States Humiliate the Poor With Food Stamp Crackdown

(The Progressive) Legislators across the country are launching a mean-spirited campaign to block poor people from purchasing certain kinds of foods, products, or services.

Missouri state Rep. Rick Brattin has introduced a bill to prevent food stamp recipients from buying “cookies, chips, energy drinks, soft drinks, seafood, or steak.”

A bill in the Wisconsin Legislature would require people who apply for food stamps or unemployment insurance to pass a drug test. Lawmakers also want to prohibit those on food stamps from purchasing “crab, lobster, shrimp, or any other shellfish."