Shared Sacrifice

I've been thinking a lot about last week's markup of the farm bill in the House Agriculture Committee.  It was a painful experience for myself and the many brilliant anti-hunger advocates around the country. I ranted and raved and felt extraordinarily frustrated at the shortsightedness of committee members and the excuses that so many of them spouted off about how a $16 billion dollar cut really isn't a cut, but closing an administrative loophole. Well, tell that to the millions of people who will lose benefits, the almost 300,000 kids who will lose access to free school lunch.


Some, maybe even some reading this, say that feeding people creates dependency. In fact at least one of friends think that comparing people on food stamps to forest animals is funny.  I find this notion, not only absurd, but thoughtless and stupid, yes stupid.  But mostly heartless, who thinks it's a good idea to let kids go hungry because you don't like that a program is actually working the way it is supposed to?  I'll tell you who, House members of the Agriculture Committee and they proved it by passing a farm bill that will increase hunger and food hardship in our country. And people who would rather believe the stereo-type of people needing to ask for help than ask why people need the help in the first place.


How dare they, how dare they want to make sure their kids are fed, how dare those elderly and disabled people think they have a right to food everyday. How dare the working poor need help buying food, despite the fact that they are working.


If these cuts pass, the safety net we've created will be far more fragile and the impacted communities will feel it.  They will feel it in emergency rooms, at schools, at senior centers and food pantries.


I heard ridiculous words come out of the mouths of men and women, who have not, in recent history skipped a meal for any reason.  It is this that I find most galling-that people who do not have to water down their milk to make it last another day are taking the food off the table of old people and kids.  
Congrats guys, and I have to ask- would you let your children, your grandchildren, your mom go hungry in the name of shared sacrifice?