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Culture War Roundup for the week of February 16, 2026

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Now I make decent money, but I sure feel like a shmuck when I'm the only one paying for my food in the grocery store line. Not sure what to add to this, I see the proposals to shrink EBT just to the essentials, only for people to be shocked as that would require people to make their food like me! Maybe this is what I get for living in California, but frankly, I think EBT and systems like it are just as prevalent elsewhere. It just strikes me as odd that I'm a professional, in a good industry, and I would question spending $50 for a couple of tiny packets of specialty mushroom superfood, but two methheads get to have it as they wish. Maybe I'm out of touch with the plights of the poor, but idk, doesn't seem half bad, I've car camped in the past before.

I can report from my state and city the situation is similar. With the addition of seeing multiple obvious retail thieves typically proceeding past the self checkout per month.

Long ago I worked in a grocery store. People would steal alcohol. By which I mean they would simply walk out with a bottle without bothering to pretend to shop or go through checkout. We were told to ignore them.

  

Now in my local area most alcohol is locked up as is laundry detergent and some medicine.