Different Takes on Aid Formerly Known as Food Stamps Article Comments Email Print Save ↓ More smaller Larger The sight of a woman buying a $41 ice-cream cake with food stamps left Warren Kozak feeling "like a chump," and "wondering what lesson" her son would learn from the purchase ("Food Stamps and the $41 Cake," op-ed, May 18). Clearly, Mr. Kozak learned no lessons from the bad deal. The truth is Mr. Kozak knows nothing about this woman's life. The cake could be a one-time treat. The boy may not be her son. The woman may spend so much time working at or near minimum wage that there is no time to make a cake. She may not drive 30 blocks for a deal because she doesn't own a car. Being poor is hard enough without Mr. Kozak's assumptions and conclusions. Josh Brodesky Tucson, Ariz. I was that little child many years ago standing in line at the grocery store with a parent and, at the time, ashamed of the fact my family was poor and used food stamps. Back then, there was no EBT card; "food stamps" looked like monopoly money. The grocery-store clerk was quick to announce on the intercom "assistance in aisle 10" when we had a can of household cleanser included inadvertently in the purchase. What shame and embarrassment I felt that I was less of a person or somehow didn't measure up to my peers. I, too, "arrange my travel" around "taking a little extra effort" in getting to the grocery store. I walked with my brother and sisters 1.5 miles to the store to get groceries and 1.5 miles back. If we were fortunate, we sometimes caught the bus that came every 90 minutes. Like Mr. Kozak's grandmother, my parents only graduated from high school. However, they taught all six of their children to stay in school, study hard and focus on education first before starting new families. With the help of the food stamp program, we didn't go hungry. My parents have six college graduates. In this case, government worked as it was intended to do. However, to this day I recall people like Mr. Kozak standing in judgment behind me in the grocery line, stereotyping me as ignorant and looking down on me with disdain. I suggest it's the $25,000 a plate "pay to play" fund-raising dinners in both political parties, the continued culture of corruption and the setting of bad policy that are the real problems. Not the $41 cake. Gail Bowler Chamblee, Ga.

My guess would be it was probably a birthday cake and who know that might be all the kid wanted for his birthday, maybe the kid has been asking for an ice cream cake for months and the woman decided to do without herself to get it for him, WHO KNOWS ? And if we don't know then I think the better part of valor is not making the worst assumptions.

You missed the point of the article, Barbara

RB, Try 40 to 100k a plate fund raisers for a "temp" job that is supposed to pay 144k a year!! millions scammed at fund raisers and still the politicians can feel the pain of the minimum wage workers....funny how that works out.

yeah I hear people talk that the candidates will spend almost a Billion on this election...that includes the packs and so forth...but like you pointed out...that is just orders of magnitude higher than the Job pays....It should be obvious to all of us that our politicians are bought and paid for....Both sides....