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Hunger in America
Hunger in America -- Posted by tigerlilly@privacy.net.org.com on 05-27-05 21:10
Published on Friday, December 10, 2004 by CommonDreams.org
Hunger in America
by Anuradha Mittal
December 10, 2004 marks the 56th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights (UDHR), which established universal standards and aspirations for
human dignity. Inspired by the belief that human dignity requires freedom of
expression and freedom from poverty and hunger, the UDHR proclaimed the
interdependence and indivisibility of civil-political and economic-social human
rights. Regrettably, 56 years later, original commitment to human rights
interdependence remains in rhetoric only. The U.S. is no different.
Today, as the U.S. integrates the language of "human rights" into international
diplomacy and politics, it continues to spurn social and economic human rights
guaranteed by the UDHR. The United States faces a hidden epidemic. It is
striking Americans of every age group and ethnicity, whether they live in cities
or rural areas. And despite the diversity of targets, those suffering in this
silent epidemic have two things in common: they are poor or low-income, and they
are increasingly going without enough food.
Although politicians talk about "poverty in America", decision-makers avoid
specifically mentioning the growing, and often deadly problem of hunger. George
McGovern said in 1972, "To admit the existence of hunger in America is to
confess that we have failed in meeting the most sensitive and painful of human
needs. To admit the existence of widespread hunger is to cast doubt on the
efficacy of our whole system." Three decades later, evidence indicates that the
existing system is failing a vast number of Americans.
A look at the United States reveals a wide gap between the goal of universal
access to adequate nutrition, and the reality of hunger that plagues millions in
this country alone. The number of hungry people in the United States is greater
now than it was when international leaders set hunger-cutting goals at the 1996
World Food Summit. The pledges by United States government leaders to cut the
number of Americans living in hunger-from 30.4 million to 15.2 million by 2010-
are lagging behind. An estimated 35 million Americans are food insecure with
food insecurity and the necessity of food stamps being experienced by at least 4
in 10 Americans between the ages of 20 and 65. That's 50% of Americans!
Meanwhile, the already burdened food safety-net program which was designed to
alleviate hunger and food insecurity is under attack by the threat of reduction
of funding and ease of enrollment by policy makers. With food expenses being the
most elastic part of a family's budget, as limited funds usually get allocated
to fixed payments first, such as rent and utilities, food purchasing has become
the most compromised portion of the average family's budget. So far in 2004, 35%
of Americans have had to choose between food and rent, while 28% had to choose
between medical care and food. While others, forced to stretch their budgets
further and further, are buying less expensive but often less nutritious food.
The problem is even worse in low-income neighborhoods and inner city areas which
face food redlining. The majority of low income/minority neighborhoods do not
have enough supermarkets to serve the entire community effectively. Therefore,
these communities generally meet their food needs at smaller, more expensive
corner stores, especially at liquor/convenience marts that tend to provide less
nutritious foods and very few if any fresh produce. For example, While 3
companies control 57 percent of the huge food retail market in California, West
Oakland, with 32,000 residents and a 60 percent unemployment rate has only one
supermarket compared to 40 liquor and convenience stores. And the price of food
in these stores is almost 30 to 100 percent higher than the price in the grocery
store!
The most vulnerable - the children, immigrants, rural families - are worst
affected by this epidemic. Despite evidence that hunger causes chronic disease
development and impaired psychological and cognitive functioning in children, an
estimated 13 million children are living in households that are forced to skip
meals or eat less due to economic constraints. The worst affected are children
of 6 million of America's undocumented immigrants: on a daily basis they go
without such necessities as milk and meat. Tulare County in California, the
number two county in the nation for agricultural production, is one of the
hungriest and poorest areas of California. Many of the county's towns (Alpaugh,
Earlimart, Plainview, Woodville, etc.) host mainly Hispanic farm-laborer
families who have come to America for a better life, but have found that their
employment to put cheap produce on America's and the world's tables has left
them starving amidst the bounty. These families suffer from the worst economic
and social injustices as they live in lean-tos made of plastic or cardboard,
dilapidated trailers, wood shacks, caves and even parking lots and yet are
surrounded by grape fields, orange and peach groves.
While this kind of hunger rarely makes the evening news, it is just as deadly.
The challenge before us is to question what is the business case for Bush
signing the $400 billion spending bill in August 2004 that will largely go to
military efforts in Iraq And Afghanistan and strengthening of missile defense
program, while millions starve. The Bush administration has already spent $150
billion on the war in Iraq - three times the original estimate. The United
States already accounts for nearly half of the world's military spending. This
means that the U.S. spends on defense nearly as much as the rest of the world
combined. Military spending increased from $296 billion in 1997 to $397 billion
in 2003 and the projected budget of 2005 includes an estimated $1.15 million a
day or $11,000 a second on defense spending. Compare that with what is spent on
a child/year for anti-hunger or poverty programs.
It is going to be a grim holiday season for millions this year. The UDHR
committed our government to provide a standard of living adequate for the health
and well-being of every one. This included commitments to respect, protect,
facilitate and fulfill the right to food, clothing, housing, medical care, and
necessary social services in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability or
old age. A widely supported statement at the time, the promises of the
declaration today seem outrageous to many in the age of "personal
responsibility." At the eve of UDHR's anniversary, it might be useful to ask:
What's more outrageous? A broad and sturdy safety net and living wage jobs for
all members of our society? Or our children growing up hungry and poor in the
richest country on earth?
Anuradha Mittal is the director of the Oakland Institute, a non-partisan think
tank utilizing research, analysis and advocacy to promote and ensure public
participation and fair debate on critical economic and social policy issues that
affect peoples' lives. (www.oaklandinstitute.org)
Re: Hunger in America -- Posted by dooberheim on 05-29-05 02:05
"Personal responsibility" is about learning to manage money and
establish life priorities. A lot of poor people don't do this well. A
lot more people would have a lot more food by simply not having cable
TV, doing without a car, and not drinking and buying drugs. I've seen
too much of this behavior to be sympathetic, and simply thowing more
money into welfare programs won't fix it.
DK
Re: Hunger in America -- Posted by Starvation on 05-29-05 10:13
On 29 May 2005 02:05:55 -0700, in alt.support.sleep-disorder "dooberheim"
wrote:
>"Personal responsibility" is about learning to manage money and
>establish life priorities. A lot of poor people don't do this well. A
>lot more people would have a lot more food by simply not having cable
>TV, doing without a car, and not drinking and buying drugs. I've seen
>too much of this behavior to be sympathetic, and simply thowing more
>money into welfare programs won't fix it.
>
>DK
Yes there are a lot of people who waste money on things like cable. But there
are also a lot of people who don't even own a tv let alone a car and they are
going hungry.
Re: Hunger in America -- Posted by Proconsul on 05-29-05 13:45
Starvation wrote:
>> On 29 May 2005 02:05:55 -0700, in alt.support.sleep-disorder
>> "dooberheim" wrote:
>>
>>> "Personal responsibility" is about learning to manage money and
>>> establish life priorities. A lot of poor people don't do this
>>> well. A lot more people would have a lot more food by simply not
>>> having cable TV, doing without a car, and not drinking and buying
>>> drugs. I've seen too much of this behavior to be sympathetic, and
>>> simply thowing more money into welfare programs won't fix it.
>>>
>>> DK
>>
>>
>> Yes there are a lot of people who waste money on things like cable.
>> But there are also a lot of people who don't even own a tv let alone
>> a car and they are going hungry.
Those folks might try getting a job and working for a living rather than
whining about the lack of "charity" from those who do....working for a
living would also allow them buy what other things they need/want without
others being asked/forced to pay for their laziness....!
Just in the city I live in, as is surely the case in most places, there are
so many "shelters", etc., passing out free food and lodging that no one goes
hungry unless they are too lazy to even mooch free meals.....
PC
Re: Hunger in America -- Posted by Chuck on 05-31-05 07:36
Proconsul wrote:
> Starvation wrote:
>
>>>On 29 May 2005 02:05:55 -0700, in alt.support.sleep-disorder
>>>"dooberheim" wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>>"Personal responsibility" is about learning to manage money and
>>>>establish life priorities. A lot of poor people don't do this
>>>>well. A lot more people would have a lot more food by simply not
>>>>having cable TV, doing without a car, and not drinking and buying
>>>>drugs. I've seen too much of this behavior to be sympathetic, and
>>>>simply thowing more money into welfare programs won't fix it.
>>>>
>>>>DK
>>>
>>>
>>>Yes there are a lot of people who waste money on things like cable.
>>>But there are also a lot of people who don't even own a tv let alone
>>>a car and they are going hungry.
>
>
> Those folks might try getting a job and working for a living rather than
> whining about the lack of "charity" from those who do....working for a
> living would also allow them buy what other things they need/want without
> others being asked/forced to pay for their laziness....!
>
> Just in the city I live in, as is surely the case in most places, there are
> so many "shelters", etc., passing out free food and lodging that no one goes
> hungry unless they are too lazy to even mooch free meals.....
>
> PC
>
>
Nice troll. Go back under your bridge, k? Thanks.
Re: Hunger in America -- Posted by Proconsul on 05-31-05 11:28
Chuck wrote:
>> Proconsul wrote:
>>> Starvation wrote:
>>>
>>>>> On 29 May 2005 02:05:55 -0700, in alt.support.sleep-disorder
>>>>> "dooberheim" wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>> "Personal responsibility" is about learning to manage money and
>>>>>> establish life priorities. A lot of poor people don't do this
>>>>>> well. A lot more people would have a lot more food by simply not
>>>>>> having cable TV, doing without a car, and not drinking and buying
>>>>>> drugs. I've seen too much of this behavior to be sympathetic,
>>>>>> and simply thowing more money into welfare programs won't fix it.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> DK
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> Yes there are a lot of people who waste money on things like
>>>>> cable. But there are also a lot of people who don't even own a tv
>>>>> let alone a car and they are going hungry.
>>>
>>>
>>> Those folks might try getting a job and working for a living rather
>>> than whining about the lack of "charity" from those who
>>> do....working for a living would also allow them buy what other
>>> things they need/want without others being asked/forced to pay for
>>> their laziness....!
>>>
>>> Just in the city I live in, as is surely the case in most places,
>>> there are so many "shelters", etc., passing out free food and
>>> lodging that no one goes hungry unless they are too lazy to even
>>> mooch free meals.....
>>>
>>> PC
>>>
>>>
>> Nice troll. Go back under your bridge, k? Thanks.
Does the truth bother you that much?....:)
Too bad you had/have nothing of substance to add to the discussion......
PC
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