For the past three weeks, I learned from The Associated Press, West Hartford’s own Sen. Jonathan Harris has been limiting his intake to what he can afford on Food Stamps.
Here’s what he said:
“On the spiritual side, when I did eat, I was more present,” said Connecticut state Sen. Jonathan Harris, D-West Hartford, who just finished three weeks on food stamp funds. “Usually I’m watching TV, shoveling things in, not thinking that I am blessed.”
Harris said he’s lucky to have a car to get to a grocery store and a kitchen in which to prepare food. And like {Oregon Gov.] Kulongoski will have to do, he had to resist the free goodies at state receptions and business lunches.
The experience has helped him as a policy maker, Harris said, in discussions such as whether to expand the earned-income tax credit in Connecticut.
“I personally felt how a few extra hundred dollars in the bank to supplement my nutrition would make a major difference in my life,” he said.
Now this is fascinating. I suggest we put the whole General Assembly on Food Stamps, and keep doing it for a few months. It’d be eye-opening, except for Fairfield County’s delegation, who would all cheat.
The West Hartford Blog 