The Myth of Abundant Welfare. . . (Larry James' Urban Daily)

From Larry James' Urban Daily.

Think you could live on a few pennies over $1 per meal every day?

Try this: take the Food Stamp challenge now being offered up in Texas by the Center for Public Policy Priorities (CPPP).

Proposed in Austin, Texas as a part of CPPP's campaign to see the Food Stamp program fully funded and Texas fully enrolled, the exercise is designed to demonstrate how hard is it to afford a healthy diet on Food Stamps.

U. S. Representative Lloyd Doggett and the Capital Area Food Bank are leading the way throughout this week (May 15 - Monday, May 21) by eating and drinking only what $21 will buy.

Why $21?

Because that is the average weekly Food Stamp benefit for Texans who qualify.

One dollar for each meal.

Yep, those "welfare recipients" are flat getting rich on the dole, huh?

Nationally, U.S. Representatives James McGovern and Jo Ann Emerson have posed the same challenge to all U.S. House members and citizens across the country.

The Food Stamp Challenge is part of a push to increase the value of the Food Stamp benefit as part of the 2007 Farm Bill, which Congress will begin debating at the end of this month. The Food Stamp program serves working families who simply don't earn enough to sustain themselves and their children.

To sign up for the challenge, visit http://srv.ezinedirector.net/?n=1704368&s=56544953.

See how you manage on just $1 a meal.

Where will you go to purchase your meals?

What will you buy? What will you eat?

Will you gain or lose weight?

How will you feel?

For millions of Americans food insecurity is a major challenge. As a nation, we should be doing better and we should be doing more to improve the life situation of our neighbors.

For more information about the Farm Bill and Food Stamps, visit http://srv.ezinedirector.net/?n=1704369&s=56544953.