In a different political era, Idaho legislators quit talking about poverty in the abstract and experienced it first-hand. Then, it was Sen. Cecil Ingram, R-Boise, and 30 of his fellow lawmakers who tried living on food stamps. For Ingram, it was an eye-opener. He found it nearly impossible to stretch the stipend across the month. The epiphany influenced his approach to social programs from then on. Which brings us to the minimum wage. In Idaho, it's $7.25 an hour, unchanged since 2007. Lawmakers could do more. They don't have to wait on President Obama's plan to boost the wage to $9 an hour. Nineteen states exceed the federal floor. At $9.19 an hour, Washington's rate is highest. Just for the sake of argument, what would happen if today's generation of Idaho lawmakers followed Ingram's example? If they tried to live on $7.25 an hour, what would they discover?/Marty Trillhaase, Lewiston Tribune. More here.

Question: Could you live on $7.25 per hour?