The politicians failed at being (pretend) poor with “monopoly money”

Damn! That says a lot of the people whom are to be leaders of our area.

There’s a article in the Buffalo News about living on $2.95 a day. The challenge was presented to a few politicians for two days… and they failed.

The “poverty challenge” was put forward by the Homeless Alliance of Western New York, which earlier in the week called on community leaders and lawmakers to join in solidarity with the 30 percent of Buffalo residents who live at or below the federal poverty line of $866 (or $1,466 for a family of three) in income per month.

A realistic approach to stretching a dollar would have been for them to be poverty-stricken for a full month. A full billing cycle of rent, gas, electric, phone, internet, cable, food, credit cards, auto & health insurances. Now add in a couple of kids.

During the challenge, LoCurto gave up cable television and the Internet, saving about $2.48 against his budget. But he continued to use his cell phone, drove to work and maintained his health insurance.

“That left me with a budget for the day of negative 82 cents, before I started eating,” said LoCurto, who represents the Delaware District. “I don’t function if I don’t have three meals a day, and they weren’t elaborate meals . . . What do you do if you have to buy a $4 bottle of Tylenol? You don’t have dinner that day?”

A realistic challenge would be for these politicians to actually have their paychecks reduced to the poverty level for the full effect of being the working class poor. When you play a game with monopoly money, you know it’s only a game. But when you’re looking at a real budget with real money and finding away at real survival of supporting a family…. it no longer becomes the thought of “let’s pretend you’re poor” it becomes you’re actually living in the poorer lifestyle. A lifestyle of which making ends meet is a daily struggle.

A further realistic “challenge” would be living as the working class poor for a full year, so when minimum wage is increased & an economic stimulus check is being issued by the government, you’ll see how the cost of living adjusts your budgeting for the year…. a budgeting of going without more because food prices jumped through the roof & utility rates are robbery in broad daylight. After 12 months you see you’re further behind.

The alliance developed the challenge to call more attention to poverty in the second-poorest large city in the country, according to U. S. Census Bureau data.

When a lesson is to be taught with monopoly money, nothing is ventured…. nothing is gained, and politicians are no less ignorant when it comes to living a poorer lifestyle. They lived it for 2 days and then went back to their richer living. I bet the $4 bottle of Tylenol doesn’t seem so expensive now, does it? No rules have been broken today by any politician because you drove your child to daycare.

The “fed-up” in me is saying the effects of lifting people out of poverty is more than playing pretend for two days, because for people who are struggling more than myself it’s more than 48 hours of budgeting bills and modes of transportation. It’s more than 48 hours of making smaller meals so your food supply lasts a little longer. More than 48 hours of opting not to buy a new pair of sneakers for your children because you don’t want the electric cut off in your home.

This poverty challenge was a failure before it began, because the poor are still poor and the politicians get to go home with their financial security still in tact. Thanks for playing the game though.