Governor of Oregon tries out Food Stamps
In class we have been talking about welfare and problems with such social assistance programs. I found this article (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070425/ap_on_re_us/a_week_on_food_stamps) describing Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski's effort to show how these programs, including the use of Food Stamps, hardly provide for the basic needs of individuals. Guided by a former food stamp user, the governor went to the grocery store with only $21 to spend for himself for a week's worth of groceries. He quickly was steered away from more expensive organic foods that he usually goes for, like organic bananas, and even had to change from relatively cheap soup to cheaper cups of noodles. In the end, his selections ran over his $21, so he had to put a few items back.
Of course this is just a temporary situation and no one likes to think that people actually do live like this, but the reality is that it happens and to hope that this is not real for some people is to ignore the problem entirely. I like that the governor is doing this because not only is he personally getting a "wake-up" call to the state of our social assistance programs, but so are the public and hopefully the state and national politicians as well. Since the states are responsible for delegation of funds, it is up to local politicians to advocate for these programs. Individuals can make a difference. As college students, many of us know what it is like to have to budget expenses. This is something to remember and advocate for now and in the future when we have more stable incomes. This article was a little bothersome in that it shows how easy it is for our politicians to become removed from the daily life of the average U.S. resident. Like it says in the article, the governor didn't really have any idea how to budget his money or even how to go grocery shopping in that you can find deals and use coupons and such. Overall, I hope this experience encourages social assistance program reforms to better meet the basic needs of all people in the U.S.