Let’s forget the section 8 people for the moment, because they are the relatively lucky ones. What about the guy I pass by almost every morning on my way to work, who lives in a slum motel downtown, and walks as far as four miles (maybe further, I don’t know) on crippled legs to get construction jobs two or maybe three times aweek. How is he supposed to get by with rice, peas, and eggs? Hot plates, I guess, if they’re allowed in his unit and if he can buy an affordable one. But he probably doesn’t have a place to store the left-overs, having no refrigerator. I guess he, with his health and mental problems, should have to prepare the proper serving of rice, peas, and eggs everyday. Even if it’s not hard to make, most people would probably be real tired of eating that everyday.
To make that meal palatable for me, I’d have to have some meat thrown in. Could someone buy, say, some smoked turkey to add some more protein, fat (necessary for brain development) and flavor? I’m just saying…I know I’m supposed to be poor and all, but give me some motivation for life. We aren’t living in the “Grapes of Wrath” times. With all the food choices in the grocery store aisle, it would be cruel to tell someone, “Hey, put down that frozen pizza. Here’s this big bag of flour, big institutional size jar of tomato sauce, and a whole hunk of cheese. Make your own, and it’ll last an entire month!” Yeah, it might, but you might go out of your freakin’ mind eating that day after day after day.
Someone brought up the excellent point, about many peope having food allergies. People can die from certain foods–peas and eggs being two of them. So there has to be flexibility in what a person can buy.
I still think the government, if it wanted to promote healthy eating in the poor, could go about it in less restrictive ways. Offer up abandoned vacant lots for nominal prices and offer small grants to non-profits, faith-based or otherwise, to start up neighborhood gardens. Tax-free. Not only does it help to cover the “food desert” problem, but it gets people active in their communities, especially kids, and teaches them how good fresh produce tastes. (I didn’t grow up poor, but my parents did. They grew up on canned vegetables and continued with this tradition with their own children, a habit which made me despise ALL vegetables. That is, until I discovered fresh stuff and I saw that I had been kept away from deliciousness for a good part of my life). It could also create jobs for people and teach them how to do their own gardens. Another idea: let small farmers set up stands in poor neighborhoods. Another way to bring produce to the masses. Another off the wall suggestion: if someone has a relatively small amount allotted to them from SNAP (such as a single person with a part-time minimal wage job, who only gets $50 a month in food stamps), then offer them vouchers up to certain amount exclusively for fresh fruits and vegetables. Or program EBT card to “roll-over” some amount of money from month to month for every pound of fruits and vegetables purchased. Like if you buy six pounds of fresh fruit one month, then that equates to six dollars (or whatever) added to your allotment next month.
We could do things that would encourage people to eat healthy foods, without being all “big brother” on their food choices.
And really, as seen below, the allowance isn’t what the average person actually gets.)
(HUD requires that Section 8 tenants can only be evicted by judicial action, even where state law allows other procedures.)