How much longer will let this happen?
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Every day brings conflicting—and dubious—updates on the "end of the recession." However, contrary to Wall Street euphoria, a study from the nation's largest food bank operator, "the number of Americans in need of food aid has jumped 46 percent in three years, including a 50 percent jump in the number of children needing food assistance, and a 64 percent increase in hunger in senior citizens' homes." The study reports:
"More than 46 percent of clients served report having to choose between paying for utilities or heating fuel and food; 39 percent said they had to choose between paying for rent or a mortgage and food; 34 percent report having to choose between paying for medical bills and food; and 35 percent must choose between transportation and food."
Every week, it seems another diet book hits the shelf while 70 percent of emergency food centers are reporting "one or more problems that threaten their ability to continue operating."
Running parallel to the hunger crisis is the still high rate of unemployment. "In the real world, " writes Shamus Cooke in ZNet, "the economy remains lifeless—over 10 million jobs remain lost. Those lucky enough to have jobs are working harder with longer hours, while wages and benefits are being downsized." Also being downsized is the dream of hope and change. Says Cooke:
"The core of Obama's 'bold plan' to create jobs does not create a single job. Rather, it encourages corporations to hire workers by giving them a variety of tax credits or tax breaks—the same solution proposed by the previous two Bush's and Reagan; a building block of Conservative Ideology. The reason that Obama's plan is bound to fail is that businesses need more than merely encouragement to hire workers, they demand profits. A recession is defined by an absence of profits, without which corporations lay off workers or hibernate until a more profitable environment reappears. This is capitalism 101."
Reminder: The corporations benefiting from this high-end form of welfare continue to pollute and enjoy special treatment—even from the nation's highest court.
WATCH VIDEO: Erin Brockovich's Continued Crusade Against Corporate Polluters
Start a Revolution on Your Plate
Standing up to corporate power and government acquiescence is a daunting task but our work has to start somewhere and start soon. A simple but powerful first step is embrace a plant-based diet.
Veganism vs. Hunger
As explained by GoVeg.com: "There is more than enough food in the world to feed the entire human population. So why are more than 840 million people still going hungry? Our meat-based diet is partly to blame, as land, water, and other resources that could be used to grow food for human beings are being used to grow crops for farmed animals instead. According to a recent report by Compassion in World Farming, '[c]rops that could be used to feed the hungry are instead being used to fatten animals raised for food.' It takes up to 16 pounds of grain to produce just 1 pound of edible animal flesh."
Veganism vs. Corporate Welfare
U.S. farmers receive billions of dollars in direct federal payments and subsidy aid and the total value of subsidized irrigation water used by animal feed growers in the U.S. annually is more than a billion more. "In the U. S. we can buy a hamburger for 79 cents," explains cattle-rancher-turned-vegan, Howard Lyman. "If the American taxpayer was not involved in subsidizing the beef industry, the same hamburger meat would cost over $12. Meat in America today would cost $48 a pound if it were not for the American taxpayers subsidizing the grain, the irrigation water, the electricity, the grazing on public lands."
[b]Lesson[b]: It's up to us...
