Cuts to food stamps will hit red state residents hardest

[^_^ 5,021]

You have no business questioning Rush's mental soundness.

[rocks 494]

Everywhere? The figure I quoted was the result of a food study I read about. But, I just checked my local store in an area with a high cost of living, and I can buy a 1350 calorie bag of chips for $1.39. That's pretty close to the study, which I believe was an average of nation-wide prices.

You could feed your kid this bag of chips for their food all day and they wouldn't die.

Here is a story. I was on a jitney bus last month and I heard a woman on her phone. The one-sided conversation went like this, and it shocked me:

"What are you guys doing? Is everyone still sleeping?"

"Well you all need to wake up! It's 3 in the afternoon!"

"Is there any food in the house, did you guys eat yet today?"

"Oh..."

"Well I will bring some cereal when I get home, okay?"

So they were all sleeping because they had not yet eaten that day, and their meal was going to be cereal. You can talk about laziness, but wouldn't you be lazy if you didn't get to eat until 5pm? How can you have energy on an empty stomach? And, related to a similar thread, don't you see that kids in school need meals so they can concentrate on what is being taught to them? Otherwise they sleep through the day at school.

This is the poorest state in the nation, many can't afford to eat. I have posted about this time and time again but no one seems to think this is a real issue.

What you said was "When was the last time a child died of malnutrition". Malnutrition and hunger are two very separate subjects. If you want facts about poverty, here are some facts. Make sure you read them this time.

The latest edition of UNICEF's report on child poverty in developed countries found that 30 million children in 35 of the world's richest countries live in poverty. Among those countries, the United States ranks second on the scale of what economists call "relative child poverty" -- above Latvia, Bulgaria, Spain, Greece, and 29 others. Only Romania ranks higher, with 25.5 percent of its children living in poverty, compared with 23.1 percent in the U.S.

The term "relative child poverty" refers to a child living in a household where the disposable income is less than half of the national median income.

...

"Basically, other countries do more," he said. "They tend to have minimum wages that are higher than ours. The children would be covered universally by health insurance. Other countries provide more child care."

CIA World Factbook - United States

The US has the largest and most technologically powerful economy in the world, with a per capita GDP of $48,100.

Child Poverty

Nearly 15 million children in the United States – 21% of all children – live in families with incomes below the federal poverty level – $22,050 a year for a family of four. Research shows that, on average, families need an income of about twice that level to cover basic expenses. Using this standard, 42% of children live in low-income families.

Most of these children have parents who work, but low wages and unstable employment leave their families struggling to make ends meet. Poverty can impede children’s ability to learn and contribute to social, emotional, and behavioral problems. Poverty also can contribute to poor health and mental health. Risks are greatest for children who experience poverty when they are young and/or experience deep and persistent poverty.

Wealth report reveals richest states, poorest states

At the bottom is Mississippi with a staggering poverty rate of 21.3 percent. Mississippi also has the lowest median household income at $36,850

Obesity and Overweight Prevalence among a Mississippi Low-Income Preschool Population: A Five-Year Comparison

Mississippi, a southern state with the highest level of poverty, had the highest adult obesity rates in the USA at 33.8%. In addition, 44.4% of Mississippi children aged 10–17 years of age self-reported as overweight or obese in the 2007 National Survey of Children's Health versus the national rate of 31.6%. More recent measured estimates of Mississippi Kindergarten through 12th grade (K-12) obesity and overweight rates in 2009 indicated a combined rate of 23.9%, not significantly different from the 2007 combined rate of 23.5%.

Malnutrition

It is possible to eat a diet high in calories but containing few vitamins and minerals. This means you can become malnourished, even though you might also be overweight or obese. Being malnourished does not always mean that you are skinny.

Poor and fat

The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition recently published a study that found $1 could buy 1,200 calories of potato chips but just 250 calories of vegetables and 170 calories of fresh fruit. And it is also true that Mississippi, the poorest state in the country, is also the fattest.

In fact, the five poorest states are also among the 10 fattest, and eight of the 10 poorest states are also among the 10 with the lowest life expectancy.

I guess one could dismiss this as one big coincidence, but is it also a coincidence that half of the top 10 states with the highest median incomes are also in the top 10 in life expectancy?

...

just as there is a link between education and poverty, there appears to be a correlation between poverty and health.

ACT 2010 Condition of College & Career Readiness - Mississippi is ranked bottom in every category.

State Education Data Profiles - Mississippi is far below the national average.

Mississippi Losing The War With Obesity

The problem is most pronounced in the Mississippi Delta — the flat, fertile flood plain fed by the Mississippi River. It's a region with a history as rich as the soil, but with deeply rooted social problems.

In Holmes County, for instance, nearly half the residents live in poverty. And not only is it the state's poorest county; it's also the heaviest. Four out of 10 people in Holmes County are obese. And you see it all around — large kids lumbering to get on the school bus, patients spilling over their seats in the doctor's waiting room.

Dr. David Gilder in Tchula, Miss., frequently sees patients with problems related to obesity — diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure.

The Health Effects of Overweight and Obesity

Coronary heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, Cancers (endometrial, breast, and colon), Hypertension (high blood pressure), Dyslipidemia (for example, high total cholesterol or high levels of triglycerides), Stroke, Liver and Gallbladder disease, Sleep apnea and respiratory problems, Osteoarthritis (a degeneration of cartilage and its underlying bone within a joint), Gynecological problems (abnormal menses, infertility).

Childhood Obesity Facts

Long-term health effects: Overweight and obesity are associated with increased risk for many types of cancer, including cancer of the breast, colon, endometrium, esophagus, kidney, pancreas, gall bladder, thyroid, ovary, cervix, and prostate, as well as multiple myeloma and Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

Diabetes Tops Child Obesity's Health Risks

Closely linked to obesity, type 2 diabetes was once so rare among children that it was called adult onset diabetes. According to the AAP Executive Committee on Endocrinology and doctors nationwide, health professionals are seeing many 12- and 13-year-olds with type 2 diabetes.

Doctors estimate that half of overweight kids will grow up to be overweight adults. Once they've been heavy for many years, experts say, they're at risk for diseases that doctors usually see in people in their 60s, 70s, and 80s.

Chronic Disease Fact Sheet

Cardiovascular Disease is the leading cause of death in Mississippi. 10,195 Mississippians died from CVD in 2007, accounting for 36% of all deaths.

Mississippi's CVD mortality rate is the highest in the nation, with a mortality rate in 2005 that was 25% higher than the U.S. as a whole. More Mississippians die each year from CVD than from all types of cancer, traffic injuries, suicides, and AIDS combined.

Diabetes is a major cause of morbidity, disability, and mortality for Mississippians and a major source of health care costs in the state.

High Blood Pressure (Hypertension): In 2007, the prevalence of hypertension was 33.7%. Approximately 725,000 Mississippi adults are estimated to have hypertension.

Of all states, Mississippi has the eighth highest percentage (19.3%) of adults 18 and over who reported no health care coverage.

Infant Mortality in Mississippi

Mississippi's average infant mortality rate has been around 10 deaths per 1,000 live births in recent years: one of the highest in the nation.

Leading causes of infant mortality:

-Birth defects

-Accidents and maternal difficulties

Protect your baby before it is born:

-Mothers should work to be in good health prior to becoming pregnant: address any chronic medical problems such as high blood pressure or diabetes.

-Get early and continuing prenatal care throughout the entire pregnancy, and follow the advice of your doctor.

Mississippi's Rising Infant Mortality Rate

For young women like Jemeika Brown, transportation is another problem. Now five months pregnant, she hitches rides to Medicaid appointments in Greenville, over 30 miles away.

...

Krystal was 17 years old then. Now she's 20, a mother of two, and seven months into a high risk pregnancy. She hasn't yet made it to Greenville to see a doctor. She can't afford the fare. She can't even afford a tombstone for her son.

Out of all the states Mississippi has the highest rate of poverty, the lowest income, the highest rate of adult obesity, the highest rate of child obesity, highest rate of teen pregnancies, the highest rate of deaths from heart disease, lowest ranked education system, and one of the highest rates of infant mortality.

These issues are all interrelated. Poverty is very "real" in this rich country with "the largest and most technologically powerful economy in the world".

Edited August 28, 2012 by rocks

[^_^ 5,021]

Do people have a right to food?

I would suggest, no they don't... and to say otherwise smacks of socialist totalitarianism.

[rocks 494]

Do people have a right to food?

I would suggest, no they don't... and to say otherwise smacks of socialist totalitarianism.

People have the right to die from poverty and lack of healthcare, that's about it.

[^_^ 5,021]

People have the right to die from poverty and lack of healthcare, that's about it.

Nature must be allowed to take its course. Who are we to play God?

[Ban Hammer 13,558]

what did people eat before money was invented?

[The Nature Boy 4,224]

Do you recognize that obesity is more rampant in our poor than in any other economic class? Do you think it's because they're all lazy?

A large majority are lazy yes .

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

Do people have a right to food?

I would suggest, no they don't... and to say otherwise smacks of socialist totalitarianism.

[^_^ 5,021]

A large majority are lazy yes .

All that fried chicken = lethargy.

[rocks 494]

what did people eat before money was invented?

They worked for wealthy landowners as farmers or used barter to trade for food...

All that fried chicken = lethargy.

Yeah, poor people eat tons of fried chicken.

[^_^ 5,021]

Yeah, poor people eat tons of fried chicken.

They do.

[rocks 494]

They do.

Oh yeah, they eat buckets of it. They aren't even hungry!

[^_^ 5,021]

Oh yeah, they eat buckets of it. They aren't even hungry!

Malnourished, but not hungry. That is correct.

Fried chicken, watermelon and grape soda does not a complete meal make.

They should get real jobs so they can afford real food. Nothing like a plate of eggplant parm to really hit the spot.

[Ban Hammer 13,558]

They worked for wealthy landowners as farmers or used barter to trade for food...

how could they work for someone who was wealthy if money hadn't been invented?

[^_^ 5,021]

how could they work for someone who was wealthy if money hadn't been invented?

God created Adam and Eve and gave them both a dollar and an interest-bearing checking account.

Edited August 28, 2012 by Habitual Offender