1 in 7 Americans Went Hungry in 2008

[BloodEclipse]

Highest Number since USDA Began Tracking Food Security Levels in 1995

More than one in seven American households struggled to put enough food on the table in 2008, the highest number since the U.S. Department of Agriculture began tracking food security levels in 1995.

That's 14.6 percent of U.S. households, or about 49 million people. The numbers are a significant increase from 2007, when 11.1 percent of U.S. households suffered from what USDA classifies as "food insecurity" — not having enough food for an active, healthy lifestyle.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said the numbers could be higher in 2009 because of the global economic slowdown.

"This report suggests its time for America to get very serious about food security and hunger," Vilsack told reporters during a conference call.


http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/11/16/national/main5673056.shtml?tag=stack

Contrast that with this:

Rising obesity will cost U.S. health care $344 billion a year
If Americans continue to pack on pounds, obesity will cost the USA about $344 billion in medical-related expenses by 2018, eating up about 21% of health-care spending, says the first analysis to estimate the future medical costs of excess weight.
These calculations are based on the projection that in 10 years 43% of Americans adults may be obese, which is roughly 30 or more pounds over a healthy weight, if obesity continues to rise at the current rate. Extra weight increases the risk of diabetes, heart disease and many types of cancer.
This report comes as the country struggles to find ways to curb medical costs and Congress debates health care legislation.

Rising obesity will cost U.S. health care $344 billion a year - USATODAY.com

I call

 

[Denny347]

Calling BS on the obesity problem or on the hunger problem? I can see it. We have lots of poor, hungry people. Those who are not hungry are WAY too fat. Obesity is a huge problem that causes all sorts of medical conditions that require drugs to control (outisde of losing the weight that is). We are become fat and sick as a country. It's sad.

 

[ihateiraq]

maybe wed be better off if 3 or 4 in seven went hungry on occasion?

 

[BloodEclipse]

Calling BS on the obesity problem or on the hunger problem? I can see it. We have lots of poor, hungry people. Those who are not hungry are WAY too fat. Obesity is a huge problem that causes all sorts of medical conditions that require drugs to control (outisde of losing the weight that is). We are become fat and sick as a country. It's sad.

I know of many dirt poor people, They don't go hungry. With the food banks and government assistance like welfare, wic and others they are anything but hungry. In fact most of them fall into the second category.

 

[jpo117]

It makes sense. Many people are too poor to buy enough food, and many more voluntarily eat garbage out of drive-thru windows. I don't know where the BS comes in.

 

[El Cazador]

Calling BS on the obesity problem or on the hunger problem? I can see it. We have lots of poor, hungry people. Those who are not hungry are WAY too fat. Obesity is a huge problem that causes all sorts of medical conditions that require drugs to control (outisde of losing the weight that is). We are become fat and sick as a country. It's sad.

We don't have a "hunger" problem in the US. The government pays farmers to keep fields fallow. How could we have a hunger problem if that happens? I've worked on homes where people are on food stamps and welfare, but they have cable TV, a cell phone, and the heat (or AC) turned up to unbelievable levels. The food I saw was convenience store stuff, empty calorie crap they spent a fortune on. Money spent on prepared, pre-packaged food that's outrageously expensive and nothing for quality foods like vegetables and staples that have to be actually prepared at home.

I don't really see a "hunger" problem as I see the welfare mentality, and a societal problem of a lot of lazy people playing the system that has given them enough to survive on for generations now. But you won't see a report on what the government enablers are doing to encourage and foster this "hunger" and overweight problem all at the same time.

Personally, I'd say if a bunch more were to actually go hungry for a while, both problems would solve themselves pretty quickly. You don't see very many fat people where there truly is a hunger problem.

 

[Denny347]

I know of many dirt poor people, They don't go hungry. With the food banks and government assistance like welfare, wic and others they are anything but hungry. In fact most of them fall into the second category.

You might be correct but I see every day the pure sqaulor that people and kids live in. I work the poorest/nastiest areas in the city. Sad thing is many are so used to it that they think it is normal. It is all they know and is all they ever will know. Its sad and gross at the same time.

 

[BloodEclipse]

You might be correct but I see every day the pure sqaulor that people and kids live in. I work the poorest/nastiest areas in the city. Sad thing is many are so used to it that they think it is normal. It is all they know and is all they ever will know. Its sad and gross at the same time.

They are victims of the programs which are supposed to be helping them.
The programs cause dependence just like a drug.
The programs kill motivation.
The programs are designed to keep them where they are and dependent while assuring their votes to those who run the programs.
Citizens not knowing they are being used by heartless politicians.

 

[El Cazador]

They are victims of the programs which are supposed to be helping them.
The programs cause dependence just like a drug.
The programs kill motivation.
The programs are designed to keep them where they are and dependent while assuring their votes to those who run the programs.
Citizens not knowing they are being used by heartless politicians.

I'll agree with everything except the citizens "not knowing". It's been my experience that most are fully aware of what's going on, and they think THEY are playing the politicians. It has to be de-sensitizing to both adults and children to be so callous and jaded. It's no wonder violent crime is up, along with personal crime. And, this cynicism isn't just relegated to one race. I see and hear plenty of people out here in rural areas saying the very same things I heard in the urban blighted areas.

 

[4sarge]

You might be correct but I see every day the pure sqaulor that people and kids live in. I work the poorest/nastiest areas in the city. Sad thing is many are so used to it that they think it is normal. It is all they know and is all they ever will know. Its sad and gross at the same time.

I feel for the children but in how many of those households are one or both parents, dopers, smokers, drinkers or gamble the money away. Government programs are there, along with the private sector. The ones that do not participate either have been removed for abusing the rules or do not want their drug habits exposed to child welfare. We read about these people and wonder where law enforcement or child welfare was when we find severely beaten, sexually abused, dead or children sold to continue their drug habit. I blame society for tolerating the abuse of these children by unfit parents. If these kids were dogs or cats swift justice would be forthcoming. Since, I've been there and done that I know it is not an easy problem for the street officer to deal with but continued government welfare programs are not the answer. We now have 5 generational welfare families where the family work heritage is government assistance via welfare.

 

[redneckmedic]

Sorry but this country has no idea what true poverty or hunger is.

Last I remember you were considered povert if you made less than 24K a year... WTF?!?

I have a very good friend who just lost his (college level) job. He is searching and applying like mad to find a new one. In the mean time he did apply for unemployment and food stamps. His 2 adult 2 child family was granted $700 in food stamps per month.

What is hunger and poor to us is just perspective.

 

[mrjarrell]

Well, the obvious answer is to take the food, or the money to buy the food, from people above a certain weight. I'm sure that could be included in "health care" reform bills.

 

[Fletch]

It is entirely possible to starve or go hungry in America. Just because the programs exist doesn't mean that people are aware of them, or are in a position to take advantage of them, or would be willing to if they were.

 

[inxs]

Does anybody personally know someone who is truly hungry in this country? Where are they?

 

[El Cazador]

It is entirely possible to starve or go hungry in America. Just because the programs exist doesn't mean that people are aware of them, or are in a position to take advantage of them, or would be willing to if they were.

Ignorance is no excuse in the United States. The government spends more than a small country's GDP on promoting their welfare programs. TV, radio, newsprint, posters, people going door to door offering government welfare, for goodness sake. There are signs in almost every grocery store, convenience store, doctor's office, church, library, synagogue and MOSQUE giving numerous ways to get in contact with a government program for aid.

And if they're not willing to take advantage of a program, even for just a short time to get back on their feet, then they can't complain about hunger or poverty. Like the Medic said, poverty and hunger in the USA is all about perception. Last time there was true hunger in the US was in the 30's and early 40's during the Depression and Dust Bowl days.

 

[Fletch]

Does anybody personally know someone who is truly hungry in this country? Where are they?

Because if we don't know them personally, they don't exist?

If I knew someone who was starving, they wouldn't be starving. I've personally taken people into my house to live, who had no way of making rent anymore and were looking at an extended loss of income.

I've also been at the point of being able to afford only a bag of rice and a bag of potatoes for the next 2 weeks, and hoping they'd last long enough and give me enough energy to keep working my part-time minimum wage job. It's not hard for me to imagine having less than that, and I have no idea what I would have done without the little I was bringing in at the time. I'm far better off now, of course, but I've been close enough to the bottom that I could see it from where I was standing. I have no doubt in my mind that there are/were people who saw the situation I was in, and thought about how fortunate I was.

 

[Fletch]

Ignorance is no excuse in the United States. The government spends more than a small country's GDP on promoting their welfare programs. TV, radio, newsprint, posters, people going door to door offering government welfare, for goodness sake. There are signs in almost every grocery store, convenience store, doctor's office, church, library, synagogue and MOSQUE giving numerous ways to get in contact with a government program for aid.

Depends on where you are. If you're in a decent-sized town, yeah... there's probably something. There are people living in the middle of nowhere though, who don't get served by these programs, don't know about them, and would have no way to get to the program if they did.

The poor are not the government's responsibility, they're our responsibility. The good folks of America have abdicated their duties in favor of letting someone else handle it, and it's sickening to see that we're so convinced the problem is "handled" that we won't even acknowledge the mere possibility that there is a problem any more.

ETA: I guess that last paragraph is really only addressed to fellow Christians.

 

[dburkhead]

Because if we don't know them personally, they don't exist?

If I knew someone who was starving, they wouldn't be starving. I've personally taken people into my house to live, who had no way of making rent anymore and were looking at an extended loss of income.

I've also been at the point of being able to afford only a bag of rice and a bag of potatoes for the next 2 weeks, and hoping they'd last long enough and give me enough energy to keep working my part-time minimum wage job. It's not hard for me to imagine having less than that, and I have no idea what I would have done without the little I was bringing in at the time. I'm far better off now, of course, but I've been close enough to the bottom that I could see it from where I was standing. I have no doubt in my mind that there are/were people who saw the situation I was in, and thought about how fortunate I was.

Flip side of that is that the talking heads claiming they exist does not mean that they actually exist--at least in significant numbers to amount to some kind of "crisis." And it certainly does not justify that "1 in seven" claim.

 

[Fletch]

Flip side of that is that the talking heads claiming they exist does not mean that they actually exist--at least in significant numbers to amount to some kind of "crisis." And it certainly does not justify that "1 in seven" claim.

Totally on board with you on that one. I'm not saying the article is right about the magnitude. What I am saying is that there are people who, for whatever reason, are not on the dole and not "making it".

 

[ATF Consumer]

Flip side of that is that the talking heads claiming they exist does not mean that they actually exist--at least in significant numbers to amount to some kind of "crisis." And it certainly does not justify that "1 in seven" claim.

Yep, I believe this hunger crisis is just as serious as the pandemic of H1N1 The sky is falling, didn't you know!