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Is Child Starvation and Malnutrition a Significant Problem in the US?

LowDown

LowDown

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I've heard that there are people who believe this is the case.
 
No, but it was a problem prior to the New Deal and Great Society.
 
LowDown said:
I've heard that there are people who believe this is the case.
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The only way it would be a problem today would be because of parental ignorance, mental illness or child abuse.
 
MaggieD said:
The only way it would be a problem today would be because of parental ignorance, mental illness or child abuse.
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It would certainly be happening today if there was a lack of having significant social services, which include food stamps.
 
Removable Mind said:
It would certainly be happening today if there was a lack of having significant social services, which include food stamps.
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Pity we don't organize that side of society along more efficient lines. Or try to,at least.
 
More than 44 million Americans are on food stamps. Obviously a huge percentage of those are children.

The fact that millions and millions of children in America might starve/go hungry without government assistance is a 'significant problem'.

Plus, if a child is on food stamps and has special dietary needs...odds are they are not getting proper nutrition.

Plus, though food stamps gives enough money to eat properly...it does not provide enough for many fresh fruits or vegetables; everything pretty much has to be canned/boxed.
 
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LowDown said:
I've heard that there are people who believe this is the case.
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In some areas of the country malnutrition exists but as to whether it's a problem is up to interpretation. This would be present in areas like Appalachia, and other locations with high concentrations of low income families. However, it's not anywhere near the problem that people think of when they hear the words malnutrition or hunger, like what they see on TV with UNICEF ads showing emaciated kids in Africa. Starvation is not a problem due to government programs like school breakfast and lunch programs, WIC and SNAP, and private organizations such as the Salvation Army and others.
 
LowDown said:
I've heard that there are people who believe this is the case.
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Yes, but I only say that because it's embarrassing that we're spending billions upon billions of dollars providing foreign aid to places like Saudi Arabia, training terrorists in Syria, and propping up Europeans when there are American children suffering from hunger here in this country. Even if there are very few American children suffering, it's still too many considering the money we squander on things far less important.
 
Removable Mind said:
It would certainly be happening today if there was a lack of having significant social services, which include food stamps.
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Which of course you have no proof of being true.
 
Henrin said:
Which of course you have no proof of being true.
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Dear Henrin,

Just you popping up with a reply that is a lame sort of a refute or disagreement, as though you have evidence to the contrary, is of course nothing more than your uninformed opinion, which is as good as me providing dozens of valid sources proving me correct.

Your reply is a dream come true. Oh, feel free to provide any evidence contrary to my claim.

Thanks, your pal,

RM
 
I think it's assumed that if there were no food stamps then people would just have that much less food. But people used to plan differently back then. They planned like there was nothing to fall back on, and if all else failed, then a friend or neighbor would help. No one starved to death, or at least not that I could find in the research I did.
 
JC Callender said:
How do you know it was a problem before the New Deal?
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The best that most Americans could hope for was that they would earn just enough money to get by day-to-day. If they were paid in money - many were compensated instead with coupons or vouchers that were only good for purchasing products offered by the company they worked for. The Great Depression worsened those conditions and malnutrition among children was as high as 90% in some areas of the country with huge populations of homeless and destitute people.
 
Napoleon said:
The best that most Americans could hope for was that they would earn just enough money to get by day-to-day. If they were paid in money - many were compensated instead with coupons or vouchers that were only good for purchasing products offered by the company they worked for. The Great Depression worsened those conditions and malnutrition among children was as high as 90% in some areas of the country with huge populations of homeless and destitute people.
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Then you should easily be able to find some pictures of starving, skin and bone Americans during the Great Depression. I tried that and couldn't find any. Why do you think that is?
 
JC Callender said:
Then you should easily be able to find some pictures of starving, skin and bone Americans during the Great Depression. I tried that and couldn't find any. Why do you think that is?
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You do know that there were food riots, right?
 
JC Callender said:
How about a link?
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I'll do even better. Here is vintage footage of the riots:



The very first section is about the famous Minnesota food riot in which a mob of 5,000 people swarmed delivery trucks carrying food and pillaged the grocery stores for the day's sustenance. This sort of rioting and looting over food was happening all over the country...regardless of Hoover's best efforts to pretend it wasn't happening and propagandize against it.
 
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LowDown said:
I've heard that there are people who believe this is the case.
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Where it is, it is usually because the parents are druggies and deadbeats.


Not always, but usually. There are so many programs and charities...
 
joG said:
Pity we don't organize that side of society along more efficient lines. Or try to,at least.
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You haven't joined the ranks who want to totally end social services because feeding kids eats into their pockets come tax time? In other words, "Yea me, **** thee.", sorta thing.
 
Removable Mind said:
You haven't joined the ranks who want to totally end social services because feeding kids eats into their pockets come tax time? In other words, "Yea me, **** thee.", sorta thing.
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Or maybe we are against forcing people to help others with the use of taxation. If taxation must exist use it towards services for carrying out the law, not good will missions.
 
Henrin said:
Or maybe we are against forcing people to help others with the use of taxation. If taxation must exist use it towards services for carrying out the law, not good will missions.
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Every person who hasn't, doesn't, or won't directly serve a purpose for your own gain or gratification are apparently meaningless or nothing to you. Do have zero sympathy or empathy for those who can't fend for themselves, and/or those who don't have the means to exist independently as you seem to do?

You know like children, the disabled, the indigent elderly?
 
Removable Mind said:
You haven't joined the ranks who want to totally end social services because feeding kids eats into their pockets come tax time? In other words, "Yea me, **** thee.", sorta thing.
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I do not believe I said that.
 
Napoleon said:
I'll do even better. Here is vintage footage of the riots:



The very first section is about the famous Minnesota food riot in which a mob of 5,000 people swarmed delivery trucks carrying food and pillaged the grocery stores for the day's sustenance. This sort of rioting and looting over food was happening all over the country...regardless of Hoover's best efforts to pretend it wasn't happening and propagandize against it.
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That's interesting that you decided to add "for the day's sustenance" when it doesn't even say it in your video. You say that the same group "pillaged grocery stores" but I didn't notice that. Why did you say that? As as matter of fact, your video is about strikes, not food riots, with the possible exception of the very first clip which more than likely had to do with the paranoia some folks felt from a lack of decent pay than actual starvation. After all, what kind of a starving person has the energy to riot?
 
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