A vast majority of readers who responded to last week’s online poll said the government should be able to dictate what welfare recipients are able to buy with food stamps and other forms of nutritional assistance.Seventy-four percent of participants in our unscientific poll said it is OK for government to issue such rules. In addition, only 38 percent of respondents said they believe food-aid recipients can make wise purchasing decisions on their own.

The poll was inspired by recent efforts in Arizona and possibly the federal government to limit the kinds of food can be purchased with government aid.

Regarding the impact such restrictions will have, a combined 76 percent of respondents said the rules will either greatly or slightly improve the diets of welfare recipients and their families. Most of the remaining participants, 20 percent, said the new rules won’t improve diets at all.

We also asked readers, “What, if anything, do you believe the government should do to get food-aid recipients to eat healthier, or is this not a problem?” Here is what some readers had to say:

* Teach proper nutrition in school and make school exercise mandatory.

* My parents would make me sit at the table after everyone else left, with my cold vegetables that I could not gag down. My children would not eat vegetables until they were in their teens. In other words, you cannot force healthy foods on people. Like everything else, they have to discover it on their own.

* Either give out food stamps and get off people’s backs, or don’t give out food stamps at all.

* Restrict what aid can be spent for. Junk food is simply not food. Just the restriction would provide some meaningful education.

* The only reason I know anything about good nutrition and how to cook beans and rice is because I read. If people don’t read, then they need to rely on their school-age children to teach them. Nutrition and food-preparation classes should start in kindergarden.

* The government should stay out of people’s kitchens regardless of income status.

* Limit foods with limited nutritional value. For example, no sodas whatsoever. Also, consider culturally sensitive food values and choices.

* Limit the items people can purchase, just like they did before. This is not a civil rights issue. People don’t have a constitutional right to food stamps.

* The government shouldn’t do anything. Treat people like adults and let them make their own food choices.

POLL RESULTS

Do you believe the government should dictate what food-aid recipients can or cannot buy?

* Yes 74%

* No 26%

Do you believe food-aid recipients can make wise purchasing decisions on their own without government interference?

* Yes 38%

* No 62%

What effect do you believe restrictions on what food-aid recipients can purchase will have?

* Diets will improve greatly. 24%

* Diets will improve slightly. 52%

* Diets won’t improve at all. 20%

* Diets will get worse. 4%

Poll results are not scientific and reflect only the opinions of those who chose to participate. Results as of 11 a.m. Friday.

Originally published by ARIZONA DAILY STAR.

(c) 2009 Arizona Daily Star. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All rights Reserved.