is you're brain disabled? because there are plenty of jobs that aren't labor intensive.

and just a side note to JDBOYS about the no smoking in the car with children and you thinking it's stupid... "Secondhand smoke is especially harmful to young children. Secondhand smoke is responsible for between 150,000 and 300,000 lower respiratory tract infections in infants and children under 18 months of age, resulting in between 7,500 and 15,000 hospitalizations each year, and causes 430 sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) deaths in the United States annually." (right off the american lung association, and they're just taking about infants there). Get real dude. You're a d-bag if you light up with your kid in the car and think it's okay. I hope you stay home on voting day.

ghosthunterfan, you say you do contribute, you babyset while you are at home, is that income reported to the state?

Juddy....it looks like you need a little state funded psych help too. And I hope you meet God someday so (s)he can kick you in the head.

I agree that this article is a bunch of nonsense and a waste of room in this paper. What is this? An attack against poor people? The real problem is that people are being discriminated here because they happen to use a card that gets people's attention in the stores. It's none of your business what people are buying. You notice a few people buying excessive junk food and generalize for everyone. And so who monitors what YOU buy? Who tells you what you can eat? Maybe we should just outlaw all junk food - and I'm not sure who will decide what that is -- so no one buys it. And then maybe they should outlaw booze too considering all the kids that destroy their lives with it in this state. What a stupid thing to write an article about in a state that has so many much worse problems than this.

Boogyman are you saying you make $55 an hour? If so I don't even know what to say. Obviously you have never been poor if $7 an hour while in college is the worst you ever had. The terms "high horse" and "high and mighty" come to mind. As for everything else you wrote, you are either hopelessly naive or hopelessly out of touch. College is expensive and jobs are non-existent. You think there are toilet cleaning jobs out there, well there aren't. Just look at the classifieds. Which by the way consists of pretty much all toilet-cleaning jobs or jobs of equal quality, and for the ones that aren't come-ons there is intense competition for the rest. The only sure thing in this economy is bottle returns.

Have you noticed how everyon'e life, especially boogyman, should be in an exact order. I'll have you know, I had my children becuase I wanted them. My daughter is 13, and when I got pregnant for her, My husband made $100 a week, and our rent was $90 a week. THe old man came every Sunday like clockwork. We still had to figure out how to pay water, sewer, and the electric. Not once did we go to the state for help. I was four months along, in November, in a freezing apartment, because he put a cage on the thermostat on 60 degrees. My mother told my husband to go to the state for help because that's what it was there for. We got about $100 in foodstamps and that was it. It would be so nice if we could all afford our lives and our kids the way every one else can. College isn't always the answer. My sister goes to school, and works 2 jobs, and her husband has a good job. They don't have kids together, but he has a son that the state makes him pay outrageous child support for. My sisiter is also a cancer survivor, and she killing herself to pay for her food ,heat,and other bills. They can't get help, because they don't have kids living with them, so they make too much for help. That makes me grateful for what I get. My father retires next week, and my mother and him will be relying on Social Security for their bills. Their house is paid for, but what about their heat and lights, and medications. They didn't raise me to abuse the system, but they did teach me that there is no shame in being who you are. My mother stayed at home with me, and I'm grateful for it. I'm a better adult for it. I wish we lived in a perfect world where everyone meets everyone's standards. Yes, I report my babysitting to the state. I report everything to the state. You know what, I guess we all should have boogymans thinking. All the people should go to college. Here's the thing, college graduates work at McDonald's, and retail stores because they are no jobs except healthcare and retail. My husband's cousin is in Iraq right now. He almost died the other night. His mother wants him out of the Army, and have him and his family move back here to Maine. What job, in Maine will pay him $4,500 a month. His wife is an RN, so she makes goos money, but some people aren't happy with low-paying wages. My husband and I are good people, and good parents. My daughter has a learning disability, and she wants to go to college and become a CSI . We tell her that it will be hard for her, but if she wants it bad enough and works hard enough, she'll get there. Because that's what this country is all about. Maybe you would be happier knowing that illegal immigrants are getting our jobs, and the state help that maybe you qualify for. I leave you all with this. I have never felt I was owed anything for having my children. I was married when I had them, and they have the same father. We're still married, and love each other. So, our lives might not be perfect to some, and we might not meet everyone's standards, but we're not hurting anyone. If I thought for one minute that my getting foodstamps was causing another family to go hungry, I'd give them back.

Food stamps used to be for families that needed a temporary lift, to provide helathy foods for the family. Now it seems people consider then a God given right, and the idea that they can buy junk food, that some hard working people can't *(and shouldn't) afford for their kids, disgusts me. Oh, if they play the game correctly, they can send their kids in enough times to get cash in change and then the adult goes in and buys cigarettes........I've seen that happen, at the large chain grocery store on Union St. in Bangor.

Once, at that same chain store, I had called ahead to order hot cooked lobster for our dinner, as we had out of town guests. When I got there, to pick up the lobster, they were chilled - seafood person said I hadn't specified if I was paying for them with food stamps or not, and they have to be chilled to use the food stamps. Can you imagine, being on food stamps and buying $85 worth of lobster with your food card?

Sociial Security disability has gotten out of control, as has the food stamp program. Chips, candy, soda, etc., have no nutritional value, therefore should not be given in exchange for food stamps.

I totally agree that chips, candy, and soda should not be bought with Foodstamps. But , will the control end there? Or will sweet cereal and juices be next? And just so you all know, I would never think about buying lobster on Foodstamps. I spend my foodstamps like I worked for them. If I wouldn't spend $3 on a box of cereal with my husband's paycheck, I wouldn't buy it with foodstamps either.

First...I hate it when people write in CAPS. It causes my internal voice to raise as I read and I get a headache.

What is TANF? There should be a program that teaches people to spell...I dont mean the occasional typo or mistake, I mean the crap coming from Juddy53's fingers...atleast he/she spelled shitty right..both times. Scratch that, it's obvious he's in grade school based on his obtuse views.

There should be an award system for misuse of the program. I turn in my neighbor and get a coupon to Olive Garden or something. KIds have rotting teeth whether they are on food stamps or not. Someone show me a chart where kids on the stamps have more cavities then non-stamp kids. Brush the kid's teeth...problem solved.

I find myself agreeing with anne_of_mdi, I never thought I would see the day, lol.

Yes, Rogue_Wave, let's pay neighbors to spy on their neighbors. Better yet, let's reward children for turning in their parents, like the Hitler Youth.

Welfare in Maine is a modern method around the prohibition of the older practice of vote buying at the voting booth.

If the neighbors are the ones picking up the check then yes, we are allowed to spy. Nobody should go to bed hungry, but there is no excuse for Food Stamp abuse.

That's deep David. For those of you who aren't sure, he's saying that Democrates buy votes by promising more welfare for the poor. So David, how does corporate welfare fit into that scheme?

Spoken like a true fascist, Rogue_Wave. Heil you!

It's obvious that most of the people on here arguing to be able to buy soda with foodstamps are recipients of this service. How dare you argue that we're impeding on your rights...if you want to buy these sugary, unhealthy foods, do so with your own money, not on the back of the taxpayers. I've known plenty of people on food stamps or TANF who seem capable of finding the money to go buy cigarettes, alcohol, or drugs. Foodstamps and state aid are not a right, they are a benefit, so stop believing that you should be able to do whatever you want with the money. While we're at it, since our state and country are in such a budget crisis, maybe we should ask all recipients of state aid to take a drug test randomly each month before they can get their money. Seems that since some of the jobs in Maine require drug tests to remain employed and they are paying taxes, those receiving the money should have to do the same. If you can afford to go buy drugs, you can afford to support yourself.

" So David, how does corporate welfare fit into that scheme?"

I don't think it does here in Maine. I'm sure you're the only one smart enough on this board to consider this in the larger national context. I'm talking about Maine. Why don't you enlighten us how corporate welfare works in Maine?

Juddy i'm not even sure what to say about your comment. Although homosexuality and equal rights is another issue that I feel strongly about, and support very much, it's not the issue at hand. I'm not sure how you make the connection that because i'm 1) a women 2) self-sufficent 3) educated that I must be a lesbian. I hope you don't vote either. And if you didn't want to farm, there are other options. If I don't want to nurse, I can do something else. I'll just have to learn a new skill. I'm sure you use MaineCare for your health care. Did you know the state is grossly in debt to the hospitals of Maine? By them not recieving this money it hiders program development and research that will better the health of others.

and ghosthuntersfan... my first question is why plan to have a baby when you're only taking in $400 a month? (which PS, that's earned by working about 14 hours a week at min. wage. I'm sure if I looked up hard-working in the dictionary it would be classified as working 14 hours week. I've worked 14 hours in one day.) Who paid for your prenatal care? I'm just going to go ahead and assume... and say you're welcome. Who paid for your labor and delivery... Again. you're so welcome. While you weren't getting foodstamps and what not, I'm sure at $400 a month you're not paying for private healthcare. Did you have kids to get assistance? because that's more or less what you said in your previous comment. (that people you know can't get assistance because they don't have kids). And illegal immigrants getting our jobs?????? HAHAHAHAHAHA. What washing our dishes, cleaning hotel rooms and picking our fruit? Many of these people know what true poverty is... and work damn hard at these low paying jobs because they want to help their families. And do it happily. Do you want to pick fruit ghosthunterfan? no, you want to stay home with your kids. And you put it so eliquently... "some people just aren't happy with minimum wage" THERE IT IS FOLKS. you don't want to go to school and work hard to get a good paying job, thus you choose not to work and have everything paid for you. YOU WANT SOMETHING FOR NOTHING. you're a baby making free loader. I can't believe you can't see this... you want to do nothing and take tax payers money. You're taking MY money. Many people in this forum's money. And making babies... and taking more of our money. someone had said it previously... you should be ASHAMED of yourself. And embarassed of who you are and your values. Now excuse me... i have a test tomorrow and have to study for the rest of the day and night because ending up like you, well i'd never let it happen because i could never look at myself in the mirror without kicking my own ass. Change is coming... because i'm sick of it. I'm calling my state rep. tomorrow.... and I strongly encourage everyone else to do the same. It happened in New York... Florida.... I hope we're next.

Daaaaaaamn! Kristen just served up a big ol' dish of reality! Umm-Hmmm good.

"Drawing the line with food stamps

That's deep David. For those of you who aren't sure, he's saying that Democrates buy votes by promising more welfare for the poor. So David, how does corporate welfare fit into that scheme?

Posted by anne_of_mdi at 11:31AM on Sun, Nov 16, 2008"

Thanks for explaining my comment to all the dimwits on this board, Anne. What would people like them do without people like you?

Happy to oblige, David. Chain stores are proliferating in Maine, their bottom lines are uplifting, and they owe a lot to public money. Some chains, who’re already making millions, are subsidized by taxpayers, including Dunkin’ Donuts, McDonald's, Rite Aid, and others. And many of these chains benefit from property tax breaks. As for the big box stores, i.e, Home Depot, Lowe's, and Target, they too have been subsidized. Think about how your taxes are lining the pockets of the chain store CEO's when you're driving down the Ellsworth - Brewer corridor, or along Stillwater Avenue in Bangor. FYI, Wal-Mart's CEO Lee Scott was paid $23.3 million in fiscal 2007.

Wal-Mart is one of the biggest recipients of corporate welfare. When Wal-Mart opens a new store, it typically gets taxpayer dollars for infrastructure improvements (water and sewer line linkups, traffic signals, service roads). This includes more than $1.2 billion in tax breaks, free land, infrastructure assistance, low-cost financing and outright grants from state and local governments around the country. Wal-Mart's business model has run into problems in many places (Europe, S. Korea, etc.) because it isn't able to collect the corporate welfare there that it routinely does here. Wal-Mart is also a master of securing tax abatements, so it doesn't pay a penny for any of the above. In Maine as of 2006 Wal-Mart alone had received $22,200,000 in subsidies. (I wonder how that figure compares to the amount of soda paid for with food stamps consumed by poor children in this state?) Wal Mart is also famous for not paying its employees a living wage, and now we see its full-time employees having to supplement their incomes with food stamps and Mainecare. So when you look at that low price tag, think twice about how much you have paid in taxes to make that possible.

I look forward to your reply.

And David, maybe you should try to be less obtuse.

I live in a small town and work in the local grocery store. I only make $8.50 an hour but my husband does make a damn good paycheck. We have 6 kids between us. My 3 kids lost their father 6 years ago. We do not receive any money from the state of Maine. We have to pay our own health insurance, which is not cheap. I refuse to buy soda for my kids. They get sweets when I bake a cake or buy ice cream which is not very often. Since I do work in a grocery store, I see all the people from town who buy the soda and sweets and yes, the expensive steaks. I have seen balances on their card that are over $700 left after they just got done spending over $100. This is in addition to the $500 in cash they receive. That is a nice supplement. What about those who have brand new vehicles and get food stamps, WIC and MaineCare. That money they spend on those payments could be going for food to feed their kids. The great State of Maine does not seem to care about this. If they can buy expensive $40,000 vehicles (2 of them) then they can feed their kids. They don't report their income to the state. My parents receive $200 a month in food stamps and survive on $650 a month social security. My father is elderly and worked his whole life for $650 a month. I give them money and pay their bills when they need help. I don't want to work 40+ hours a week but I also don't want to depend on the state to feed my kids. If I had them then it is my responsibility to support them.

I think Kristens statements were brilliant! I started out working crappy jobs that didn't pay much, but as I did that I looked forward and went to school while working. Yes I was exhausted, but I made it through THEN I had my kids- which I still work full time not because I don't want to stay home with them, but because we want a life worth living and to be able to pay for it all on our own. I make good money, but with the economy being what it is I still have tight weeks too. What do I do- I budget better and yes- sometimes go without. I pay for my own health insurance, dental and vision but do you know what- I had to take out a credit card to pay for braces for my daughter 5K- my insurance doesn't cover that- MAINECARE DOES!!! The new Guardisil shot- wanted to get it to protect my daughter- my insurance doesn't cover that- MAINECARE DOES! And you folks who are getting everything from the state wonder why we folks who are paying for it all on our own get angry? There's your answer. I have always said if you go to a yard sale in Capehart you will find all brand name items and the best that can be bought. Of course they can afford all the great items- their cable is discounted, their lights, their rent is hardly anything, their daycare free. Oh- I saw a sign at a business in Brewer- an auto repair place- "We accept ASPIRE" Great! I am surprised that they don't have a state program so you all get your gas for you car cheaper- yes I know you get mileage... I stated in an earlier comment- If you are in the system with kids you should be required to have the 5 year birth control placed and when the 5 years is up, if you are self sufficient it can be removed, if not have it again to prevent you from spitting any more out. Also I'm sure McDonalds doesn't pay much but you'd surely be collecting more from a paycheck there then you do for food stamps, and they have "Mothers Hours" Join the working force!

Ohhh Juddy boy how intelligent you are in your INABILITY to read and COMPREHEND.....My comments on Homosexuality is simple..TO THOSE WHOM FEEL IT NECESSARY TO THROW HELL IN THE FACES OF HOMOSEXUALITY WILL FACE HELL THEMSELVES FOR THE COMMANDMENTS ARE WHAT THEY ARE AND THY SHALL NOT JUDGE.......... This forum is regarding WASTEFULLNESS WITH FOODTSAMPS not HOMOSEXUALITY...When I get off WORK tonight I'll respond to your ignorance in the proper forum...

Ghosthunterlover mom....your comments make no sense what so ever ok...You plead poverty when in actality you are just angry because FINALLY US TAX PAYING HARD WORKING PEOPLE ARE SPEAKING OUT AND ACTUALLY PLANNING ON DOING SOMETHING CONSTRUCTIVE ABOUT THE LAZY MOOCHERS TAKING OUR MONEY TO BE WASTEFULL!!!!!

Kristin....Last night I wrote a lengthy letter to the Governor..send me your e mail and I'll give you all the info I found and maybe we all can work together to put a stop to the wastefull moochers who make daily excuses why they just can't work...

Ghosthuntermom...My 14 year old son works more than your husband did..Now that's sad...I myself have 2 kids and a family to support and I work 2 jobs to pay my way...My son's NICU bill....Well it was 113,000.00 after my HEALTH INSURANCE paid their part...It took me 4 years to pay off that bill, I worked extra hours and chose to PAY MY OWN BILLS instead of having satelite, cable, internet and so forth....IT'S CALED BEING RESPONSIBLE and SELF SUFFICIENT!

PS- I'm sure it's not politically correct to call them "Poor" either- We don't want to upset them. It's now less fortunate.

Did anyone notice that Juddy who has "No Money" is living on food stamps alone...how does he afford the internet??? Interesting. Even more interesting is the fact that he challanges anyone to go up against him in work right now- while he's waiting for a disability check, Hmm.

Hey, for all you mouth breathers that think Garbage-Mart adds jobs to communities, most analysts argue that Wal-Mart stores do little more than take revenues away from existing merchants usually putting them out of business and leaving their workers unemployed or under-employed. It's quite possible that new Wal-Mart stores will destroy more jobs than they create--and the Wal-Mart jobs usually pay less, meaning that they do less to stimulate the local economy. Big retailers such as Wal-Mart are accused of causing the decline of downtown business districts and weakening the unique identity of small towns. So let's keep ranting about our jobs going to China because we're paid too much even though it appears as though most of the people posting on this sight can't make ends meet with two full-time incomes. Meanwhile let's continue to pay higher taxes to ensure that Wal-Mart's avaricious, community destroying, destructive top-tier executives get fatter and richer. I wouldn't compare your heads to a butt plug but you should really take your heads out of your asses long enough to see that it's not the high wage of the American worker that is sending our jobs overseas, it's the greed of corporate titans who not only destroy small town America for their own personal gain, but actually get the American taxpayer to pay for it!

Your examples, as best I can tell, are of local subsidies (legalized bribes) paid mostly by local municipal governments in order to promote local economic development, using tools such as TIFFS, which by the way is a Democrat invention created by then-Rep. Jack Cashman. But how does all this effect the political process here in Maine the way that Democrats can hint at ever improving bennies after they get (re-)elected? And Anne, maybe you should try getting laid.

David889327, It's great to see you're keeping the discussion on an intellectual level. I guess you're using the same tactic successfully employed by the Republicans this year after wrecking our military, our economy and our infrastructure. Remember David889327, the most important thing is to CHANGE THE SUBJECT. The last thing you want to do is discuss issues that actually mean something to average working people. Gay marriage, socialism, palling around with terrorists, and oddly enough now, sex. I thought you people were afraid of sex unless a minister was in the room to make sure it was exclusively for procreation. You still haven't refuted anne-of-mdi's post. Is it the Democrats who are behind the huge boondoggle (Wal-Mart) that is taking forever to take shape in Ellsworth? Is it the Democrats who are behind all the Wal-Marts in the country? In 2004 Wal-Mart Chairman Rob Walton gave $25,000 to the National Republican Congressional Committee, his brother, John Walton, gave more than $150,000 to Republican causes since between 2000 and 2004, and their sister, Alice Walton, gave more than $100,000 in the same period. So I doubt it.

Way to prove you're intelligent, David! Real mature. What are you, 12? Ha ha, you just annihilated your own credibility. Doofus.

And it's TIF, stupid.

hey we all want change to the welfare system right? So ,now that we have gotten all our anger out and are done bashing others, let's put some ideas out there that will bring the changes that we all want. You guys are right we need to call our representatives and people in Congress and let them know that enough already. Can you guys share your ideas to change this mess. We all know that people need to find work etc., but what about monitering what people buy with the food stamp program. What if when at a grocery store you recieve your slip that itemizes what you bought that the state gets a generated copy at the same time to moniter what is purchased. Then the will know just how wasteful people are. what do you guys think?

They should be putting a limit on what can be purchased with food stamps, people can go into stores and buy junk with them, my sister works for a sandwich shop and people are allowed to get party platters and party subs, some up to $100. in value???? Thats bull crap!! They could fill there freezers with that. Plus most parents go into these shops and don't even buy for their kids, they get double meat double cheese, 10 dollar sandwiches, all because they don't have to pay for it! Food stamps are abused! I think only the elderly should get them, make all the young PEOPLE GET JOBS AND BUY THEIR OWN DAMN FOOD!

I believe the purchases already are monitored by the magnetic-stripe card. I like that at least you're trying to be practical rather than insulting.

momof2 i hear and understand your anger, i have seen this happen myself once when i worked in a small grocerystore, a man came in and bought a gallon of coffee brandy and paid cash and then proceeded to buy a gallon of milk with food stamps!!!! My boss at the time commented "how much milk do you think those kids will get?" I almost cried! We do have evey right to be mad, but we have to remember that we will get more from the state as far as change goes if we are civil. you get more flies with honey than vinegar.......it's sooooooo frustrating. I like your idea though. thanks

ghosthuntersfan says "This is for all you people out there. We don't have cable, because we can't afford it. I guess you didn't read what my husband makes monthly. I do contribute. I babysit so I can stay at home. She babysits so she can stay home.. is on welfare, probably does not pay taxes on what she earns for babysitting so she can still get assisstance.... and people wonder wny there are so many of us just scraping by that are mad. If the ABUSERS ( I know not all on assistance are abusers so don't everyone take offense) weren't allowed to abuse, then maybe taxes would be lower across the board and taxpayers would have more $$ to spend and employers could afford to pay better!!!! COMMON SENSE PEOPLE!!!

You guys whine about Wal-Mart, just don't shop there. See how long you really last!!!! And I mean don't shop there. LOWES, Home Depot ETC>>>>>>>

When you sit and read this whole column and all these comments, it sounds like a pack of rabid wolves ready to strike at any time! My God people, how do you all Know so much about every one else's business? Do you stand in store lines all day to see who buys what and how much? You people that work in stores, wonder how your boss would like the fact that you are checking out other peoples personal business and telling all in these comments? You are there to take care of the customers, not spy and spread the findings!And the relatives that spread all the news because they work there? Did they expect the sister to spread it on here? Better watch yourselves, to much talking could leave to a job loss. Guess who would be useing the food stamps then? There are some on here who could maybe be used as food police? They would certainly qualify. And for those that see people getting money back on food stamps? Where are you from? There is no change back on the card for this. How do you all know who gets disibilty checks, who has internet, who has food help and MaineCare? This is all speculation on your parts! For God's sake people, lighten up and maybe clean up your own yards before you tear your neighbors apart !

Most states are going to the card method. Its going to get better. Tikitorch you don't have to tell you income. It's no ones business and it could come back to haunt you. Tell them to #### off. People get fustrated when the system is abused. If you ar using it like it should be then good on you!!!!

Sacurtis, Maine is a welfare magnet state because we allow, unlike most other east coast states, immediate eligibility to assistance. That needs to be synchronized with other states. But would that kind of initiative ever make it through the Maine Legislature? Don't put any money on it! And by the way, I don't think most Mainers resent people who really need help. But I think most Mainers would agree that our economy is not strong enough to take care of influxes of needy people from outside of Maine, at this point in time.

Louise, Observing is a part of life. No one is mentioning any names just their observations. If I was working in a store and OBSERVED someone shoplifting; that would be ok and part of the job, but observing other things isn't? Get a grip! You can't turn it on and off... You are right on the speculation... But my husband is in and out of welfare housing due to complaints of many kinds as a cop, and let me tell you, most of the calls he tends to in these places have to do with the so called ignorant welfare tramps and their ignorant boyfriends, (just like on Jerry Springer) and the apts and homes are disgusting, but the kids have every movie under the sun, video games etc... One 6 yr old was up watching a very violent and sex full movie at 1 am in the middle of a school week, while mom and boyfriend were smokin’ up then fighting! We may be speculating, but not stupid!!! Maybe you should pull the wool from over your eyes!! i also realize there are many responsible people on assistance, but if the Abusers are allowed to keep abusing then eventually the government won't be able to afford to help those who really need it and are responsible!

hardworking mom.... it's kristen.cox@umit.maine.edu... and to whoever wants to personally send me emails whether it's you trying to defend your position or support me... i encourage the email as well. although with some time i think you'll come to see that i'm right. :-)

but seriously... I think soda is a great start... foods at convient stores should be completely cut out... they're pricey and horrible for you. Candy of all types. And I've always maintained that people who are not working/contributing should be required to earn their subsidies through public works. Meals on wheels... an outstanding program which needs people to cook and drive and spend time with the elderly. Help an elderly/disabled person with yard work, go to a nursing home and spend some time with some amazing human beings. I'm sure they could help people learn a thing or two about hard work and pride in self-sufficency. Perhaps the humane society could use some volunteers? How about the bog walk??? Or the wildlife preserves... largely maintained through volunteers. Beach cleanups. Being a big brother/big sister. Find a cause and get involved. You don't want to work? okay... I say fine. You want your money though? do something to give back. Not only is it fair, it's the ETHICAL thing to do for taking tax payers money and additionally... everyone should give back to the truly deserving. And I don't care if you've paid taxes into the system at some point.... I guarentee it's not enough to support a woman, some boyfriend and a flock of #*&%@ children. I say GET RID OF METHADONE! It ruins your body... it ruins your brain. IT IS ADDICTIVE AND CAUSES A HIGH (no matter what users of it say, look at the FDA website). it's near identical to morphine... Methadone costs the state nearly 8 million a year for Acadia hospital alone! Take that money and develop serious inpatient programs to people who really want to help themselves. I'm all for helping people who want to help themselves.

so... some input for the people who are on assistance... how do you feel about being required to give of your time to better the community to recieve assistance???? I know it's pretty outstanding. don't worry though... you'll feel good after you do it!

and i'd honestly like to know.... food stamp users.... you really, honest to God think it's fair and a smart, healthy decision to be able to go to a convient store and buy CRAP with state funded money that you never did anything to recieve besides NOTHING and MAKING BABIES? Get diabetes on your own dime... and let us try and make you healthy with our money! I think we should also push for assistance to people who truly deserve it. For example... obama's healthcare plan, I personally think it is wonderful. It's based on competion between insurance providers and setting minimum standards of care that insurance companies must provide. Like hrdworkingmom and her NICU baby. common. shouldn't everyone be able to have AFFORDABLE access to insurance that will help with cost assoicated with illness? There should be credits towards insurance based on income brackets. but for those who don't want to work and get insurance... %^@*& THAT. again you can volunteer if you want something. And thus making the world a better place. Yay for making the world a better place!!! wooooooo!

ghosthunterfan, you are telling us that you wanna be a stay at home mom, wouldn't we all, does this mean your gonna colllect food stamps until your kids are all grown up? i'm all for those in need of food stamps, elderly, sudden loss of income, disabled. but young healthy people should work, my husband and i have had to pay in extra, the last 3 years on our maine taxes. that could be a good reason for some of us getting a little bitter. when we see the system being abused.

Tikitorch---- Did I say names were mentioned? NO. I did not. Big difference between 'observing' and snooping deliberatly! I also have a cop in my family and really don't get to hear all the good stuff that you obviosly do. I have no wool over my eyes, honey! I've lived a long time and worked all of that time. You think any of us like some of the shit that goes on? Absolutely not. All I'm saying is, listen to yourselves. And hope to God none of you are ever in this situation. I know what takes place in some of these places. Worked there, seen that. It's this food stamp business I was talking about. One has nothing to do with the other. If there is a frenzy of this kind, make it for the little abused children or the ones that are starving. Getting this carried away over food stamps is a little ridiculous for grown adults. All this energy should be used for a cause that will actually help the people needing it. And as I stated before, how in hell do all of you know all these facts about other people? There must be a big book somewhere that we never got to see at work.

WOW Im an employee at a local wal*mart (cashier) and i get to notice everything that people buy with their food stamps card. and its ALL junk food. Go buy something REAL.

Do people just not buy real food because thier to #*&%@ing lazy to make something or cook something for their kids?

It pisses me off that people are abusing this.

And are most people working???

David889327, why didn't you respond to my last post? I am very suspicious of your language: "Maine is a welfare magnet state, " "immediate eligibility to assistance," synchronization, "influxes of needy people," "at this point in time." So I Googled some key phrases, and I've got your number buddy.

anne_of_mdi, I may not be to bright, but I'm smart enough not to get into a pissing contest with a skunk.

I was reading the posts and the anger that is resonating from them is beyond astounding. People are upset and right they should be. This isn't the only thing that is used incorrectly and there seem to be very few guidelines for it. I do think you should be able to buy personal care items such as toliet paper, deoderant, toothpaste but I do not think that you should be able to buy soda. The town I live in is a very big food stamp town. The last few days you have not been able to buy certain items at our grocery store such as frozen pizzas, breads, sandwich meats, chips, and the soda is all but wiped out. Did you know that the AFDC monies are also placed on the new Maine debit cards (food stamps) so that people who are receiving assistance for their children can actually use the money to buy cigarettes or any other tobacco products? I did not and was quite surprised to see it happening. I questioned the cashier about how they could use their food stamp card for such items and he explained it to me. Astonished to say the least. Seafood (lobster, clams, scallops.....) can also be purchased. That was my husbands anniversary gift from me this year and I had to save for it. I am not judging anyone who uses them. I remember seeing my dad cry when I was a little girl because he had lost his job and had to go sign up but a few weeks later he got a new job and soon we were not using them. He used them because he needed to feed his family. He used them because he had to and he was thankful every day for it. I pray that I am never in the situation to need the help but if I am I pray for the wisdom to use it wisely and be thankful that someone has made a way for me.

I agree with you momo....people on food stamps should be able to buy toilet paper, deoderant, AND TOOTHPASTE! BEFORE Dr. What's his face takes the power away from them buying soda, he should tell DHHS to allow them to buy TOOTHPASTE AND THEN THEIR FRIGGEN TEETH WONT ROT! Stupid Doctors! GOD! Common sense here people! Common Sense!

anne of the island- before you told us you we're on disabillity,now your self employed is that what welfare is now ?

Time to step back, taxpayers only pay maybe under 1/4 of a darn cent towards food stamps wake up

anneofmdi=who do you think are, imposing your ingornant opinions on the posters, almost each and everyone. You seem to think that you have an answer to everything that is posted here, guess what....you don't. You have way too much time on youe hands and you might benefit the human race in a better why by SHUTTING THE HELL UP!

Once again anne of mdi, you state " in case you don't know"and then go on to inpose your statements on what the previous poster had said...............................you are a sad, sorry sack of sow shit. You belong in the dunpster or the toilet, whichever is closer,

klaive99, hello, it is not your money, if it is maybe you contributed a whole 1/4 cent so be it. I know that made u go broke, and I know u may be needing "tramp stamps" next so be it. I hope u get turned down for such a negative attitude towards life.

Ok somewheredowneast, same to u 1/4 cent u might contribute, holy i know u r broke cause of a 1/4 of a cent. maybe someday u need help too, i hope u get turned down!!

To Cathee, UNLESS U R TRULY DISABLED!, U R IGNORANT

ummm excuse me GOODGIRL....toilet paper deoderant, toothpaste can all be bought with the cash part on their ebt card.

why the hell are you all bitching about not being able to buy soda on the food tamp card... your getting food for FREE so why you bitching???

bthanson I never said I was on disability.

katofbangor, what the h*ll is your problem?

anneofmdi= we have your number too "missy" "mister' or whatever or whoever you are.....anyone who is computer savvy could figure you out in a heartbeat, Yeah, its called technology. So be very careful with your words, they will lcome back to haunt you. Find something else to do with your time that might lend some credibilty to what you say, which is read as a non-issue, instead of just you spewing garbage with no content, nothing to back it up. Take a nap anne, a very,very, very nap.

anne_of_ mdi are you member of Mensa? No I thougtht not.

anne_oF_mdi=what i your genous score? where is your level intellengence? What is your grade? Do you even know? You sound off like you are all knowing....but the readers know BETTER. Good luck to you anne_of_mdi, you need it,

anne_of_,mdi+ you are a problem....you have too much to say with nothing to back it up so it is nothing but GARBAGE. You rant and carry on and say nothing but to criticize most of the posters in this blog. You have too much mouth and too little intelligence, That is how I see you.

anneofmdfi=my problem is your BIG MOUTH

First of all anne 5x7= 35. Second, $7.00 an hour was AFTER 4 years of college. Third, yes, college is expensive, I had the GI bill, scholarships, worked FULL time, and managed to make it through without taking a loan. It sucked, I would work 8-10 hours a day, go to classes at night until 10:00, drive 45 miniutes home, and study for 4-5 classes a semester every free minute I had. I took classes in the summer, so I still managed to get a 4 year degree in 4 1/2 years. And trust me ANN I aint no genius, I struggled. Now I don't know about some of the fathers that have been spoken about here, but when I got out of high school, I looked around and it did not take me long to figure out that I was not going to have much of a life with no skills, and I could not go to college, and I really did not want to, I hated school. So I joined the Army. Made myself useful so to speak.

Now I get kind of disgusted when I hear about some 20 some odd year old kid, who has kids, and collects government assistance to support them when other "MEN" his age are fighting for their country in some god forsaken desert somewhere. I really don't know how a "MAN" could do that. How does he look himself in the mirror everyday? IIn fact I think, if anyone is entitled to an "entitlement" it is veterans, but they always seem to get the short end of the stick, not enough left over for them. Now I also don't understand how "MAN" can impregnate a girl, then take no responsibility for it. To me, he is lower than dirt, and should be forced into the Military to help pay for the life he created. But my guess is, he'd probably cry for mama every night and get discharged, because he really ain't no man at all. But I gotta wonder about the girl that let that "MAN" impregnate her in the first place. I'm guessing she does not have very high standards herself....but I'll let the women in this forum comment on that one.

I say we all make our voices heard and write e mails to as many congressman/women as possible and start there! If I were in Government I would propose a limit on everything and rules, regulations to follow!

I feel ANYONE recieving State help should be forced to either work/volunteer/attend college for a minimum of 20 hours per week! (Unless disabled or disabled child)

Must show proof of work/volunteer/school or proof of searching for a job..To recieve unemployment you have to show proof of job search!!

Benefits for only the children! No lazy bum fathers UNLESS DISABLED!

AFDC/TANIF 5 year limit for all!

FoodStamps should be just like WIC seperated into sections of Fruit, Dairy, Meat, Vegetables! No candy, no soda, should not be allowed to use the foodstamp portion of the card at any local convenience stores! I feel each person who recieves food stamps shoulf have to mail or hand deliver their grocery reciepts to their worker for review!

Child care subsidy....Should be forced to show proof of where they are and what they are doing while their kids are at day care for free!! Should never be used so mommy can go home watch tv, go shopping or take a nap! (HAVE SEEN THIS FORST HAND!

AFDC/TANIF..Should also have to show reciepts to their worker on a monthly basis to show what they spent the money on..NO CIGGY BUTTS FOR YOU!! NO TWISTED TEAS FOR YOU!! NO BAR HOPPING ON FRIDAY NIGHT FOR YOU!!

If these people are honest they will have NO problem turning over some reciepts!

FoodStamps should be used strictly for nutritional food with the occasional goody for the lil fellers...Occasional goody doesn't mean slush puppies, candy bars, and bags of gummy worms folks!

So to everyone who feels the same as I there are some e mails attached.....

Kristin..My e mail is matnicksmom@gmail.com!!

governor@maine.gov

governor@maine.gov

governor@maine.gov

www.collins.senate.gov

www.collins.senate.gov

www.house.gov/michaud

hrdwokngmom you have it right when you say about an obese person purchasing junk foodl like ice cream and candy bars, but thats how they got obese most likely. what gets me most is when their kids are that are only 8-12 years old. the parents need to take more responsibility to a healthier style of living and show their kids the food pyramid and also get them outdoing active things to stay fit. just surprising how much junk you see in peoples cart or in the check out line fine if they pay for it with their own money but when they pull out an EBT card its like: glad to see where my hard earned money is going to.

Oh and by the way..Sorry Kristin it took me so long..I WAS WORKING!!

Definately agree with you kristen I went to school for physical therapy what was a minimal of 20 credit hrs a semester. spent 700 on books a semester and still managed to pay all of my bills by working my ass off than see friends of mine that would collect money from the state and not even go to school. Definately contradicting how i stayed busy and they chose to collect whatever money they could and sit on their asses all day and watch tv!

OpinionatedinMaine----Why does this woman you speak of get this kind of money a month?I didn't know that Anyone got $600 worth of food stamp help. Who does she receive this help from? And how can she possibly work a full time 40 hour a week job and still collect this kind of money and stamps?I also didn't realize that seafood can be purchased with food cards. Evidently the 'sellers' don't mind taking them or they wouldn't do it, right? I'll say this, if you know this for a fact, then you need to report it and make sure that someone listens! You know, my comments earlier are about people trashing people they don't even know and assuming they know everything about them. I've always worked hard all my life and never asked for anything, but I don't begrudge the people that Really need. Especially the older people that have worked their tails off their whole life. And I've nearly reached that level. And just for good measure, you've got $5.00 more in your checking account right now then I have! And I guess this comment really dosen't have a lot to do with food stamps!

I also once worked at a grocery store as a kid. I was always bothered by the people that could work but would rather live off the state. I got sick and tired of people buying $200.00 of unhealthy groceries on food stamps then paying for a carton of smokes and a case of beer every week. While other hard working families had trouble coming up with the money to buy the weekly groceries. That is not just sad it is wrong.

As long a the State is not paying for a persons health and dental I think they should not dictate what a person drinks. However, in most cases the people that are getting assistance with food stamps also have the state pick up the tab on dental and health bills. Not to mention oil and housing. I remember when I was a kid and my parents housed me, fed me and kept me warm I did what they asked of me. So if the state would come to the realization that the ones that are costing medicaid and medicare systems are typically the same ones with the food stamps then it would be only fair to think they would cut it out of the program.

I wish people at the state level would start taking their common sense vitamins because they have a defficiency :)

Louise this is the point being made my so many of us on this forum..The ones who are abusing are the ones making it impossible for the eldrely/disables or truly needy to recieve help. They have sucked the system and the state dry..I bet if you had 20.00 on an EBT card you would go to Save a Lot and purchase a package of meat, some milk, eggs, veges and have enough to make 2 healthy meals...? Am I right! Now these other what we call "bottom feeders" are takind 20.00 of their foodstamps to corner stores and buying junk, soda, chips, candy you name it...These kids aren't getting healthy food and snacks with the food stamps...And again I am refering to the smoochers..Not the good people who take care of their childrens needs...

The bashing, well I think people get even more aggravated when the "Nice" things they that write that actually hold fact..Get a return non intelligent fictional response....The whole point is these children...It is not their fault their mothers are making poor choices..It is not their fault mommy keeps popping out kids and it's definitly not their fault that mommy has no sense of nutrition...Very sad indeed...

When my daughter was 2 years old she was in the less than 5th percentile for her height and weight. Her pediatrician referred me to an endocrinologist. She was growing, just not at the rate they would have liked to see. The endocrinologist put my daughter on a HIGH FAT and HIGH CHOLESTEROL diet. This meant all the junk food that she wanted in addition to her normal nutritious meal. That meant potato chips, ice cream, candy bars, soda and lots and lots of butter on almost everything. I made sure she brushed her teath after each meal. Now at the age of 17 she is 5 feet tall and has not even reached 100 lbs. But her teeth are perfectly fine. As a matter of fact she still has one baby tooth left that the dentist is going to have to remove because it will not come out on its own. So save me the crap about how all the sweets and soda are the cause of tooth decay. You just need to teach your child how to take of their teeth properly.

Now I am sure my daughter is not the only one who was ever put on this kind of diet. But my point is, if it was necessary for me to have to receive food stamps, then according to most people that have posted comments here, I would not be allowed to get the foods that my daughter's doctor actually prescribed for her. This dentist might have the best of intentions for what he sees in his profession, but it would not necessarily be the best of intentions in another doctors point of view. You have to look at all sides before setting a general policy that could possibly keep someone from getting what they need.

First of all, everybody knows about junk food and the health risks associated with it. We cannot expect the state to fund education classes for food stamp reciptients. This cost would be astronomical. Energy drinks have recently been disqualified from food stamp purchases, and I believe the next step is to ban soda because of the fact that most of the beverages contian caffiene, which as we all know is highly addictive. Just ask anyone who has not had their daily cup of coffee. The average caffiene consumer suffers from massive headaches, much like migraines, when deprived of caffiene. Children should not be subjeted to such health risks. Caffienated beverages are marketed to our youth and aside from tooth decay, there are many more health concerns including obesity and diabetes. Caffiene should be an age restricted product simply due to it's addictive nature. Diet sodas have additional health risks due to the nature of the sugar substitutes, not to mention that most of them still contain caffiene. I am tired of hearing about the poor children being deprived of soda for a birthday party because they are underprivileged, when parents need to make the right decisions for their children regardless of income. We voted against taxing caffienated and alcoholic beverages but what we really need to do is legislate caffiene as the drug that it is and restrict it from food stamp purchases.

Katofbangor, good job constructing a completely incomprehensible answer, or did your cat walk back and forth over the keyboard? Next time try posting sober. And thanks, I just had a very, very, very nap.

Katofbangor: "anneofmdfi=my problem is your BIG MOUTH"

Kat, are you a computer programmer?

'Causen I cain't unnerstan a wörd yer sayin'.

I have just got to ask this question. At one point people recieving tanf had to volunteer at a non profit, for so many hours a week. Why don't they have to now? What happened to it?

Markko, where have you been? I missed you and the others who haven't been here for days, searoses, and elmerfudd, and dare I say it -- saltoria and duckwa!

anne, typing has never been something that I do especially well.......dyslexia maybe... old age....

all I have to say is that you so-called 'hatin' taxpayers' are gonna let me buy 3 24-packs of mountain dew a day and my goddamn funny bones or there will be hell to pay!

HELL

TO

PAY

no candy, no sweets, no soda, and nothing that is sugary or full of crap that will make children fat.

Maine is the DHS state...ship them children to your nearest office amirite?

but seriously... poor people smell,. and they should spend they're food stamps on something like basics, where they learn to cook for themselves instead of having everything handed to them. THINK ABOUT IT. its a subconcious thing, people who buy prepared foods on food stamps are just getting things handed to them. for nothing with little to no effort. just like the gays.

In my opinion it's not the food stamps that is the concern, it's the cash they get on those cards as well, they can use this "cash" to purchase anything. I am a cashier and time and time again people come up and buy cigarettes with the money the state gives them. I think this money should be used for the necessity's they can not get with the foodstamps such as toilet paper, toothpaste, shampoo, soap. You know things you can't really go without. If they can regulate what people buy with their food stamps they certainly can regulate what they buy with the "cash" part. I guess I really don't want to pay for other people to smoke. That is worse than soda.

The WIC program seems to work pretty well, designating which foods are acceptable purchases, why can't food stamps work the same way? In looking at people's carts (since I use a wheelchair, it's more at my eye level) we could all use some help in nutrition -- rich and poor alike. Wouldn't it be a hoot if poor people were made to eat better than rich folks then the poor got stronger and the rich got sicker.

thekingofmaine said: "its a subconcious thing, people who buy prepared foods on food stamps are just getting things handed to them. for nothing with little to no effort. just like the gays."

JUST LIKE THE GAYS?

WAIT...WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?

I hereby name thekingofmaine "King of the Gay!"

A lot of these recipiants work harder at coning the syste, fill their pockets, cupboards, and fridgerators than they would if they would get a real job and work for what they have. I hope all these so called abusers of the system get what they deserve. I'm tired of working my professional gluteous off just to pay for insurance and oil. This state is really getting to me!!! FYI, for those of you offended with "Anne_ of_ mdi" the only way to git rid of her is to totally ignore her stupid comments. She makes no sense and often does not contribute to the point or subject!

I now live in another state and the other day I went shopping. There was a lady in front of me. She had bought some NICE tenderloin steaks and lobsters (at $13.99 a pound). After her meat & lobster had caught my eye, I looked further into her cart. Every item was name brand..not one generic. Potato chips, soda, candy, snack cakes, etc. Guess how she paid..FOOD STAMPS!!!!! I could definately afford this myself, but I buy generic and don'y buy large bags of chips for my family...but I guess that I am buying them for her family with all of the high taxes that we pay. It has to stop! We pay for their junk food and you can bet we are paying for their dental and medical, too. By the way, we own our own small family business and I pay cash at the dentis and doctors office or I don't get seen as our deductible is so high.

I think they should be limited to necessities only - these are food stamp to help them purchase items - not candy/soda and junk - it should be for veggies/meats/fruits - and to Amy Adams - please keep in mind when you say it is your right to buy what you want with your foodstamps - that it is our money that is giving you the foodstamps!!!!!!!! As my parents told me - things get tight - get another job - cut back on things - if you need foodstamps that I would say soda, ice cream etc is a treat and if you can afford it you should pay for it with your own money - not mine.

Sorry, I forgot to add insurance, oil, and taxes!

I like how everyone wants to say it is "our" money that is giving you food stamps. What about the people that work a fulltime 40 hour a week job and receive some food stamps too? What about those people? Don't they pay for "their" food stamps as well. People are so worried about what everyone else is getting to not even notice that they shouldn't be throwing stones. Not everyone that gets state help is a mooch...some people just need it in these times. God people don't go judging...it is not up to you.

I am a single mom with 2 children and I work a 40 hour a week job, pay for daycare, take care of my children, pay all of my bills and supply for my children the best I can. I receive 120 a month in food stamps and I will tell you if I want to buy pepsi with my foodstamps for myself or my children (for a treat..what soda should be) then guess what...I will! You will not tell me that "you" pay for my food stamps. Screw off! I pay for them too! It's not like I buy all junk. My children are well fed.

I truly believe in the importance of good nutrition and personally I would never allow my children to regularly devour a diet of soda pop and chips, however, restricting what one can buy with food stamps is virtually a violation of free will. The state has no right to control what we feed ourselves with, If we want to eat cocoa pebbles and rice crispy treats all day long, so be it. Just because someone does not have the money to provide food for themselves and/or their family does not mean their right to make their own dietary decisions is taken away.

Mainefriend, Katofbangor calls me a "sorry sack of sow shit" but your offended by my comments? David889327 tells me I "should get laid" and you're offended by my comments? What did I say to offend you? Do you find it offensive that I tell people they should mind their own business, not spread lies, pay attention to tax issues that actually affect their lives, and work for better wages?

Energy drinks usually have a high vitamin content, especially the B complexes. Soda has none. Weird.

god forbid one of you "so much better than us food stamp buyers, that don't EVER get to eat lobster or real meat and who pay out the ass for everyone else to eat or have medical attention" get sick or diabled. what will your take on this be then? hmm? just out of curiousity. or what if it is your son or daughter or grandchild that is receiving the food stamps? why judge people if you don't know the whole situation. i agree that the system is being abused by some..but, in general I think most people use their stamps right. when you become sick i don't want you going to the grocery store for ginger ale...understood? it is a no-no! you cannot buy anything that may not be of nutritional value to you as I pay for that shit! this is so stupid it makes me laugh.

lets just let the government take all our rights away? might as well.

wow...as i read back now i see that someone said that caffiene should be an age restricted product...holy shit people! what the hell. i mean, you know alcohol can be legal...that's cool. lets go to the bar and get smashed since it's legal who gives a rats ass. oh, wait you serve our country but you are not 21? sorry. you cannot drink a beer but you can go kill someone. thats cool.

now, since we are talking about age...you may not have a soda either since you know caffeine is highly addictive. what would you like? milk,? juice?..oh wait that has lots of sugars...sorry. water? give me a break. age restriction? people. lol. god.

what are we trying to do? are we trying not to have any more rights? the government is already deciding what we need to do. i for one do not let them. i won't use my seatbelt. i veto it. my children use theirs that is right because they are young and i want to make sure they sit right in their seat. As for my choice, i do not use it because i will be damned if i am in a burning vehicle and my car is on fire or i end up in water and my seat belt locks. that is my right. it is my right to buckle or not...not the governements. and what about school buses? hello. like 30 young kids with no seatbelts..hmm...kind of ironic?! also, smoking in the car. i give it to you. smoking is bad. smoking in front of your kids is worse. but, hello. who pays for my car, who pays for my cigarettes, who pays for my child? not you. what gives them the right to tell anyone what they can and can't do in their personal "owned" space? now, we are trying to tell people well since you can't provide food for your family we will help you but you have to obey our laws and you have to bow down to us....give me a break!

bethany, because children have no control over what you do to them. and with all we know, second hand smoke has life long physical repercussions for children. Why would you want to harm your child? and it does. clearly more than you know. if you're going to choose the wrong decision for their health.... well then, the state will make the decision for you. and i'm curious bethany... who pays for your child if they get sick from smoke? a respiratory infection, asthma... what about people who have infants and smoke? which has been linked to sudden infant death syndrome? exposure to carginegenic smoke can predispose your child to cancer later on in life... and caffenine is age restricted in a lot of states... (down south) and for good reason... take your pulse after two or three red bulls and tell me it's good for people under 18 to have unrestricted access to.... and the seat belt? your deal... i mean personally i'd rather not fly through the windshield, which is far more deadly/likely to happen. but you're right... you're an adult and you can choose the windshield if you want.

and soda is corrosive... it has a really high acidiity level. children's enamel is still really soft. soda pretty much eats away at your teeth. and even if you brush all the time.... if you drink enoug soda it's very damaging. milk has very little sugar... and real fruit juice (just like fruit) has natural fructose sugars. they're high in antioxidants and have many essential vitamins and minerals. and the thought behind the desired law is that these parents probably cannot pay for dental care (because they're on assistance) and it costs the state a lot of money to pay for these kids to have teeth extracted and cavities filled. not to mention how embarassing it must be for the children. I hope i've encouraged you to reconsider your stance

and bethany... you work 40 hours with 2 kids and need some help... no one in this forum isn't going to call you bottom feeder. we're referring to people that don't work, are able and leech. or those who have child after child and have no money to support them. i don't think anyone would argue to help you get your children food. ever. right guys?

kristen i don't smoke and i sure wouldn't smoke in front of my children. i am making a point as to what rights are being taken away.

i am not undereducated honey. i know what is good for me and what is not...but everything in this world now a days seems to be not good for us. we are all adults and we should all...no matter what our income status is, be able to make our own decisions and live the life we see fit. people who live off the state, well you know what, they have no pride and obviously are happy at a standstill. most people want more for their children. most people want more for themselves. really...who wants to report to DHHS every six months to tell them what you are making? i sure as hell don't.

I think the biggest issue with buying junk with food stamps and not using them for healthier meals and snacks, which I know are the most expensive items in a store, I am also a consumer, is that most people who get food stamps also get mainecare. By not giving our kids the proper nutrition they are more susceptible to being sick more often than those that have a healthier diet which in turn costs more in healthcare than need be. Personally, I don't buy chips, little debbie snacks or soda of any kind. I walk by the 1.99$ ? bottle of soda and go to the, sometimes when on sale the, .99 bottle of IGA apple juice. I'm not trying to down anybody because we all make our choices, but try to think of a treat as being an apple or an orange or even a yogurt. Healthy choices make healthy kids. And also gives them more energy to progress in school. Many research articles prove this to be a fact.

Looks like I should've refreshed the page before hitting the post comment button as kristen already covered alot my points for me. :-)

and one more thing bethany. two kids... single mom... on assistance? you pay into the system for your food stamps? i bet you get all your tax money back huh? that must be nice... my bf is a merchant mariner and took in about 70 grand last year... keep in mind... he spent 6 months in some ship (pretty much like being in prison). now, granted he's single with no children (IMAGINE A 23 YEAR OLD MAN WITH NO CHILDREN! :-O seems to be very few around)... but he had nearly 15 grand taken out.... got 1600 back.... you tell me??? would you like to sweat your balls off in the dirty ass gulf of mexico (at one point in the middle of hurricane gustav) for an entire month, away from your friends, family for 12-16 hours a day, and then turn around and give your 13400 to the government (never to be seen again until he's 65) to let people buy soda and CRAP with that money? or would you prefer to see it help the elderly with their meds, pay for their heat... get kids involved in summer camps and educational activities. get real... you don't pay for your food stamps.. you let the government borrow your money for the year and then they give it right back. Common, stop lying that you contribute to your own food stamps. and your comments have been, well I hate to make the assumption that people on assistance are challenged... but gawwwd some of the things (you included) people have said in here makes me wonder if ya'll ride the short bus. participate in the special olympics. and eat paint chips. wear helmets.... well you get the picture.

(not intended to offend people with TRUE mental disabilities, so please don't get sensive... just said this to drive home that point that these people are very, well, dumb.) on a completely different note. PEOPLE SHOULD SPAY AND NEUTER THIER PETS! SO MANY ANIMALS ARE PUT TO SLEEP EVERY YEAR. WE SHOULD WORK ON GIVING HOMES TO THE ANIMALS WE ALREADY HAVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hey Kristen, your boyfriend should be happy that Obama is our new president. He'll pay less taxes now.

i have read article after article about food stamps often siding with the people who use them untill recently. Me and my husband work and pay taxes for people to have foodstamps yet last winter my husband was laid off. We didnt really want to but for are kids sake applied for foodstamps yet we were denied. They have the income limits set so low and dont count what you really pay out that the only way for you to receive help is to sit at home on your butt and do the least you can. Not only should there be a limit on junk food but limits on how long people can remain on food stamps their are people who have received foodstams for years and years thats not a hand up, but a hand out

kristen...lol. i contribute too and guess what honey...your boyfriends job is his choice. he does not have to work his ass off and sweat to make his money. don't assume you know what i do okay. don't assume that i am underedcuated okay. i honey work in a hospital. only reason why i am getting food stamps is because i am recently divorced and relocated from another state so i have to get on my own feet and have to take care of my children on my own. don't go judging people and don't go making assumptions about peoples "mental status" you sound like you may have issues as well. you take care...lol. oh and by the way ya'll is not a word sweetie. you want to talk about people learn to talk darling. then you can judge. gawwwwwdddd.lol. its God babe.

bethany.... SMOKING IS UNDOUBTEDLY ONE OF THE MOST DAMAGING THINGS ANYONE COULD DO TO THEIR BODY AND THOSE AROUND THEM. now adays it does seem like everything around us is bad for us... but smoking is by far #1. hands down. there is no arguing it. why would you EVER, (being sooo educated) say not smoking with your kids in a car with very little room for circulation would be the government infringing on YOUR rights. why would you ever support adults having the right (because they pay for the car and had a kid... wooo) to damage their child's body? WHY? when it comes down to the rights of a child and rights of an adult... i'll always choose the child... thus management of food stamps. (again good nutrition and weight maintence is essential in SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASING the incidence of DIABETES, HYPERTENSION, HEART DISEASE, CANCER. so by you grouping smoking and nutrution in the same category as "nowadays everything seems bad for you" makes me wonder how much knowledge you really have on the issue. So i'm going to say you're not educated in these issues.

kristen you are...well, let's just say you are one of those people who like to try to get others going. it does not work for me. you are on the bdn running your mouth. you are probably white trailer trash who sits around all day and has her boyfriend work his butt off to pay for what you want. smile and be on your merry way dear. you can go somewhere else and give your oh so opinonated, smart and educated advise dear.

outstanding you work in a hospital... because if you work in a hospital you must be a doctor or a nurse or a PT or someone with lotsa (i say that because i don't know how to spell lots of) schooling... because they're the only people who work in a hospital... so you work in the hospital you must know everything about health and nutrition. i said you're comments were stupid, because they're stupid. and you must not know how bad smoking and poor nutrition is if you're sitting there defending people's rights to inflict it on their children.

and the point with my bf is that he works hard. really hard. and to see his money wasted is a shame. He wants to work that hard because he'd to have more than nothing. that's really good of you to discourage someone from working hard so he can pay less into the system. SPOKEN LIKE A TRUE BOTTOM FEEDER and my issues? are with people who don't seem to care about the nutrition of children who are already disadvantage because of who they were born too. (obv. not all situations) and i don't even know what to say to the ya'll thing and gawdd thing... it must mean i don't know how to spell god. or you all. btw "its" is supposed to have a contraction. "underedcuated" you must be a dumbass you can't spell that... it's petty huh? so don't do that again.

and justanopinion... it's such a shame that the people who need the boost, even though they work... can't get it. helping people who help themselves. it's such a great idea!!! haha (see bethany i was trying to write hat there... but i have this idle finger that makes me studder type, it's this neurological thing. it also makes me say really rude things every now in again... like you're a dumbass... ohhh oops. i apologize) I agree though justanopinion... there needs to be a bigger push to help people get on their feet who really need it.

i just had a test this morning (see i'm a bs nursing student) so as of right now, i really do have nothing better to do. i called my senator to bitch about the welfare system. i might go to the gym later... but other than that... mmmm really nothing better to do. i'm not running my mouth.... i'm expressing my feelings. and when i do sit around all day... i like to watch ellen.. then the price is right.

although it's not as good with drew carey

kristen like a said you know what you are. now i have to actually go to work and not "pretend" i have a life or live off of my boyfriend. sorry. sorry i am better than you. oops did i say that. dumb ass yourself. sorry you are so wonderful you judgmental bitch!

kristen i feelz ur pane i got 300 dollar sell phone pavement due everyweek cuz gurlfriendz call me up on mah fone nad i drive an '08 jeep wranglr becuz i hav well fare i can affordz nice thingz like me and u can. u should dump ur boy and cum date me shawty . we go 2 icp concert woo!

i meant it i want to impregn8 as many women as plausible to ge t moar well fare over $9000 a munth. at leas 1hunded dinars. we culd have maine-retard babys and get eevn moar cuz thayd be tarded he he he. wat u sa y gf?

luuk at our masive degeration x tarded maine chilluns runin' around the ruste d out cahrs in he yahrd he he he. we culd make a super armie uh kriste? i want u to be w/me 4eva

me an my familie drunk 4 twent-4 cases of mount and do (got it? this weekdn and went to store sand found out we had no mo money on our card we got 13 days lef til moar samsp anybod lend me ther?s i knoW prob. 4 or 5 on her have one. i'll tr8d you much power rangers cards and loand my grand am to u

bethany... it's true i can be a bitch. i wish i could live off my boyfriend!!! but he's building a house... so alas... no money for me, i have my own job though while i go to school full time... But wait, he's building a house that, ohhh i'll live in! (probably for free!) score! that is of course if i don't leave him for the kingofmaine. i don't know what it is about him... but he makes me just want to have lots of unprotected sex, drop out of school, and stop brushing my teeth. can we live in capehart together baby cakes, and leave the windows open all winter, and sue the BHA? maybe i can get on fertility drugs (who knows? maybe mainecare pays for that!!!!!!!!! wouldn't be surprised!) and i can pop out 6 at one time. BIRTH. and REPEAT. :-D insane clown posse? you read my mind!

bethany... and yes i'm pretending to be in school and working... i secretly live off the state... all the while acting like i want to reform welfare and other assistance programs. and i have an educated bf sending me money while i sit home all day in my sweat pants, getting fat, it my trailer (not that there's anything wrong with trailers, just sterotyping) drinking allens coffee brandy. do you know how big my ass is with all the coffee brandy i drink? lets just say we're gonna need a double wide soon.

ThekingofMaine, Don't look now, but your ignorance is showing thru.

you forgot about the methadone that we can go get for free every day from Acadia. and while we're there we can sell our weed that we grow. we'll live the good life. we can sit around all day and smoke marlboro reds and drink milwakees best and coffee brandy. hollywood slots not my think... i like scratch tickets and super bingo.

i want to meet you... I'm 36 how old are you kristen? me divorced 3 times, 6 chilluns, half black/halfasian, some I don't think are mine... me being white and all. but my babys' mama wanna force pre-nupt agreement %^@*&! i wnat tom ake more chillun with you, you sound easy going and we could have fun in trailer down by the river (IE the 1973 Windebago camper thats covered in dog urine...) did i mention none of my dogs are fixed and they have litters of puppies just like we will babygurl?

I'm actually 22, a college educated student (assoicates degree) and looking to further my education in a doctorate of philosophy in history. I'm single, live at home and I make $12,000 a year.

I don't have food stamps, I don't have healthcare, and I don't get a helluva lotta taxes back either. I don't even have mainecare or any blue anthem or dirigo sh1t neither son.

wheres the justice in that?

oh yeah and I voted for mccain. enjoy your 55% estate tax. i'm going to canada

Sorry anne_of_mdi for my intemperate remark. Now I think all posters on this thread need to get laid.

22. you should go back to school! then you can get health insurance (I know umaine offers decent coverage that you can put on student loans). i don't know if you can do a phD in philosophy/history at UMaine though. I know nothing about those programs, I just know my program. and i'm sorry your canidate didn't win. I didn't vote for him though... I liked a lot of the things obama had to offer. and I feel like with mccain the rich kept getting richer with their tax breaks and cuts for big corporations. but that's over and done with. with your situation you really have no choice but to go back to school :-( or find a really amazing job that wants to pay more. or live in a van down by the river, eating a steady supply of government cheese.

I think you should go to school! but then again, I tell everyone to go to school. I think it's amazing and wonderful... and there's so many cool things to learn, and the more I go the more I learn about myself. sounds gay... but it's true. for me anyways... but don't ask bethany.... i'm a liar. i sit at home all day and suck.

david I agree. myself included! :-D

oh yes Lousise..I forgot to mention that the lady I was referring to has 4 kids. Ages 7 to 15 and the 7 year old got suspended from k-1 last year for bringing a knife to school that was reported tot he state by the school system... got suspend 2 weeks ago for fighting in his first grade class....nothing was Done about it....as usual. The oldest goes to counciling for stealing at the high school and threatning to kill himself last year over a girl..oh yes...this state cares tremendously for the children who are helpless victims.

them children have been raised by real good role modles haven't they,? don't stand a chance do they, what a shame.

Kristen, let me know if I can help!

Bethany has very poor grammar..She must be a transporter, dietary aide maybe even a housekeeper....I don't think she could control her mouth long enough to work in any other department...I'm a nurse hunny muffins...I have 2 kids and work full time and manage to support my family just fine! I own my own home, own my vehicle..And I don't need foodstamps! BUT........I will tell you this..My lil feller like I said before was very ill when he was born, he was in and out of the hospital from here to Boston to Portland, to Augusta...I applied for Maine Care to try and off set the hundreds of thousands of dollars in bills we were left with after insurance..DENIED!!! Also Miss Bethany..My son has Anaphylactic milk allergy..he was on a formula manufactured in the United Kingdom..It was 40.00 a can hunny...Took 8 scoops to make a bottle..One can lasted 1 1/2 days! I gave 300.00 a week of my paycheck to Miller drug to pay for my son's medically necessary FOOD....Lil Miss muffett well you have no clue to what struggles are..Continue with your handouts! You probably make a mere 8000. a year , pay in 800 in taxes and get a rebate of 6500.00!!!!!!! That's how the wind blows for the bottom feeders!!

Us..Well we tried to claim the over 100,000.00 in medical bills for our child...NADA! Tried to claim his formula as a medical expense for IT WAS MEDICALLY NECESSARY!!! NADA......But your sorry ass who gets foodstamps gets the EIC and the 8812 and the xtra child tax credit...and EVERY DIME YOU PAID IN gets refunded!!! So yeah you potty mouth nasty lil thing, If I want to "bitch" about how people spend my tax dollars I have every right!

And HAHAHAHAHA you IDIOT you say you PAY TAXES...PAY FOR YOUR FOODSTAMPS.....You get a freaking tax credit and every penny you pay is refunded hunny..You don't pay shit!

okay...first off...hrdwkngmom....i never said anything about you..lol. i am a nurse too honey. don't go downing what you don't know. i work in a labor and delivery unit and am very proud of what i do. not that i have to defend myself because i, like everyone else, have just stated my opinion but if anyone needs to know. i recently moved from out of state due to a divorce. i didn't have a job lined up here because, huh, it was not planned. so, yes, i received food stamps for a while and now i am in transitional phase. umm...yea...that means i won't receive them forever. i am using the system like it is supposed to be used. and no, i don't receive ECC or get my whole refund. lol. i have poor grammar you should read your whole "blurb" "hunny muffins". as i told kristen learn how to talk before you run your mouth. it's honey dear.

and why all the hate. i never brought your son into it or said anyone was a bottom feeder? i am just stating that i think this whole thing is ridiculous. think the government is trying to control too much of what we do. never judged anyone. kristen liked to call me names so i played for a little with her. but, obviously i couldn't stay on the bdn all day because i have a highly important job that i had to go to.

i have two children as well. my daughter has epilepsy and i have to deal with that on a regular basis. i know what it is like to spend money on health care. I am sorry that your son has such a life threatening allergy. i would never down anyones child. my children are my life and when i have to see my daughter have a seizure it breaks my heart...mind you, on a daily basis.

don't go degrading me when you don't know me.

If only just one of you guys would step back from the keyboard and take a look at the pettiess, nastiness, and overall decay of respect being shown here...

thank you ryan. i was just looking back at my comments to make sure i hadn't said anything about hrdwkgmom and hmmm...no, i didn't. just goes to show how people are.

All I want to say about the food stamp issue, is that it pisses me off to no end when I go to a store in downeast maine and see ilegal immigrants that come here work seasonally and their 5 kids are wearing Tommy Hilfiger clothes and they have 4 grocery baskets rounded with food and pay for them with food stamps and go to another counter to send their paychecks back to Honduras and then proceed to unload the groceries into a brand new van.

While all the while I am a legal in the United States and work 6 days a week and cannot make it by, I have to live day by day for food and don't qualify for food stamps. They get free education ,food stamps,free medical,and are even scamming to get social security. I don't know about anybody else,but my kids are not wearing Tommy Hilfiger clothes . I think that it is about dam time that the US starts takeing care of its own people, it's nice to take care and help those in need, because of disasters but if the ilegals want to live in the US as citizens then they should serve 3 years in the military and prove that they want to fight for the country that they want to reside. Plain and simple.

haha hardworking mom can i do my partnership with you???? haha

i'm sorry bethany... i find it very hard to believe a nurse would not support a bill to ban people from smoking in their car with their children under 18.... i'll take a poll... and do they let mothers smoke around their infants in the labor and delivery unit? i mean.... at least there's more circulation. if you're a nurse I'm ashamed of you for not looking out for the health of other people... maybe you should go back to nursing fundamentals.... it's all about patient care, and PUBLIC HEALTH. again, which goes back to the soda thing. and the crap food with food stamps. and as a nurse YOU SHOULD KNOW that the impoverished are disproportianly overweight compared to the middle/working class. That means diabetes, high cholesterol, hypertension, increased risk of certain cancers.... obesity is awful.... and with the poor getting fatter, yes maybe it's time to step in and control what they eat, because they government has the right because they pay for it. LIKE WIC. and yah... i was name calling... i was patronizing you for attacking grammer in a forum... instead of listening to the things i said and responding with an intelligent answer, you just said I was white trailer park trash who lives off their boyfriend. and your story, about being an RN and not being able to find a job and taking a while to get on your feet when you move from another state, after a divorce you got nothing??? hmmmmm. the whole thing.... doesn't sound very likely. when i graduate the hospitals in the area offer jobs to nurses when they pass their NCLEX. so they need nurses. I went to a job fair at ACADIA and they were throwing all these sign on bonuses in my face, and I hadn't even graduated yet. they were trying to recrute me before i had my bs RN. so if you're a nurse, oh god.... i'm glad i don't want to have children... because you'll probably let people smoke around me.

never said i didn't support. said about the government. was making a point. even told kristen i don't smoke and would never smoke around my child. read before you speak. i am done wtih this. you guys are really petty and childish. you can make points but no one else can.

kristen...my divorce was very spur of the moment. i had to just up and leave my job. i will not defend myself on here or have you call me a liar. say what you want i know what happened. i did not have a job coming up here. sorry you cannot understand that sometimes people have no control of their situations. sorry you are so young to understand that. ashamed of me? i should go back to school? honey you are the one in school? i have passed my tests i have done my schooling and you are the one who started patroinizing me. oh, and i am glad you don't want to have children either. thank god people like you don't procreate.

obviously you are very young by the way you speak. that is it. i am done now.

Bethany..Do me a favor..Call the State..Tell them to take less of my paycheck...and more of yours! If you wanted to contribute YOUR opinions here than you should have started by reading the comments from the BEGINNING! You had no idea what people's comments were refering to 1/2 way down...So do yourself and everyone else a favor...Go to the top....READ! I work 2 jobs "honey" and I barely get quality time with my children or my husband because with 2 adult incomes we still struggle because of the "economy" and thus far....The bottom feeders..THE ONES WHO ABUSE!!! Are the cause of the State of Maine's economic status!

Evidently you haven't filed taxes in Maine yet....Single mother with a job and 2 kids....We all know how the IRS works...You get every dime you pay in refunded and then some!! Us..Well when we do our taxes..I make DAMN sure I claim EVERYTHING I can through itemizing just so I don't have to give them another damn penny!

My tax dollars should be going to educate my children...Unfortunatly instead of providing PENMANSHIP...Wich the State of Maine Schools no longer teach....The tax dollars are going to people who blow them on junk with no nutritional value!!

So you know what...we as PARENTS as well as TAX PAYERS should have the right to say!

And as far as bashing you Bethany...We bashed the ones who steal from the State funded programs...And as far as Nursing..I will not post my place of employment in here but I will tell you that the nurses where I work Start off at 23.00 an hour with no prior experience...GRADUATE NURSES...We also have a very large sign on bonus and a wonderful healthcare plan, awesome differentials for evening, night and weekend shifts...You say you work 40 hrs a week..i estimate your weekly gross as about 800.00....That's 3200.00 a month 4000.00 in a 5 week month....If at the hospital..Well they have free medical benefits and ER for all their employees so that wouldn't be a cost you endure...I think at 4000.00 a month it would be very unfair for you to be asking for food stamps..

As far as your child being ill..I've been there and no it's not easy and if State money was not stolen from dead beats the State could use the extra for medical research for all of our sick children!! But the State of Maine cannot do anything productive at this point because it is BROKE!!!!!!!! Why is the State of Maine broke? Because of the ignorant, un educated thieves who sit on their rear end sucking all they can and give nothing in return!

bethany: "also, smoking in the car. i give it to you. smoking is bad. smoking in front of your kids is worse. but, hello. who pays for my car, who pays for my cigarettes, who pays for my child? not you. what gives them the right to tell anyone what they can and can't do in their personal "owned" space?" straight out OF YOUR MOUTH. so call me a retarded college student, but you're saying that the government shouldn't be telling adults whether they can or can't smoke with their kids in the car. and you, as a 'nurse' (curious what is your degree? because there are many different types of nurses and you make it sound like you have your FNP.) you would ever defend that. and clearly you were. and i have a right to be pissed when they're talking about cutting 27 million from the university of maine sytems next year.... and the give it to people to buy soda and such.

I know i'm real dumb like, and you took your many tests to be a nurse (even though there is only one board exam for each degree) but it sounds to me you're all for not telling parents what they can and can't do around their kids... even if it damages their bodies.

and you can make points, but if you're wrong (as I feel you are) I'm going to tell you. and you know those spur of the moment divorces where you have to leave everything you have with 2 kids and nothing left over for you to take (no money or savings)... and have the time to apply for food stamps and then become approved... all without finding a job as a nurse where nurses are being offered the sun and the moon..... hell, i picked up spir of the moment and moved to florida with only 2000 in my checking account... no place to live, no job... but I did it all, by myself.... which makes me think you weren't trying hard enough... which is the issue with all these programs.. that people don't try to support themselves, they have this crutch, the state, that they take advantage of.

and your'e damn right i'm not going to pacify you when, from the things you've said about your situation, and you having a skill that is wanted by employers, you couldn't seem to get on your feet... I just don't believe it. I'm not going to pacify you into thinking you're a good, hardworking person after everything you've said contracts that. (and I love it how you like to get pissed about me calling you a liar... after you did that to me first. nice) Have fun with your food stamps. hopefully you won't be able to buy crap with them too much longer.

I left 2 replies for Louise yesterday but only see 1 so I will repeat it and see if it shows up. Louise, the reason that lady gets all that $$ from this grand old state is because her husband is in jail until June for being an 11th time Habitual offender so she dont have his "disability" check anymore as part of her income so therefore because she chose to have 4 kids, she gets to work 40 hours a week at $10 an hour, only got a $300 dollar reduction on the cash she gets which is now $586 instead of $986 but her amount of food stamps stayed the same @ $618. They all have free medical. She lives rent free with her mother who receives $45 thousand a year in inheritance for the next 20 years. She got a 1 time amount of $10 thousand and actually reported it to the state as paying rent with 7 of it and buying clothes for her kids with the other 3 all the while still collectiong the $986 and $600 in foodstamps. I was there the day she called and reported this so I know they were aware of her income but they dont care. They feel she still needs the taxpayers help. but she lied...she didnt pay a penny to her mother for rent and the children didnt receive any clothes. It went on tattoos. I guess her husband felt the need to be covered from head to toe to prepare himself for his JAIL STAY???

The state bought her husband over $2 grand on equipment for him to start his drywall business (tell me, how can someone have experience in drywall if they tell the state they have never worked and have never paid 1 penny in taxes or child support at the age of 32 with 6 kids and 4 diffrent mothers?)well...SURPRISE! He sold it all for $100 2 weeks later. Has never worked "over" the table..not once...but they still qualify for all of this. They have not once asked him about all that equipment or why he never went to work let alone start it. Where is the justice?? There isnt any. This state and the one's that pretend to work in Augusta are the laziest, most unintelligent bunch of people I have ever seen.

Oh yes..the resaon for this man's disability check? Ill give you 20 guesses. You pick which one that sounds best to you because he has given many. 1st it was an ear infection that made him goofy, then he was going blind, then he had a possible tumor for his weird behavior of talking like he had a mental handicap, then he couldnt speak but had beautfiful penmenship even during his shakes at his evaluation, then before he went to jail he was diagnosed as being bi-polar...um..wait...they have discovered since that it is actually post tramatic stress from an accident 22 years ago that killed a policeman which I have not been able to prove through any archives....hmmmmm Is this enough reasons for us taxpayers to be even more pi**ed off at "THE SYSTEM?" Its not only Food stamps these losers are stealing..they are stealing from their kids.

I have one thing to say. It is NOT okay for you or anyone else to make a judgement. Who are you to judge? Unless you yourself are completely without fault in your life, which no one is, do not judge lest ye be judged. It's one of the most basic principles on which we should base our lives around. One doesn't know someone else's circumstances, so is it fair to make a judgement based on little, if any known facts of each and every person's life? I say no. Do unto others, and all that. Let there only be one Judger, and I'm pretty sure it isn't these people who think it is their civic duty to be a hero. Everything has a purpose, and for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Do you really know what the reaction would be? One can't, because there just isn't enough data. So, what does it matter if you are a millionare and you have rotten teeth, or if you are poor and have rotten teeth? I grew up relatively poor, and never had one cavity until I was nineteen. I still have only one cavity and its been seven years. I think it's more about how you were brought up, and if you were taught to take care of your teeth. And to me, that is not a government problem. It also can be easily fixed by setting up meetings and teaching things to people that may have never had that kind of life. Give a man a fish, he eats for the day. Teach a man to fish, he can eat for life.

I'm on foodstamps. It's not what I want, but without outside assistance I would not be able to make any ends meet, and sometimes with it, it's hard to see any ends meet. I ended up getting pregnant, which I dont see as a fault because my son is no mistake or accident. But I was going to college and my parents were in no position to help. I took out student loans and still needed that extra push to get me through the month. Food stamps and insurance for my son, not me. He shouldn't have to go without because I wasn't able to provide insurance for him. But now I've been on foodstamps for two years, we get 323 dollars a month. I dont think he should grow up eating excessively fattening or sugar filled foods. I don't expect the government to provide these things. It is true that people that are suffering from malnutrition, it's good to offer them something with sugar at first but not continuosly. A bag of potato chips is about 3 dollars. . .a 10 lbs bag of potatos is about 4 or 5 here in KY. You do the math, it's not more expensive to eat healthy it's an excuse. Farmer's markets here accept food stamps and it's really inexpensive but nutritionally sound. My son is 2 and doesn't need pop to live, of course my family gives it to himevery now and then but I certainly don't buy it with foodstamps when we can buy oranges or apples or even actual fruit juices. If you're on foodstamps, you SHOULD NOT be allowed to buy pop or chips or candies. That's not food, it's junk. I bet if you look at the majority of people on foodstamps, I bet they are overweight and still yet malnurished in many ways. I think cutting the junk from people with foodstamps would do justice to the teeth of these children suffering and offer them better nutrition so that their bodies are healthier. It's ridiculous that we are allowing these people with needs to further destroy their bodies on taxpayer dimes. It's not like it's taking away something you have to have, it's like drugs, if you NEED them you'll find a way to get them; even if it's not allowed. If I'm paying for my groceries without government funds then it might be okay to buy pop everynoe and then but it shouldn't be something that you drink all the time. If you take away the ability to buy pop and other junk, that's a heck of a lot of money to go towards real food. HOW IS IT SUFFERING IF YOUR ABLE TO BUY FRESH OR ATLEAST GOOD NUTRIONAL FOOD AND FEED YOUR FAMILY A MEAL AND NOT SNACKS!?!?!?!