Sheila Butt (R-TN) filed a bill that would fine food stamp recipients $1,000 for buying cake.

[Miles Archer]

A Columbia lawmaker has filed a bill in the legislature that would prohibit low-income families from using food stamps to purchase items high in calories, sugar or fat, saying such benefits should come with strings attached.

Rep. Sheila Butt, R-Columbia, filed the bill Thursday, which would ban the purchase of foods such as ice cream, candy, cookies and cake, which the bill says is recommended by the Department of Agriculture. Under the bill’s language, the state also would be able to seek a waiver to create a list of prohibited food items.

Individuals and businesses that violate the measure, should it become law, would be fined $1,000 for a first offense, $2,500 for a second offense and up to $5,000 for a third or more offense in a five-year period.

“When you’re receiving taxpayer dollars, it’s not money that you’ve have earned. It’s money that other people have earned and is redistributed to you. Strings come along with that,” Butt said in a release posted on her website.

http://www.wcnc.com/news/tennessee-bill-no-food-stamps-for-ice-cream-soda/386042437

[Squinch]

1. These ignorant assholes should burn in hell.

[Chasstev365]

53. But I'll bet she's a good Christian!

"Whatsoever you do to the least of my brothers, that you do unto me."

Of course when you worship "Supply Side Jesus", this makes sense!

[CajunBlazer]

134. Let's all write her - her email address is [e-mail]

And yes she seems to be a racist who represents a gerrymandered Tennessee district and is currently Republican floor leader in the Tennessee House of Representatives. Miss Butt (an appropriate name)

From Wikipedia:

In her book Everyday Princess: Daughter of the King, Butt posed the following leading questions pertaining to biracial dating toward the young female readers on her book:

...Will dating someone of another race be helpful or beneficial? Understanding that you will eventually marry someone that you date, will you be just as happy for your children to grow up biracial? I have seen instances when a young lady started dating someone of another race, and there were those of her own race who were not interested in dating her after that.

Butt called for the creation of both a Council on Christian Relations and an NAAWP organization in the United States, presumably the National Association for the Advancement of White People,....

[TheBlackAdder]

71. Sheila Butt--Worse than Marie Antoinette: She won't even let them eat cake. Off to the guillotines!

[KingCharlemagne]

129. She is why we Commies created gulags. - nt

[Dustlawyer]

201. No birthday cake for children on Food Stamps!

No treats of any sort, just mush!

[Jim Beard]

114. I am old enough to remember that the original food stamp program only ........

approved purchase of RAW Agricultural products. Whole potatoes, dry beans, nothing prepared.

[Squinch]

121. And were people who couldn't afford to eat charged $1000 for buying a cake?

[KingCharlemagne]

130. you are wrong on your history and on your snide

insinuation about the poor.

The program to which you refer was NOT the food stamp program. It was called by various names, such as the Commodities Program.

Why do I know? Because my parents received commodities. And they included sliced bread. So prepared.

Your post is an EPIC FAIL.

[Jim Beard]

141. Which program were you discussing and when was it established?

All of them are administered through the Department of Agriculture because they were intended to get rid of surplus ag products.

If there were instituted for welfare, why are they not administered by HEW?

[Lindsay]

2. Happy birthday, son.

Here's your celebratory green bean.

[Cha]

4. LOL

[KittyWampus]

8. Perfect cartoon, really perfectly done.

[baldguy]

3. Truly, the only real crime in America is being poor.

And doesn't Rep Butt receive tax dollars as part of her salary?

[louis-t]

86. Please send Miss Butt a list of the things we don't think

she should be able to buy.

[Cha]

5. It's no coincidence her name is Butt.

[panader0]

11. lol-- my first thought too.

[yellerpup]

6. No more happy birthdays for underprivileged children.

That is so hard-hearted.

[KittyWampus]

7. Mean spirited, for sure. But Food Stamps are not gifts. They are for nutritional supplementation.

I'd rather see Government distribute actual food and simple appliances to families needing assistance. By appliances I mean small food processors and crock pots.

But since we're stuck with food stamps, I'd say Republican state legislatures will be able to pass such laws because cake, cookies and ice cream have zero nutritional value.

As for the families that want to celebrate a birthday? I suggest liberals in Republican states fund a program that helps families do just that. It'd be a great way to reach out to neighbors and to organize and bring joy into others lives.

We're going back into the early 20th century. Before Government really did work to improve the working class citizen's lot.

We will have to go back to local organizations, fraternal organizations and charities to do the work we are used to having the government do.

[Stellar]

36. Grown recipients should be able to buy whatever food products

that they want, once they are approved for food stamps. We don't need to hold their hand in the supermarket. The only thing I feel that the agency should provide is a pamphlet of nutritional meals for a growing family. Some people may not know about nutrition. And so what if they decide to splurge every blue moon to celebrate.

I recall that congress-critters worked only 134 days all of last year and received 174k on our tax dollars, a whole lot more than the average working class person. Now that's where we need to make changes. Let's not forget that they work for us.

[Guilded Lilly]

39. Yes. Educate. Amazing concept. But the Republican mindset

is geared towards keeping people stupid and controllable.

And since those public service Congress critters work for us, PART time, we should control what kind of healthcare they receive (or not).

[Stellar]

41. Agreed.

[sarah FAILIN]

142. Not just nutrition..

I think most people don't know how to cook these days. When I was growing up, my grandmother baked cakes from scratch if we wanted cake. I can make some things, but nothing like what she did. All she had was flour, sugar, corn meal, salt, shortening, butter... She threw that together every day to make good nutritious food for us. These days if someone wants something, it is going to mean buying a box full of pre-measured ingredients that we put together and stick in the oven. They would eat so much better if they knew how to buy actual ingredients to put together for a week instead of boxes of ingredients that make one meal. Understand what I'm saying?

[Stellar]

147. Thank you! That was the point I was trying to make.

If people are not aware of the nutritional value in food they won't be able to make better choices to help their family live a healthier lifestyle.

So, why take away the recipients right to choose because it may be unhealthy. It could be cheaper to buy the component parts of the cake and they can prepare the cake and have enough ingredients left over for other meals and not all the other chemicals that your body does not require or need.

It upsets me when people want to take away something from an adult recipient for their own reasons just because it's their so-called tax dollars.

We all put tax dollars into that pot. So they need to keep their hands off of the recipients food stamps and teach them to shop so that they will make better choices.

[Me.]

65. The Problem With That

Is it could lead to sub-standard food being handed out, the end result of lobbying done by a less than stellar supplier who sees an opportunity to make money off the poor. Will we go back to powdered milk and cheese being handed out from the back of trucks?

[sarah FAILIN]

159. That was the BEST cheese...

We got commodities and I remember that well.

What I also liked was that the program helped American farmers because it took the products they were producing off their hands and helped them out too.

[kcr]

89. Or how about they can have cakes just like everyone else? For crying out loud.

That's what food stamp programs are for. This is nonsense. We are supposed to fight Republican evil, not cave to it.

[DonCoquixote]

92. which means

"We will have to go back to local organizations, fraternal organizations and charities to do the work we are used to having the government do."

Many of whom were bigots, all of whom tried to use charity as a way of making sure their church, aka group of white men in power, had even greater dominance. This is not acceptable.

[Ms. Toad]

102. Hard time believing this is a serious post on a progressive site. n/t

[KittyWampus]

113. Why? Because I state the TRUTH Republicans will get this sort of legislation passed

successfully in Red States where they're in control?

Or the TRUTH that the working class is going to have to start organizing their own ways to support each other because Republicans have gutted our Government?

Or the TRUTH that Republicans are dragging the country back to the early 1900's?

What part of my post do you not believe?

Or maybe you didn't actually read my post?

[Ms. Toad]

138. I read it, and I was not commenting on what Republicans may or may not be able to do.

I was commenting on your paternalistic assessment:

Mean spirited, for sure. But Food Stamps are not gifts. They are for nutritional supplementation.

I'd rather see Government distribute actual food and simple appliances to families needing assistance. By appliances I mean small food processors and crock pots.

You are suggesting the Government should impose food choices as the price for assistance.

[KittyWampus]

152. I am suggesting that distributing food is a good idea. It's harder to believe

anyone on DU would have a problem with that. And yet there's a strong possibility you disagree entirely with school vouchers which give taxpayers a choice too.

And just to prove you haven't even considered this topic, distributing food would help alleviate the issue of food deserts, where people with food stamps have no where to go to actually buy nutritious food. So your "concern" about choice is noted.

This would create jobs, btw. It'd essentially be like a Peapods or Jenny Craig or the Food Kits you can get now.

I was thinking about trying out some local vegetarian meal delivery systems but there's none in my area. The closes one I like ships from California (across the country).

In systems like this, you can get a box of raw goods with a recipe on how to cook it (a meal kit), or fully cooked meals you warm up.

On the scale it is now, it's pricey. But scaled up via Government it could be very economical.

https://www.wellandgood.com/good-food/healthy-meal-delivery-services-new-york-city/

[sarah FAILIN]

160. The government already does impose food choices on assistance programs

It's called WIC, for women, infants and children of a certain age to provide some staples such as milk, cereals, beans and cheese. The link has a list to give you an idea.
http://www.mass.gov/eohhs/docs/dph/wic/food-guide.pdf

I really am not bothered with this.

[Ms. Toad]

168. So are you willing to live off a limited list of food -

and pay big fines if you decide to buy a cake for your family?

If you are not willing to live with those restrictions, then it is not appropriate to impose them on others merely because the safety net is their only means of meeting their need for sustenance. It is paternalistic, and not a progressive idea.

WIC is not the same as SNAP. SNAP targets a particular nutrition need. It is supplemental program designed to provide added coverage for people already on SNAP (or other assistance programs) - and for certain others at nutritional risk (by health condition or insufficient, income) in order ensure that a population with special (often more costly) nutritional needs have access to the means to meet their increased, and specific, nutritional needs - because if they go without, the long term consequences are devastating.

SNAP targets a monetary need. It is a general assistance program - not designed to meet specific nutritional needs. It is an income supplement to permit participants to put food on the table. It is dictating what people choose to put on the table solely because it's "our" money that I find offensive.

Is WIC the best way to meet those additional nutritional needs that we have decidedit is important to meet (because ultimately not meeting those needs will be very costly?) I don't know. But addressing a specific nutritional need (by paying for specific foods that meet that specific nutritional need the program is designed to address) is different than providing economic assistance (and, as a price for the assistance, being subjected to paternalistic oversight of the general food choices for my family).

[sarah FAILIN]

176. I already do live off a limited list of food

It's called a budget and if I didn't follow it I can't pay my other bills so you could say I would be essentially fined by having my car or house repossessed.

I know exactly what WIC and SNAP is and posted the link to show that one assistance program was already ran this way.

The more I think about it, the more I agree with this "paternalistic" plan and I don't think it should be looked down on to want to have people eating healthier if they are on assistance considering they are making health choices that may make the difference in them getting off assistance or continuing. We certainly had no problem with it when Michelle made similar changes in the schools and I for one defended that program at every opportunity. There are already limitations on food stamps that limit what can be bought such as hot foods and foods that will be eaten in the store so I have no problem adding soda, candy and cakes to the list along with limits on things like steak and seafood. It would shut up those people that complain about people getting assistance if they had nothing to complain about.

https://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/eligible-food-items

[Ms. Toad]

179. You don't live off an externally imposed limited list of food.

Your budget is precisely the same the money on your SNAP card. Like the person with the SNAP card you are limited to the amount that is available.

But you don't live with someone else telling you that if you make choices they don't like, you will be fined or will lose the ability to eat at all. Within your budget, you have the freedom of choice.

What is paternalist (and highly offensive) is imposing food choice on people solely because they need assistance.

People should be encouraged to eat healthier. Nothing wrong with that. Michelle Obama's progam had good and bad points. It was good, in that more foods available to all students were healthier - since schools plan meals around what is reimbursible. That make healthier options available to all children. Some of the forced choices for those receiving free meals, however, backfired. Specifically - forcing all grains to be whole grains, and requiring students receiving assistance to have at least one fruit or vegetable, resulted in a significant increase in edible food winding up in the garbage can.

[sarah FAILIN]

183. Scallops and steak are not on my list, something food stamp recipients can't say

I don't think I find free food with limitations as offensive as some people do. I would LOVE free food no matter how the limitations are. Maybe that is because I remember desperately needing food stamps as a kid and not being able to get them because we lived on one piece of land but farmed and owned another piece separated by a little strip of a road that we didn't have title to. I remember my dad got the milk that was left over after his National Guard camps since it was just going to be tossed out. We thought we were rich for whatever left overs we got. Commodities, left overs, we did not care because it helped us out.

The first post in this line has led people to believe the wrong thing about this bill anyway. These fines you are worried about are not applied to the person on assistance, but the vendor selling the item. Here is the actual law.
http://www.capitol.tn.gov/Bills/110/Bill/HB0043.pdf
(A)
A person or business entity, or any agent or employee of the
person or business entity shall not knowingly accept public assistance
benefits from an electronic benefits transfer card for the purchase
of food items that are high in calories, sugar, and fat without any nutritional value,
including,but not limited to,soda, ice cream, candy, cookies,and cake, as recommended by the United States department of agriculture.

[Ms. Toad]

185. That's really disingenuous. They are not on your list BY YOUR CHOICE.

The point is choice. You could choose to eat mac and cheese or ramen noodles and save for scallops and steak. NO ONE is telling you that those foods are off limits - it is a choice you are making about how to spend your money. The same choice SNAP recipients ought to have.

You have budget - so do they. It's the money in their SNAP allowance. If they are eating steak and scallops it is becuase that is how they chose to budget the limited money they have. You could make the same choice. Don't try to pretend that because you believe the choices you are making are smarter choices that it is the same as being deprived of choice.

[sarah FAILIN]

188. well..

That is your opinion. If someone chooses to throw that much money away on expensive food and non-nutritional items like soda and candy I would wonder why they were getting assistance in the first place.. which is every republican's argument.

I have been there. I've had to ration out as a kid with no mom in the family how much food we all could get. Making grocery lists and menus for the week to make sure we had enough food for the week. We got 1 box of little debbie cakes to divide up between 4 people so at some point we could have a bought treat during the week. Everything else was made from scratch and sugar was rationed. Maybe that's why I have a different attitude now. I have been hungry as a kid and had to scrimp to get enough to feed my dad and brothers. We were glad for every block of cheese and bag of prunes my grandmother shared with us from her commodities.

[Ms. Toad]

191. How is it opinion that you are mischaracterizing your CHOICE

as something other than a choice.

That you have a choice is not opinion. It is FACT. Saying you don't is what is disingenuous - characterizing the choice you make (the exact same choice someone on SNAP also makes when they buy steakr scallops) as somethign SNAP recipients have a choice about but that you that you don't.

And - nothing in your story suggests that anyone restricted your choices. Which is the point. You should not lose your autonomy merely because you are unable to support yourself. The republican's point is they don't like "their" money used irresponsibly. Rather than figuring out how to empower people to make good choices with limited resources, they swoop in to make needing government assistance as punitive, paternalistic, and shameful as they can. That is not a progressive idea.

[Jim Beard]

181. I don't know why I caught hell but

cooked food excepting bread was not allowed in the early days.

I want to say I am whit, was homeless for a time and could only get church food. I wasn't chronically unemployed was what I was told plus I didn't have children. New Mexico.

[sarah FAILIN]

184. Cooked food is still not allowed

People don't think about that though.

My dad had 3 kids living on minimum wage.. The union went on strike and he got 35 bucks a week and wasn't allowed to work anywhere during that. We had a strip of land the width of a 1 lane road between the shack of a house we lived in and the land he farmed to feed us both of with which he had inherited. Since his land wasn't connected, we couldn't get any sort of help at all so we were selling everything we could to feed ourselves. I would have taken anything and been glad to get it. We didn't get soda and cakes bought at the store at any time, strike or not. It was strictly necessities and cooking from scratch.

[Jim Beard]

192. I am amazed nowdays to see little ones barely big enough to reach the soda fountain

at the convenience store fill a 32 ounce cup of sugery cola. That's food stamps or not its not healthy and makes sense to be food smart and economical. You can afford steaks if you don't buy junk.
Just an aside, my parents loved a meal every now and then of pinto beans, cornbread, and GREENS. They were thrilled one year when they found lambsquarter (a green) growing on the side of the road.

A Latino neighbor showed me a weed and told me to cook it like green beans, I did and it was good.

I know this is a long way from cake but if you save a little, you can buy any damn thing you want.

[sarah FAILIN]

194. All of that is very true

Soda rots these kids teeth out and leaves them with metal caps too, but if you suggest they don't get it here, you risk getting jumped. I spend way too much money on it myself and I'm trying to cut it back.

We always had some sort of dried beans for supper unless fresh was available and cornbread that looked just like a fluffy cake. We would pick the young leaves of the polk salad plants, but I've never had lambs quarter. We did spend the whole summer working in the garden and putting away food for winter. We had a cow that we milked and made fresh butter which I would love to have again. If we didn't farm and shop smart we wouldn't have made it.

[Dark n Stormy Knight]

207. You know what? Your past or present personal eating habits are entirely

tangential to topic at hand here.

Sounds like you ate a more healthful diet than a lot of people nowadays do. Good for you. I would love to see everyone eating more natural, healthful foods. I'll even support some government intervention to help make that happen. But that is not the issue here.

These same RWers pushing this kind of punitive crap pretending it's for the good of the recipients consistently oppose doing anything which would restrict the diets of the rest of Americans to more healthful food. This is not about improving the health of people on assistance. If they actually cared about the health of Americans they wouldn't be trying to destroy the ACA!

Nor is it about saving taxpayer money. FFS, these are the same RWers who can't wait to give the wealthiest among us massive tax breaks!

This action to limit what assistance recipients can eat comes from their twisted idea that poor peoplee are lazy and deserve to be poor and a sick obsession with depriving the poor of any bit of pleasure, not to mention basic dignity. It is unChristian and spiteful and we Democrats should not be making excuses for it.

[RedWedge]

9. They like being mean. They thrive on it.

[SammyWinstonJack]

19. They do.

[Freedomofspeech]

10. First of all, her name is perfect for her.

What a hateful bitch. I bet she's in church every Sunday. What does she say about corporate welfare?

[Buckeye_Democrat]

12. Just low-calorie foods like celery, then? So people with meager means...

can slowly starve while eating a "healthy" low calorie-to-cost diet?

[Initech]

122. No they'd prefer that food stamps be used for nothing at all.

[Buckeye_Democrat]

123. I was using a little hyperbole.

"Junk food" often provides more bang of the buck, calorie-wise, though.

A High Price for Healthy Food
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/12/05/a-high-price-for-healthy-food/?_r=0

Healthy eating really does cost more.

That’s what University of Washington researchers found when they compared the prices of 370 foods sold at supermarkets in the Seattle area. Calorie for calorie, junk foods not only cost less than fruits and vegetables, but junk food prices also are less likely to rise as a result of inflation. The findings, reported in the current issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, may help explain why the highest rates of obesity are seen among people in lower-income groups.

The scientists took an unusual approach, essentially comparing the price of a calorie in a junk food to one consumed in a healthier meal. Although fruits and vegetables are rich in nutrients, they also contain relatively few calories. Foods with high energy density, meaning they pack the most calories per gram, included candy, pastries, baked goods and snacks.

[sarah FAILIN]

161. Here is a list of foods allowed on WIC

It doesn't give you everything you want, but it is healthy and not going to allow you to starve. It's not just celery. I'm sure if this passes, there will be a similar list drawn up more to exclude things like soda than anything else.

http://www.mass.gov/eohhs/docs/dph/wic/food-guide.pdf

[Buckeye_Democrat]

164. Can't get basics like sugar, flour, oil, baking soda/powder, cocoa powder, etc.?

How can I make a cake without that stuff?

It looks like prepared food that I normally get, but I can understand why people buy junk food too. It often packs more calories for the buck.

http://www.mymoneyblog.com/what-does-200-calories-cost-the-economics-of-obesity.html

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/12/05/a-high-price-for-healthy-food/

Healthy eating really does cost more.

That’s what University of Washington researchers found when they compared the prices of 370 foods sold at supermarkets in the Seattle area. Calorie for calorie, junk foods not only cost less than fruits and vegetables, but junk food prices also are less likely to rise as a result of inflation. The findings, reported in the current issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, may help explain why the highest rates of obesity are seen among people in lower-income groups.

The scientists took an unusual approach, essentially comparing the price of a calorie in a junk food to one consumed in a healthier meal. Although fruits and vegetables are rich in nutrients, they also contain relatively few calories. Foods with high energy density, meaning they pack the most calories per gram, included candy, pastries, baked goods and snacks.

[sarah FAILIN]

166. This is not the food stamp list, it's the WIC list

I'm sure the food stamp list would include a wide variety, but this list is meant to just supplement the other items already being bought. I think you get more volume based on your number of kids and it is most likely going to people that already get food stamps to get items not on the list.

I think republicans would be happy enough if soda and candy was eliminated from what is currently allowed along with limiting the price per pound a person can pay for meats. I easily spend $50/month on soda which is stupid of me and I know it. I eat a LOT of chicken breasts myself that I never pay more than 1.99/lb for. I chop 3 breast halves up and add to pasta or rice dishes for 4 people. Sometimes I get pork roast and pork loin cheaper than that. I'd love to be able to afford steaks and scallops the size of a half dollar every night, but I can't afford that. This is the main thing reps complain about food stamps. Put reasonable limits on food stamp approved items and they won't have as much to complain about. JMO

[Turbineguy]

13. Let US

eat cake.

[abbeyco]

14. Not a Butt; however, more of an Ass

What an evil human and someone needs to examine her purchases because taxpayers are paying her salary.

[Truth321]

15. Does no one care for the children?

Michelle Obama fought so hard for nutrition for the children. As heavy handed as this may seem it really is more in line with the original goals of food stamps. We are a nation of heart attacks, strokes and obesity. Brought about by "food" that is not food. This is FAKE FOOD. For the children let's fix this problem. Does no one care about the children?

[tanyev]

25. I suspect that Ms. Butt was Outraged! by Michelle's efforts to improve children's nutrition.

[TimeChaser]

30. Yeah! Take away their birthday cakes

For the children

[demmiblue]

47. +1

[mountain grammy]

48. +1

[Miles Archer]

49. Thank you

[demmiblue]

67. Too bad the wrong post was deleted.

This is one of the flaws in the jury system, imo.

I would say more, but...

[Miles Archer]

68. Agreed.

I'd also say more, but...

[kcr]

91. I agree and I don't even care what the deleted post said.

Too much right wing nonsense posted here.

[yardwork]

56. Maybe we should look at the sugar industry subsidies.

[Ellen Forradalom]

77. +1

[brush]

59. Pontificate much? Here's one for you. GFYS!

[Phoenix61]

60. WIC - Women, Infant and Children

The program covers pregnant women and children up to, I believe, age 5. It can only be used to purchase very specific food items. Next time you are in the grocery store check out the bin tickets in front of items and you will see some with "WIC" on them. I know Cheerios is one of the cereals that can be purchased.

[Ms. Toad]

104. Because only wealthy people have a right to choose what food they eat.

Sheesh. It is paternalistic, among other things, to impose nutritional choices on someone merely because they cannot afford to buy food without assistance.

You want to impose a $1000 fine on EVERYONE who buys junk food - I'd be more likely to support that becuase it does not single out people living in poverty and treat them as infants, unable to make good choices for themselves.

[chillfactor]

106. oh for god's sake...

do you have any children? No one with a child would deny them occasional sweets or a birthday cake. Children are children....not experiments.

[Jim Beard]

118. Just buy a cake mix and a frosting mix. thats what my mother always did.

It was good too.

[SticksnStones]

151. And a mixing bowl and a pan to bake it in and measuring cups and measuring spoons

And don't forget to have a few extra eggs on hand...and a bottle of vegetable oil...and make sure you live in a place where you are able to cook and have an oven and not just a hot plate and a toaster because that won't due....

Oh for heaven's sake, Jim Beard!


And to the point of the original post, how you gonna squeeze $1000 fine out of people who can't afford food, FFS?!

[sarah FAILIN]

163. Someone in that position doesn't sound like they have a home.

If they don't have a place to cook a birthday cake, they don't have a place to cook meals or store purchased food either. That is a much bigger problem than not being able to buy pre-cooked food which is already currently forbidden by food stamps for deli meals.

[SticksnStones]

165. Many folks live in make shift apartments with a double hot plate and a toaster oven for a kitchen

It's not an uncommon occurance. And you can prepare many kinds of hot meals. You just can't bake.

[sarah FAILIN]

172. I don't think the real issue is birthday cakes

I think it is soda which I myself spend a huge amount on and expensive cuts of meat. This is what sets them off.

I can cook a cupcake in the microwave using 2 cake mixes and a dusting of confectioner's sugar.. No, it's not a birthday cake but it is much more satisfying than a little debbie snack cake.

Get a ziplock bag and mix together the dry mixes of an angel food cake and a dark chocolate fudge cake mix. Take out 3 tablespoons of mix, add 2 tablespoons of water and microwave for 1 minute then dust with confectioners sugar. Cheaper than 2 boxes of little debbie cakes..

[SticksnStones]

174. Actually the issue is birthday cakes

Because that's the language being presented in Butt's bill.

The issue is just how randomly cruel a bill like that is.

And while I admit our back and forth veers slightly off post, I would still like to note that even your crafty solution requires owning a microwave, owning all the right measuring utensils and having a few extra bucks to buy ziplocks cuz y'know you can't buy them with your food stamps.

I think you and I are describing different depths of poverty.

Peace.

[sarah FAILIN]

180. That's not actually the language of the bill

People here are pushing an inaccurate version of what the bill really says as the fines are for the business owner, not the person getting benefits.

Also, it's more than birthday cakes and not limited to cakes. Really though, if a kid gets 1 coupon a year for a birthday cake, would that make people happy? I don't think so. This is about keeping the government from controlling what people buy with assistance and we all have different ideas about that.

Link to the bill
http://www.capitol.tn.gov/Bills/110/Bill/HB0043.pdf

[sarah FAILIN]

162. That's what I still do

2 bucks compared to 15 is a huge savings for me.

[Jim Beard]

182. Excellent points. My family lived the same way. We don't buy decorated cakes.

Even now, I am a 70 yeay old bachelor, I buy the Janet Lee pound cake and a can of frosting. I don't buy the candles.

[alphafemale]

186. Rarely have had a bakery made cake in my life.

Way over priced.

This seems to go to even the mixes and freezer cakes that are only a few dollars though.

In any case, even if the people who receive EBT budget poorly, that is to their deficit already.

Is is not as is they are getting more money.

They eat high for one week and Raman for the rest of the month.

This is obscene. Poor judgement is its own punishment.

I've not one noticed someone using food stamps/EBT or what they are buying.

I don't even think WIC purchases have to be separated anymore. Because that did used to be pretty noticeable.

[sarah FAILIN]

189. It is still seperated, I've seen it.

I'm 99% sure they still have those vouchers too because I've been in line behind them. I used to be so jealous of their WIC when my kids were little and it seemed like I was always behind them getting the grocery carts full of formula. I had to pay for my kids and it was all we could handle to get diapers and formula.

[alphafemale]

190. You should have tried to apply then.

If you were struggling you probably would have qualified.

Income standards not nearly as rigid as EBT. It is very limited on food items for mother nutrition gestational/lactation or formula. So it is a very different thing.

[sarah FAILIN]

193. I should have

I remember we made a little too much for food stamps and thought it was the same. It was our choices in that put us in that spot. We had an apartment and 2 cars then my husband went back to school and we were paying everything as we went. Our own fault but the education saved us.

[montana_hazeleyes]

108. If that's what you think, then take these foods off the shelves for everyone!

This is just an evil hypocrite trying to demean poor people. Why shouldn't poor people have a little pleasure in some cookies or ice cream now and then like everybody else!

And many people who may be on food stamps etc. have worked and paid taxes and fell on hard times.

The ones who have their taxes cut, the wealthy, can and do have anything and everything they want. It's all hypocrisy!

[Rex]

119. lulz

[Truth321]

125. People are fighting so that more kids are unhealthy

Fighting that kids should be able get diabetes?

[Warren DeMontague]

127. "care for the children" --- by fining their already-poor parents $1,000?

In the words of the great Dr. Gonzo, "why not just cut off their feet? They'll never do it again"

[Achilleaze]

16. Republican Family A-hole Values

Mean-spirited wankers.

[milestogo]

17. Official GOP policy: FUCK THE POOR

NO BIRTHDAY CAKE FOR POOR CHILDREN

[Paladin]

18. I'm betting she's a conspiculous Christian. (nt)

[Freedomofspeech]

20. I just read her bio...

She's a self published "Christian" writer...one thing she advises young women to not date men of color...I had to stop reading at that point.

[TexasMommaWithAHat]

33. WHAT? UGH

Deplorable.

[smirkymonkey]

35. Grrr!

WTF! Do people like this have nothing better to do than to think of ways to make the lives of the poor even more miserable than they already are? This woman is NO Christian. She is evil to the core.

[kacekwl]

42. Hopefully if there is a god

,karma or whatever punishes these horrible people with a miserable life / death with no help or comfort. People who hide behind religion disgust me.

[still_one]

83. she is no "christian", at least one who follows the supposed teachings of Jesus

[Megahurtz]

173. Butt is a "Christian"

oh yeah, that figures.

[dembotoz]

21. butt is an ass

are we going back to the days of state excess commodities for low income....

or perhaps let them eats leaves and bark like they supposedly do in north korea

had a social work prof when i was in school who told about commodity distribution.....
seems in her county they always gave out big chucks of cheese and big bags of bulgur which is a wonderful product
that no one ever had a great idea as to how the hell to make....

couple years later i took a veggie cooking class filled with rabid vegans(fun stories about that including how i met my wife, but i digress) and i posed the question...what the hell do you do with bulgur. what i gathered is that you can make some kind of oliver twist porridge out of it.....

so porridge and cheese...lovely diet...oh and did i mention there were also problems with the commodities being spoiled?

[sinkingfeeling]

22. Bet money she calls herself a 'devout Christian'.

Her Christ tells her no poor child should enjoy a Christmas candy cane nor have a birthday cake.

[Freedomofspeech]

29. Oh...

She's a self published Christian writer. I'm sure that Jesus is proud.

[longship]

23. Shudder! I've occasionally bought Hostess Sno-Balls with food stamps.

Mostly in winter, for comfort when my heating oil is getting low and there are weeks of cold weather left.

Unfortunately I cannot buy heating oil with food stamps. Fortunately I am very frugal. Now if I could only afford to replace my leaking roof, my century old septic tank and field, and the other disfunctional things on my property. Don't ask about my 21 year old car!

[Ms. Toad]

107. For shame!

The shame is in treating people who need the safety net as if they were infants.

[Zambero]

24. So DON'T let them eat cake???

She sounds like the contemporary authoritarian answer to Marie Antoinette. At any rate, it is critically important to the conservative mindset to be 100% certain that people of limited means are never allowed to indulge themselves, even in moderation. The rest of us are free to gorge on anything and everything to the extent possible, even if it means contributing to an obesity epidemic that not only represents a public health crisis but keeps health care costs high as well.

[Stellar]

26. Smartazz! I think those S.O.B's only worked about 134 days

all of last year and received 174k. And regular people have worked somewhere closer to 254 days excluding sick and vacation for a whole lot less money. I think that they should only be paid for the actual days that they work on our tax dollars!

[Guilded Lilly]

27. Smaller government my ass. Hideous jerks. How about

putting all that "helpful" guidance into some education program when first applying for assistance? A part of the food stamp program geared towards teaching healthier choices. Oh, yeah, I forgot, Republicans are anti-choice.

[etherealtruth]

28. A quick scan of her wiki page identifies her as a truly horrible "person" ....

.... on so many levels. It appears she fails on every measure of humanity.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheila_Butt

[smirkymonkey]

167. "Everyday Princess: Daughter of the King"?!

Who the fuck does she think she is? This bitch needs a good sound slapping back to the middle ages where she belongs.

[hatrack]

31. So why is there a sign on the salad bar that says "No EBT" at my local grocery store?

People on assistance should be punished for eating cake, or ice cream, but they can't use public money to buy a salad?

What the Fucking FUCK?

[CottonBear]

148. You typically cannot buy prepared foods w/ EBT.

I know because I receive EBT benefits for myself and my minor child.

The prepared food like deli subs, whole roasted chickens and salad/soup bars are usually not eligible for purchase with EBT benefits.

I bought Publix organic chocolate ice cream on sale for $4/gal for my child's late December birthday. I purchased a small vanilla cake from the bakery. He enjoyed his birthday celebration.

[hatrack]

187. Prepared as in "we chopped the lettuce" "we opened the can of black olives"; we sliced the onions"?

Now there's a rule due for some alterations.

[CottonBear]

204. Yep. That's the rule. The poor have to follow lots of rules.

People should receive a bigger monthly EBT food benefit amounts. Children need plenty to eat. And, everyone deserves a birthday cake! 🍦🍰🎂

Where I live, ALL school kids get free breakfast and lunch. No one has to pay. The school board decided that it is much easier to just feed ALL students rather than have children going hungry because their parent's income increased slightly and made the children ineligible for free breakfast and lunch.

🍦🍰🎂🍦🍰🎂

[IADEMO2004]

32. Her explanation of the bill to St. Peter at the Pearly Gates of Heaven will be???

[MineralMan]

34. Next step for Rep. Butthead: Bread, water, and American cheese only.

Maybe add ready-to-eat prison nutraloaf. Just heat and eat for a nutritious meal. Serve bread and water on the side.

[salin]

37. From the same people who shrieked at a tax on soda.

The only difference here is it only applies to those poor enough to need food assistance. If the point was about health rather than punishmet - she would jump on taxing - for all americans on unhealthy food. (Not that I am advocating such a tax)

[Guilded Lilly]

46. But is IS about the punishment with these types...

Control, punishment, judgment and not one lick of compassion. Health is a smoke screen excuse for elitist abuse. They don't care about the individual health of people who dare to be struggling. And Christ and God forbid any effort be put into education about choices. Uneducated people are much easier to control.

Republicans in Congress take OUR money while working part-time for us. How about they have/show accountability for where they personally spend every dollar of the money they get from us?

Let's create fines for every bar, hotel, shop, restaurant or vacation spot that WE deem is too excessive for the use of our part-time public service workers.

[coco22]

78. This is what a lot of people don't understand..

They work for us, they make laws against us and using our taxes to do it ,they think the can say war and we all will agree they are protecting us,while on the other hand they are killing us daily with their hypocritical laws.

People need to know how much they really work and how they travel and eat for free and then tax the people using our tax dollars for,healthcare and other hidden benefits,THEY WORK FOR US! Do WE THE PEOPLE get to decide where our tax dollars go,why don't they ever work for us.

[bullwinkle428]

203. BINGO! Right-wingers who scream "NANNY STATE!!1!" (hello, Sarah Palin!) whenever

some well-off person might have to cough up another nickel to indulge in their favorite pleasures are all too willing to drop the hammer on someone struggling to barely make ends meet.

[Dark n Stormy Knight]

205. Absolutely 100% true!

Despicable hypocrites.

[AgadorSparticus]

38. WHAT ASSHOLES!!! I hope karma is swift for this vile POS.

[Cha]

54. that'll teach 'em to buy the damn cake!!111

A

[madaboutharry]

40. Hate runs in their veins.

[Orrex]

43. Oh, come on

Plenty of people on DU have expressed similar "though shalt not buy" sentiments when it comes to micro-managing the spending of SNAP recipients. This is simply more of the same.

Of course, it would be perfectly fair if everyone who receives government benefits is subject to the same restriction: e.g., unemployment insurance, healthcare subsidies, mortgage tax credits, etc. The list goes on, but rules of this kind are only ever enacted to punish the poor.

[Orrex]

153. For example...

Read through this thread. Lots of high-minded scolding going on, as usual.

[yuiyoshida]

45. YEAH!! LETS STRING UP A FEW FAMILIES

FOR GIVING THEIR DAUGHTER ICE CREAM AND CAKE FOR HER BIRTHDAY!!!



ugly BUTT head.

共和党員は地獄に行く！

[OregonBlue]

50. These people are just so mean and ugly. I can't believe it's my country.

For parents on food stamps, they are often so poor that the only rewards they are able to give their children is sweets or a pop or some sort of junk food. If these mean, ugly, legislator bothered to find out how these kids live, they would see that most of them have healthy food like everyone else but if you can't take you kids to the movies, or skating, or whatever, you can at least give them 1/2 a coke. I truly hate these people.

[FiveGoodMen]

51. These evil fucks call themselves Christians

Their only hope is that their god doesn't exist.

[JTFrog]

52. Force women to bear children and make them live joyless forever. Seems to be the goal. nt

[COLGATE4]

55. Butt is as Butt does nt

[Thav]

57. How about we do the same for corporate subsidies and tax breaks

Tell them "You cannot use the money from subsidies or tax breaks to pad your bottom line. You must use them only on labor, and you must pay a prevailing wage, otherwise you'll be fined 4000% of the subsidy/tax break."

I wonder how well that'd go over.

[meadowlander]

99. We don't have to wonder.

We saw what they were like during the bailouts where they happily took stacks of taxpayer money and bitched about not being able to use it to pay bonuses.

[Chasstev365]

58. Motion to Amend!

We must exclude pies, pastries, and tarts to tbe bill.
What about snack cakes? Dolly Madison is a big contributor to my reelection campaign.


Good lord! And these people are paid to represent us?

[marybourg]

61. Just for the record:

She's not a Congressperson, she's a TN state legislator who filed a bill in the TN state legislature. Since the TN C does not have the authority to modify the SNAP program, the TN state legislature would have to obtain permission from the Federal government to do this if it passed the TN state legislature.

[Vinca]

62. No birthday cakes for poor kids.

[3catwoman3]

63. A $1000 fine levied against...

...people of limited financial means. Great idea.

[KittyWampus]

70. And if you're in arrears you probably can't vote...

[Miles Archer]

175. A $1000 "FIRST OFFENSE" fine.

God help anyone who buys Twinkies twice.

[jodymarie aimee]

64. 60cents a day in Wisconsin foodstamps for single disabled or elderly adult

In Wisconsin a single person gets $16 a month FoodStamps. Pennies a day. In the low income facility for elderly and disabled in my town only 12 of 73 tenants have cars. They walk to shop. Many shop at the Dollar Tree, where, alas, there is no produce aisle. It is hard enough to be poor, but the Rs aren't satisfied with that, they must shame them. They are pigs.

[McCamy Taylor]

66. Oh hell. Now they've done it. They will have to answer to Sara Lee.

[JDC]

69. Sugar, flour and eggs ok I wonder?

This type of thing sickens me.

[Rex]

76. NO! You could make a CAKE with that!

My God man, do you really want the poor eating cake!?!

[JDC]

95. Somehow Marie Antoinette fits in here...

[Rex]

137. The GOP rationalizes their hatred by pretending it is about nutrition, so kids can grow up healthy.

What a fucking joke. Their actions and words speak for them. This is about humiliating and alienating poor people.

[rusty fender]

72. How the hell do you enforce/monitor this?

Check everyone's receipts when they leave the store? Cash register forensic police? Such an asshole

[meadowlander]

100. I'm sure spending a couple hundred thousand on IT consultants

would yield a way to limit what EBT can be used on at point of sale. Of course that's a shit load more money than it would cost to just let people buy what they want, but it would be going to the "deserving" so that's fine then.

[nini]

73. If that is such a problem put that on the list of items foodstamps don't cover

This doesn't even make any sense. Here in California and I assume other states, you can only use those on food staples anyway. Not sure if cake is on there or not.

They are freaking insane.

[shraby]

74. Just where does she think they would be able to get the money to pay a fine of this

size?
Some people are born nuts and she is one of them.

Maybe rich republicans think they are the only ones who should get ice cream and cake for their birthday. I have one word for them.

PTOOEY!!!!!!!

[Rex]

75. Is she related to the Butt family that own the huge grocery chain in Texas?

Look at those dead, soulless eyes. She gets off on the suffering of the poor, you can tell.

[LonePirate]

79. Can someone explain the GOP obsession with SNAP? It's downright pathological.

What is with the complete Republican hatred of this program? Between the craziest, oppressive, un-American restrictions and the calls for drug testing, it absolutely confounds me. All I can come up with is that they (the GOP) are nothing but supreme assholes. Of course, we already knew that.

[HassleCat]

80. Her name should not be Butt.

Although it's appropriate, as several posters point out. A better name would be Dumm. If you don't want food stamp recipients buying "empty calorie" foods, that's fine, but people who qualify for benefits don't have $1,000 to pay a fine. Duh!

[nini]

81. Now how can that be legal if it's on an acceptable food items to buy in Tennessee?????

Last edited Sun Jan 15, 2017, 02:13 AM - Edit history (1)

http://www.ebtcardbalance.com/tennessee-ebt-food-list-ef49


from their own link:

From the USDA guidelines above, you can purchase the following items using your EBT card.
Soft drinks
Candy
Cookies
Snack crackers
Ice cream
Seafood such as lobster and shellfish
Steaks
Bakery cakes

[Bohunk68]

135. Maybe because the OP is taking place in Tennessee?

[nini]

143. yikes...

so much stupid to keep up with ..thanks for catching that. I fixed that.. same for Tennessee.

[still_one]

82. FFS, these people are evil.

[politicat]

84. Addresses and phones below

301 6th Avenue North
Suite 106 War Memorial Bldg.
Nashville TN 37243
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]

District Address
3870 Albert Matthews Road
Columbia, TN 38401

I can think of several envelope enclosures. Grocery lists, box tops, labels. Clearly, Butt thinks she should control everyone's food choices, so let's help her do that.

Or just feel free to fax her your disapproval. Email to fax service -- 2 free faxes every day: https://www.myfax.com/free/

[raging moderate]

85. So, Draconian punishment for poor people eating cake.

But NO strings attached to munificent outpourings of TOTALLY UNNEEDED AID to already rich people!

She should read the WHOLE Bible. There are many passages in there against stinginess to poor people. I remember one that seems to have said, in Hebrew, something like "Don't you DARE to try to leave only the worst food for the poor people." A modern Democrat could easily have written it. Or read it. I know for a fact that BOTH Hillary Clinton and Tim Kaine have read these passages, and taken them to heart. Obviously, Donald Trump has not. And neither has Ms. Butt.

[MFM008]

87. 95 percent

Of FS recepients have kids and kids have birthdays.
My son would have been crushed not to get a cake or ice cream.

[NBachers]

88. Is her husband named Seymour?

[Bohunk68]

136. Maybe one of her books is, "Under the Grandstands."

[maxrandb]

90. Someone should throw a pie

Or a cake in her face everytime Ms "Butt" shows up in public.

[CottonBear]

149. Her dress in the OP picture looks like it has pie plates on it.

GAWD! I hate this cruel and evil woman.

I'm visiting my family in TN now and I am surrounded by folks who think just like Mrs. Butt.

[Skittles]

93. you don't earn YOUR tax money either, ASSHOLE

THIS kind of hatred is *NOT WORK*

[Greybnk48]

94. Cake mixes are often on sale for $1 per mix.

We have often donated them to the food pantry as an inexpensive, fairly healthy treat. WTF! A poor kid can't have a birthday cake? Or cookies and milk? I hate these fuckers.

[Jim Beard]

120. A can of icing very cheap plus we always had kool aid.

Not defending her, its just what we had as kids.

[Greybnk48]

169. 5 cents a pack, affordable.

I have friends on FB who post memes and make comments about people on food stamps buying a candy bar or beer at a mini-mart. I just don't understand people who think they get to decide what other people ingest just because they happen to be poor (at that moment).

And everyone of these mean-spirited, judgemental people I'm referring to also push their "Christianity" on FaceBook too.

[Jim Beard]

177. I wasn't trying to be critical, just stating what we did and on top of that, the only decorated

cakes we had were those malso made by my mother. As a bonus, spend family time making the cake and decorating it.

Cook one night and decorate one night and eat whenever. My mother learned how to decorate and bought the cheap decorating tips.

[LanternWaste]

200. Actually, yes. Yes you are.

"Not defending her..."

Actually, yes. Yes you are.

[Jim Beard]

206. No I am not. If SNAP receptiants want to waste their money on a store made cake....

then they are idiots because they can make the cake and have money left over for soda since it is apparent they are low on funds. If you have few resources, why blow it on a pre made cake.

[malaise]

96. I don't like to say this but

she looks the part

[Greybnk48]

170. She does n/t

[lpbk2713]

97. The (R)s shut down the government and it cost $24 Billion.

And it didn't serve any purpose at all.

I think they ought to pay it back.

[raging moderate]

98. Absolutely right.

Thank you.

[appleannie1943]

101. Because poor kids should not celebrate birthdays. What an evil hag.

[Warpy]

103. How very Christian of you, you censorious shittrumpet

High calorie foods are exactly what you need on the Spartan food stamps diet. You need the biggest bang for the nutritional buck you can get, and it's none of your fucking business if someone wants to celebrate a child's birthday.

And if you've ever produced a child, don't tell me you never soothed a hungry, crying child with a cookie.

I really wish kids would stop objecting about the "b" word because this example of Republican rectitude definitely can be classified as belonging in a kennel, not a legislature.

[Kingofalldems]

105. Confederate still fighting the Civil War.

[brooklynite]

109. As narrow- inded as this is...

...nothing in the legislation stops people from buying flour, sugar, eggs and milk and baking their own cake.

[BarbaRosa]

110. Welcome back my friends

to the era of mean.

ON EDIT: Which is meaner, a repub that wins or one that loses?

[Mc Mike]

197. They're equally mean and evil-minded, I think.

But the ones that get their hands on power are more capable of putting their mean-spirited evil thoughts into mean and evil actions.

[bettyellen]

111. In Cuba, everyone gets a free fancy birthday cake till they turn fifteen....

It's so cool. It seems they give them out unboxed, because everyday you see someone just walking down the crowded streets of Havana carrying one like a waiters tray.

[KittyWampus]

115. I remember reading in Finland new mothers get "Baby Boxes"

For 75 years, Finland's expectant mothers have been given a box by the state. It's like a starter kit of clothes, sheets and toys that can even be used as a bed. And some say it helped Finland achieve one of the world's lowest infant mortality rates.

[bettyellen]

117. They just started this in Scotland and he box has a poem

Written on it. It was very cute to see the reports.

[nolabear]

112. Can you imagine being a cashier and being told to police purchases?

The concept is stupid. Will they retool all point of purchase machines to separate out illegal items and only accept food stamps for the amount that the approved items total? Sure. It'll cost millions.

[Rex]

116. That is how an evil asshole control freak operates. They have

such miserable lives - that the only way they can derive pleasure is to make the poor suffer one indignity after another.

[missijohnson]

124. food stamp recipients should be allowed to buy the foods of their choice,sign and share the petition

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/599/967/796

tennessee state  representative Sheila butts has proposed a bill to exclude cookies and other snacks from the food stamp program, under the guise of being concerned for the nutritional needs of underprivileged children of course. I do not agree with ms. butts. why? because I have empathy. I have created a petition for others who disagree with this proposed legislation. I am hoping for at least 500 signatures. all i can say to those who agree with ms. butts  at this time is imagine you are 14 months old. You have no voice in what happens to you, you can't speak for yourself, nor can you defend yourself. You are helpless and totally dependent on a single mother. The place where you live is dark, cold, and damp because the electricity was cut off. Your mother is a hotel maid barely making enough to survive. She sits around crying because with her income and food stamps she still can't afford to feed you properly. She can't go to work until your sitter arrives. Your baby sitter is your 13 year old sister. You don't even know who your daddy is. He don't pay child support cause he works off the books. You have a painful rash because you often wear the same dirty diaper for hours because your mom can't afford to change your diapers frequently enough. Your clothes are dirty because your mom don't even have enough change to go to the laundry mat. You've just nibbled on a few pieces of a cold hot dog that's been kept in a cooler on ice. You can't even watch cartoons because you have no electricity. Your only toy is a teddy bear your mother got for you from a yard sale. After you finish your cold hot dog your sister hands you a cookie from a package that costs 99 cents. You smile and take it because It's the only good thing that's happened to you all day. You don't know you're poor. You can't help being poor. You're totally oblivious to the fact that people like lawmaker Sheila Butt want to make it a law that your mama can't buy cookies with the food stamps your family receives. You know nothing of the war on the poor advocated by  law makers like Ms. Butt. You don't know there's people out there, many of whom claim to be religious, who fought for your right to be born, but  who also now hate you for being poor, think you're a burden on society, resent the 40 dollars a year they pay in taxes so you can eat, and want to deprive you of a simple treat like a cookie. If you disagree with Sheila Butt read, sign, and share this petition. You don't have to be a liberal or a Democrat, you just have to have to care. please read, sign and share if it is on your heart to do so. http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/599/967/796

[Rhiannon12866]

131. Thank you, signed and passed on!

Welcome to DU, we're glad to have you with us!

[dalton99a]

126. This butt called Sheila - What the hell is she wearing?

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

128. What if someone tried to buy flour, sugar and eggs with SNAP?

Would the cashier tell the buyer that she couldn't buy those things if she intended to make a cake with them? Yes, I realize that as a practical matter many low income people can't do much baking for various reasons (working 2 or 3 jobs, no decent cooking facilities, etc.). But just theoretically, how is buying a cake different from buying the ingredients for a cake?

[Buckeye_Democrat]

132. Buying it pre-made doesn't involve enough suffering!

Women getting abortions is too "easy" too! They and their unwanted children should suffer!



That might be how she thinks, however.

[KittyWampus]

133. I think you just proved this is about punishing poor people.

[betsuni]

146. Customers will be required to step on a box of Devil's Food Cake mix and denounce Betty Crocker.

And promise not to turn the trinity of flour, eggs and sugar into cake. This is the only way to be sure.

[Pacifist Patriot]

140. A foul woman redefining "nanny state."

Disgusting

[WinkyDink]

144. Why do Republicans want the poor always to be role-models? "YOU must eat veggies! WE can eat

dessert!"

AKA: "NO PLEASURES FOR YOU!"

[betsuni]

145. The Republicans I know think the poors sell food stamps to buy booze and drugs and cigarettes,

and here it turns out the really bad things they are buying are cake and ice cream.

[Truth321]

150. A massive chunk of the world's population

Is wondering what they will eat today, and haven't eaten in several days. Here he have food going into the garbage.........Over the rise and fall of civilizations- millions, perhaps billions will and have starved to death. But here......

[Mc Mike]

154. True, but really has nothing to do with the o.p. subject.

We're talking about a mean-spirited, draconian repug political hack named Butt who decided to play against type by pushing for big intrusive government oversight into businesses making profits and consumers choosing products freely.

Of course, Butt's not really playing against type, because repugs love to legislate 'morality', though they're the most immoral things on the planet. They love to punch down, and punish the poor. They love to steal tax dollars that citizens agreed to pay to help keep fellow citizens from starving to death. They love to pretend that social services is rife with moochers living high on the hog, buying steaks lobsters and french pastries. They love to pretend that the tiny amount of misuse of food stamps shows the program is full of criminals who are stealing from 'god fearing' right wing American 'makers'.

A thousand dollar fine is like a month without food for a family. Butt's bill is addressing a problem that doesn't really exist in epidemic proportions, a tiny tiny problem, percentage wise, that doesn't really need to be addressed. But it pushes the nazi repug propaganda angle that's red meat to the evil minded hate full repug base.

We have a ton of food insecure families, a ton of malnutrition in this country. The food stamp safety net prevents starvation in this country. This repug Butt is trying to attack the program that prevents starvation in our country.

That's what the o.p. is talking about.

[Truth321]

155. I was just reflecting on children that are literally starving

To death RIGHT NOW as we speak. It is so sad.

[Mc Mike]

157. Again, it is true. But is a distraction from the o.p. subject.

In all the ways I laid out, in the post to which you replied.

You could make an o.p., in general discussion, in breaking news, in foreign affairs, health, economy, religion, etc., that discusses that sad truth. We're talking about a different sad truth that is occurring RIGHT NOW; we're talking about something different in this thread.

We're talking about this swinish repuglinazi named Butt promoting starvation in the US with her bullshit strawman legislation, you're talking about the general existence of starvation in the world. Two different topics, obviously.

You're not even adding a link or excerpt with info about child starvation world wide, or orgs that fight starvation internationally, or things you've done to combat world starvation, or things you advocate others do to be aware of or combat world starvation.

You're really just making a generic statement bemoaning international children starving, and therefore it comes off as a distraction from the o.p. subject, about how vindictive repugs like Butt want to starve US children.

[Baitball Blogger]

156. Marie Antoinette was kinder.

[riversedge]

158. That's her son...Columbia TN's own Woody Wooderson #highschoolgirlsman

Girls Really Rule. and 1 other follow
skb ?@suzanne37064 Jan 13

TN Rep Sheila Butt @SheilaButt4TN has again filed hateful legislation. From a woman whose 40 yo son was arrested 4 partying w/ teenagers.
0 replies 1 retweet 1 like





Tom Joad
?@TNTomJoad

Rep. Sheila Butt thinks that poor kids are obese. That's her son...Columbia TN's own Woody Wooderson #highschoolgirlsman #notslim

[Megahurtz]

171. I'm afraid this is only the beginning

I expect to see much more lunacy from emboldened Republicans.

Brace yourselves.

[Lanius]

178. The right-wing nut jobs continue their decades-long war against the poor

and yet they call themselves peace-loving, life-affirming, charitable Christians. They wouldn't know what to do if their Messiah showed up tomorrow and started to preach the social justice straight from their own Book.

[raccoon]

195. Is "Butt" short for "Butthole?" nt

[Judi Lynn]

196. What a credit to her clan.

[center]

[Mc Mike]

199. Figures. Good info find. Thanks, nt.

[Mendocino]

198. Shelia...Shelia Butt...

one of the Butt sisters. Is she related to Bertha Butt?

[Mike Nelson]

202. Shelia Butt is...

...deplorable.

[Act_of_Reparation]

208. Where did she get that dress?

It's awful. This is the state capitol, lady. Not the fucking bridge of the Enterprise.

[aka-chmeee]

209. The last paragraph of the clip should be applied to her situation as well.

Her job is to serve all the people; not just the fortunate.