All You Can Eat? How Hungry is America in Good Times ...

http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2009/02/recovery_animation.html

“It is insane, and morally bankrupt, for a nation with this much wealth to allow [hunger] to continue,” said Jim Weill, president of the Food Research and Action Center, at a Center for American Progress event Friday morning. At the event, CAP Policy Analyst Joy Moses led a panel discussion on the importance of a new U.S. commitment to end food insecurity and hunger for all Americans.

Panelist Joel Berg, executive director of the New York City Coalition Against Hunger and author of All You Can Eat: How Hungry is America?, noted that in 2007, more than 36.2 million Americans either did not have enough food or feared they would not have enough at some point during the year. “Hunger,” he said, “should be on the same level as what people thought about cholera, malaria, and yellow fever. These have all been eradicated with the government’s help.” Berg added that with the aid of the federal government, hunger can be eradicated in a few short years.

Federal programs have already made progress. The establishment of food safety net programs, or federal aid and entitlement packages aimed at assisting in the purchase of food for hungry families, has helped to stem the prevalence of starving children that once filled the streets in the early 20th century.

Today’s hunger problems require targeted assistance. “Current food insecurity,” Weill noted, “is often a choice between food and rent, or between food and health care.” As a result, policies focused on bolstering support for poor and working-class families will have the largest effect on hunger. Weill noted that hunger experts “almost unanimously agree we need to boost food stamp programs. Dollar for dollar, they have the best value.”

Congress has clearly taken note. The version of the recovery package recently passed by the House of Representatives includes $20 billion over two years for food stamp costs. These ...

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• american
• cap
• children
• congress
• economy
• food
• hunger
• obama
• poverty
• progress
• progressive
• recession
• stimulus

[madisonelectronic]

These four liberal do gooders seem very well fed. The first woman alone has had her fair share of chitlins and greens.

[pgguy3]

the us government is broke.. start growing potatoes and vegetables in your yard thats about all you can do and its near free

[Moondawg009]

nice video