Two Great Daily Kos Diaries for Two Americas...Happy THanksGiving !

[Catchawave]

Happy Thanksgiving to All; what Edwards will do for the hungry
by JeremiahFP
Thu Nov 22, 2007 at 09:08:37 AM EST

First, I want to apologize for what is going to be a hit and run diary. I've got to go to my girlfriend's Mom's house in a little bit to enjoy Thanksgiving, so I'm under pressure to be on my best manners.

As I enjoy Turkey and football, the sad reality is that 35.5 million Americans went hungry last year -- too many of them are children.

John Edwards speaks for me when he says:

I think we have a moral responsibility as a country to stand up and take action to where no man, woman or child in this country should feel hungry.

Quick note for those who don't read the whole diary: John Edwards Queens OneCorps and Democracy for New York City (local affiliate of DFA) will be going to a soup kitchen in a couple weeks. It's just a drop in the bucket, but every little bit helps. If you're a New Yorker and interested in joining us, you can get details by joining OneCorps, DFNYC, or sending me a personal email ([e-mail] (no spam please)). Or just go on your own -- it takes all of us to build a better America.

JeremiahFP's diary :: ::

The fact that children starve in America is a crime. And it is nice that people go to foodbanks and donate; it shows our spirit and generosity. But, as Martin Luther King said:

True compassion is more than flinging a coin to a beggar; it is not haphazard and superficial. It comes to see that an edifice which produces beggars needs restructuring. A true revolution of values will soon look uneasily on the glaring contrast of poverty and wealth. . . . A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death.

The curse of poverty has no justification in our age. The time has come for us to civilise ourselves by the total, direct and immediate abolition of poverty.

40 years later, it's time to get serious about fulfilling Doctor King's dream. We need presidential leadership on this issue. John has a 6 part plan to immediately address hunger.

Implement the Farm Bill -- which Republicans filibustered -- because it contains a food stamp program and emergency help for food banks.
Enroll more families in the food stamp program and expand eligibility.
Fund programs to feed low-income kids at school.
Strengthen food programs for seniors, such as Meals-on-Wheels.
Provide low- or no interest loans to weatherize homes and provide help paying for high heating bills.
Lure supermarkets into neighborhoods that don't have them
I'd love to editorialize more, but John is much more eloquent than me. Here is his statement:

This week, as families across the country gather together to celebrate Thanksgiving, we are reminded once again of the sad fact that millions of American families still go hungry.

President Bush should be ashamed that in the wealthiest county in the world, millions of hard working families can't afford to put food on the table. In the America we believe in, our president does not look the other way as children and families go hungry.

Over this president's term, we have seen the costs of fuel, housing and health care skyrocket, so it should be no surprise that 35.5 million people in America went hungry – up from 33.2 million in 2000.

Now, as more families are forced to turn to food banks for help, government assistance has decreased and food banks have seen a decrease in donations, resulting in unprecedented shortages and forcing food banks to cut portions and turn away families in need.

America is better than this. We simply cannot stand by while tens of millions of our fellow citizens go without the necessities of life. It is our moral obligation to build One America, to end poverty and take steps to secure and strengthen the middle class. We must stand up to the corrupt insiders and corporate interests that control Washington so we can pass universal health care, raise the minimum wage, strengthen unions and take other steps to make the everyday lives of hard-working Americans better.....more at linky....http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/11/22/83936/139

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37 Million Americans in Hunger and the MSM Doesn't Effing Care
by AJ WI
Thu Nov 22, 2007 at 10:29:01 AM EST

I had the opportunity as a blogger yesterday to sit in on a conference call by John Edwards about his plan to address hunger and food insecurity in America, which just last week was reported to have affected 37 million Americans including 13 million children. John Edwards conducted the conference call himself, not some one from the Edwards campaign mind you, an indication of the priority the candidate puts on this issue.

I found the six point program, which was ably laid out by TomP yesterday, forward thinking and impressive. And I'll get to my take on the plan in a bit, but what most struck me was the absolute and total apathy by the soul dead wretches in the media. Given an opportunity to ask questions about a serious plan to address pain and suffering of 37 million Americans, they had not one question about it.

AJ WI's diary :: ::

They had questions, of course, but entirely and completely about the horse race. Not one of the overpaid corporate stenographers could even muster the concern about their fellow Americans to feign interest in hunger or poverty. They didn't even care about costs. They couldn't manage the skepticism, or perhaps knowledge, to query the candidate about the plan's effectiveness.

I am a political junkie of the first order, but it's because I care what the actual results will be for my country and the world. These guys and gals are clock punching corporate climbers covering a diverting little sports event.

And, of course, it is a bleeding shame, because the problem is real for far too many American's especially at a time of rising food and energy prices and stagnant wages, and because Edwards's proposals were damn good ones IMO.

I was struck by the emphasis Edwards put on the Farm Bill, which is absolutely correct since it's a huge bill the greatly affect the price every American pays for food. Specifically, he emphasized the need to increase the nutrition portion of the bill:


The nutrition programs in the Farm Bill are critical to increasing food security in America. Just two programs – food stamps and the Emergency Food Assistance Program for food banks – help about 25 million Americans a year each. Unfortunately, federal funding has not kept pace with growing need and rising costs. Last week, Senate Republicans used a filibuster to block the farm bill, sending Congress home for Thanksgiving without helping overtaxed food banks or hungry families. Edwards believes that Congress should quickly pass a strong and fair farm bill with robust funding for federal nutrition programs and President Bush should sign it.

The last program last part of the Edwards program particularly interested me as some one who's worked with the Community Reinvestment Act. Edwards proposes a public private partnership to map access to grocery stores and food banks in the country and set up programs to help under served areas. This is one of the more innovative ideas I've seen given the inequities of nutrition access in poor and rural areas and the tremendous effect that can have on nutrition and the cost of food......more at linky...http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/11/22/9237/7616

[smokey nj]

1. Thanks, catchawave!

Happy Thanksgiving!

[asdjrocky]

2. Thanks Wave!