[dragonwriter]

> Unless someone is starving, spending more on food as income rises is discretionary

It's also not discretionary if at lower income levels they receive a greater share of direct food aid that isn't counted in their spending because they never exchange money or a money-denominated voucher for it.

> As someone who ate well on minimum wage, you’re not going to convince me low-income families can’t afford food in America if they’re properly budgeting.

Many of the poor:

(1) Aren't able to find work (and may not be able to work; permanent disability is a thing, and positively correlated with poverty),

(2) May not work find full time work when they work, and

(3) May be supporting non-working (and unable for age or other reasons to work) dependents on their part-time, intermittent, minimum wage income.