Food stamps, e-cards and dependency  At the intersection of the
nanny state and the welfare state is a bill in the California
Legislature that would make it easier for food stamp recipients
to buy fruits and vegetables.  The idea is part nanny because
government, having fulfilled its other responsibilities, has
resolved to cut the fat by battling obesity.  And part welfare
because our society continues to unintentionally harm the poor,
the unemployed and the underemployed by assuring them that the
world owes them a living. They’re also entitled to not feel
embarrassed for being on public assistance, and thus to remove
traces of stigma, are now given electronic cards rather than
stamps to make their purchases.  The bill would require the
nearly 650 farmers markets throughout California to accept food
stamp cards by 2012, either by installing an electronic benefit
transfer (EBT) system or by allowing a third-party organization
to set up and operate an EBT system.  Assemblyman Juan Arambula,
an independent from