Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, along with other members of Congress, have taken the ‘Live the Wage Challenge’ this week, having to spend just $77 on groceries – presumably what is left over from a minimum wage worker’s paycheck after taxes and housing have been paid.
Schakowsky tweeted a picture of the menu of food items she is forced to endure during a challenge that she’s not supposed to win. After all, if you win a challenge to live on $77/week, then you’re effectively proving that the minimum wage is a workable number.
The results were truly horrifying.
My #LiveTheWage menu for the week. pic.twitter.com/fi2BbY4ooE
— Jan Schakowsky (@janschakowsky) July 24, 2014
I mean, come on … low income workers have to eat tuna salad? Chicken and rice? *Gasp* hot dogs?!
To help emphasize the hardships of Schakowsky’s living wage menu, we’ve included these graphic pictures of a portion of the menu. Please avert your eyes if your stomach is easily turned…
There is of course, one fatal flaw in the Schakowsky menu – the sweet potato. Potatoes you see, are strictly verboten when it comes to First Lady Michelle Obama’s healthy food reforms for low-income families utilizing the Women, Infants and Children program, known as WIC.
In a New York Times op-ed, Michelle Obama wrote about the House of Representatives considering a bill that would add potatoes to the list of items women can purchase using WIC dollars:
Now, there is nothing wrong with potatoes. The problem is that many women and children already consume enough potatoes and not enough of the nutrient-dense fruits and vegetables they need. That’s why the Institute of Medicine — the nonpartisan, scientific body that advises on the standards for WIC — has said that potatoes should not be part of the WIC program.
Didn’t Schakowsky clear this menu with White House before posting it?
They are only doing this with necessities and food. Wonder what would they do on that budget if for example the transmission went out on their ONLY car… or their hot water heater went out on their home.
You guys can rip on a politician all you like, but wake up and smell the reality. Since I moved to Indiana 2 years ago, all I’ve been able to find is minimum wage jobs, despite spending 3 months last summer, 3 months last winter, and the past month looking for a better job. Last winter, I was paying 125 in rent/week, electric bills clearing $150, and a gas bill at or near the same. All while making a whopping $240-$250 dollars per week net. That doesn’t include insurance or gasoline. You guys do the math, and try living like that for a while, and see if your attitude doesn’t change. When I had weeks when I couldn’t spend more than $15/week on groceries, that menu looks pretty high end for me. Try living on PBJ, rice, tenderloins & cereal for a while. This while working for a company making billions every year.
Wait, SWEET potatoes are very nutrient dense. They are enormously different from white potatoes and are one of the best things you can put into your body (carb/glycemic levels notwithstanding) from a nutritional standpoint. Now, granted, they are high carb, so maybe not so much if you’re overweight or diabetic, but still…
Maybe I’m being too logical here, but may I ask why it is that people are attempting to raise families while making the minimum wage? If, at this point in your life you have only garnered the skills to perform a job that pays minimum wage, then don’t start a family. I know, that’s asking a bit much for the “me me” generation to delay gratification until it can be afforded. But I am personally sick and tired of working to support a bunch of deadbeats.
Maybe I’m being too logical here, but may I ask why it is that people are attempting to raise families while making the minimum wage? If, at this point in your life you have only garnered the skills to perform a job that pays minimum wage, then don’t start a family. I know, that’s asking a bit much for the “me me” generation to delay gratification until it can be afforded. But I am personally sick and tired of working to support a bunch of deadbeats.
I live on Social Security with no food stamps and I eat healthy by making home made soups, casseroles and other things and the food is healthy and good. That woman is used to a big paycheck and able to buy steak and lobster so what if she has to eat cheap for a week.
If the minimum wage is raised to what the Democrats want it to be raised to how many jobs will be lost and home many more people will be on food stamps? The Democrats are destroying this country slowly and if people would shop right, buy good healthy food they would slow down on the over weight people Moo is so concerned about, and if they gave up the junk food and fatty food they could eat healthy and lose weight at the same time.
I thought the menu looked good. My wife and I eat most of the same things on it. We cook from scratch and have a garden. We ‘put up’ things in the summer that we eat all year long. Especially tomatoes, beans, corn, and root vegetables. Really extends our budget for food. Never been on assistance and hopefully never will be. We are both retired after working and studying very hard and receiving good pay. Saved as much as we could for retirement. It has paid off.
Her menu could use some adjusting, I cook from scratch mostly, except for the ramen noodles, and I actually like those, I just went to the store today, and only spent $66.47 for a week, a few homegrown tomato’s and peppers made a great chicken salad sand. and I don’t even get any assistance.
All of the low wage earners I see have Food Credit Cards paid for by you, the American Taxpayer. What a Crock of Poop!
Having been brought up in the “great depression” that food sounds like a banquet.
When I lived as part of a family, Mothers stayed home and were homemakers and raised the children…..and fathers were the breadwinners. Those were really happy days…..even though we lived through WWII with our rationing and Victory Gardens.
When we had children ourselves we only had “pop” on vacations and special occasions. We might have had deserts on weekends but we did have milk, vegetables, meat and fish…..along with cereals and fruits. Few were overweight those days and we seldom visited the doctor except for exams to allow the children to participate in organized sports.
Those too were happy days, and can’t remember anyone feeling deprived or jealous.
That food is not that bad! Growing up in a large family, who, by the way was never on food stamps, we disn’t as well as Ms. Schkowsky! But, we had breakfast which consisted of cereal during the week and a special treat of pancakeswaffles on the weekend. Lunch consisted of a bolgna/peanut butter & jelly during the week and tomato soup over toast or pb&j on Saturday and no lunch on Sunday as we had early dinner always on Sunday. We did not buy school lunch as it was too expensive as there were six of us in school at the same time! We would have a couple cookies with our lunch and fruit sometimes and milk @ school as it was 3 cents a carton! The only time we had ice cream was for Birthdays unless us kids on our own made extra money and then we could buy our own treats! Dinners always consisted of some type of potato/pasta, a vegetable and some type of meat. We only had salad on Sundays. The problem today is too many lazy people who don’t want to cook as it is easier to buy frozen meals which are more expensive, or eat at fast food places which is also expensive, especially, if you have a large family! i say to help this situation, every family that is on food stamps should be required to take clsses in food preparation and grocery shopping!
That food is not that bad! Growing up in a large family, who, by the way was never on food stamps, we disn’t as well as Ms. Schkowsky! But, we had breakfast which consisted of cereal during the week and a special treat of pancakeswaffles on the weekend. Lunch consisted of a bolgna/peanut butter & jelly during the week and tomato soup over toast or pb&j on Saturday and no lunch on Sunday as we had early dinner always on Sunday. We did not buy school lunch as it was too expensive as there were six of us in school at the same time! We would have a couple cookies with our lunch and fruit sometimes and milk @ school as it was 3 cents a carton! The only time we had ice cream was for Birthdays unless us kids on our own made extra money and then we could buy our own treats! Dinners always consisted of some type of potato/pasta, a vegetable and some type of meat. We only had salad on Sundays. The problem today is too many lazy people who don’t want to cook as it is easier to buy frozen meals which are more expensive, or eat at fast food places which is also expensive, especially, if you have a large family! i say to help this situation, every family that is on food stamps should be required to take clsses in food preparation and grocery shopping!
Ahhh…you remember 3 cent milk also?? :-)
I totally agree with you! I remember when people had to make due with what they could afford and that meant you had to cook!! Most people don’t know how to cook and how to build a meal from scratch anymore! Kudos to you for your insight!
Rusty: You said” There is of course, one fatal flaw in the Schakowsky menu – the sweet potato. Potatoes you see, are strictly verboten when it comes to First Lady Michelle Obama’s healthy food reforms for low-income families utilizing the Women, Infants and Children program, known as WIC.”
The Sweet Potato is different than a regular potato. If it full of nutrients and not as starchy as a white potato. Although I disagree with Michelle too because there is nothing wrong with eating potatoes. It is they way it is prepared or all the toppings that makes a potato high calorie and bad for you. Much like a lot of foods we eat.
I can’t wait till Obummer and his wife go away.
What? No breakfast caviar
Post an article of RINO PAUL RYAN”S menu…if he has one.
I would have never thought that THE POLITICAL INSIDER would have stooped to the standards of the lame stream media. I am not a Democrat, and I don’t support most of their ideals. This article is SO misleading, that if you go to Jan Schakowsky twitter post, and see “the rest of the story” you will see she is merely showing people what her menu is, and she is doing this in support of #raisethewage campaign she is promoting. She made NO MENTION of gruesome foods, or BEING FORCE to eat it. That was the discretion the the clever article writer Rusty Weiss. Shame that he has to stoop to such tactics for people to read his garbage.