Mayor Cory Booker to live on food stamps for a week

[AC126748]

Posted: 11/20/12 at 12:53pm

And he challenges a Tea Partier with whom he interacted on twitter to do the same. I wouldn't if certain BWW posters who have misguided (to use a polite word) attitudes towards gov't assistance would be willing to do the same.
http://www.opposingviews.com/i/technology/internet/newark-new-jersey-mayor-cory-booker-challenges-twitter-user-live-food-stamps

[Kad]

Posted: 11/20/12 at 1:06pm

Cory Booker really is the coolest politician in the country.

[AC126748]

Posted: 11/20/12 at 1:18pm

And Booker just tweeted that he will live on food stamps for longer than a week, beginning after Thanksgiving. He also previously tweeted that he'll only buy from stores accessible via public transportation, as that is the reality for most people on food stamps in Newark. When asked why he's doing this, he responded that "millions of employed hard working people do it every day."

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 11/20/12 at 1:19pm

I'd pay money to a homeless shelter if A.Normal spent a week living in cardboard box.

Posted: 11/20/12 at 1:23pm

Wow. The Food stamp Challenge is a real bear for most people. A Chicago Tribune columnist (food writer) did it a while back and was all but heart broken at its difficulty. It will be interesting to see how much attention this gets.

[Huss417]

Posted: 11/20/12 at 1:32pm

I understand they are food stamps but other basics like toilet paper and such you are out of luck.

I saw a special where a woman said she could buy a chicken as long as it wasn't cooked. If it was cooked she couldnt use food stamps.

[AC126748]

Posted: 11/20/12 at 1:37pm

I understand they are food stamps but other basics like toilet paper and such you are out of luck.


I don't think people realize this. My sister works with a diaper bank in our home state. Diapers aren't covered by food stamps or government aid. The stories my sister has told me--like kids wearing the same diaper for days--are horrifying and can lead to infections and health problems. Now whenever I can I buy a few bags or a case of diapers and bring them to a diaper bank.

[Kad]

Posted: 11/20/12 at 1:37pm

But they can use all the money they save to buy an iPad strapped to a Benz, so it evens out.

[Jon]

Posted: 11/20/12 at 1:54pm

In Illinois, a single person with no children can get $200 a month in food stamps (actually, it's a debit card). That should be enough, as long as you are not buying overpriced gourmet items.

And no, you can't use it for rotisserie chicken or other hot, ready-to-eat items. You can't use it for liquor, cat food, toilet paper, cigarettes, etc.

There is a seperate prigram called WIC (Women, Infants & Children) that helps mothers with funds for diapers, etc.

[Roscoe]

Posted: 11/20/12 at 1:57pm

This might be a solution to Chris Christie's weight problem.

[artscallion]

Posted: 11/20/12 at 2:20pm

In RI the average monthly benefit is $139. That comes to about $32 a week.

[blueroses]

Posted: 11/20/12 at 2:23pm

Alcohol and cigarettes I get, of course. But essentials like diapers and toilet paper? That's a bit restrictive.

[artscallion]

Posted: 11/20/12 at 2:30pm

You also can't buy things like soap, toothpaste, plastic wrap, vitamins, Tums, etc. It is literally intended for food only, and it can't be hot food as that is considered takeout, not groceries.

Posted: 11/20/12 at 2:38pm

Jon I'd like to meet the single person who got $200 a month from SNAP (LINK in Illinois). I just crunched numbers for a hypothetical single woman who has income of $250 a month and her benefit was $183. I'm not saying it doesn't happen but I'd guess it only happens if you are totally destitute.

But even if you want to take that $200 number, that works out to $6.66 a day. I guess you could live on Mac and Cheese but it wouldn't be pretty.

WIC doesn't supply diapers. As far as I know there is no government assistance for diapers. We refer our clients to a diaper bank run by a local church.

[SonofMammaMiaSam]

Posted: 11/20/12 at 2:45pm

I admire his efforts, but he's single and a vegetarian.

[strummergirl]

Posted: 11/20/12 at 2:52pm

I also don't want to throw cold water on this because I think he is awesome, but many politicians do this for a week or two a lot, from both side of the aisle. That said, I actually think the fact he is a vegetarian will make this a little more difficult. Microwave meals are usually a lot less expensive than produce.

[JerseyGirl2]

Posted: 11/20/12 at 2:55pm

WIC is a nutrition program. It doesn't cover diapers. There's actually not a program that covers diapers unless it's a local charity.

And yes. It's usually more expensive to be a vegetarian. In a situation like this, one can live on dry beans and ramen, I guess. We are pretty frugal when it comes to food. I have a whole crock pot of black beans going right now that cost less than $2 and could make four or five meals for us. It's not a very well rounded diet and you really need fresh veggies to stay healthy, which iare a lot more expensive and have a much shorter shelf life. I have no doubt that you CAN live on so little, but it's absolutely not a pleasant experience.

Updated On: 11/20/12 at 02:55 PM

Posted: 11/20/12 at 2:56pm

A week is tough. A month is grueling.

But he will be living on $35 in food stamps a week- that means no McDonald's breakfast, no Starbucks, no Big Gulps. I wouldn't be able to live without being able to breeze through McD's for my Diet coke.

[AC126748]

Posted: 11/20/12 at 3:00pm

I imagine trying to do this on a vegetarian diet presents its own set of challenges. And based on his tweets, it seems like he'll be doing this for a minimum of two weeks.

[Plum]

Posted: 11/20/12 at 5:42pm

Food stamps were, if I understand correctly, conceived as a supplementary program - giving people a leg up so they'd have enough food to live on. They weren't supposed to become people's only way to eat, let alone get other groceries, but that's what it's come to.

[Jungle Red]

Posted: 11/20/12 at 7:27pm

If a mother can't afford to pay for her childrens food, how is she supposed to pay for diapers.

The entire system needs a makeover.

[Plum]

Posted: 11/20/12 at 8:09pm

Combine social welfare programs with a very low minimum wage and you're giving employers the ability to outsource the responsibility of giving their employees enough to live on to the government. Even when that employer is the government - way too many US military personnel are on food stamps.

[artscallion]

Posted: 11/20/12 at 8:15pm

Plum, food stamps were not, in fact, conceived as a supplementary program. They were created to bring low AND no-income people's diets up to an adequate level of nutrition. Period. There was never any distinction made or implied whether it should make up some or all of a person's food budget.

Updated On: 11/20/12 at 08:15 PM

[Plum]

Posted: 11/20/12 at 9:58pm

Thanks for the correction.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 11/20/12 at 10:10pm

This thread has inspired me to locate a local diaper bank, I didn't even know such things existed.