<DIV>Food Banks Vs. Quest Cards</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Food Banks win hands down for three major reasons.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>1) Fraud. People that don't claim income get food stamps. </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>2) Cost: It costs more to create an entire bureau of the government to establish regulations, enforce them, and distribute funds and cards which a food bank does not have.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>3) Access. There are a large number of people that gross more than $940 a month but still need assistance in purchasing food and other needed items. Expecting people to survive, especially those with a disability or the elderly that need medical assistance, on $940 a month is joke, if not criminal. People that are making above $940 a month can get food from a food bank without the hassle, humiliation, and frustration. </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I would cut the food stamp program by about 2/3, and give the money to
private organizations with a solid record of providing services to the poor and those in need. </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Best Regards,</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Donovan<BR><BR><B><I>"Kai Eiselein, Editor" <editor@lataheagle.com></I></B> wrote:</DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE class=replbq style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #1010ff 2px solid">I don't know about today, with the "Quest cards" and all, but there used to <BR>be a thriving black market for paper food stamps.<BR>Recipients would simply sell their stamps for about half of the face value, <BR>allowing them to purchase booze, drugs smokes... whatever their vice was.<BR>Government programs cannot and will not ever be as efficient as private <BR>programs for the simple fact that the government has no motivation to do <BR>anything efficiently, after all it can just keep sucking money from the <BR>average working American.<BR><BR><BR>--------------------------------------------------<BR>From:
"Dave" <TIEDYE@TURBONET.COM><BR>Sent: Tuesday, June 03, 2008 11:50 AM<BR>To: "vision2020" <VISION2020@MOSCOW.COM><BR>Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Economist Rankings of the World's Greatest<BR><BR>> How about food stamps?<BR>><BR>> Dave<BR>><BR>><BR>> g. crabtree wrote:<BR>>> Spoken like a man who can't come up with a coherent answer for a rather<BR>>> straight forward question.<BR>>><BR>>> "Just what mechanism for assistance do you envision that an "affluent and<BR>>> technologically advanced" nation might come up with that would be less<BR>>> shameful?"<BR>>><BR>>> Perhaps you simply were confused by my presentation. I'll try again.<BR>>><BR>>> Privately operated food banks efficiently provide a needed service. How <BR>>> do<BR>>> you think it could be done better?<BR>>><BR>>> g<BR>>><BR>>><BR>>><BR>><BR>><BR>> -- <BR>> Windows, OSX, or Linux is
the same choice as:<BR>> McDonalds, Burger King, or a (real) Co-Op.<BR>><BR>> =======================================================<BR>> List services made available by First Step Internet,<BR>> serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.<BR>> http://www.fsr.net<BR>> mailto:Vision2020@moscow.com<BR>> =======================================================<BR>><BR>Kai Eiselein<BR>Editor, Latah Eagle <BR><BR>=======================================================<BR>List services made available by First Step Internet, <BR>serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994. <BR>http://www.fsr.net <BR>mailto:Vision2020@moscow.com<BR>=======================================================<BR></BLOCKQUOTE><BR><p>