So I got an email three days ago confirming what we'd all heard about in the news, of course. The new changes to SNAP benefits. In this case, specifically the restricted food items that are no longer considered acceptable for purchase with SNAP food benefits, aka, Food Stamps.
Above I pulled out a few items I had on hand to give an indication of what may be affected. (Soda, candy and cookies, for sure, but not sure about the ice cream and turnovers though I'd heard they would be)
Because Mommy Trump and all his other parental figure Republicans care about the health of us po' lil' chil'en and want to make sure we eat only healthy foods, right?
Well, think about this... for the items listed in the notice above, at least here in Florida, with possible the exception of "ultra-processed shelf-stable prepared desserts" (whatever those are), they are taxed. Unlike other grocery food items that are non-taxed. But when paying with SNAP, taxes are waived, so all that potential tax revenue is lost. So this whole move is to get people to pay money for these items ('cause they know po' folk ain't gonna give up their Cokes and Oreos!) so they can be taxed.
Wait, aren't Republicans supposed to be all about lowering taxes?
Oh silly rabbit, take another sip of taxable Monster drink 'cause you trippin' dawg! Only the rich get tax breaks.
Tariffs (another word for taxes), payolla deals with foreign governments, strong-arm contracts and uneven deals favoring revenue for US coffers, back-room negotiations with wealthy businessmen, selling million-dollar visas for "gold card" status to "desirable" immigrant applicants, stolen oil from Venezuela (and he dreams, next, Iran), the sale of millions of acres of public lands (haven't heard of that yet, oh, it's being done, just quietly for now), DOGE slash and burn cost cutting and divestments... I could go on and on. He says this is all to enrich "the country" but if he's using the playbook of many a rape n' pillage style dictator of the past (and present in many places) who's to say he's not planning on keeping it all for himself?
