Ex-Governor: I Tried, Failed to Live on Minimum Wage

Weeklong experiment collapsed by Thursday: Ted Strickland
By Matt Cantor,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 28, 2014 9:11 AM CDT
Ex-Governor: I Tried, Failed to Live on Minimum Wage
In this Dec. 20, 2010 file photo, Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland answers questions during an interview in Columbus, Ohio.   (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete, File)

Ohio's former governor is taking a stand in favor of raising the minimum wage—by living on it himself. Ted Strickland tried restricting his spending last week to the $77 the wage offers, and by Thursday, he failed, he writes at Politico. The experience involved skipping meals, turning to unhealthy food, and walking to meetings because he couldn't afford other transportation, he writes.

"When I actually caught a cold, I felt lucky to already have medicine at home that would help with the symptoms," Strickland notes. "Medicine, along with any other unexpected or additional expenses, often prevents the budget from stretching as far as it needs to stretch." But many in Washington don't realize that thanks to their insulated lifestyles, he writes. Strickland, a Democrat, is among officials and activists trying to "Live the Wage" and calling on members of Congress to do so, too, "before opposing an increase that would help millions of Americans who currently live in poverty." Click for his full piece. (More Ohio stories.)

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