Food Insecurity

A new, and laudable, trend among politicians has been to really understand one of the major challenges in the lives of some of their most vulnerable constituents. Last month, Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski started the trend by taking the "food stamp challenge," limiting his food allowance for a week to $21.

Mr. Kulongoski, who said he had not tried to skirt a strict limit of $21 for the week — the average amount allowed Oregon food stamp recipients — claimed that his only goal had been to raise awareness of hunger here and of a need for the federal government to preserve the current level of stamp benefits....

By the end of the week, not only had Mr. Kulongoski’s relatively spare entry on Wikipedia been updated to reflect the developments, there was also a sense that the 5-foot-9, 155-pound governor had set a high standard for other elected leaders who profess to care about the needy. In Washington, the House Hunger Caucus asked members of Congress to undertake a similar challenge in May.

One of those House Hunger Caucus Members is Ohio Rep. Tim Ryan. Ryan has blogged the experience, and has built a strong case for action on the part of Congress to address hunger in this country. At the outset of the week he wrote:

Last Friday, my staff and I held a meeting plotting out how I would spend my $21.00. As we looked over food prices, we were struck by how anyone could expect a person to have a balanced, healthy diet on a mere three dollars per day. On a dollar per meal, a person can’t buy fresh fruit and vegetables. A person can’t buy the milk they need. The kids across the country who go to bed hungry on nights when the budget is stretched too thin deal with the reality of poverty every day, and I want them to know they aren’t forgotten.

On day one, Ryan lists his grocery purchases for the week, some peanut butter, strawberry jam, cornmeal, cottage cheese, pasta, tomato sauce, whole wheat bread, a can of coffee, and a clove of garlic (he even provides a scan of his receipt).

Obviously, $21.00 doesn’t go too far, especially when it comes to variety. I'm starting to understand that living on such a tight budget doesn’t allow a person to get the balanced diet they need, I wasn't able to get much protein and produce was almost completely out of the question.

Day two:

My biggest concern today is running out of food before the end of the week. One loaf of bread doesn’t make as many sandwiches as you’d think, and I’m running through my cottage cheese pretty fast as well. The budgeting was hard enough, rationing what I do have will present another challenge.

Day three

If you are constrained to where you can walk or take public transportation, then you can only shop at the places in your neighborhood, and you are forced to pay whatever they charge. That is EXACTLY what I was doing. I had the option to head out to Costco or Shoppers and decided instead to replicate as close as possible the REAL experience of someone who can't afford a car and is constrained by public transportation.

Day five, running late to catch a plane:

When I arrived I decided just to carry my bag on so I ran over to the security gate with my carry on. I step up to the metal detector, take my shoes off, place my bag through the scanner and come out the other side to the most dreaded words in travel, "Bag Check!"... As the agent sifted though my bag, I tried to recount what could possibly be in there that was threatening...my mouthwash? Toothpaste? Yeah, it was those two, but it was also my peanut butter and jelly.... He politely put the peanut butter and jelly to the side, closed my bag and gave it back to me. I was too astonished to talk. I took my bag and walked towards the gate thinking about the 4 or maybe 5 meals that she had taken from me. What am I going to do now? It’s not like I can just go to Safeway and grab another jar. I have .33 cents and a bag of cornmeal to last today and tomorrow.

And finally, today:

I'm coming away from this experience with some hard lessons learned and a newfound understanding of this issue. First and foremost is that it is nearly IMPOSSIBLE to make due on this amount of money. I know many people have written in saying that Food Stamps are meant to be a supplement to other income. Well, yeah that is how the program was intended, but it has been 11 years since we've added ANY value to food stamps, 10 years since we've raised the minimum wage and in that time inflation has risen, the price of milk has risen, the price of produce has risen. NOW we find ourselves in a position where with gas well over $3.00 a gallon in many places those who earn the least among us use their food stamp benefit not as a supplement, but as their sole source of income for food.

Rep. Ryan was joined by (Dem) Reps. Jim McGovern and Jan Schakowsky, and (update) GOP Rep. Jo Ann Emerson in the challenge, and you can read more about some of their experiences, as well. Among all of them is a renewed commitment to seeing the food stamp benefit increased in this year's Ag bill, retooling the program so that more nutritious food is readily available through the program, education programs for food stamp recipients on what they can buy for the money, as well as an increase in the minimum wage. All critical reforms that you should call your representative and ask them to support.

•  Wow! Would that all pols be so in touch

  ...with the people whose lives they govern!

  thanks!

  by BentLiberal on Mon May 21, 2007 at 04:40:30 PM PDT

  •  Sorry to jump up here but

    can we please stop repeating these corporate driven, big brother, newspeak frames and call it like it is. When I am starving, I am not food insecure, I'M FUCKING HUNGRY!  When a child goes to bed night after night with not enough to eat, and what he did eat was chemically processed, chemical saturated crap, he is not nutrient challenged, HE'S FUCKING STARVING! Other than that, thanks for posting this mcjoan. carry on.

    by FireCrow on Mon May 21, 2007 at 05:53:47 PM PDT

    •  I'm pretty sure that was sarcasm

      Not repeating a "corporate-driven newspeak frame." I could almost smell it coming off my computer screen.

      by anastasia p on Tue May 22, 2007 at 04:38:58 AM PDT

      •  free meals

        i survive on 21$ a week for food sometimes

        the trick is to go work at homeless meals

        sadly, many of those meals lack healthy foods

        an exception is food not bombs east bay

        weekdays 3 pm
        peoples park berkeley near telegraph ave

        20,000 kids starved to death again today on earth
        we import food from nations with starvation
        and sell their leaders weapons

        by carlos oaxaca on Tue May 22, 2007 at 05:38:04 AM PDT

  •  THANK YOU ALL SOO MUCH

    Thanks to everyone for their kind words and for their input on food stamps, hunger and poverty. Rep. McGovern and Rep. Harmon deserve so much credit for organizing this, and my good friend Rep. Schakowsky should be commended for her commitment and leadership. I am very much looking forward to working with them on fixing the food stamp program.

    I would like to ask everyone their opinion on some of the ideas that we've come up with so far.

    1. Raising food stamp benefits in this next Farm Bill by $4 billion dollars a year for five years to bring people's benefits up a bit. It isn't a GREAT deal, but it’s a start. To those who would deny the poorest among us this benefit increase, I would like to remind you that $20 Billion is about how much we spend every three months in Iraq.

    2. Just allocating more money to the program is the first step. We need to have the courage to reform the current system. Our Food Stamp Program NEEDS to address the malnourishment that many children and families experience on food stamps. I want the Department of Agriculture to retool the food stamp program so that they are utilized for nutritious foods, produce, whole grains, milk and eggs. How? Well first, I want to have the Government study farm subsidies and figure out how we created a system where the raw materials used in creating all these horrible processed foods are subsidized but many fruits and vegetables are not. Check out this article from the New York Times Magazine by Michael Pollan for more information. In addition I would like to create a program to bring food stamps to farmers markets, and farmers markets to inner cities so that good produce is available to those who need it. This is a win for the farmer, a win for the consumer and a win for the food stamp recipient.

    3. Finally, we need to emphasize personal responsibility. I want to give people the tools they need to make educated choices (unlike my choices) at the supermarket and I plan on asking for a pilot program to educate food stamp recipients on the sorts of foods they need to buy in order to create balanced meals. Food stamp recipients have just as much responsibility to make good choices for their children and families as the government has providing them the ability to afford basic foods.

    by Congressman Tim Ryan on Tue May 22, 2007 at 07:36:56 AM PDT

    •  It would be nice to

      also see grants for Community gardens and nutritional education classes for those on food stamps. There is no reason that a park could not serve a dual purpose. I'm not going to cheat on my $21 challenge but I can tell you that if I were to do the $21  challenge and was allowed to use some of my resources, I'd not have to spend any of my $21 on herbs because I grow my own and it was incredibly inexpensive and easy. Additionally, I would have blackberries and rasberries and blueberries for fruit because I grow those too. I'd imagine in the city for an apartment dweller it would be alot more difficult but I am on less than a quarter of an acre and my herbs are in pots. I can imagine what a community that was willing could do with an acre or two.

      I'd also suggest that somewhere in the bill it be recommended that the resources allocated be reviewed a little better than they have to ensure that they are adequate. It is appalling that it takes years for the us to pay attention to an issue that affects so many children. You would think we would exercise better care with our future generation.

      by cwaltz on Tue May 22, 2007 at 08:05:30 AM PDT

      •  Community gardens

        Yes!  I very much agree.  There are successful community gardens in many cities (NYC, Philly, Portland, OR, and more) and, in addition to giving gardeners (and their friends and relatives)a way of having fresh produce, flowers and herbs, it's a way of getting to know other people.  In my small town, the Master Gardeners (through the Agricultural Extension service--another underfunded under Bush federal/state program) have started several new community gardens, at schools, on federal property, at the local food share.  The MGers work w/low income people on how to grow food, also w/kids on same skills.  Some of the produce from these gardens is donated to the local food pantry.

        I find it a bit disheartening that Congressman Ryan apparently is unaware that the Agricultural Extension service already offers programs that try to educate people in how to buy inexpensive food that can provide nutritious meals.  As do some food pantries.  I'd like to see him do some more research into this subject and recognize those organizations, agencies, etc., that already help people make the most of what they have.  Just as I'd like to see him work to persuade Congress to recognize how important open space in cities for community gardens is, to appropriate money for preservation of open space/vacant lots for more community gardens.  In other nations, the UK, Germany, nations of Eastern Europe, community gardens or allotments are very common.  No reason the US can't do it, despite the bias in favor of privately owned property (those that have can, those that don't, can't).  

        I wonder if any of the foodstamp experimenters thought of dried milk?  When I was just out of school and paying off student loans, I bought dried milk in bulk from a local food co-op (which I could walk to, I also usually walked to work to save gas money) and used that to make yogurt (lunch) plus I mixed it w/water and drank it instead of regular milk from a store.  It doesn't necessarily taste as good but it provides Calcium, etc.  

        by azurite on Tue May 22, 2007 at 10:04:06 AM PDT

        •  Dried milk

          is a good source of calcium but where I live it runs about $2.00 a gallon. It isn't much less than the regular stuff on sale. I was kind of surprised at the choice of cottage cheese for a calcium source. I think I'm going to try to mix it up a bit when I try the challenge.

          by cwaltz on Tue May 22, 2007 at 03:41:23 PM PDT

    •  ...

      If it's practical, getting some real numbers on how much of an "average" food stamp recipient's benefits go to junk food would be a great step. If only 5% of the food-stamp money is going into chips and soda, it's not really necessary to tell people not to do that. If half of it is, well, that's a BIG ol' problem.

      Getting farmers' markets and food stamps together would be amazingly cool. Given how much cheaper the veggies can be, it might almost be a net savings to bus people to the market and lend out EBT readers to the folks running the stalls.

      by mjfgates on Tue May 22, 2007 at 09:48:31 AM PDT

•  EXCELLENT!!

  "Generosity, Ethics, Patience, Effort, Concentration, and Wisdom"

  by Dood Abides on Mon May 21, 2007 at 04:40:58 PM PDT

•  Great post

  Thanks for highlighting this story.

  by joejoejoe on Mon May 21, 2007 at 04:42:23 PM PDT

  •  Yes, and also kudos to Tim Ryan

    It's transparent he plans to run for the Senate in 2010 for the seat currently held by George Voinovich (R-MBNA) and I think he'd make a great Senator. But then again, I've also heard other names such as Lee Fisher, Paul Hackett and Subhod Chandra bandied around and they'd ALL make great Senators. I've even heard Jennifer Brunner's name tossed around but doubt that's serious: she got elected to be Secretary of State and repair our election system which she's doing, and she knows we need her to run again in 2010 to be in place to help fix our wildly misapportioned districts. We have such an embarassment of riches here in the Ohio Democratic party right now from our Governor Ted Strickland (Fisher is his lieutenant governor and is equally qualified for the top spot with a lengthy resume including attorney general) and state party chair Chris Redfern on down to some terrific people on the local level.

    And the poor Republicans! Their top names, like Petro and Montgomery, are all so corrupt they were tossed out in November or they're all so far right they spend their days genuflecting to thrice-married porn addict Phil Burress (Ohio's Mr. "Defense" of Marriage Amendment) whose mission in life is to limit the types of sexual activities other adults can access. They've got to stop kidding themselves. Ryan's focus on hunger will play very well in the state, even its conservative areas, when he tosses his hat into the ring. This part election, when Strickland, talking exclusively about bread-and-butter issues, destroyed J. Kenny Blackwell with his focus of "values," by better than 20 points, should have been a wake-up call to them.

    by anastasia p on Tue May 22, 2007 at 05:16:17 AM PDT

    •  Hunger and Waste

      Kudos to Ryan and the McGoverns for blogging on their experiences, but also to Jo Ann Emerson for co-sponsoring legislation to boost food stamp spending and co-issuing the Food Stamp Challenge. And also for being the lone GOP participant.

      It's nice to see Emerson continuing her late husband's legacy. The 1996 Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act shields food donors from liability law suits. Without this protection, even fewer grocery stores and restaurants would donate edible but unsellable food to the hungry.  

      I've been writing about wasted foodfor a while and it's nice to see folks paying attention to the severity of hunger in our affluent nation. Once we grasp that, maybe we'll understand why wasting as much food as we do is shameful.

      This portion of Lisa McGovern's postis telling:

      The walk there and home was long and tiring on limited food. And as we passed by the sidewalk cafes, we noticed with fresh eyes people leaving half their food on their plates.

      by JBloom on Tue May 22, 2007 at 12:46:19 PM PDT

•  A decade ago

  At the legal aid clinic where I worked on welfare reform issues, we printed up t-shirts that said "A family of three receives $370 per month on welfare -- How Much Is Your Rent?"

  These Members are doing our country a great service by reminding Americans that hunger isn't just something that goes on in Africa, and that if we want to curb the child obesity crisis we need to make sure our children are eating healthy food.

  Joan, what's going on with the Ag bill, and what can we do now?

  by Adam B on Mon May 21, 2007 at 04:42:34 PM PDT

  •  They've been holding hearings

    and hope to move it before the July 4 recess. There are a ton of issues involved in this one bill, from resource conservation to support for family farmers to organics to food stamps, so I'm going to try to stay on top of it and keep it in front of us all in the next few months.

    Oxfam is organizing on the food security issues, and has a handy tool there to use to send letters.

    Grist has been keeping tabs on the environmental impacts of it.

    by mcjoan on Mon May 21, 2007 at 04:57:37 PM PDT

    •  The nutrition thing

      Read this Michael Pollan article, folks:

      Compared with a bunch of carrots, a package of Twinkies, to take one iconic processed foodlike substance as an example, is a highly complicated, high-tech piece of manufacture, involving no fewer than 39 ingredients, many themselves elaborately manufactured, as well as the packaging and a hefty marketing budget. So how can the supermarket possibly sell a pair of these synthetic cream-filled pseudocakes for less than a bunch of roots?

      For the answer, you need look no farther than the farm bill. This resolutely unglamorous and head-hurtingly complicated piece of legislation, which comes around roughly every five years and is about to do so again, sets the rules for the American food system — indeed, to a considerable extent, for the world’s food system. Among other things, it determines which crops will be subsidized and which will not, and in the case of the carrot and the Twinkie, the farm bill as currently written offers a lot more support to the cake than to the root. Like most processed foods, the Twinkie is basically a clever arrangement of carbohydrates and fats teased out of corn, soybeans and wheat — three of the five commodity crops that the farm bill supports, to the tune of some $25 billion a year. (Rice and cotton are the others.) For the last several decades — indeed, for about as long as the American waistline has been ballooning — U.S. agricultural policy has been designed in such a way as to promote the overproduction of these five commodities, especially corn and soy.

      That’s because the current farm bill helps commodity farmers by cutting them a check based on how many bushels they can grow, rather than, say, by supporting prices and limiting production, as farm bills once did. The result? A food system awash in added sugars (derived from corn) and added fats (derived mainly from soy), as well as dirt-cheap meat and milk (derived from both). By comparison, the farm bill does almost nothing to support farmers growing fresh produce. A result of these policy choices is on stark display in your supermarket, where the real price of fruits and vegetables between 1985 and 2000 increased by nearly 40 percent while the real price of soft drinks (a k a liquid corn) declined by 23 percent. The reason the least healthful calories in the supermarket are the cheapest is that those are the ones the farm bill encourages farmers to grow.

      by Adam B on Mon May 21, 2007 at 05:08:27 PM PDT

      •  It's a great, great

        article. In it are the keys to a rational food system for this country.

        by mcjoan on Mon May 21, 2007 at 05:09:21 PM PDT

        •  Eat food. Mostly Plants. Not too much! nt

          by Eikyu Saha on Mon May 21, 2007 at 06:15:01 PM PDT

          •  Good advice, Pollan, but...

            Michael Pollan's advice on eating that you've echoed is sound, but when you read the food stamps blogs you'll find that produce is too expensive. In addition, most plants (produce) aren't as calorie-dense as other foods, so it's harder to fill up on your $1 per meal. Sadly, filling up, not eating healthily, is what poverty encourages. As Pollan wrote, that's why we naturally gravitate towards the most calorie-rich foods--sweet and fatty items.

            Furthermore, planting veggies isn't often possible for the urban hungry and many local stores (the ones accessible by foot) don't offer much fresh food.

            by JBloom on Tue May 22, 2007 at 12:01:05 PM PDT

            •  Depends mostly on 'mostly'

              U.S. elections define 'mostly' as 50.01%.  I agree, poverty fosters bad food habits, but you can't solve the problem without identifying what it is.  If poor people can't eat well, don't blame Pollan for that.  Pollan should be given credit for cutting through the bullshit of the sugar-beef-and-milk industries, which have a steel grip on America's throat.  

              by Eikyu Saha on Tue May 22, 2007 at 05:01:27 PM PDT

        •  Great diary mcjoan; thank you for highlighting

          the issue. very much appreciated.

          by IL dac on Tue May 22, 2007 at 04:33:37 AM PDT

      •  Michael Pollan rocks! n/t

        by dolphin777 on Mon May 21, 2007 at 05:10:52 PM PDT

      •  Once again, It's Like the Dali Painting

        Depicting Spain eating itself alive | tearing itself apart.

        

        Self Construction With Boiling Beans
        ~ Salvador Dali

        Whenever something eats itself alive, it's bad news. Perhaps that's why I reference this painting so much.
        ::::

        by nowheredesign on Mon May 21, 2007 at 05:25:09 PM PDT

      •  I heard about a Medical conference that was

        held a couple of weeks ago where the "big idea" was to charge people who were overweight more money for being obese for their healthcare premiums - if we went to single-payer.  I would like to know how anyone could not end up overweight if all they can afford is peanut butter and jelly - full of sugar which contributes to obesity and diabetes.

        I was most angered by this idea of making people who are obese pay extra for their health insurance because I know that the people who came up with it think that everyone can just shop at Whole Foods and "get healthy".  If you have $21 a week, you shouldn't even go near a place like Whole Foods.

        There are a whole lot of other reasons why this proposed policy is completely idiotic, but this story really underscores why it would be adding insult to injury.

        by inclusiveheart on Mon May 21, 2007 at 05:35:01 PM PDT

        •  Thoroughly idiotic.

          This is part of the blame obsession growing in US culture.  I guess it makes sense that as more and more of our social systems are showing cracks -- especially the health care system -- one approach to coping with the crises is to blame and penalize the individuals in the system, so you don't have to confront the inadequacy of the system itself.

          by Fiona West on Mon May 21, 2007 at 05:42:03 PM PDT

          •  Couple the "personal responsibility"

            aspect of their philosophy with their ivory towers and you end up with what is essentially a sytem just as screwed up as the one we have now.  It isn't like anyone prevents the HMO's from discriminating against people with pre-existing conditions as it stands now.

            by inclusiveheart on Mon May 21, 2007 at 05:56:20 PM PDT

            •  Yikes - PBJ is bad for you?

              A peanut butter and jelly sandwich [plus a piece of fruit] has been my staple lunch for about 25 years.  My coworkers think it's a standing joke, but I prefer to think of it as an institution.

              And why? It's simple, quick, and doesn't need refrigeration. I don't need to make any decisions in the morning, just spread it and pack it. Easy to eat at my desk, too.

              I will say that I buy "natural" PB with no salt added, and fruit butter that's just fruit.  Spread it on whole wheat bread. I have a twinge of concern about the fat content about once a year & you're probably right that it's not good for me.

              But when I see what my colleagues bring back from take-out places for lunch, I figure I'm not doing that badly.

              Oh yeah, and it's cheap. A jar of PB and fruit butter lasts a few weeks for $5 combined, plus a few dollars for bread. 50 cents a lunch, maybe?

              by maryru on Mon May 21, 2007 at 06:23:55 PM PDT

              •  Yes it is bad for you if that is all you can

                afford - and you don't eat much else - and even more so if you have a herditary predeliction for diabetes.

                by inclusiveheart on Mon May 21, 2007 at 06:37:07 PM PDT

                •  And in particular

                  if you can't afford the "natural" PB or the all-fruit jelly or the WW bread.  The cost of that sandwich is astronomical compared to the Wonder Bread/supermarket PB/grape jelly version.

                  by renaissance grrrl on Mon May 21, 2007 at 08:20:10 PM PDT

                  •  But what you're doing, maryru, is healthy

                    as long as it's within the fat/calories limits that work for you.  Peanut butter has protein and IIRC the oil in peanut butter is pretty healthy.  We all need some good quality fats in our diets; it's needed for some bodily functions, plus it keeps us from craving every fatty thing we see.  I eat pb sandwiches periodically and consider them part of a healthy diet.  But living for a week on nothing but a limited amount of bread and commercial (cheap) sugary peanut butter -- that's another thing altogether.

                    by Fiona West on Mon May 21, 2007 at 09:31:19 PM PDT

              •  I take it

                you are one of those lucky folks who is naturally skinny. Peanut butter is one of the most calory-loaded foods out there. It's a treat I enjoy maybe a couple of times a year at most.

                by anastasia p on Tue May 22, 2007 at 05:24:03 AM PDT

        •  You'd think that

          before they inflicted an arbitrary amount of money on poor folks they would be required to figure out how feasible it is to survive on it every year and then ensure that the folks required to survive on it had adequate access to the information they had to make it work. It ought to be required that at the very least the head of each state health and human services survive on the budget allocated to the folks it serves every year for at least a week. Ditto for those that legislate the budget.

          by cwaltz on Mon May 21, 2007 at 06:16:27 PM PDT

          •  I read somewhere that one of the

            Congressional participants considered involving his family but chose to do it by himself. He did not want to endanger his children's health - even for such a short time. Imagine their opinion if THEIR children HAD to live that way week in, week out

            by madgranny on Mon May 21, 2007 at 06:28:04 PM PDT

            •  That was McGovern and his wife

              but cut him/them some slack...

              He shouldn't have to starve/malnourish his kids to make a political point.  
              I think the real point is that no one and especially no kids should have to depend on so little food.  I would have thought he was crazy and a political opportunist had he done so...

              by apdva on Mon May 21, 2007 at 09:56:44 PM PDT

            •  I wouldn't do that to my kids either!

              Oh, wait, I had to for about a year there. And BOY did it suck. Sounds like Congressman McGovern has the right idea already, he doesn't really need to put his kids to bed hungry for a week to get the point.

              ow. Now I'm remembering putting my kids to bed hungry. I think I'm going to go cry now.

              by mjfgates on Tue May 22, 2007 at 09:57:32 AM PDT

          •  It was a conference full of idiotic healthcare

            professionals most of which were not health and human services folks who probably would have been experienced enough and smart enough to know that this sort of approach is only going to lead to people not going to their doctors and people lying to them.

            There was a whole other part about requiring exercise and not smoking.  Neither of which is all that easy to track at the end of the day.

            The whole conversation should be an embarassment for any self-respecting healthcare professional when we all know that compliance is the number one issue with patients and that much of the compliance issue is related to cultural, economical and communications issues and not that patients are "bad" people.  But Republicans would love this idea of making villans out of everyone who has a health problem in this society - as would unfortunately some very misguided Democrats.

            by inclusiveheart on Mon May 21, 2007 at 06:42:41 PM PDT

            •  Yep

              Personal responsibility has become a catch phrase to soothe the conscience of people who would rather not have to deal with the difficulty of lifting folks up and out of untenable situations.

              by cwaltz on Mon May 21, 2007 at 07:01:22 PM PDT

              •  The phrase "personal responsibility"

                has always pissed me off no end.  It has always struck me as a cheap excuse for shrugging off one's social responsibilities -- like, being kinder to one another,  paying your taxes in full, watching water consumption in drought-prone areas, etc.

                by Noor B on Mon May 21, 2007 at 07:50:00 PM PDT

          •  The Federal Gov't Makes the ...

            budget.  I believe the states, counties, cities are required to use the Fed's budget figures both to determine eligibility for food stamps and how many dollars worth of food stamps a person or family gets.

            As far as I know,these figures have not been updated for several years. Food has gotten more expensive, but the amount of food stamps stays the same.

            What is updated is how many food stamps a family receives.  If your social security check goes up, your food stamp amount goes down.

            by also mom of 5 on Mon May 21, 2007 at 08:19:59 PM PDT

            •  Yes

              they are required to deal with what they get from a Federal level but it has been pretty silent on the state agencies front on pushing for more or for some changes for the people reliant on the system. You would think that if they were not getting enough they would be screaming it from the rooftops on behalf of those they serve.

              by cwaltz on Tue May 22, 2007 at 06:02:24 AM PDT

          •  Amen.

            by mcmom on Mon May 21, 2007 at 08:34:05 PM PDT

        •  Whole Foods is building one of their

          mega stores in Boise soon. There is a reason it is known as "Whole Paycheck."

          by mcmom on Mon May 21, 2007 at 08:31:55 PM PDT

        •  Whole Foods!

          I stopped in to check out the new Whole Foods in our neighborhood about six weeks ago and I could not shop there if I had $210 a week for food! I see why they call it "Whole Paycheck." I doubt I'll ever be setting foot in there again.

          There need to be more programs to provide access to healthy foods for people on budgets, not more punishment.

          by anastasia p on Tue May 22, 2007 at 05:21:42 AM PDT

          •  Whole Paycheck

            I call it that, too; however, you'd be surprised that most of their private labels items are not that expensive.

            by lorzie on Tue May 22, 2007 at 11:09:11 AM PDT

      •  Excellent article

        Any wonder we have so many people with type II diabetes, insulin resistance, etc??? This is the long-term effect of our fucked up agriculture/food/welfare policies and subsidies.

        by makfan on Mon May 21, 2007 at 07:58:14 PM PDT

      •  Nothing like a light shone on the truth

        to enlighten the ignorant.

        by mcmom on Mon May 21, 2007 at 08:24:38 PM PDT

    •  Those who can should try growing their own food

      Obviously there are seasonal issues, but if you have a deck or a yard, it's one way to improve your diet and save money.

      It's great the politicians are trying to experience what thousands (millions?) go thru every day.

      Next up:  Life without health insurance!

      by YoyogiBear on Mon May 21, 2007 at 06:24:00 PM PDT

      •  We're part of a community share-farm

        We pay about $200 in February, and we get a load of produce every week now into September.  It's all organic, locally grown, and we get the satisfaction of helping tend the gardens and knowing we're eating healthier foods.  (Plus I was able to find yet another use for the unlimited supply of, um, compost, my Friesians create.)

        Obviously this isn't a solution that would work for everyone, but there are many alternatives.  I know of several urban churches, for example, that allow some of their grounds to be used for a community vegetable garden.

        by newfie53523 on Mon May 21, 2007 at 06:47:11 PM PDT

        •  What sort of produce do you get?

          Is it enough for, say, the entire week?

          it's a great idea and one whose time has come.

          Honestly, I'm kind of afraid of the franken-food that is entering our foodchain.

          by YoyogiBear on Mon May 21, 2007 at 07:01:46 PM PDT

          •  There's just two of us

            So we have more than a week's worth many weeks.

            We get a great variety that, of course, follows the growing seasons.  Right now there is a lot of greens... spinach, lettuces, etc.  Over the course of the year, we'll get cucumbers, peppers of all kinds, zucchini and yellow squash, radishes, carrots, beets, a variety of potatoes, a huge variety of tomatoes, chard, broccoli, and other stuff I'm forgetting for the moment.  We got a ton of asparagus last Friday.  Ate a lot, blanched and froze some.  

            We always are sure that somehow it gets enjoyed.  I take excess to work on Mondays so other people can benefit too.

            A nice touch... we often get some fresh cut flowers too.  And, if we come at the right time, the guy who runs the operation will bust out some home-brewed beer.  Ah, Wisconsin!

            by newfie53523 on Mon May 21, 2007 at 08:22:35 PM PDT

            •  do you have any information about your program

              on the web, for example?  I'm interested in knowing about the person who does it, etc.

              It's a great idea and I'd be interested in doing something myself along the same lines.

              by YoyogiBear on Mon May 21, 2007 at 08:28:35 PM PDT

        •  CSA's are great, if you have the money

          up front, and are prepared to eat what is available at the time the food is ready, and accept that there are crop failures due to weather, insect and diseases. And, in densely populated urban areas, where land is unavailable, and working two minimum wage jobs allows no time to "farm," so, need a more viable option, which is to raise the amount of food stamps.

          by mcmom on Mon May 21, 2007 at 08:40:12 PM PDT

          •  I forgot to say that CSA stands for

            Community Supported Agriculture. We have two in the greater Boise area.

            by mcmom on Mon May 21, 2007 at 08:41:49 PM PDT

          •  Actually, most of those aren't problems

            If most cities are like Cleveland -- and most of the poorer, smaller cities afflicted by urban sprawl are -- empty land is one thing they've got plenty of. You plant a variety of crops and you've always got something; you just learn to eat seasonally instead of demanding what you want when you want it. I've never known of a whole crop failure, unless you are focusing on a handful of crops. And in most inner city areas, there are, in addition to people working two jobs, people who are unemployed and underemployed who have plenty of time, which is why community and neighborhood gardens can work so well. Also, it spreads the work load so no one needs to be working in the garden more than an hour or two a week. And once the crops are planted, there really isn't that much more to do. We found there was a month or two in the summer that our crew didn't even have an hours' worth of work a week to do. This year, since we've done so much mulching to keep down the weeds, we'll probably have less.

            by anastasia p on Tue May 22, 2007 at 05:34:11 AM PDT

        •  Inner-city community gardens

          are exploding here in America's poorest big city, Cleveland, which has an excess of empty land in the city and an excess of people living in poverty. Our church has an enormous garden (we'll be doing 48 raised beds this year) and there's another adjoining ours. The city has a program where it gives people the seeds and starter plants; we also received a grant from one of the local foundations to buy equipment.  It's a great idea and I'm glad to see people locally getting behind it. Last year we grew collards, kale, chard, lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, squash, zucchini, potatoes and I know I've forgotten something. Someone dug up my herb bed before they sprouted and overplanted annuals, but they will die if they try that this year!

          by anastasia p on Tue May 22, 2007 at 05:29:35 AM PDT

          •  This is a great idea and could be a good diary

            If you have any additional information about it, I'd love to read more...

            by YoyogiBear on Tue May 22, 2007 at 06:01:06 PM PDT

      •  most poor people

        live in projects or apartments. both have no room to grow anything. I have no lawn, and a very small porch, but nothing big enough to grow anything in. that and we have one small window that allows enough sunlight through to maybe grow something.
        even simple things like growing vegetables are hard when you're living in poverty.

        by Rebelatheart on Mon May 21, 2007 at 09:50:50 PM PDT

    •  Bless you, my bleeding heart daughter ;-)

      by mcmom on Mon May 21, 2007 at 08:22:30 PM PDT

      •  Yay

        I got a 4 from mcmom--I feel like I have "arrived."

        I don't know how I have never run into you on the site, but I thank you for your bleeding heart daughter as well. You done good.

        by SeattleLiberal on Mon May 21, 2007 at 08:27:39 PM PDT

      •  Whether is or is not mcjoan's mom

        It was a great comment.

        by shycat on Tue May 22, 2007 at 09:25:09 AM PDT

    •  I believe it is incumbent upon public

      servants, like Senator Testor, to tell the truth about the farm bill, that it is to reward corporate farmers, and I use the term "farmer" loosely here. They are heavily involved in GM corn, soy and other grains, and from the seed to the plant to the end "product," any resemblence to the nutritious original food is lost.

      by mcmom on Mon May 21, 2007 at 08:28:39 PM PDT

    •  Thanks, mcjoan, I just bookmarked Oxfam, so

      can keep up with the movement.

      by mcmom on Mon May 21, 2007 at 08:30:18 PM PDT

  •  living wage

    Let's make note that Democratic senate couldn't even pass minimum wage raise. They have to answer the restaurant industry.

    by fugue on Mon May 21, 2007 at 05:30:29 PM PDT

    •  Minimum wage and time

      A lot of people earning minimum wage have to work two jobs just to make ends meet.  When you're that exhausted, time and energy can be other factors that contribute to too much fast food consumption.  

      by lorzie on Tue May 22, 2007 at 11:12:47 AM PDT

  •  social security gets you too

    if you get food stamps, social security considers them as income and takes their value off your next check.  the usda gives and social security takes away.

    and social security uses your earnings to decide if you qualify for medicare.  your food stamps could affect how much you pay for health care, too.

    by zakzoah on Mon May 21, 2007 at 06:29:42 PM PDT

    •  Really? I've never heard that...

      Most people who get food stamps are on SSI... and it doesn't get deducted from your SSI check.  Those would be the people who get the maximum food stamp benefit.  

      I've never heard of that with SSDI or SS Retirement, but I could be wrong... This isn't a pension offset/windfall offset - the most common reasons benefits are reduced - and most in those categories wouldn't qualify for food stamps anyway.  

      The real scandal is how low your income has to be to qualify for any help with food stamps.  

      by apdva on Mon May 21, 2007 at 10:07:41 PM PDT

    •  You are wrong - social security does NOT

      use your earnings to decide whether you qualify for Medicare.  Medicare eligibility is determined by how many work "credits" you have.  You need 40 credits by 65 to qualify.  You can earn up to a maximum of 4 credits a year - and you get a credit for every ~$800 you earn in a year - or in the case of SSDI benefits it depends on work in 5 out of the past ten years.  

      by apdva on Mon May 21, 2007 at 10:15:03 PM PDT

  •  Here's more on the Farm Bill

    including action steps.

    And I have to give props to New York City Councilman Eric Gioia, who's also spent the past week living on the food-stamp budget. I heard him talking about it on the radio, and it does not sound like fun; his last meal of the week consisted of spaghetti with a smear of butter (he'd run out of spaghetti sauce days earlier) and carrots, all the food he had left, washed down with a glass of tap water, the only beverage he allowed himself for the week. But at least he didn't lose half his week's protein ration at the airport.

    by sidnora on Mon May 21, 2007 at 08:27:10 PM PDT

•  Ryan kicks butt. The new generation of Dems. n/t

  by thepdxbikerboy on Mon May 21, 2007 at 04:42:44 PM PDT

  •  He used 'forced realism,' which is as unheard of

    as it is necessary.

    :::::

    by nowheredesign on Mon May 21, 2007 at 04:44:33 PM PDT

    •  Let's don't use buzz words.

      Let's say "Telling it like it is," which is understandable by all.

      by mcmom on Mon May 21, 2007 at 08:44:10 PM PDT

      •  I love buzz words!

        Paint the chickens!

        :)

        ::::

        by nowheredesign on Tue May 22, 2007 at 03:37:00 AM PDT

  •  Tim Ryan and Sherrod Brown...

    How will Ohio Republicans try to stop this outbreak of sanity before it becomes an epidemic?  Will it be with a quarantine?  A retro-virus?  An U.nqualified-S.tealth-A.ttorney appointed by Gonzo's chimplets, whose mission is to trump up false charges?  

    Breaking news: "Bush blocks sale of peanut butter nationwide."

    by Eikyu Saha on Mon May 21, 2007 at 06:24:18 PM PDT

    •  Ohio Republicans are SO screwed

      They have nuthin'. They lost all statewide offices last November exept one. They lost seven seats in the state House and when they lose four more next year, they lose their majority. They even lost a seat in the state Senate despite gerrymandering  which makes state senators almost undefeatable. Well, that's going to change in 2011. Democrats can name you at least half a dozen terrific potential candidates for the US Senate seat held by George Voinovich (R-MBNA) in 2010, if which Ryan is clearly one. If Voinie retires, as is likely, well, it's hard to think of too many terrific (from the viewpoint of appealing and electable; there's really no such thing in this state as a truly "terrific" Republican) Republican candidates, and I even heard a rumour (which I'm sure is giving local Republican pols nightmares) that overwhelmingly defeated ex-gubernatorial candidate J. Kenny Blackwell is thinking about a run.

      by anastasia p on Tue May 22, 2007 at 05:41:20 AM PDT

      •  Hint: Kenny dies in every episode. nt

        by Eikyu Saha on Tue May 22, 2007 at 05:49:16 AM PDT

      •  Watch out for Kasich

        He would be a much stronger candidate for them than Blackwell, with better media exposure and a lack of bad votes on issues that other ex-congressmen can't run away from. He's also got himself loosely associated with a local think-tank (and can definitely use all the help he can get in that area).

        by histopresto on Tue May 22, 2007 at 11:33:45 AM PDT

•  Best Diary I've Read all day.

  And I've read some good ones.

  Thx, mcjoan.

  :::::

  by nowheredesign on Mon May 21, 2007 at 04:43:41 PM PDT

  •  was just going to say

    please madame, might I have another?

    by route66 on Mon May 21, 2007 at 04:46:08 PM PDT

  •  I completely agree n/t

    by SeattleLiberal on Mon May 21, 2007 at 05:00:50 PM PDT

•  Now if only there were a way

  to require all legislators to live on a minimum wage budget for their first year or so in office, it might change a lot in this country.

  by Black Maned Pensator on Mon May 21, 2007 at 04:43:53 PM PDT

  •  They need to have Medicare as their only

    healthcare insurance and pay out of pocket for prescrips, too!

    Drink shade grown coffee!

    by mad ramblings of a sane woman on Mon May 21, 2007 at 04:50:41 PM PDT

    •  How about NO insurance

      and solely a minimum wage budget to buy insurance from a private company.

      by SeattleLiberal on Mon May 21, 2007 at 05:02:17 PM PDT

      •  hey I can't afford

        insurance. I own my own business, sole proprietor and their is no way I can afford any insurance and pay for my 'extravagant' life style. I just eat real healthy and consider that my health insurance.

        by shaharazade on Mon May 21, 2007 at 06:25:28 PM PDT

        •  And I sincerely congratulate you,

          and hope you don't have a serious accident, or chronic illness, which good nutrition won't help. Such as MS, for instance.

          by mcmom on Mon May 21, 2007 at 08:46:28 PM PDT

          •  being snarky unsucessfully

            I find it terrifying not to be able to even afford catastrophic, and can't imagine how the poor are able to cope with this in every aspect of their lives, from food to shelter to medicine.

            by shaharazade on Tue May 22, 2007 at 11:53:33 AM PDT

    •  I think you mean Medicaid

      (unless all legislators are over 65) and guess what? They wont qualify:

      For working families, the threshold to qualify for Medicaid is low that a single mom making minimum wage does not even qualify. She’d be better of not working so she could get assistance. Adults with no children are not eligible for Medicaid — period. Imagine someone in a low-wage job without benefits who is diagnosed with diabetes. They couldn’t possibly afford their insulin.

      If these pols want to live the life, then they should go all the way and choose between eating and medicine and a roof over their heads.

      by MrSandman on Mon May 21, 2007 at 05:04:55 PM PDT

    •  and learn to eat the donut hole

      since they went to the creditcard type of deal for food stamps it is now impossible to trade food stamps for toilet paper. Now you know why the gas stations no longer have restrooms. The TP kept disappearing for some odd reason.

      A case of Top Ramen cost 1.50 for 12 packages and if you shop real careful you can find some frozen veggies to throw in every once in a while.

      Since the price of gas has jumped so much so has the price of food. My local grocery is up about 15% in the last month making things even tougher.

      by OneCrankyDom on Mon May 21, 2007 at 05:05:36 PM PDT

      •  Which gets to a whole 'nother issue