The Food Stamp Challenge

I am always somewhat skeptical of these attempts to glimpse “how the other half lives” simply for the fact that these experiments lack the gnawing, constant fear accompanying true food insecurity. So while attempting to live on a $21 weekly food budget is somewhat noble, these folks know they have the option to cheat and sneak a burger or whatever. That is a luxury those dependent on food stamps do not have. Rep. Jim McGovern put it quite succinctly:

"I've been a little low on energy, but I feel guilty about complaining about anything," said McGovern, who took the challenge with his wife; each lost about five pounds. "For us, this is an exercise that ends Tuesday. For millions of people, this is their life." [emphasis mine]

My complaining aside, it is refreshing to see our representatives make a good faith effort to understand an issue from a personal perspective. Nothing can drive an issue home like first-hand experience.

More importantly, however, I am delighted to see a renewed focus on domestic issues not related to immigration (and boy, I will get to that as soon I can) or tax cuts. It is high time our lawmakers re-evaluate policies within our borders, especially things like poverty, transportation, and energy, areas that have been all but neglected and/or fucked up in the past six years.