This is really neat:

Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio) stood before the refrigerated section of the Safeway on Capitol Hill yesterday and looked longingly at the eggs.

At $1.29 for a half-dozen, he couldn't afford them.

Ryan and three other members of Congress have pledged to live for one week on $21 worth of food, the amount the average food stamp recipient receives in federal assistance. That's $3 a day or $1 a meal. They started yesterday.

It's a shame that only four Members were willing to try it, but it sure makes those four look pretty good. A tip of the hat to Jim McGovern, Jo Ann Emerson, Tim Ryan, and Jan Schakowsky.

Update: Ryan didn't make it the full week.