"Hunger must be on presidential plate"

[Indigo Blue]

"Hunger must be on presidential plate"
By George McGovern and Jim Mcgovern
Wednesday, October 29, 2008 - Added 1d 22h ago


More people die from hunger in the world today than from war.

Yet in all the presidential debates, there was not a single question to the candidates on their plans to end this terrible problem. With all due respect to Joe the Plumber, we think making sure people have enough to eat is as important as his tax issues.

The number of hungry people in the world is fast approaching one billion. More than 400 million are children. Here in the most prosperous nation on the planet, there are more than 35 million of our fellow Americans who can be classified as hungry. There is not a single community in our country that is hunger free.

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This is a serious crisis that is getting worse. And what is maddening to us is that those in positions of power to fix the problem seem indifferent. Hunger is a political condition. We have everything we need - including enough food - to end hunger in the United States and around the world. However, we lack the political will to make ending it a priority.

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We also suggest our next president appoint a hunger czar, a point-person in his administration to oversee and coordinate the various food, nutrition and anti-poverty programs that fall under the jurisdictions of many different departments and agencies - so we can develop a single, comprehensive and concrete plan to end hunger here at home and around the globe.

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One of us is 86 and the other is 48. Both of us believe that we can end hunger in our lifetimes. We desperately need leadership at every level of our government to make this happen. The next president must make it a top priority.


George McGovern was the Democratic nominee for president in 1972. Jim McGovern represents Massachusetts’ 3rd Congressional District.

http://news.bostonherald.com/news/opinion/op_ed/view/2008_10_29_Hunger_must_be_on_presidential_plate/srvc=home&position=recent


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Congressman Jim McGovern: http://mcgovern.house.gov/

[EFerrari]

1. K&R

[vixengrl]

2. On to the greatest page--

Our basic need is food. If we aren't all getting fed, then there is a problem. It's not lack of food (we have enough, just not everywhere, and just not for free)--but lack of figuring out how to not have our fellow humans starve. But it's a problem we should be able to solve.