“Nickled and Dimed” has nothing on Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton who took up the challenge of local activists to live for one week on a food stamp budget. The Mayor received $29 a week which is the amount Arizonans receive when they are on Supplemental Assistance Nutrition Program (SNAP).
The Mayor reported on day four that he was hungry, and tired, that it was hard to focus on the tasks at hand:
“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.”
I wonder how our nation would change if instead of having vacuous debates, candidates for President were put on a reality show where they had to live out the lives of some of the people they would represent or affect while in office? Can you imagine the Romney’s on food stamps? Can you imagine the first family living seven days under the horror of the drone strikes the President will inflict this week on families abroad?