NO major industrialized nation of the world should have food shortages for its people!!
And that is whether or not the country is mainly capitalistic or socialistic. There is no such a thing as a purely capitalistic or socialistic country, but countries do lean in one direction or the other.
The US is a capitalist country that sometimes leans in a socialistic direction. And we are doing a far worse job of feeding our people than is the European Union which is generally socialistic, while sometimes leaning in the capitalistic direction.
And yes, we do have a far greater population than do the individual countries of the European Union, but the over all population of that Union is twice the population of the US (300+ million as opposed to 600+ million). Plus, almost all of the Northern European Union countries have a higher standard of living for its middle class (and that economic class is far greater than here in the US) than we in the US have. That is NOT being unpatriotic, it is just admitting the facts.
Perhaps instead of running down the European Union for being so socialistic, we might even be able to learn something from such people and governments, especially as socially they actually have even more freedom than we generally do.
They also have far fewer firearms in the hands of the general population than we do, and therefore have far fewer firearm related deaths and injuries than we do. So the NRA’s argument that even more firearms will make us safer, is just so much pure BULL!!
mikefive said, about 8 hours ago“The discarding of food does not cause starvation, but weather vagaries and tin pot dictator wanabes do.”…..AMEN.the USA government has a long record of sending foodstuff to foreign lands where hunger is at a high level….millions of Christians and others give regularly to organizations that have people and food to distribute in many nations….but too many evil government systems and leaders divert or waste what is sent, and the starving keep starving.
Many people in the U.S. are “starving” from malnutrition, and others because they can’t afford food. Most of the food thrown away in the U.S. is still edible, and THAT is one of the bigger issues.
The claim that there is enough food in the world to feed everyone, and that starvation is “purely politics” is not necessarily true, and is becoming less true very decade. “Miracle crops” have actually DESTROYED agriculture in many parts of the world, as native crops were eliminated, then the “miracle crops” with lower nutritional value, failed and died out.
It’s more complicated than just throwing away “good food”, and in the next century, it’s obvious now that global climate change, like “human designed” crops, will be another proof of human frailty.
Much of hunger in the USA is because restaurants, etc, are forbidden by either EPA/FDA/state laws/regulations from passing along their extras; or threat of civil suit if someone becomes ill after eating their leftovers. One local restaurant here used to take their leftovers to the homeless shelter an hour after closing, but had to stop when their insurance refused to cover them if they kept it up. Fear of tort lawyers. Let some homeless person get ill, even if it was not the restaurant food but some other stuff he ate after leaving it in his closet for a week, or if the shelter did not store or reheat it properly the next day, and some shyster lawyer would sue, knowing that the restaurant’s insurance company will settle for a reasonable amount (meaning the lawyer gets a decent fee – the lawyer could care less about the homeless) as it would cost less to settle rather than go to court.
Fix that first, then complain about wasted food. Did you know that if you give a homeless beggar a sandwich you just purchased from Subway five minutes before and he or she chokes or becomes ill, they can sue YOU? Remember the woman who put a disposable cup of hot coffee from the Golden Arches between her legs and drove off, then scalded herself, sued and WON? Inanities like that make restaurants, kitchens, etc say “no way”. Some states have protection for giving food to the homeless from commercial sources under criminal law, but even those cannot and do not prevent tort cases. Even if the shelter signs an agreement with the restaurant to hold them blameless, the individual “victim” can still sue.
If a homeless person (or a crackhead) stands outside a Super-Subby shop and the manager gives them a sandwich to just go away, and they choke on it, they can sue the shop.
I say so because it happened in a town near me about 20 years ago. The pizza and sub shop gave a well-known druggie/homeless guy a sandwich to go away. That was his M.O. – he would stand outside and scare away business by being large and loud and dirty and stinky until he was arrested (seldom, as the police did not want to pay for his hospitalization) or until he got a sandwich or a pizza or whatever just to go away. He choked somehow on the sandwich (or on something else), went to the ER, and found a shyster and sued the shop. Their insurance settled rather than go to court. You cannot tell your insurance company to fight, by the way.
ConserveGov over 11 years ago
Is “Trown” slang?
Chillbilly over 11 years ago
We also shit into potable water in the “developed” world.
frodo1008 over 11 years ago
NO major industrialized nation of the world should have food shortages for its people!!
And that is whether or not the country is mainly capitalistic or socialistic. There is no such a thing as a purely capitalistic or socialistic country, but countries do lean in one direction or the other.
The US is a capitalist country that sometimes leans in a socialistic direction. And we are doing a far worse job of feeding our people than is the European Union which is generally socialistic, while sometimes leaning in the capitalistic direction.
And yes, we do have a far greater population than do the individual countries of the European Union, but the over all population of that Union is twice the population of the US (300+ million as opposed to 600+ million). Plus, almost all of the Northern European Union countries have a higher standard of living for its middle class (and that economic class is far greater than here in the US) than we in the US have. That is NOT being unpatriotic, it is just admitting the facts.
Perhaps instead of running down the European Union for being so socialistic, we might even be able to learn something from such people and governments, especially as socially they actually have even more freedom than we generally do.
They also have far fewer firearms in the hands of the general population than we do, and therefore have far fewer firearm related deaths and injuries than we do. So the NRA’s argument that even more firearms will make us safer, is just so much pure BULL!!
STLDan over 11 years ago
So Ima just because you didnt finish the food on your plate it is bad? Wow you are a total idiot, and on daily basis, at least you’re consistant…
disgustedtaxpayer over 11 years ago
mikefive said, about 8 hours ago“The discarding of food does not cause starvation, but weather vagaries and tin pot dictator wanabes do.”…..AMEN.the USA government has a long record of sending foodstuff to foreign lands where hunger is at a high level….millions of Christians and others give regularly to organizations that have people and food to distribute in many nations….but too many evil government systems and leaders divert or waste what is sent, and the starving keep starving.
Dtroutma over 11 years ago
Many people in the U.S. are “starving” from malnutrition, and others because they can’t afford food. Most of the food thrown away in the U.S. is still edible, and THAT is one of the bigger issues.
The claim that there is enough food in the world to feed everyone, and that starvation is “purely politics” is not necessarily true, and is becoming less true very decade. “Miracle crops” have actually DESTROYED agriculture in many parts of the world, as native crops were eliminated, then the “miracle crops” with lower nutritional value, failed and died out.
It’s more complicated than just throwing away “good food”, and in the next century, it’s obvious now that global climate change, like “human designed” crops, will be another proof of human frailty.
Dtroutma over 11 years ago
Lorax. the intent of my comment, but didn’t finish out that thought completely- thanks.
hawgowar about 11 years ago
Much of hunger in the USA is because restaurants, etc, are forbidden by either EPA/FDA/state laws/regulations from passing along their extras; or threat of civil suit if someone becomes ill after eating their leftovers. One local restaurant here used to take their leftovers to the homeless shelter an hour after closing, but had to stop when their insurance refused to cover them if they kept it up. Fear of tort lawyers. Let some homeless person get ill, even if it was not the restaurant food but some other stuff he ate after leaving it in his closet for a week, or if the shelter did not store or reheat it properly the next day, and some shyster lawyer would sue, knowing that the restaurant’s insurance company will settle for a reasonable amount (meaning the lawyer gets a decent fee – the lawyer could care less about the homeless) as it would cost less to settle rather than go to court.
Fix that first, then complain about wasted food. Did you know that if you give a homeless beggar a sandwich you just purchased from Subway five minutes before and he or she chokes or becomes ill, they can sue YOU? Remember the woman who put a disposable cup of hot coffee from the Golden Arches between her legs and drove off, then scalded herself, sued and WON? Inanities like that make restaurants, kitchens, etc say “no way”. Some states have protection for giving food to the homeless from commercial sources under criminal law, but even those cannot and do not prevent tort cases. Even if the shelter signs an agreement with the restaurant to hold them blameless, the individual “victim” can still sue.
If a homeless person (or a crackhead) stands outside a Super-Subby shop and the manager gives them a sandwich to just go away, and they choke on it, they can sue the shop.
I say so because it happened in a town near me about 20 years ago. The pizza and sub shop gave a well-known druggie/homeless guy a sandwich to go away. That was his M.O. – he would stand outside and scare away business by being large and loud and dirty and stinky until he was arrested (seldom, as the police did not want to pay for his hospitalization) or until he got a sandwich or a pizza or whatever just to go away. He choked somehow on the sandwich (or on something else), went to the ER, and found a shyster and sued the shop. Their insurance settled rather than go to court. You cannot tell your insurance company to fight, by the way.