Hoping It Goes Away

Following up on a previous Human Stain post, the hollowness of the “economic recovery” that Bush and his henchmen like to trumpet, is no more apparent than when reading the following information:

A national survey of people eating at soup kitchens, food banks and shelters found that 36 percent came from households in which at least one person had a job. In the Chicago area, it was 39 percent. "Even though the economy might be changing, it isn't creating the kinds of jobs that allow people to make ends meet," said Lisa Koch of the Greater Chicago Food Depository.

More than 25 million Americans turned to the nation's largest network of food banks, soup kitchens and shelters for meals last year, up 9 percent from 2001, says the report by America's Second Harvest. Those seeking food included 9 million children and nearly 3 million senior citizens, the report says.

America has plenty of Wal-Mart, McDonalds, and other low paying service sector jobs. What it doesn't have are jobs adequate for families to sustain a decent living. Consider this – here, in America, a nation of ~300 million people, nearly ten percent need food assistance. To think the country can continue on this path is really an extreme example of ignorance or disregard for common sense.
Posted on The Human Stain