Bernice: I'm not sure what the numbers are. But it would be naive to suppose the percentage would be at zero. I suspect that there are plenty of kids going to bed hungry as well. It's not just an American problem.

If true, the first question I ask is this: What the hell are their kids doing? It's not the job of the government to pick up the slack for every social woe. Families need to take care of families.

Next, what is the church doing?

How about the community?

Finally, the State. There should be some safety nets.

That said, a guy named Johnny quits school when he's 17. He works odd jobs and never tries to finish his education. He can't get a good paying job. He gets into drugs and that sucks up all his money. By the time he's 50, he's living on the street and going to bed hungry.

Along the way, Johnny did nothing to help himself. He CHOSE his life. He CHOSE to be poor and homeless and hungry.

This is often the case.

They did a study where they gave a homeless guy 100,000 dollars to see what he'd do. He blew it all away. Gave it away or spent it foolishly. He was once again homeless and broke. Should the State now spend thousands more of taking care of this idiot?

Artful Dodger: I agree with all of what you have said, and as has been said below....the apples don't fall far from the tree.
I just wondered if nearly 10% of the population are in this predicament :(
but then as you say it is probably everywhere.

Bernice: I don't think it's that high but I'll see what I can find.

There are some that are truly deserving of help. Then others who need a kick start in life. And others are so self-destructive that no matter the help, they prefer the rut.

Bernice: Hunger Study 2010



Hunger Study 2010



Hunger in America 2010 is the largest study of domestic hunger, providing comprehensive and statistically-valid data on our emergency food distribution system and the people Feeding America serves. Hunger in America 2010 is extremely detailed, drawing on data from more than 61,000 interviews with clients and surveys of 37,000 feeding agencies.
The report shows that hunger is increasing at an alarming rate in the United States, and our network is expanding its reach in response:
•Feeding America is annually providing food to 37 million Americans, including 14 million children. This is an increase of 46 percent over 2006, when we were feeding 25 million Americans, including 9 million children, each year.
•That means one in eight Americans now rely on Feeding America for food and groceries.
•Feeding America's nationwide network of food banks is feeding 1 million more Americans each week than we did in 2006.
•Thirty-six percent of the households we serve have at least one person working.
•More than one-third of client households report having to choose between food and other basic necessities, such as rent, utilities and medical care.
•The number of children the Feeding America network serves has increased by 50 percent since 2006.

Bernice: BTW, I'm completely for private individuals/groups spearheading efforts to feed the hungry. And I also think we ALL should do something to help alleviate hunger. That said, it should NEVER be the job of the government to feed the hungry. The money will get wasted, stolen, costs will be triple what private groups would need. The government is incapable of doing an efficient job of this. That's perhaps the biggest reason to oppose government taking the lead on this problem.