It's for their own good!

I have long argued that recipients of food stamps should have strict limitations on what they may purchase with the stamps: no soft drinks, no candy, no chips, no cake mixes, no cookies, no ice cream, no frozen entrees -- they should be able to purchase only staples, fruits, vegetables, pasta and rice, dairy, and meats. I've been called everything from selfish and heartless to a name I won't print on here because I'm too much of a lady to say it.

I now have another reason for limitations. It seems, according to ABC News, that the people of Appalachia have a severe dental problem. It is the most toothless area in the United States. The reason: the people, most of whom are on food stamps of some sort, are addicted to Mountain Dew. A dentist who built himself a mobile clinic out of a big rig truck to serve the area says it is a very high acid drink, and it destroys their teeth -- and virtually all of them drink it. We're talking 2-year-olds. One dentist said he sees the toddlers who may have only two teeth, but 12 cavities. They showed a film clip of a parent or grandparent putting Pepsi in one toddler's bottle. I know milk is expensive, but wouldn't buying powdered milk cost less than Mountain Dew or Pepsi?

They didn't do a lot to increase my sympathy for these folks. The family they featured had a drug-addicted mother. She and her boyfriend are mandated to attend GED classes to continue receiving welfare. That's the boyfriend with the cigarette hanging out of his mouth. That's about $4 a pack that I bet he spends every day, not counting whatever her drug of choice costs. That's $28 a week at the very least -- bet that would provide some real milk for those babies.

UPDATE: I just saw this morning's edition of GMA. Did you know that all these toothless people are victims of the Pepsi Cola Company? Pepsi made a statement that said they needed to learn better dental hygiene and better dietary habits. The dentist who works with them said Pepsi was "blaming the victims." All I can say is that it's a confused world!