Originally Posted By: Win
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Interestingly, some of the poorest states are also the most obese, and more rural:
I don't know what is going on with the obesity rate around here - even the illegals become obese. They may be the worst offenders - although we have no lack of native born fatties.
I don't know that it has much to do with rural or urban lifestyle, or even being poor. When I was a kid, they had the President's Council on Physical Fitness, presumably a creation because there was a perceived lack of physical fitness in kids prior to it's creation. Obesity was then stigmatized as undesirable.
Nowadays, it's clear making judgments about any type of lifestyle choice or result of choice is putting yourself on the high speed expressway to being labled a hater.
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Recently I was in GA and was in a convenience store. I was rather annoyed to see people buying junk food on EBT, then pulling a wad of cash out to buy cigarettes. If you can afford cigarettes, you can pay for your own junk food. That's what gets me more. The double dippers working under the table for a living and collecting government handouts too.
I've owned them, and I can assure you, it's way worse than you think it is. EBT is a big wealth transfer scheme - from the middle class to the retail class - the poor are just a conduit. I would dare say it's the norm for people to want to be paid in cash so the income record does not interfere with thier "disability" payment. I would never do this, but there are business people who do.
Quality food is expensive, the cheapest way to get your calories is through fast or highly processed food. It's not surprise that poor people are malnourished and with high BMI. Rural areas around me are quite poor primarily because there are no jobs and are on some form of government assistance. As for the EBT, it should be no surprise that it's part of the farm subsidies proving your point of the poor simply being a conduit.
I would rather have people paid out of my taxes than have higher crime that I end up paying for anyway with more unpleasantness like police and jails/prisons.