Anti-Hunger Advocates Fast to Protest US Budget Cuts

No wonder this country is so far in debt, and broke. We can’t afford to even feed our own people, yet we are taking on the world. Sure the school meal program is needed, here, but only for the extremely poor. As is, the income guidelines were raised, but with more unemployed qualifying, it’s time to restructure who qualifies. If you are working, feed your own kids. And when we are forced to make cuts, don’t blame the Republicans for it all. It’s the Democrats that had control and let things get out of hand. Time to place the blame where it belongs. And let some of these wealthier countries help foot the bill.

Leading anti hunger advocates, have gone on a fasting spree, to protest U.S. budget-cutting proposals that could threaten some of the world’s most vulnerable people. The budget cuts passed by the House, includes deep cuts to programs aimed at alleviating hunger and poverty in the United States and around the world. These reductions follow an extension of the Bush-era tax cuts which benefit the nation’s wealthiest people.

“We just think that’s wrong,” says World Food Prize winner David Beckmann, president of the anti-hunger group Bread for the World. He vows to only drink water for a week to protest the proposed cuts. VOA

One worry from Beckman is a 40% reduction in emergency food aid for disaster victims and refugees – from $1.7 billion last year to $1 billion in the house budget. Face it, we have no money.

The protest has been joined by more than 30 organizations, including Christian, Muslim, Jewish and secular groups. Organizers say about 4,000 people are fasting for varying periods of time. Former Congressman Tony Hall is leading the effort. In 1993, Hall fasted for 22 days to call attention to what he called Congress’s lack of conscience toward poor and hungry people.

Now on to the school meals, and the proposed cuts. The House has proposed cutting $200 million for children in developing countries. “If you picture yourself in a classroom of 20 kids – often times this is the only meal they receive in the day – in essence we would walk into that classroom and pick out 10 kids we would no longer feed,” says Rick Leach, president of the World Food Program USA, one of the groups supporting the protest. VOA

Also to be cut are, U.S. development aid aimed at helping improve small farmers’ productivity is slated for a 30% cut. Many have said that the United States simply cannot afford to spend the money on foreign aid at a time when the nation is $14 trillion in debt. Some have complained about waste and corruption in countries receiving U.S. aid. To put it simply, we don’t even know if this money is even going to feed those children.

And once again, the idea of raising taxes on millionaires crops up. Think people, the way Congress likes to spend, that wouldn’t cover 1% of the deficit. The Democrats, whether you want to believe it or not, have spent us into oblivion……