13%

[Trevorum]

Hey, this is Thanksgiving week! How many of you fellows know what you're going to have for dinner this Thursday? Turkey? Stuffing? Cranberries? Pumpkin Pie. Mmmm-mm! Makes me hungry just thinking about all those good things! I went to the grocery this last weekend and you should have seen all the folks buying turkeys! Almost everyone had a turkey in their basket. And there were some big ones too!

 

Yes, we all know what we're going to have for dinner on Thursday. Well, most of us ... a lot of us, anyway ... 87% of us to be exact. True fact; Government statistic. 87% of Americans know where their next meal is coming from. That's almost everybody. That's pretty good, I guess. Unless of course you happen to be in the 13% who don't know where their next meal is coming from. 13% doesn't seem like much, but in a country as big as ours, do you know how many people that is? That works out to be 38 million people. 38 million Americans who don't know where their next meal is coming from, much less what they might eat on Thanksgiving.

 

A lot of those people live right here in our town.

 

So, what are YOU going to do about that?

[fgoodwin]

I heard something very similar to this a couple of nites ago on NPR. That is really unfortunate that so many Americans go hungry -- makes this year's Scouting for Food drive even more important.

 

We (Scouting) can't solve world hunger -- but we can certainly help our neighbors.

[Trevorum]

Fred, I heard the same piece - that's where the 13% number comes from. Which reminds me - I need to mail in my NPR pledge!

[Proud Eagle]

I am really wondering about how exactly that statistic was developed. I don't doubt that the number of people who are faced with hunger or the possibility of hunger is in the millions in this country, but 13% seems a bit high. That is one out of every eight people. That means one member of every ideal 8 person patrol is threatend by hunger. That means 3 students out of an average elementary school class are threatened by hunger.

 

13% or one in eight people, is not in any way acceptable. I certainly hope that statistic is high. If not then we have some extremely serious problems.

[Trevorum]

Here's the link to the NPR article:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5018670

 

Summarizing, the Economic Research Service of the USDA conducted a survey in 2004 which indicates that 87% of Americans are considered "food secure". "They don't have to worry about where their next meal will come from."

 

The remaining 13% can't be sure they'll have enough money for food. That's 38 million Americans. The working poor. About a third of that group at times goes without eating. Thirty percent of Americans have faced a trade-off between food and medicine or medical care.

 

It's sobering.

[anarchist]

 

 

13% -and the compasionate conservatives in the "House" just cut more funds from the social safety net...just so in a few weeks they can pass a few more tax cuts so I can have a few more dollars next year ...and Dick Chaney's friends can have a few million more...sweet!

 

Is it just me... or do we have our priorities screwed up?

 

Anarchist

[cajuncody]

To people in my area the 13% may seem low. We are in an area where my children attend a "tittle 1" school. That means a high percentage of the students get free or reduced meals. I have taken my den out for pizza after an event and seen what they can eat and heard how they have never seen that much food before. When we collect for "Scouting for Food" I know several families in the pack that will be getting some of that food from the pantry. Maybe where you live it would be hard to think of one boy in each patrol being in the group that doesn't know where their next meal would come from but I can tell you that in my Bear den of 11 boys that I can think of atleast 5 that would have that problem.

Kristi

[acco40]

How many may not be secure in getting food on a regular basis? 13% seems about right.

 

How many don't know where their next meal will come from? I think it is more like 50%. With so many working single parents and families with two working parents and some with one working parent and one over volunteered Scouter - is the next meal coming from Little Caesars, McDonalds, Wendys, Boston Market, Subway, KFC, etc. is a question they face daily.

[EagleScout316]

That McDonalds, it's not real food. Just balls of meat and bread overcooked with grease. Yuck!

[GopherJudy]

Well as a single mom, my husband died in April 1997 & 2 children ages 11 & 9 it's not easy, especially when I lost my job back in April 2003. It took awhile but I had a job but only for a week, they said I was too slow. Personally, I think the person who was training me didn't like me for some reason. I found another job 2 months later & that lasted for 7 weeks, they let me go because I wasn't fast enough, it was A/P & very busy at times. I thought I was doing ok. I did find a job in January 2004 which lasted for 1 year. They let me go because I had gotten really sick over Christmas & missed about a week of work. I'm still trying to find work, I had to cash in my 401(k) from the job I had for 13 years - they were laying off a number of people.

 

I applied for Social Services at the end of August & every time I went there the waiting room was full. I filled out a lot of paperwork & had to give them copies of personal paperwork & it took 2 months before I was finally approved & received Food Stamps!!! My children & I had moved back in with my parents, who are retired & living on Social Security. The only money I have now is the money I receive from Social Security Survivor's Benefits for my 2 children. I receive the Food Stamps for 6 months! I guess I have to go a re-apply if I can't find a job.

 

Yes, I'm involved with Scouts, we do give a few cans for Scouting for Food because I'm sure that there are people whose situation is worse than mine. My parents help out a little & I only buy my kids clothes when they've really outgrown them & they're on sale.

 

I don't know why our government can't spend more money here in this country instead of sending it abroad. The people in this country need to be taken care of first.

 

Also, it's a shame that it takes around 2 months to be able to receive Food Stamps. It's a federal government program but to apply you need to go through your local Social Service agency.

 

I do know people who are working 2 jobs & struggling to eat & pay bills.

 

If I went off topic too much, please forgive me.

 

Judy

[Adrianvs]

Anarchist,

 

Political and economic systems are not quite as simple as you would like to believe. It seems quite paradoxical for a self-referred anarchist to have such a simple faith in government programs to solve societial problems. In any event, the relationship between tax cuts and tax revenues is not as simple and inverse as you may believe. Remember, too, that wealth and income are not the same thing as anyone who owns a nonincorporated small business or works for such an individual should know. In any event, the following article by economist Thomas Sowell may help to clarify the tax/revenue/income/wealth dynamic. It's a year old, but the economic structures it describes are relevant.

 

 

http://www.townhall.com/opinion/columns/thomassowell/2004/10/22/13423.html