AMI'S GUIDE TO FOOD PRIVILEGE
Ami’s Guide to Food Privilege: How classism, fatphobia, and various other “-isms” control what we eat.
PART I: Food Stamps
Note: All references to programs will be to that of Washington State’s programs, as those are the ones I am familiar with. Washington being a more progressive state than most, it can be expected that this is far from the worst-case scenario as far as state assistance goes (nor likely best). Furthermore, while yes, some of the public assistance is federally-funded, it is managed by the state, and therefore still varies state-to-state in actual implementation.
WARNINGS For Fatphobia/ED/Classism/Food triggers.
1. They’re Not Your Tax Dollars
There are just so, so many more terrible things that Your Tax Dollars go to (like prisons--but that’s another post entirely) and you choose to complain about poor people’s food? Really?
Well...okay.
They're not even your tax dollars.
That is to say, the poor are not directly reaching into your pocket and pulling out wads of cash to go buy such luxuries as food. You are, as are many, many of the working and non-working poor, paying taxes which then go to fund things such as food stamps, WIC, and/or other food programs. But the argument that the poor are “spending YOUR money” is so ludicrous it barely warrants an argument. Everyone pays into taxes somehow. Income tax, property tax, sales tax, taxes on phone service, gas tax, etc. etc. etc. and ideally, those all go to the related services and charges. Right. Just like the lottery pays for schools.
In Washington, one of our important state-money-making taxes is the almighty sales tax. Including both local and state taxes, it reaches nearly 9% on everything but food, which is not taxed outside of wheat-free candy and canned meats*. Now, who is more affected by this tax? A family of three with an income of $54,000, or a family of three with an income of just under $7,000 (because if you’re on TANF, that’s your pre-food stamp income for the year, IF you’re getting the maximum amount, with the maximum amount of foodstamps included in your income, it’s about $13,000.)?
Obviously, this question is rhetorical. The sales tax puts a huge burden on poor families, and as reported in the Inlander this year (tried to find the link to the article, but I couldn’t, I just have the paper article), the average low-income family pays 17% of their income just to taxes. So if a family makes $17,000 a year, the approximate amount of a full-time minimum wage worker in one year (or two-part time workers), $2,890 of that is going to go to taxes.
LET ME REITERATE THIS: Someone making only $17,000 a year is having their income reduced to just over $14,000 by taxes, and you are complaining that some minute fraction of your tax dollars are paying for their FOOD.
FURTHERMORE.
Your tax dollars also fund social security. When someone of social security age buys food in a grocery store, do you inspect their purchases and glare at them for spending YOUR TAX DOLLARS (tm) on their food? Politicians are paid with your tax dollars. Do you side-eye them for spending YOUR TAX DOLLARS on their food?
It's not about taxes. It's about classism.
The rest is here at my (new) personal lj.
PART I: Food Stamps
Note: All references to programs will be to that of Washington State’s programs, as those are the ones I am familiar with. Washington being a more progressive state than most, it can be expected that this is far from the worst-case scenario as far as state assistance goes (nor likely best). Furthermore, while yes, some of the public assistance is federally-funded, it is managed by the state, and therefore still varies state-to-state in actual implementation.
WARNINGS For Fatphobia/ED/Classism/Food triggers.
1. They’re Not Your Tax Dollars
There are just so, so many more terrible things that Your Tax Dollars go to (like prisons--but that’s another post entirely) and you choose to complain about poor people’s food? Really?
Well...okay.
They're not even your tax dollars.
That is to say, the poor are not directly reaching into your pocket and pulling out wads of cash to go buy such luxuries as food. You are, as are many, many of the working and non-working poor, paying taxes which then go to fund things such as food stamps, WIC, and/or other food programs. But the argument that the poor are “spending YOUR money” is so ludicrous it barely warrants an argument. Everyone pays into taxes somehow. Income tax, property tax, sales tax, taxes on phone service, gas tax, etc. etc. etc. and ideally, those all go to the related services and charges. Right. Just like the lottery pays for schools.
In Washington, one of our important state-money-making taxes is the almighty sales tax. Including both local and state taxes, it reaches nearly 9% on everything but food, which is not taxed outside of wheat-free candy and canned meats*. Now, who is more affected by this tax? A family of three with an income of $54,000, or a family of three with an income of just under $7,000 (because if you’re on TANF, that’s your pre-food stamp income for the year, IF you’re getting the maximum amount, with the maximum amount of foodstamps included in your income, it’s about $13,000.)?
Obviously, this question is rhetorical. The sales tax puts a huge burden on poor families, and as reported in the Inlander this year (tried to find the link to the article, but I couldn’t, I just have the paper article), the average low-income family pays 17% of their income just to taxes. So if a family makes $17,000 a year, the approximate amount of a full-time minimum wage worker in one year (or two-part time workers), $2,890 of that is going to go to taxes.
LET ME REITERATE THIS: Someone making only $17,000 a year is having their income reduced to just over $14,000 by taxes, and you are complaining that some minute fraction of your tax dollars are paying for their FOOD.
FURTHERMORE.
Your tax dollars also fund social security. When someone of social security age buys food in a grocery store, do you inspect their purchases and glare at them for spending YOUR TAX DOLLARS (tm) on their food? Politicians are paid with your tax dollars. Do you side-eye them for spending YOUR TAX DOLLARS on their food?
It's not about taxes. It's about classism.
The rest is here at my (new) personal lj.