Hunger in America

I would love some Americans to commit on this. Recently I heard on BBC radio
that 35 million Americans do not get enough to eat 1 million could be considered to be on a starvation diet. The comment was made that it was ironic this was the case considering over eating was a major health issue in America. Unfortunately I cannot quote the source for this research as I was driving at the time. If this is true surely in any civilized society the right to adequate nutrition should be our first human right followed by housing,education,free speech, etc.
If anybody knows of a link to this research please post it

I don't know the statistics, but there are many poor rural areas in the US in states like West Virginia, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee.

It is a stark contrast to the obesity found in all other areas of the country.

Any generalization has exceptions, but much of the obesity is the result of diets high in high fructose corn syrup, fast food take out, and TV and internet addict lifestyles.

Most americans aren't even aware of the hunger problem.

It is ironic, but the issues facing the poor rural americans are the same as in most countries, they tend to have large families, and are vulnerable to low paying jobs being sent to Korea, Farm crops going bust, doing dangerous jobs that kill you like coal mining, all the usual problems. They missed the tech boom, and the american economy is becoming more and more service based and less and less manufacturing based, so they are caught in a bind. They also suffer the most from our ridiculous health care system. All it takes is one sick family member, and they are toast. Property values also tend to remain flat, so the poor can't share in the home equity float the middle class is in. (maybe that's a good thing ?)


Americans just drive everywhere, and don't cook, so we are eating in our cars many times a week. I eat in my car 5 times a week minimum


My Irish cousin was here last week, he walked me to death ! It was a real eye opener

Here's a link to the story.

www.truthout.org...

Overall, 35.52 million people, including 12.63 million children, went hungry compared with 35.13 million in 2005. The survey was conducted in December 2006 and represented 294 million people, an increase of 2.5 million from 2005.

Food advocacy groups said the figures showed the United States was not doing enough to combat hunger, and feared conditions could worsen.

"As costs for food, energy, and housing continue to rise and wages stagnate or decline, households are finding themselves increasingly strapped," said Jim Weill, president of the Food Research and Action Center. "This may mean even worse numbers in 2007."

How is it it goes?

Land of the free, land of plenty, home of the brave?

I hope at least the last part still rings true, and you'll soon do something about it.


[edit on 21/11/2007 by khunmoon]

In my previous incarnation (LOL - before the job I currently have!) I was an investigator for a state agency. I made frequent visits to people's homes. I was shocked, on a daily basis, to see how poorly many people live in the wealthiest nation on Earth.

I'm talking no food, few clothes and children sleeping on the floor because there is hardly any furniture in the house. Many, many cases like this. Desperation and poverty in this country is very well hidden. We look away. It makes us uncomfortable. There is a HUGE gap between the haves and the have-nots but we aren't supposed to talk about it. If we do, we blame the have-nots for their lack of responsibility or ambition.

What most of America does not understand is that if a person is BORN into poverty the cards are stacked against them. No one around them sets a good example. Education is not emphasized. Simply living day-to-day is a struggle so aspiring to anything more is a huge expectation often never achieved.

On this Thanksgiving, I urge everyone to be genuinely grateful for all of your blessings, comforts and resources. Because, as silly as it may sound, regardless of what else is happening in your life, at the very least, you have the money to afford internet access. If you were homeless or starving, logging on to ATS would be the least of your concerns.

[edit on 21/11/07 by kosmicjack]

I remember a thread by Dgtempe that was about poverty in America, this was perhaps more than a year old.

It is interesting to point out that many of the poor in the south is the growing illegal immigrants that has move to the area.

I worked with immigrant children while I was in the school system and this group in the population will never make it to the statistics because their illegal status.

But yes poverty is still a problem in America the land of the plenty and the free.

With the housing crash and credit crunch and inflation we may see the number getting bigger.

Well -

poverty and hunger exists in every country, am I not correct? Especially when the population is getting out of control.

reply to post by TheoOne


Yes, hunger does exist in every country and that is a damn shame. But, the title of the thread is "Hunger in America".

"...population is getting out of control" - Nice. Maybe you should join the Illuminati. Happy Thanksgiving.

www.gardenharvest.org...

The report also takes a closer look at who is likely to be food insecure. Food insecurity rates were double the national average among African-Americans and Hispanics -- 22 percent for African-American and 21.7 percent for Hispanic households. Central cities and rural areas had more households with food insecurity than other areas, at 14.4 percent and 11.6 percent respectively. Six states had food insecurity rates of more than 14 percent of their households -- Utah, Texas, Mississippi, Arkansas, New Mexico and Oklahoma

Hope I did this right (my first time).

I don't know why people think the southern states have the most poverty and hunger. Georgia is not the backward and ignorant state some people think it is.

Most people that are hungry in the US is due to pure sorriness. Many people are too lazy to go to food banks or apply for assistance.

I have found that hunger usually coincides with ignorance of available food sources and cultural blocks towards the same. Living in a semi-rural environment provides me with ample food sources that might not be available to many but are also repugnant to most. Americans will curl up their nose at the thought of eating rat, grubs or grasshoppers. But these foods are considered a delicacy in many parts of the world. Wild edible plants are very abundant in even the most urban of environments. Everything from dandelions to cattails are available. Even the ugly pond scum is edible and with the mix of small plankton like animals is very nutritious.[by the way it taste somewhat like raw pumpkin when boiled.]However we have been conditioned to believe that if it isn't prepackaged and comes in a USDA approved box it is not fit for human consumption. We live in a land of plenty we just don't know it.
respectfully
reluctantpawn

Originally posted by TheoOne
Well -

poverty and hunger exists in every country, am I not correct? Especially when the population is getting out of control.

if you read ATS, the US is poor, obese, a police state full of sheeple, and evil satanists

maybe all the haters should focus on their own countries. I'm sure I could google things about the UK, australia, canada that would be ironic and not in line with lyrics from their national anthem

?????

I'm lost.

How am I hating? Would you like me to explain / elaborate further? If you're saying I should join illuminati, then perhaps I should do so. Clearly, you're implying like they know what they're talking about than you do. OK, I'll try to school you. The poverty and hunger is obviously not new. When the population gets out of control, it can lead to difficult situations and problems. It's a thought of my opinion and once again, I thought I'd mention something different and in general. Sure, I can explain more but first, would you kindly please stop getting your feelings hurt without knowing what I'm talking about?

Happy Thanksgiving to you too.

[edit on 22-11-2007 by TheoOne]

just ignore that idiot. the guy's a troll

Originally posted by NegativeBeef
just ignore that idiot. the guy's a troll

reply to post by pandy


Uh Housing is not a right. Nor is education.

If someone in the U.S. is hungry, it is their own fault.

New York hunger levels 'rising'



Don't know how many edible plants they'll find on the lower Eastside.

1. Half the world — nearly three billion people — live on less than two dollars a day. source 1
2. The GDP (Gross Domestic Product) of the poorest 48 nations (i.e. a quarter of the world’s countries) is less than the wealth of the world’s three richest people combined. source 2
3. Nearly a billion people entered the 21st century unable to read a book or sign their names. source 3
4. Less than one per cent of what the world spent every year on weapons was needed to put every child into school by the year 2000 and yet it didn't happen. source 4
5. 51 percent of the world’s 100 hundred wealthiest bodies are corporations. source 5
6. The wealthiest nation on Earth has the widest gap between rich and poor of any industrialized nation. source 6

www.globalissues.org...

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[edit on 22-11-2007 by Duzey]

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[edit on 22-11-2007 by Duzey]

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[edit on 22-11-2007 by Duzey]

We have the same problem here in Canada. Alot of people are convinced that this is one of the biggest conspiracies yet. As i have made more money in my career i find myself eating much healthier. I remember when i started back on my own which is only a few years ago, i remember 150 bucks feeding me for almost a month. Now aside from the fact that it wasnt much, i was overweight. now that i spend anywhere from 200-300 i am much healthier. All the no good, high fat foods are the cheapest, while all the healthy, vitamin enriched, low fat, low calorie foods cost an arm and a leg. Unhealthy people means more money spent on healthcare, perscriptions and whatnot. Not to mention all the companies preying on overweight people with miracle diets and wacky excercise programs. As for not having enough to eat i don't think that is the problem. There are alot of scientists that are saying we eat too much and that people who eat smaller meals or less meals actually live longer providing their meals are healthy. I dont have any links but i bet you can find theories like that by searching. So if not quantity then what? Yes i do believe people should have easier access to healthier foods unfortuanately social assistance programs refuse to give more money due to the large number of people who rip off the system. It is true what they say about a few bad apples spoiling the bunch.

£20 ($40) could feed me quite easily for a week ... and healthily too. Fruit & vegetables by the bucketload, lean meat, poultry & fish, home made soups and bread. But most people don't shop like that ... & they don't actually prepare & cook food as maybe their Grandma did. For most folk it's got to be in a packet and slapped into the microwave. Or bought from a fast food outlet. Not very healthy options. And expensive too.

When we visited Florida in July, no offence to any Floridians on here, but most of the natives looked like they'd eaten someone else.

35 million folks going hungry ? "I just don't believe it."