Phoenix Mayor Attempts To Live On A Food Stamp Budget: ‘I’m Tired, And It’s Hard To Focus’

[kpete]

Phoenix Mayor Attempts To Live On A Food Stamp Budget: ‘I’m Tired, And It’s Hard To Focus’
By Travis Waldron on Sep 26, 2012 at 5:00 pm

When local activist groups challenged Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton to live on a food stamp budget for a week to mark Hunger Awareness Month, he took them up on the offer and found out just how hard it was. Stanton kept a diary on the challenge, which allotted him roughly $29 a week, the same amount 1.1 million Arizonans receive from the Supplemental Assistance Nutrition Program (SNAP) each week.

By day four, Stanton noted that he was “tired” and “it’s hard to focus” after leaving the house for work without time to scramble eggs or eat a decent breakfast:

OK- ran out the door today with no time to scramble eggs or even make a sandwich. So I’m surviving on an apple and handful of peanuts, and the coffee I took to the office until dinner. I’m tired, and it’s hard to focus. I can’t go buy a sandwich because that would be cheating- even the dollar menu at Taco Bell is cheating. You can’t use SNAP benefits at any restaurants, fast food or otherwise. I’m facing a long, hungry day and an even longer night getting dinner on the table, which requires making EVERYTHING from scratch on this budget. It’s only for a week, so I’ve got a decent attitude. If I were doing this with no end in sight, I probably wouldn’t be so pleasant.

more:
http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2012/09/26/917651/phoenix-mayor-attempts-to-live-on-a-food-stamp-budget-im-tired-and-its-hard-to-focus/

[Xipe Totec]

1. May your fast be easy nt

[robinlynne]

2. fantastic. Every politician should be obliged to do this for one week. maybe every citizen.

well done.

[salin]

6. agreed.

walk a mile in the shoes of those who have the some of the biggest obstacles set in front of them, each day.

[sakabatou]

9. I don't think every citizen should

Some of us do have to eat, usually due to medication (such as me).

[annabanana]

18. Fair enough. Everyone should, health permitting. . .n/t

[Horse with no Name]

92. How about just those that advocate taking food away from poor people?

I understand and agree with the sentiment, but I have never begrudged one single foodstamp dollar.

[kestrel91316]

11. I've been doing close to that for years. I resent your suggestion.

I've struggled long enough already, thank you.

[wtmusic]

15. Are you a politician?

Robin's point is that politicians would have a better understanding of your plight. As would other citizens.

I did it for one week in 1973, and I'll never forget it. First time I was ever hungry...and that was for only one week.

[riderinthestorm]

25. Kestrel you've been living on @ $29/week for food for years?? Aren't you a veterinarian?

My small animal vet clinic just hired a friend of mine right out of college and she's starting at $60k which is on the low side of the average STARTING salary (she took the pay cut because she keeps her horse with us and wants to be closer for training). We're in the boonies too - not a fancy city clinic at all. Even the vet techs here start at $25k. I know this stuff intimately since we've got so many animals, so many friends in the biz, and I've seriously considered going back to school to get a vet degree!! (Seriously, my vet bills are sometimes 5 figures for a month! It would be cheaper to actually get the degree and do the work myself!)

I'm trying to understand. My small animal vet is a joy - she frequently gives me free stuff, doesn't charge me for follow up visits, is bluntly honest about whether to do a procedure or put the cat down.... Her rates are some of the lowest in the area and she does a ton of pro-bono work but she's not hurting financially. Not hurting financially at all.

$29/week for food is not enough!! Sustaining oneself on that much food, and doing a physically strenuous job like being a vet, is shocking.

[kestrel91316]

48. I'm self-employed, and the recession has been HELL on business since 2007.

I don't keep tabs on the exact dollar amount, but yeah, I have to watch every frickin' penny and now that I am back in an apartment I don't have a garden anymore for growing all my own veggies. Meat is rarely on my menu. I cook mostly from scratch, and as much as I love to cook, that gets old.

I'm a cat vet. My job isn't physically strenuous, lol. We use chemical restraint! And I'm not big, so I don't really eat a lot.

We cat vets got hit first and hardest. It's too easy to ignore a sick cat or a healthy-appearing cat when money is tight. And the years-long campaign by anti-vaxers has hurt us too. And the vet haters that abound on the internet and yap about how fucking greedy and evil we are and how you don't need a vet for anything.

I am ever hopeful, of course. But I don't always understand why. My area is still in the shitter when it comes to jobs, and virtually everyone I know is just hanging on, hoping for better times.

[a la izquierda]

72. Vets are awesome

There are some of us who appreciate your work.

[Ikonoklast]

75. Hang in there, we need every vet like you.

I know that me and my kitties are grateful for having the good vet care that we do.

Our vet of over twenty years finally retired last year, after postponing it three times. He was waiting until he could GIVE his practice, building and all, to the right person, and thanks to Bast, he did.

Doc was a kind, gentle, and good vet, and the young lady that he gave his practice to is following in his footsteps.

He loved animals more than he loved money.

The surprise party that was thrown for his retirement had hundreds of people and pets there.

Second time I ever saw him cry.

[Rainforestgoddess]

77. My husband is a vet too

and we own two city based small animal clinics. We have an associate working for us, and she takes home more money than we do because we have to cover all the expenses before we pay ourselves.

We have had to dip into our line of credit by tens of thousands to pay the bills, just hoping the economy improves quickly enough that we don't go bankrupt.

No, vets make a lot less than most people assume.

[Mz Pip]

82. I've never complained about a vet bill

I am thankful for my kitties' vet. He's awesome and his dilligence and patience with my very difficult feral rescue saved her life.

We have several vets around here who volunteer their time and services for the Fix Our Ferals program. They are marvelous even if the cats don't realize it.

[Jamaal510]

22. Or at least anybody with an "R" by their name.

[cstanleytech]

38. Heck they should only get paid what an average person earns from a minimum wage job and not just for

a week or a month but for good or another idea is let the people of their district dictate the pay they receive once a year by vote.

[Skittles]

3. kudos to him for trying but

he does not have the whole experience if he does not have the DESPAIR people can feel if they are desperately trying to find work or fend off bills while this is happening

[CreekDog]

58. this point you made, he also made

he acknowledged the limitations of his experiment, thoughtfully and to his credit.

[eyewall]

4. Now do the same thing for a year with no health insurance.

[dixiegrrrrl]

62. or do the same thing for 2 years with 2 toddlers, and no car.

Let him try to work, find an affordable babysitter, grocery shop, cook decent meals for the kids, and NO car.

Yep, I was there. And I got VERY thin, ate one small meal a day, since the kids needed food more than I did.

[eyewall]

79. Glad you made it through that experience dixiegrrrrl

It's a very common challenge in life, one which I think Americans face with courage and faith in American values. It underscores how out of touch with our common reality these wealthy rw politicians really are. It's not just 47% when it comes to facing hardship, it's most Americans.

[BeyondGeography]

5. $29 a week...that's tough

[silvershadow]

34. How about $16 a month? That's what I get. :(

[Egalitarian Thug]

53. My sympathies. Where are you? n/t

[silvershadow]

57. Indiana. Used to get $200 a month, which is doable (it's just me). Got cut when

I got the SS raise. Bumped me just over the cutoff, supposedly. How convenient. All kinds of folks have been getting cut. Governor Daniels turned, during his tenure, dismantled the Family and Social Services Administration, fired all the caseworkers, and turned it over to IBM to run from call centers. He had to abandon the idea 2 years into the ten year contract because of outcry. That was a couple of years ago. It's been absolutely stupid since.

[Egalitarian Thug]

87. Damn. Wasn't IN one of the places, more or less, spared the housing crash? n/t

[silvershadow]

94. I don't know about that. I mean, I suppose compared to Nevada and Florida maybe. n/t

[Scootaloo]

51. You learn to savor the taste of lentils and rice, that's for sure

[noamnety]

7. He made some rookie mistakes.

Boil or bake in-the-shell the eggs ahead of time so they can be grabbed quickly and you aren't tempted to buy more expensive snacks because of missing breakfast.

Coffee has to go on that budget. (I'll admit, I wouldn't give it up for a weeklong challenge, the headaches wouldn't be worth it.)

Peanuts are expensive as a protein source - the price has shot up recently. Lentils or beans are better. Potatoes are way cheaper than apples, just microwave and eat it plain.

Glad he's trying it though, I wish more politicians would.

[DonRedwood]

10. and their children...because a good dad is probably gonna skip some meals so his kids get more

If he had kids eating the same way this would have been much harder.

Two kids, two eggs...who gets 'em? dad?

The emotional toil of seeing hungry children cannot be underestimated. You can't eat a bite of food without an emotional battle, the guilt is non-stop. You can't help but give your lunch away. You think about it while you eat dinner. If you are at work and there is cake in the break room you skip it because to eat that when someone you spend most of the day with looks like a scarecrow, disgusts you.

tummy grumbles have made me cry before.

[noamnety]

13. That's why I keep food in my classroom.

Bananas at aldi's are 35 cents a pound this week. I've been buying small ones so more kids can have them, but they went through 10 pounds in two days, I just got 10 more pounds today on the way home.

I think of it as the one redeeming part of my army training, the idea that the person in charge shouldn't eat til their troops are fed, and shouldn't sleep until they make sure their troops all have beds. I can't be the well fed teacher in the front of a room of kids who haven't eaten all day.

I also spend a fair amount of time stealing food from the teacher break room and transferring it directly to students. A major pet peeve of mine is when we have something like a PTA meeting, and leftovers get moved to the teachers lounge - and then it sits there uneaten and left for the weekend to get stale. I think I'm the only staff member who will grab it and deliver it to the latch key kids.

[DonRedwood]

17. :0) y'all are a hero

I have a kid this year who is so thin I lied to his parents and said I got protein shakes for free and asked if the student could drink them at school.

I'm buying them myself but I sleep better knowing the kid has 1500+ calories sloshing around inside every day before they go home.

[renate]

21. you're a hero too

Tears in my eyes...

[riderinthestorm]

26. .

[Loudestlib]

28. Bless both of you!

This is why I get pissed when they go after our teachers.

[liberalmuse]

32. You both are awesome!

And give me that much more faith in humanity.

[Kolesar]

33. Wow.

You have a big heart.

[noamnety]

37. Aww, I'm glad you're looking out for him.

And it's very cool you found a way to handle it without embarrassing him or his family.

[littlemissmartypants]

35. Excellent work noamnety, I like the way you think but most of

all how you take action on a grand scale.

"I just bought 672 boxes of cereal"

If I could I would help you.

[noamnety]

41. hahaha

The students are currently working their way through 40 packages of american cheese I got for free with coupons at the start of the school year. Not my first choice for food, but still, it supplements the other food options in the room.

I had a cool thing happen this week. One of the kids handed me an envelope when I was out running with some of the kids after school. I didn't have a chance to open it then - but when I got back to the car I did. It was a thank you note from his parents, he mentioned to them that sometimes he's starving by the time he hits my room and being able to make a sandwich has been great. And they enclosed a $50 gift card to the local grocery store.

I love when the students contribute - a jar of peanut butter here or there. It's not the cost, but the idea that they start to see it as a community resource with the whole of the people/by the people air to it.

[DonRedwood]

50. That is just awesome.

I never thought about looking for coupons for the stuff I usually get. It would stretch things a lot farther.

[dixiegrrrrl]

65. In all sincerity, I am confused.

the kids is sometimes starving when he comes to your class
but his parents could afford a 50.00 grocery gift card?

I am sure I am missing something here.

[noamnety]

66. I think his parents are financially okay.

All the same, he is a teenage boy, and therefore is always starving.

I don't have a needs-based test for food in my classroom, and actually I prefer that some of the middle class kids help themselves to what's available. It costs me more and there's a chance some will take advantage of that. The flip side is that the kids who NEED a meal aren't singled out or embarrassed. It's just a community sandwich/snack area for anyone who wants to eat something this way, instead of a snack for kids who are too poor to afford their own.

And sometimes we have kids who simply forgot a lunch. Sometimes we have teachers who forget a lunch, and they stop in to grab something.

It's a risky thing to be in a community of 350 people, and let them all know that any day of the week they can stop in and have lunch at my expense. But I've been doing it for years now and it's been costing me about $10-15 a week. A lot of people spend that on their own lunches for a week, so to be able to be the backup system for a whole community for that price is a great position to be in.

[dixiegrrrrl]

67. ahhh...ok, got that.

and kudos to you.

[DonRedwood]

49. HOLY COW!!!

For School??!!!

If so, you are AMAZING!

[noamnety]

59. The cereal wasn't my purchase - it was my inspiration.

More on that: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=9117865&mesg_id=9117865

[knitter4democracy]

44. Our school district got a grant for free breakfast and lunch for all students.

We're already seeing a difference.

One thing I've noticed, though, is that kids tend to bring a lot of snacks to school but then share them for the most part. I've never taught anywhere else where the kids share as much or so well. I rarely have to step in and deal with a conflict or manage any of it, which is awesome.

[SaveAmerica]

61. That more people could be as giving as you, thanks for making such a difference

for children!!

I imagine military training would serve well in so many ways as a teacher!

[Odin2005]

78. You are my new hero!

[awoke_in_2003]

88. Thanks for what you do...

I remember going hungry at school. We usually had breakfast, and were on the free lunch program. I skipped lunch a lot because you "stick out" when you are the kid getting free lunch. I would gladly pay higher property tax so ALL kids ate at school for free.

[yardwork]

23. I'm so sorry. Thank you for sharing this experience.

I honestly never thought about what it would be like to watch my children go hungry and force myself to eat enough to stay alive. That is heartbreaking.

[jonesgirl]

36. Oh gawd I remember those long days and nights of tummy grumbles, but at least my kids ate. There

have been many times my teens friends have visited, and I could hear their tummy growling. I always welcomed them to eat, and it warmed my heart when they Searched the cabinets and fridge. It's sad because most of them had parents with 2 jobs, but yet their monthly bills overrode the amount they could spend on groceries.
I agree with you...hearing tummy grumbles bring me to tears.

[MADem]

73. French toast!!!! With bread that is either day old or from the food pantry!

Sweetened with sugar packs stolen from a fast food joint. That's how you feed three with two eggs--you can even make enough gut-filler for four! It won't be terribly nutritious, especially if you don't have any (powdered) milk to mix with the eggs, and it may not be super tasty if you don't have any nutmeg or cinnamon to mix with the sugar, or any cheapass grape jelly to smear over the bread, but it will fill the void. I speak from experience!

I lived on a horrific budget in my fledgling youth and used to turn up at the homes of friends with limp excuses around the dinner hour in hopes of getting a meal. I know a lot of cheap tricks from back in the day.

I have a relative who is using SNAP benefits due to disability and he wouldn't eat well at all if family didn't come by regularly and take him out for a meal, have him over for supper and leftovers, and check on his larder and do a little restocking on occasion. It's hard enough to see adults not eating well--when kids aren't getting the nutrition they need, that's even more agonizing.

[noamnety]

83. That would be a great deal this week.

My local aldi's has bread marked down to 20 cents a loaf right now (the bread expiration date is this coming Sunday).

If I wanted the all-french-toast diet, I could stuff myself for a dollar a day. Add in another 30 cents for a pound of cabbage and it wouldn't even be all that horrific. Not a great diet, but probably no worse than the typical american one.

I'm glad I don't have to eat like that, though, just to be clear. It's one thing to play around with it as a challenge, a whole other to live it by necessity.

[MADem]

86. I lived like that for about two years; I was a student, I was poor and you are right, it sucked.

I never went on food stamps or any kind of public assistance; I probably was eligible but I had a couple of part-time, lousy jobs and it just never crossed my mind to ask. I do remember often having more days at the end of the paycheck and I do remember going without food for a day or two at a time. An unreasonable amount of my meager pay went to rent. Even at that, though, I can't say I know real hunger--I simply knew some brief and uncomfortable periods of fasting. I did get good at "cheap eats" though -- you can make fried rice a thousand different ways and no ingredients are off limits! When jello went on sale, I was one happy camper--DESSERTS! Yee haw!!! Living the good life!

[tblue37]

89. About desserts: Whenever I pack up bags of food for local food drives,

I always make sure to add some nonperishable treats. I want to make sure that a parent who seldom gets to give her kids anything more fun than lentils, rice, and peanut butter sometimes will get to provide them some pudding cups, jello, or Tootsie Roll Pops as dessert or just a special treat.

Some people think people on assistance should never get anything but very plain, responsibly nutritious food, and when they are food insecure, I do think that for the most part they should get as much nutritional value as possible from foods I put together for the bags. But kids who seldom get treats should get to have them sometimes, too, so I always make sure that there are some "goodies" in the bags I put together.

Ironically, when I fed my own kids and the kids in my home daycare kids, I was pretty strict about avoiding unnecessary sugar and junk foods. But most of those other kids were getting way too much sugar, fat, and salt in their diets already.

When I was a kid my family was pretty poor. We kids got candy only at Halloween, Christmas, and Easter (and that was because it was being provided by people other than our parents), so we made those stashes last for months.

We also only got soda three or four times a year. Mom would get a couple of large bottles of some cheap store-brand cola, and then each of the eight people in our family would get one glass. We kids would all measure the level of our soda against one another's glasses, to make sure no one was getting a smidgen more than anyone else.

I remember how much we treasured those little (and rare) treats, so that is why I like to make sure that I pack some treats for families when I make up food drive bags.

[MADem]

91. You're a good soul...and someone who REMEMBERS what it was like!

See, someone like Mittsy just can't relate because he's never had to; he doesn't understand because he has no experience along with no capacity for compassion....His view goes something like this.... What, you want DESSERT? Well waddle over to your Northland custom refrigerator (list price 72 grand) and get out a Dove Bar, Lovie!!! Better still, send Gilligan to get it FOR you!!!

[SheilaT]

93. You've just described what it was like for us growing up.

Of course, part of the reason we so rarely got candy or soda was that back in the 50's and early 60's people simply did not consume the amounts of those things that they do today.

But you are absolutely right, that treats are something even those poor kids deserve.

Added on edit:
When my kids were in school, and when their classroom adopted a family at Christmas, I always got things for the mom like bubble bath and shampoo and even some inexpensive perfume. If they were so poor they were asking for strangers to give their kids a decent holiday, then I figured the parents also deserved some treats. Other parents, I noticed, would also get stuff for the dad.

[Tigress DEM]

54. Except you can get coffee free at work most times.

[MADem]

70. Coffee doesn't "have to" go--he just has to buy the cheap supermarket stuff

or the bargain stuff in the brick. Buying coffee at Mickey D's isn't "on" of course, but he can get his caffeine fix if he's an addict.

The egg idea is a really great one (for anyone, not just SNAPpers), as are the beans/lentils (and rice for filler-upper).

I wonder if he's supplementing at a food pantry?

[riderinthestorm]

8. Plus he has the benefits of a functioning car, health insurance, a savings account, no kids

at home to worry about, and ONE job!

Being poor really, really sucks.

K&R. The guy gets props though for taking this experiment on....

[justgamma]

12. Too bad he didn't try to live on the budget

that you have to have to qualify for the stamps. Especially when you run out of toilet paper. soap, etc.

[riderinthestorm]

29. Yeah, well I know from personal experience you simply steal tp, soap and other stuff

dammit.

He also has a stash of spices, olive oil, and condiments to "liven" up his food already in place from before he started this experiment. Those are hugely expensive but can make the difference between enjoying a meal or simply having enough calories. I'm guessing he also has a working refrigerator and stove so he can actually prepare a decent meal (regardless of how skimpy).

[MADem]

74. It's quite the trick to swipe a lightbulb. If you don't want it to look obvious, you bring your

dead one wrapped up in a tee shirt in your backpack, wait for your moment, and make the switch!

TP, those crappy brown paper handtowels, lightbulbs, sugar packets, salt/pepper packets, catsup/mustard/mayo packs--it's amazing what you'll do to survive. And if you're so lucky as to have sloppy co-workers who don't use their soy sauce packets from their lunch take-out, why, you're living large!!! (I'm being sarcastic, here).

My "stark budget" experiences predate microwaves--but I did have a stove and fridge, too, lucky me. I also lived not too far from a city "farmer's market" that supplied all the major restaurants. If we went there right as the vendors were closing up, lots of times they'd give us stuff for next to nothing, or sometimes even nothing. Even a "bone for the dog" could do a lot for a bunch of veggies in a pot. Very hit or miss, but when I'd get a "load" of anything, I'd cook it and freeze it, and then defrost it and heat it on the stovetop.

[EC]

14. I wonder if it had been a repub

doing this, if he would have admitted how hard it is to cope when poor.

[R. Daneel Olivaw]

45. Would a repub ever do this? They are the ones causing

most, if not all, of the problems today that force people to live like this.

They're:

PRO business so they give a thumbs up with sending jobs overseas and obscene executive pay.

Anti welfare/assistance so the bums that are always asking for a crumbs get shown the meaning of tough love and kicked to the curb.

PRO privatization so everything will cost more for less service.

PRO oil subsidies so that the fat cats get fatter and give them more campaign cash.

Anti education and hateful of all those teachers who bleed for their students.


Face it. Repubs wouldn't waste their time with trying that. Poor people have it so good.

[ErikJ]

16. I thought it was $200 a month now ?

Obama kicked up to $200 a month here I think.

[aquart]

27. Yes, but food prices keep going up.

I run out before the end of the month but I'm addicted to fresh ground peanut butter and Greek yoghurt (sooooo good together!) which is expensive.

[noamnety]

46. Have you tried making your own yogurt?

It's ridiculously easy and so much cheaper.

[littlemissmartypants]

56. Crock Pot

High Five!

[Moosepoop]

39. That may be the maximum amount possible in a month.

But each applicant's benefit amount is determined by criteria that can award a person anywhere from a few dollars a month to the max of $200. The "typical" amount in AZ is $29 a week, or about $125 a month.

[ErikJ]

43. I know a guy in Wash St. who gets $200 and another in Oregon the same amount.

Is Arizona cheaping out?

[Moosepoop]

60. I don't know how the criteria is applied in other states.

Here's an example from Michigan: A few years ago, my brother had a medical emergency that caused his complete and permanent disability. He can never work again. While in the hospital, social workers got him signed up for SSI, and also for Social Security Disability. The SSI process is much faster, and he got approved for that right away. His monthly check from SSI was about $600 a month. One of the stipulations with SSI is that it automatically qualifies the recipient for the maximum $200 in food stamps. It's automatic -- you get approved for SSI, you get the food stamps. And full Medicaid coverage.

Eventually his application for Social Security Disability was approved. At that point, the SSI stopped and the SSDI began. His SSDI check was a little over $1000 a month. Better than the $600, BUT... the loss of the SSI and its automatic qualification for food stamps meant that my brother now qualified for what the state of Michigan determined was appropriate on a monthly income of $1000. His food stamp allotment was cut to $47 a MONTH. This was for a man with NO assets -- he did not own a home or a car, had no cash in a bank, no IRA, nothing. He was expected to pay for rent and all his living expenses, including medical visits and the medications he needed to stay alive, on $1000 a month with $47 help in food stamps. That same $1000 a month also disqualified him from the automatic enrollment in full Medicaid that he had also received on SSI -- Michigan decided that he now only qualified for a "spend down" amount of over $600 a month, meaning that Medicaid would now only pay for any expenses -- including medications -- over and above the $671 that he would have to spend out of pocket first. Per month.

So he was left with having to pay over half his income in medical expenses per month just to stay alive, but even with all that only qualified for $47 a month in food stamps. There was no way he could do that, so he moved in with me. After two years on SSDI, he became eligible for Medicare. He pays the premium out of his SSDI every month and now his medical care is largely covered. Michigan's answer to that? Now that he doesn't have as much medical expense, his food stamp allotment was cut to $16 a month. He told them to cancel it... give the $16 to someone who needed it more. He still lives with me.

Each state has to comply with some federal food stamp rules -- the $200 for SSI recipients is one of them. But each state can also set their own criteria for its citizens that fall outside the SSI protections. Arizona's typical payment of $29 a week probably means that the people receiving that amount have absolutely nothing else and have a very, very low monthly income, less than my brother's, I imagine. They probably have no other money to supplement that food allotment with. That $29 a week is... it.

[SheilaT]

80. Thank you for sharing the specifics with us.

I get so angry at those who think people surviving on disability are living high on the hog. It's been my observation that by the time a person qualifies for SSDI they have absolutely no savings, no assets of any kind, and whatever they qualify for is rarely enough to cover rent, utilities and food. And if you're disabled, you probably have serious medical expenses every month.

I'm sure the next thing that Republicans will figure out to do with people like your brother, is to learn that he's living with a relative, and cut his benefit by some amount that ought to go for his rent.

Those fuckers.

[Moosepoop]

84. You're welcome.

One point I'd like to make though, is that SSDI is not means-tested (SSI is). It's like Social Security retirement in that the amount you get is based on what you paid in during your working years. The only qualifying involved is whether you meet the medical criteria for being declared disabled and therefore entitled to Social Security checks prior to retirement age. But if the amount you receive is not enough to meet your basic expenses, you are then at the mercy of the state programs which are means-tested, and often to a ridiculous degree. The $$ amount of the SSDI payment is often considered too much "means" to qualify a person for help with food, medical, etc. I agree with you though, that the Repubs would probably like to make Social Security (in all its forms) means-tested, if not done away with entirely. Fuckers.

[shanti]

90. $200 a month is about right

two of my sons have the ebt card, and they are single. this is in cali, and they each receive $200 a month. oh, and they are both unemployed.

[JeffHead]

19. Jan Shakowski tried this and here is her 7 day diary

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rep-jan-schakowsky/congressional-food-stamp-challenge_b_1069461.html

[musiclawyer]

20. Less than 5 a day

I could do that for a week and get ample nutrition, but i know what im doing and have access to quality stores and it would be a FAST grade diet I would be hungry at thè end of thè day and not be able to work out with any gusto

Shame on politicians who accept status quo poverty in this country

[aquart]

24. Learn to pack lunch the night before.

His problem is craptastic planning, not the food stamps. Someone should teach him how to make a Cornish pasty.

And how to read a a sale circular. Newbies freak because they mentally divvy up the money on a per meal or per diem basis, but that isn't how it's done.

[Kalidurga]

40. The amount he had is also a problem.

Perhaps not so much for people who are very educated in meal planning and know what to buy and have time to read the sale circulars. But, a lot of people on a low food budget have 2 jobs or they are working and going to college or in some cases high school. Their lives are stressed which makes it hard to focus on things like meal planning and budgeting. So, that dollar menu which really isn't all that cheap when you consider you can blow your daily budget on one meal. It really looks good at times when you are rushing from one job to the other.

We probably should make this a national discussion raise awareness. Helping people with their food budgets could literally save millions of families.

[Bradical79]

63. So it's a realistic experiment

It's seems like his experience will closely mirror someone thrust into poverty working long hours in one or two crappy jobs. Most people don't go into poverty with a how to manual.

[Gold Metal Flake]

71. +1

Fucking glib loudmouths who can "do it better" are everywhere.

[lonestarnot]

30. I love Greg Stanton more every day!

[Tsiyu]

31. When Rmoney made his dig about people feeling entitled to FOOD

this kind of thing is what I thought about. When the DOW is trading over 13,000, there is definitely plenty of money in this nation to at the very LEAST feed the hungry.

Hungry people make really bad decisions, they put their health at risk and they are prone to depression because they're so tired and unfocused.

Glad a politician is stepping up to the plate to reveal the reality of life on an EBT card. The Teabaggers act like it's all steak and caviar, but you'd only get one meal a month if that were the case. The REALITY is you go hungry a lot.

[Flaxbee]

42. And stupid Anderson Cooper has the avalanche survivor on - he's been blabbing for 8+

minutes.

Sure, I'm happy he's alive.

But beyond that, I don't care.

No one in the mainstream media talks about ANYTHING of ANY importance anymore. I do care what's happening in Libya and Syria and... but that's easy to report on. Talking about hungry school kids and greedy, ignorant politicians... too much work, I guess.

[ropi]

47. while I admire this gesture...

...I do find it a bit unsettling. He decided to take the challenge for a week? Like many who posted, this is good for votes, but there are people who live like that every day, year in and year out. One week of trying to live like the poor or trying to identify with those who go hungry may get him attention in an article, but why didn't he donate his salary for the week to a local family, a child in need, or even a shelter or place where people go each day to eat while trying to make it.

I would be more impressed if he did this for six months to a year as Mayor.

[Care Acutely]

52. You can't afford coffee on food stamps.

When I was on food stamps I bought my boyfriend at the time who spent a lot of time on the road some gourmet flavored coffees, chocolates, rich conditioning soaps and slippers. All precious treasures that I couldn't afford for myself. I presented them to him like the sacrificial offering they were and he never batted an eye. God. What was I thinking?

[DreamGypsy]

55. Gedanken experiments are a well-respected scientific technique...

A thought experiment:....what if I had to live on $29.00 a week:

From Wikipedia:

A thought experiment or Gedankenexperiment (from German) considers some hypothesis, theory,[1] or principle for the purpose of thinking through its consequences. Given the structure of the experiment, it may or may not be possible to actually perform it, and, in the case that it is possible for it to be performed, there need be no intention of any kind to actually perform the experiment in question. The common goal of a thought experiment is to explore the potential consequences of the principle in question.

Keep a record, spend all the money you have, or want, or could possible conceive. What are the consequences of buying that sandwich, drinking that latte, filling the tank of the car? Keep a record of when you cross the $29 boundary. Where would life break down? Who would you become? How would your respond?

When do you breakdown and scream?

[phantom power]

64. I'd love to see Brewer do this... but I'm not holding my breath.

[valerief]

68. Naturally, he's a Dem. Only a Dem would accept the challenge, because today

only Dems care about hungry people.

[Gold Metal Flake]

69. If the media hasd a liberal bias this would be a weekly documentary.

Food Stamp Challenge. One week, a real family. Another week, a politician. Alternate. Until the lying assholes that live in out neighborhoods shut the fuck up.

[Laurajr]

76. 30 Days

the tv show by Morgan Spurlock...I remember the episode where he lived for 30 days on minimum wage...what an eye opener for him and a lot of people who care to have their eyes opened.

It does take a lot of planning living on food stamps. I live on fruits and veggies and avoid processed foods. I actually think I eat much healthier than most folks because I can't afford junk food. But with food stamps they need to educate people about making the best choices with the limited amount they are given.

Kale at $1.29 a pound goes into soup, salads, sauted with beans....I make a little go a long way. Luckily it's only me I have to care for.

[SemperEadem]

81. he needed to do it for a month

so he could really feel what the hopelessness is like for those who don't have the out of cheating on a bet and going to taco hell to get a taco.

[Dont call me Shirley]

85. Bless you for trying, Mayor Stanton!