Hunger in America

Since its Thanksgiving Weekend and all I thought it would be timely to make my first blog on FRSFreeStateNow about Poverty in America and to focus on Hunger in America. Since their both on the rise in America and since Thanksgiving is a Holiday where americans celebrate the Holiday by stuffing their faces. I'm not knocking that I do the same thing. But the fact is there's something like 50M americans who barely have enough food to eat for their family's and themselves if enough. And have to rely on Food Stamps and Food Banks in order to feed themselves this Holiday Weekend. Food Stamps and Food Banks being two critical programs that literally keep Low Income people from starving and turning into Zombies. So what I'm going to do with this post is to look at how we've fought Hunger in America in the past, how's those policy's have worked. And what we can do in the future to not only tackle the problem but win the "War on Hunger" all together.

Food Stamps and Food Banks again have been critical from preventing Starvation in America. But the fact that Low Income people keep coming back and using these Vital Services. Tells me that even though the problem is being addressed, its not going away. Which is what I want to address. Food Stamps and Food Banks are addressed to help people get food in the short term. But not designed to help people get the needed resources so they no longer need these Services. See I want be to help Low Income people who are eligible for Social Services in the short term. But long term I want to Empower them to help themselves become Self Sufficient so they no longer need these Social Services. And where they will have enough income from a well paying job. So they not only have enough money to support themselves and their family's. And be able to afford to purchase plenty of food for themselves and their family's. But also even be able to donate food to charity's. Organizations they once relied on to support themselves and their family's.

Again my approach would be to address Hunger with Social Services that would not only help people in the short term. But long term I want to Empower them to get a good job so they son longer need these Services.
My short term approach but I would like to have this Service around as long as its effective and needed. Would be to create a National Organization of what I would call Grocery Centers. It would be a Chain of Grocery Centers. Similar to Grocery Stores but they would be Non Profit and located in areas where Hunger is at its worse. In Rural and Urban Areas so these people wouldn't have to travel out of their way to purchase Affordable Food. But these Food Centers would be located in their Community's. Just like a Neighborhood Grocery Store would be for Middle and Upper Class people.
These Grocery Centers would be Self Sufficient, Financially Independent and Independent almost completely of the Federal Government. With their own Management, CEO and Board that they would select. But owned by the Federal Government in the short term but hopefully completely Privatized in the long term. So they can be as efficient as possible but still a Non Profit Organization.

These Grocery Centers would be be Financed by the people who use them. And they could use their Food Stamps to help cover their costs. As well as all Food as well as Financial Donations from Individuals and Organizations would be eligible for a Tax Deduction or Tax Credit. For Profit Grocery Stores, all Eatery's and Farms would be eligible for Tax Credits and Deductions for all food that donate to a Grocery Center or Food Bank. Food Center customers would also be eligible to purchase their healthy grocery's at Discounted Prices. To help fight Obesity and Diabetes in America. Compared with at a For Profit Grocery Store.

I would also like to reform the Food Stamps program or whatever its being called these days. And convert into a Grocery Insurance Program thats Fully Funded, Financially Independent and Independent of the Federal Government. I would look into increasing the Payroll Tax on Labor and Employers to cover Grocery Insurance. That Low Income people would be eligible for. And then cut Taxes somewhere else to make up the difference so the Middle Class doesn't see a Tax Increase. Then after making Grocery Insurance Independent of the Federal Government but still owned by Tax Payers. Then look into Privatizing Grocery Insurance but still keeping it as a Non Profit Grocery Insurance Company. With their own CEO and Board. To make it as efficient as possible.
These are my short term solutions to fighting Hunger in America.

Long term what I would like to do to fight Poverty in America and ultimately win the "War on Poverty" that was declared 45 years ago. Is to Empower Low Income to people to help get themselves out of Poverty. Through Education, Empowering them to go back to High School to finish their Education if necessary. Then to go on to Higher Education to ultimately get the skills that they need to get themselves a good job. And to move out of Poverty and into the Middle Class and Self Sufficient of Tax Payers.
Then help them with Job Placement and this is why Welfare to Work has been so successful and necessary in Fighting the "War on Poverty". A good question would be how do you fund these Social Services. Which I''ll address in a later blog. See I just don't want to Empower Low Income people who are Unemployed. But the Working Poor who've made the courageous decision to keep working instead of going on Welfare. They should be rewarded for that.

The bad news is Hunger as well as Poverty in America is still a major problem that seems to keep getting worse. Especially during the "Great Recession". The good news America is still a great country and still the greatest Country in the World. And we have the resources to address these issues and fix them. But we need to be clever, creative and intelligent in how we use our Limited Resources. And they are limited that come from the hard work of Tax Payers.