Posted on 09/18/2007 8:32:59 AM PDT by ButThreeLeftsDo
U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn., wants to make a point about food stamps.
Ellison was to be joined at a news conference in Washington, D.C., Tuesday by Rabbi Steve Gutow, executive director of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs. They, and others, plan to live for a week on $21 -- the national average for food stamp benefits.
Ellison and others planned to announce a weeklong "Food Stamp Challenge." One of the goals is to raise the minimum food stamp benefit.
Ellison is the first Muslim elected to Congress. The week that he and Gutow will join the challenge falls during Islam's holy month of Ramadan and between the Jewish holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.
"I can think of no better way to celebrate Ramadan than by participating in the Food Stamp Challenge," Ellison said in a news release. "And to do so with my brethren in the Jewish community is especially fitting because it underscores poverty does not discriminate. It knows no age or gender, no religion or race."
The Food Stamp Challenge is part of a yearlong initiative on poverty.
Wow, you're my hero!
Keith could stand to lose at least 25 lbs.
Hey Keith!!! The purpose of food stamps is to help out....NOT feed them for free!!.....stupid politician vote buying crapola!
A whole week?? I have done whole semesters on less, with a family and a full time job. We never had food stamps..
Yep, I remember those one-striper days. We lived on a lot less.
I have a better idea,how about they get the recipients to work for a month and get back to me.
It’s only our money for those of us who work for a living.
Dried Beans, Rice, Flour, Powdered Milk, enough for a week I believe can be bought for $21..............
What a joke.
Buy a box of cereal for about $4-$5 and a half gallon of milk for about $2-$3
8 bucks. Next challenge.
I could do it for a week on $21 and GAIN weight......
So Ellison
I’m just waiting until the wise Democrats have set everything up so that I can get free food, free housing, and free health care so that I can retire.
So what’s Rep. Ellison going to do, buy three pistachios a day and buy booze with the change?
I suggested if they wanted to show real concern instead of fake outpourings of "warm-fuzzies" which they could walk away from at any time for any reason, they should house a homeless person or family for a month.
We moved on to the next item on the agenda fairly quickly.
And he’s doing it during Ramadan, so he’s not going to be eating all day, anyway.
Grab one of these and earn some beer money.
So the avg is $21/week. how much income does the average person make when getting food stamps? I know it’s not $0. So this is so far off it’s not even funny.
Proof that they make more than $21...they can still buy a carton of cigs for the week which is more than $21. And they can still buy a case of beer for the weekend.
If the poor can do that with $21 in food stamps (which aren’t even allowed to buy cigs and booze) they missed their calling...they should have been investment brokers.
Funny I still love a pot of home cooked Pinto’s 25yrs later.
Spaghetti though uh no.
Are people who use food stamps allergic to coupons? They seem to be the first people to pay full price for everything at the grocery store, never using coupons or a “plus” card, which also can add up to big savings. These folks need to learn to shop smarter. The problem is is that they won’t because they don’t care.
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