Taking the Welfare Diet Challenge
Bif Naked is one of my favourite singers. She also has an incredible positive look on her life despite every bad thing she has been through including the breakup of her marriage and the worst of all her heath issues, cancer. Bif Naked, or Beth Torbert, is someone I think I would get along with very well if I knew her, notwithstanding some topics we might disagree on. Even though Beth may hold some views different than mine, I have never read or heard anything from her that I feel is self-righteous. Beth, as far as I can tell, says what she thinks, but leaves it to others make up their own minds. I agree with that. So, with that in mind, I decided to take Beth's challenge.
In 2014, Beth challenged the residents of British Columbia to try eating a "welfare diet" for one week. She did the same. What a "welfare diet" cost in BC was $21 per week for food. That isn't much for food. There is one thing Beth and I have in common: we are both former welfare recipients. I was on Ontario welfare for 5 years. That was 20 years ago, and I haven't been back in spite of more job lay offs than I can remember and continuing periods of long-term unemployment. I learned to survive without welfare. I am determined to live without welfare. I have started my "welfare diet" of only $20 per week, instead of $21. For $19.71 this is what I bought:
Light Flake Tuna: 170 grams (drained 120 grams) - 7 @ $0.99
Ketchup: 1 litre - 1 @ $2.00
Frozen Chopped Spinach: 300 grams (two portions in each package) - 7 @ $0.97
Pasta ("Tricolour" Rotini): 1.81 kilograms - 1 @ $3.99
That leaves me with $0.29 to add to my $20 food budget next week.
One might argue that it would be clear to anyone that this is not enough food to last one week, even for a single person like me. I can only speak for myself. It might be a challenge to make that food last, just like Beth probably intended to show; but the answer isn't adding more money to the welfare cheque. The answer is jobs for those who want to work because one can have a lot more than $20 - $21 for food each week by working. The more socialism we have, the less work there is for people, and the more money those working have to give up to those who are not working. The more capitalism we have, the better off everyone is.
Know that your place in life
Is where you want to be
Don’t let them tell you that
You owe it all to meLive for yourself, there’s no one else
More worth living for
Begging hands and bleeding hearts
Will only cry for more
© Trevor Dailey
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