Does Rep. Tim Ryan (D – Ohio) really need to do a food stamp challenge to figure out that $21 a week is inadequate to sustain a healthy diet? Does the Washington Post really need to cover this? The gist is that a well fed Congressman realizes how difficult it is for poor America to live. This just seems like it is making light of how difficult it is for some to make ends meet, and is a stunt that I’ve read of college kids doing several times. Not a congressman.
Here’s what Ryan bought (link):
* One bag of corn meal- $1.43
* Two jars of strawberry preserves- $4.00
* One jar of chunky peanut butter- $2.48
* Two boxes of angel hair pasta- $1.54
* One can of coffee- $2.50
* Three jars of tomato sauce- $4.50
* Two cartons of cottage cheese- $3.00
* One loaf of wheat bread- $.89
* One clove of garlic- $.32
I would definitely buy the PBJ stuff and the pasta ingredients, however I would skip the coffee. Varying your meals and eating healthy life-sustaining meals would be more difficult than merely surviving on $21 a week.
Note: Ryan is a graduate of Franklin Pierce Law School in Concord, NH where he recently gave a commencement speech to the Class of 2007 graduates. (This is particularly interesting solely because I attend FPLC.)