Did you know that in California we actually have some decent people?

[msc545]

We are not going to let our friends and neighbors starve despite what Trump wants:

https://www.yourcentralvalley.com/news/local-news/mariposa-county-farmer-food-pantry/

[lightbulb27]

California feeds the USA, lets be honest about that. Well doe, that's the right spirit and I especially support the "fresh/nutritious" concept. What I see a lot of is providing processed junk food if not worse. There were reports of people buying candy using SNAP benefits, that should not be allowed.

Lot of people are gathering donations on east coast but I can say we do a poor job caring for less fortunate/displaced/emotionally lost people.

A few personal insights. I signed up to provide a bag of groceries for Thanksgiving church but discovered it's a fixed list of items... and most of it is processed junk food.

I think is mistake to open farm stand long term... now people know where it is, no way to stop the "free" taking. There are honest people and the few dishonest ones will ruin it.

Lastly, that woman smokes... probably has a lot of stress, but she's blowing a lot of $ into the air. Stop smoking, it destroys $ and health, that's $ that can go to better purpose.

SNAP benefits shiould be restricted to specific nutritious items and bare essentials. Public $ should not go towards junk foods and low quality foods.

[msc545]

Thank you for your comments. I would remind you that processed food is better than no food and sometimes that is the choice. In regard to smoking, I agree with you but the problem here is that getting people to stop smoking is really difficult. Nicotine is a drug and actually a deadly drug. But unless you totally outlawed which has its own problems, it is nearly impossible to get people to stop smoking and you can waste a lot of time and effort and money attempting to do this. I would remind you that people use drugs including nicotine in order to feel normal. Please contemplate this statement for a few moments before reacting. I would modify it by saying that people that habitually use drugs do so in order to feel normal. Nicotine has a calming and soothing effect on many people that is highly desirable because of their anxiety, which drives the need for drugs like nicotine. You need to substitute something less harmful in order to persuade them to stop yousing in any effective way.

[msc545]

So far as I am not aware of any successful, particularly effective smoking cessation programs and there has been a lot of time and money devoted to this. Do you know of any?

[lightbulb27]

Thanks, good to have dialog.
my father quit smoking as did my mother. My uncle quit smoking, not sure how.
Father quit and took up candy... never went back to the stick... he knew the threat of painful death. Agree there has to be a substitute!
Mother had no choice, it was taken away from her and no ability to buy it, so she stopped.
Both suffered and died slow unpleasant deaths from that drug. They loved the habit for decades and I was forced into their 2nd hand smoke for long time. blech, one reason I'm very health conscious relative to most.

It's a killer. Agree, its very difficult to get people to change... they only change when facing no choice. Like all issues, they have to face severity to change else they keep doing what they do.

Heck, I was a sugar addict. Only changed when had strong motivator. Else it tastes good. Ditto carbs.
Age forces changes... enjoy your youth!

Agree on processed food: I went to church and they have two paths... a processed food bad that sits on shelf or a bag that can be fresh/whatever you hand to a person. So I chose the latter gladly. I don't like promoting junk to people thinking I'm making their lives better. I'm not. At 50% obesity, people are better off not eating in a lot of cases, or finding wild edibles for nutrition. Children, is a different story... they need calories differnetly than older.

[Sevenpointfive]

i suppose it depends on wherein. but californians are like texans and new yorkers. that's not a compliment.

[msc545]

Well, no, we're not nearly as hostile as Texans and New Yorkers.

[Sevenpointfive]

L. A.>Houston in a hostile fight?

[RandomGirl42]

I like those kind of stories. I believe in the good in people. Ty for inviting me to share. But r u sure that was in Cali? I've heard some stories about that place. 🤣

[msc545]

Yes. I live here in California. The stories you have heard are MAGA lies.

[Ariesman81]

Would you look at that... human decency doesn't need a government mandate.

[msc545]

Indeed it does not need a government mandate. Sometimes having one is just a detriment.

[Ariesman81]

And yet you politicized it anyway

[msc545]

I did not

[exitseven]

Yes, i was in the Air Force with a couple of guys from USC. They were not normal but they were okay.

[msc545]

Abnormal in what way? Nice? Decent?

[exitseven]

@msc545 They were really laid back. It was hard to imagine them flying F-17s.

[msc545]

I gather you're not a pilot. I am. Being relaxed and laid-back is the absolute best attitude for a pilot. You can't really be a safe pilot unless you are comfortable and confident. I realize that their not being excited about possibly getting to kill people was pretty alien to you, but for them, it was all in a day's work.

[exitseven]

I got dropped from the program after freshman year because I could not pass the color threshold test.

[msc545]

Sorry to hear that, but you're probably better off.

[exitseven]

It changed the trajectory of the rest of my life. i fell off the track and it took 20 years to get back on it.

[msc545]

You were that intent on becoming a pilot?

[exitseven]

@msc545 Yes and I had planned on trying to get into the space program.

[DryGermanGuy]

„I expected no less, captain.“
- Maj. Heinrich Strasser, Casablanca

[Anonymous]

Trump wants your neighbors to starve?

[msc545]

Yes, he does.

[goaded]

Trump's literally appealing a court order to pay SNAP from the funds he used last shutdown.

Basically claiming he broke the law last time and won't do it again.

[Opinion Owner]

A continuing resolution seems a lot smarter to me.

[msc545]

What do you think the effects of a continuing resolution would be?

[Opinion Owner]

Poor people can get food and federal workers wouldn't be getting ripped off. Also, people will be able to fly home for Thanksgiving. There's no excuse to not come up with a budget and then pull this stupid Ransom bullshit. Brock Hussein Obama said the exact same thing.

[goaded]

"no excuse to not come up with a budget"? That would assume Republicans were willing to listen at all. At the moment, the only Democratic party demand is to keep the subsidies for one more year, so the voters (of whom 75% want them kept) can make their position known in the midterms.

Agree to that one thing (which even Marjorie Taylor Greene defends), and the government is open.

Alternatively, get rid of the filibuster and pass the House bill with a simple majority of Republicans. Own it.

Recent history is filled with examples of Republican demands being included in bills and Republicans voting against them anyway. Hell, the ACA was a Republican plan, and they all voted against it.

[beefcakebradybatson]

Such as your Gov. Gavin Newsom !!!

[msc545]

I don't always agree with him but for the most part. Governor Newson has been an excellent governor for us here in California. He seems to be extremely intelligent and very concerned with his duties as a public official. He does not always exercise good judgment in my opinion, but again, that's just my opinion and he himself would probably dispute that. I am looking forward to voting for him for President and I believe he will make an outstanding President for our country. God knows we need one.

[beefcakebradybatson]

RIGHT ON, msc545. I wish my provincial (Ontario) Premier, Doug Ford and Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens had ONE-TENTH Gov. Newsom's governing and personal qualities.

[msc545]

You just have to find the right person and encourage that person to run for office. I don't think either of these tasks are particularly easy.

[Titlover01]

I’m not surprised