If you were to ask a child what she would like to do with her life, she is not going to say “I wanna be a politician.” Which is curious because so much of being a politician is playing dress-up and pretend, as children do. I’m referring here to when politicos look to rustle up some votes in the blue-collar bits of the country. They’ll button up the light-blue denim-ish shirt, maybe get photographed down at the floundering auto parts plant wearing a hard hat. You’ll recall our president dressed up like Tom Cruise in Top Gun and declared victory atop an aircraft carrier.
I was thinking about this brand of playacting when I read about the congresspeople (including Rep. Tim Ryan from my home state of Ohio) taking part in the Food Stamp Challenge by subsiding on $21 worth of groceries for one week, to show that, yes, it is difficult to a.) eat and b.) eat healthily on an allowance so meager (never mind that food stamps are meant only to defray the cost of food).
And when the week is up, the lawmakers will revert to their big-muffin breakfasts and special-interest catered hotel dinners while the poor will remain stuck in a neverending Food Stamp Challenge, among others. The Food Stamp Challenge participants have received a lot of press for their efforts, though I don’t believe they’re raising awareness of an issue; they’re raising awareness of themselves. I’d rather have my politicians well-fed so they’re alert enough to draft legislation or whatever it is they do when they’re not fretting over the price of a box of spaghetti.