Uhh.. wait, people have been able to buy soda with food stamps? Seriously? This ban doesn't go nearly far enough. The only thing people should be able to buy with food stamps is bread and water. If people are to be driven out of their poverty, don't make them comfortable in it.

I have read most of the comments and I can't help but think about how some people describe sugar. Juices are made from the natural sugars of the fruits (of so they say, read the label). Some sodas have certain amounts of sugar, while some others have too much (please compare). Sugar comes in different ways: fructose, sucrose, corn syrup, just to name a few. If people would just read the labels on these products and compare the amounts of sugar in the products. Parents should be more caring when it comes to eating healthy; they should teach their children how to eat properly. The government is just getting more involved with our lives and of course it makes us mad. The government in part and the insurance companies are the ones who will pay the tab when someone is put in the hospital for health reasons especially when the person is poor. If someone gave me money as a gift to buy food, I would spend it more wisely because I care about my health. I am not so sure that too much sugar can cause diabetes, but that warrants more research on my part. I do know that too much sugar can make a person sick. The government stopping us from buying "junk food" on Food Stamps is surely not the way to make us eat right.

I think anyone that complains about "poor poeple" that get EBT/food stamps.

Should try to live their day-ly life with what the "lower income" people have to work with from day to day.

And tell me what kind of life you can live on that kind of "income". When you have limited choices no matter what you try to do...

Those that understand, will know what kind of life people find themselves truly traped in.

It is truly sad to think that some people have no compassion, and not the “compassion” that is only displayed when ratings/political gain is needed.

Worse still, that some people think compassion is an idealized utopian way of thinking.

Times have changed. It seems not for the better.

What an interesting age of “ all the worlds knowledge at your fingertips” has taught us now. Wow, I know I am Prrrroud.

Oh, and do not forget a few other questions.

Who gets to decide what foods that people should not be aloud to buy with food stamps?

What figures are they going to use to make these decisions by?

What is Truly Healthy?

Who gets to decide what is truly healthy, and in what quantities?

Anything connected to a corporate company/or a politicians making those kinds of decisions “for the people”. Is not for the people’s true best interests in anyway. They are not bias in any way.

End of line.

P.S.

Solient green is way better with ketchup, from what I have been told ;)

Oh, how I miss the middle class. I think they are the deadest horse by now. I mean seriously now ;) I wish people would stop kicking them. How mien.

Does no one have manners anymore? Oh well I guess not. Well fun with your own opinions then. Lets see if anything "good" comes of them.

It is truly sad to think that some people have no compassion, and not the “compassion” that is only displayed when ratings/political gain is needed.

Is it compassionate to help someone to an early grave? If a homeless person asked you for change, would it be compassionate for you to give him a bottle of liquor instead? Answer this hypothetical: assume instead of food stamps, this was a homeless shelter serving free lunches. If they suddenly said, "Sorry, we won't give out Pepsi anymore. There are milk and juice boxes over on that table," would you be just as irrationally upset? In psychological circles, the term for people like you is "enabler." Look it up. It's not flattering.

About ten years ago, I was between jobs yet managed to subsist on about $18k that year, including rent and utilities. My diet was still quite healthy. All it took was a little bit of thought whenever I went to the supermarket. I didn't waste my money (not EBT, but my own money) on packaged foods like TV dinners or Twinkies. Look for items on sale, like meats approaching expiration. If I really desperately need sweets, I baked my own. If I got EBT, I'm sure I could have eaten quite well.

You should have applied for foodstamps, every little bit helps in those tough times. As you know food prices went up as paychecks stayed the same.

I know there were times when I stocked up on whole chickens at .39 a pound.

but like I said, it all balances out in the end.

The notion that soda is the only beverage they can afford and it's cruel to ban them from buying it is ridiculous. Water is completely free and entirely drinkable in NYC. There is absolutely no harm associated with drinking water instead of soda, whereas there is a great deal of harm associated with drinking soda instead of water. I drink water, not soda, and an perfectly healthy and do not feel deprived in any way.

I'm all for banning soda and junk food from being purchased with food stamps, but I do think they should ease up on some other restrictions. You can't buy toilet paper or tampons with food stamps, and those items are expensive and much more essential than soda. And would it be the worst thing to let them buy a rotisserie chicken at the supermarket or a container of salad, both of which have far more nutritional value than Ring Dings, but the chicken and salad are forbidden while the Ring Dings are perfectly okay.

You can be sure that somewhere down the line Pepsico or Coke snubbed him, didn't elect him to the board, didn't give him a kickback or some such nonsence that we will never hear about from the corporate press. I seriously doubt this has anything to do with nutrition.

Liberals show their hypocrisy here.

Yes, we can tell you what to eat since you're on the public dole. But if I want to regulate what you do when/if public health care comes, I'm in the wrong?

Which is it? Do as I say, not as I do.

Because if we have public health care, why should we let kids play Pop Warner? Why should we let teenage girls play soccer? ACL tears are expensive. Why should we let anyone rock climb? Why should we pay for meth heads whose labs explode and they get skin grafts?

Also, this is the nanny state, that NannyState talks about on this site. And liberals fall over themselves to "reform" while continuing to infantilize the poor.

looks like I'm getting Surf and Turf with my EBT card this weekend. you don't think bloombag will ban that, do you?

I got nothing to lose.

If the state is going to pay for your food and most probably for your health complications related to unhealthy food choices, then they should have a say in what their money goes to.

Also, if you have a parent buying groceries with food stamps who has an education of the level that they're on food stamps, then maybe you should be protected to some degree from this parent's poor food choices for you.

Maybe local post offices should just hand out beans and rice to the poor? Who says they should have their choice of Ellios pizza or Breyer's ice cream?

America: Where beggars want to choose - poorly.

Really?! So people on food stamps automatically are at a low level of education?

Not that they could have lost their jobs in the economy downfall, have worked their whole lives and became disabled, or just cant find a high enough paying job in this city to be able to provide for their families 100%?

Right, that couldn't be the case at all. Why don't you see what its like for a month working a job making 10 or 11 bucks an hour which comes to about 7 or 8 after taxes, paying over $1000 a month in rent for a crap-hole apartment, paying god knows what in utility bills, pay for ever increasing transportation to work then try to feed your family.

This doesn't just ban soda, it bans juices that are made with artificial sweetener. So what is more economical, buying a quart of OJ for $5, or buying a gallon of some kind of "fake" fruit juice for $1?

These people are already on a limited amount of money and a limited amount of food stamps, and all this is going to do is drive up OUR taxes so we can pay for them to eat better than most middle class NY'ers will ever be able to.

Does Whole Foods or Fairway, purveyor of fine, healthy, food choices for wealthy people accept food stamps? What about Trader Joes? I think Mayor Mike needs to get on their cases

I dont' think those are the only 3 markets that sell healthy food, fyi... hahah.

Nearly everyone including many purveyors at the Farmer's Markets around the city accepts EBT/WIC.

Yes and these Farmer's MArkets are nowhere to be found in the poor areas of town. if they are then shame on the poor for ignoring them

That's exactly right. As for only wealthy people shopping at Fairway (in response to whitecastlerock), perhaps you should visit the locations in Harlem and Pelham Manor. Fairway has some of the best priced meat and produce in the city, so why would only wealthy people shop there?

Oh yeah right! People in Bed Stuy just need to take public transportation to these oases and get all the fresh food they need. Why didn't I think of that-you are a fucking genius!

Can Bloomberg just stop picking on poor people?

Just for a day or two, at least?

It's not even that this is a bad idea, it's that this man cannot stop trying to find ways to just mess with poor people. Every chance he gets he's just trying to make it harder and harder on them.

I can never understand all the hate towards poor people yet people love these rich guys who are the real problem.

Here's the problem in a nutshell:

- The poor can't pay taxes because they're poor.

- The rich get out of paying through unnecessary tax loopholes and breaks.

- The middle class and working poor end up paying a disproportionate part of the bill.

- Then the rich come back with their hands out looking for subsidies, bailouts, stimulus money, loopholes, tax breaks, whatever they can get.

- Then people get mad at the poor and blame them.

Someday people will stop looking down to the people below and blaming them and look up and realize what's really going on.

When a businessman like Paladino exploits a $3 million job creation tax break and only develops 24 jobs, not only is he cheating us of $3 million in taxes but he's cheating the very poor people that are on public assistance of a job opportunity. When a businessman like Ratner is given $2 billion to build a stadium and 6,000 units of affordable housing then reneges on the affordable housing but doesn't lose a cent in tax payer subsidies, that's the problem. These are just two publicized but multiply that by thousands of businessmen like them exploiting our tax system and you'll quickly realize where the real problem lies.

By the way. there's currently 42 million Americans on food stamps, and that includes many working Americans and if you're wondering how that can be read this:

http://www.walmartmovie.com/facts.php

That's the problem, not the poor.

If you have the time watch this and you'll get a better understanding of how corporations are destroying America while politicians are getting paid to just stay out of their way.

WalMart: The High Cost of Low Prices

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3836296181471292925#

They're taking all the jobs overseas and still have the audacity to ask for subsidies from U.S. tax payers.

"- The poor can't pay taxes because they're poor."

Poor people don't pay taxes. Before going on a ridiculous screed you might at least try to get your initial point right.