Comments for Food Rationing Happening in the United States »
Posted By Neophile 1 year, 8 months ago in StyleMajor retailers in New York, in areas of New England, and on the West Coast are limiting purchases of flour, rice, and cooking oil as demand outstrips supply.
Read Full Story at www2.nysun.com »
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texangelwings1 year, 8 months ago
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Aidenag1 year, 8 months ago
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That really isn't as large of an issue as people are making it out to be. The real issue is the population boom we are going through. Sure biofuels are contributing to it to a certain extent, but what it all comes down to, is that we are reaching a population level where it is becoming hard to feed everyone. Especially with so many 3rd world nations becoming rich lately, and thus eating more food.
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Grrr1 year, 8 months ago
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capecoralMComment removed: Retracted by user3 Replies
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Dionys1 year, 8 months ago
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"It's not becoming harder to feed everyone, it's becoming easier to scare people, manipulate shortages, and fix prices."
Garbage. People are starving around the world and you're claiming it's not becoming harder to feed everyone. People are starving here in the US, too. If it's so easy to feed everyone why is *anyone* hungry.
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Grrr1 year, 8 months ago
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First, this story is about the US, and that is what my comment referred to.
Second, like I said, because there is more profit in NOT feeding everyone. Or less profit in seeing that everyone is fed. Doesn't really matter how you state it.
And third, it really is not becoming harder to feed everyone. Do you really think that we didn't know there would be shortages early enough to simply have more farmers plant more short season grains? Do you really think that the science of agriculture is not up to the task of increasing the world food supply, say, threefold in a single season if it were desired? Of course it is.
People have been starving around the world for FOREVER. This is not a new thing. We could have been feeding them all with the acres we've paid to leave fallow for the last several decades, way before population explosions, economic BOOMS in asia, and biofuels.
But millions still starved. 'Splain, Lucy.
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bill29361 year, 8 months ago
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Why are people hungry, because they choose to be. A few years ago I did a little experiment just to see how hard it was to get a meal. I spent one month in the summer paid $0 for food and ate 3 meals a day. Typically the Salvation Army handled one or two meals a day. There was another religious organization, that had a breakfast program for the homeless. I may have had to listen to a sermon or wash a few dishes, but I ate and no begging or 'dumpster diving'. I got the idea from another program they have in Texas where kids (under 18) can show up at various locations and get breakfast and lunch for free during the summer. There were those that complained about the program because they would not delivery to the kids houses.
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simonsez1 year, 8 months ago
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simonsez1 year, 8 months ago
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Yes and crack for food and lottery tickets for food and twinkies for food and chips for food and pig skins for food, etc.
I've heard of all those but I don't know anyone who ever had to make that choice. I see them in the food court carrying Nike boxes and their pants around their knees eating a slice of pizza.
Maybe you know some ...
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walden31 year, 8 months ago
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You said you see "them." Who is them and how do you know just by looking at "them" that they spend money on crack and lottery tickets?
It sounds like you may have an aversion to the urban style of dress that kids are doing now. It's just how kids dress these day.
Personally, I'd rather wrongly have someone buy crack then have some kid go hungry. No doubt there are many people taking advantage.
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simonsez1 year, 8 months ago
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I'm not little or bitter. There are many many many ways to get a meal in this country if you need one.
States spend a lot more buying food for kids than they spend for books. Send your kids to school where they belong and they will be fed.
I may be a troll ...
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BB641 year, 8 months ago
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I live in Wisconsin and own property. Currently most of the farm land is in the process of being converted into corn because that's where the big money is. Between the subsidies and other cash incentives it's a huge boom for the farmer. And all for ethanol. A product that reduces your fuel effiecency by about 10%, the same amount they blend with gasoline. Go figure. It doesn't burn cleaner. It takes 5 gallons of fossil fuel to produce 1 gallon of ethanol. It can't be shipped via pipeline so it must be trucked everywhere. Another knee jerk reaction by the left for a problem that really doesn't exist.
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BB641 year, 8 months ago
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Crack up, I'm not a big farming interest. I have around 400 acres of farm land that was my grand parents place. The land was rented to neighbors for farming however this year, because of the huge subs you the kind taxpayers have provided, I've hired someone to cash crop my land. As to congress, Wisconsin used to be the dairy state until Herbie Kohl came to town as no body's senator but ours.... He sold us up the river in the East Coast Dairy Compact. You will continue to see traditional farming die and go towards grain production for fuel with people like him in office. I'm spending less that $25K for well over $250K pay back. Thank you tree hugging environmental freaks.
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quackpot1 year, 8 months ago
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Follow the money, BB64.
The money to hire the large number of lobbyists that influence the Farm Bills is from agribusiness.
At best, the environmentalists are able to influence the amount of pollution that agribusiness dumps into the rivers.
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BB641 year, 8 months ago
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Wrong. The biofuel groups are financed with big money from the Sierra Club and other groups like that. At least originally. There has been a huge push from this group starting in the late 70's, I remember them selling this when I was in jr. high.
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BB641 year, 8 months ago
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Ethanol was sold as the solution to "global warming". This isn't the topic but because of the new air quality standards in Wisconsin, we have to use a 10% ethanol blend. We've proven that this doesn't help, in fact in simple green house gases, it causes more pollution and reduces fuel economy, so we use more gasoline. Add to that the increased use of fossil fuel for the tilling, harvesting and transporting, ethanol is a huge failure. In simple terms it takes over 5 gallons of fossil fuel to produce 1 gallon of ethanol.
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IAmMine1 year, 8 months ago
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"Another knee jerk reaction by the left for a problem that really doesn't exist. "
Oh really, why is Bush pushing for it. Oh thats right, his family has already been heavily investing in it. Look at what Jeb is doing down in Florida....
Its big agribusiness....
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BB641 year, 8 months ago
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Ethanol was the beat all end all for gasoline additives. The idea was from the 1970's and was thought to be a "great" solution to the energy crisis. The problem, the study was never properly evaluated. The idea was to convert all cars to "harmless" ethanol. Brazil was shown as an example. The problem, our cars not the cars of the 70's. Between the computers and sensors, ethanol is terrible all the way around.
The largest groups to push for ethanol were your environmental groups. Big business does hold some responsibility here however, the lion share really is with groups like the Sierra Club.
As to Bush, it's the politically correct solution. Even when the environmental lobby is proven to be incorrect, please note, I didn't say wrong, they never admit to it. Bush for some reason is drinking the Kool-Aid. As to Jeb, he's not the gov. so I really don't know nor do I care what he is doing anymore. I would like both the Bush and the Clinton families to go away.
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libsRfunnyComment removed: Hard Banned
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awongscreen1 year, 8 months ago
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I agree with the over population statement but not too much on getting rich nation eating more food. The problem is simply too many people for earth to handle.
I was being view as evil and anti-social every time I voice the over population issue as nobody wants to face the fact that human beings have become the major threat to earth.
When we look at the problems we have now, such as traffic congestion, poverty, energy and resources depletion, environmental pollution, crime, war, etc. All these are related to overpopulation.
Business do not want to talk about it as it was widely believed that sales growth with population. Governments do not want to do anything as they want to please businesses and afraid to lose the next election if they address the issue. Probably the only government that actually tried to control overpopulation is the Chinese government. We might not like the Chinese government behaviour but this is probably the few things it did right.
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normallysilent1 year, 8 months ago
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It would help if everyone did like they were asked to do back during WW2. Plant those gardens. Provide for yourself a little. Help take the load off the system. The food tastes better and you know what is on it. I have been giving food away to friends and family because I can see I have way more than needed to last until this years crop is ready.
Its nice going to the cellar instead of the store.
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not2needy1 year, 8 months ago
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normallysilent, I wish i could give you a thousand positive comment ratings for that comment. My family always raised their own gardens, fresh everything, even down to the fruit, and my Dad used to grind corn for cornmeal too. Great food.
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saintetienne1 year, 8 months ago
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Well not2needy, good for you and your family! Please be sure to thank them for me for "raising their own gardens", as well as raising one prime vegetable - you!
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!
Oh not2needy.... You're just too easy a target.
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GHOSTWHOWALKS1 year, 8 months ago
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Not2 I remember spending lots of time weeding the garden when I was a young'n and you're right the food was great. If you can, you should. I feel sorry for those who live in cities with no way to offset the cost of food. Excuse me the tomatoes need watering.
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CRYMTYPHON1 year, 8 months ago
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What percentage of people in the area of the story, have a single square space of greenery to grow anything?
How many have a cellar ?
The U.S. ( and the rest of the world ) is a more urban population that it was in WW2.
When you live in an apartment on the 10th floor of a city building, you can only shop cheaper.
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capecoralMComment removed: Retracted by user6 Replies
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slyboy21 year, 8 months ago
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CRYMTYPHON1 year, 8 months ago
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I sit corrected.
Though I am going to whine that a window-sill isn't enough to suppliment the groceries for a family.
I have also heard there are areas in some cities that are set aside for common gardens, where you can grow what you want.
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BB641 year, 8 months ago
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I'm the evil conservative power guy, however, I love tomatoes. I have terrible Hayfever. The pollen would literally kill me. What did you do to control the dust from the plants? New type of plant? I have property out of the city but live in the downtown. Just curious.
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CRYMTYPHON1 year, 8 months ago
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Orchards - to me that is a place in a story, like a castle turret or a barn loft, or a coal bin or a dumb waiter or a grain silo or a forest glen or a cobble-stoned road or a
(Crymtyphon slaps himself; snaps out of it ).
Anyway, cool.
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BB641 year, 8 months ago
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You're totally missing the point. The reason so much food isn't being produced is for the bio-fuel mandates. As to small gardens, there's nothing wrong with that but you can't expect that to solve the world hunger problem created by the tree hugging ethanol crowd.
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Dionys1 year, 8 months ago
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"Its nice going to the cellar instead of the store."
Absolutely. There's something to be said for planting a victory garden. It's especially gratifying to rip up all that useless grass from friends' yards when you help them to plant a garden. It's probably one of the easiest and most rewarding things you can do to help save the planet. On top of that the food tastes 10x better. Tomatos actually taste like tomatos.
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walden31 year, 8 months ago
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normallysilent-
i thought you'd like these lyrics-
"Well, let the wild winter wind bellow and blow.
I'm as warm as a July tomato.
There's peaches on the shelf, potatoes in the bin.
Supper's ready, everybody come on in.
Taste a little of the summer.
Grandma put it all in jars.
Well, there's a root cellar, fruit cellar, down below.
Watch your head now, and down we go.
Oh, she got magic in her, you know what I mean.
She puts the sun and rain in with her beans.
What with the snow and the economy and everything,
I think I'll just stay down here and eat until spring.
She cans the pickles, sweet and dill,
And the songs of the whip-or-will,
And the morning dew and the evening moon,
I really gotta go down and see her soon.
'Cause the canned goods that I buy at the store
Ain't got the summer in 'em anymore.
You bet, Grandma, as sure as you're born,
I'll take some more potatoes and a thunderstorm."
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saintetienne1 year, 8 months ago
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"It would help if everyone did like they were asked to do back during WW2. Plant those gardens. Provide for yourself a little. Help take the load off the system."
normallysilent, what you speak of is HERESY! Heresy, I say! Heresy, slander and lies!! NO ONE must provide for themselves!! There is a government to do that for us! NO ONE must assume ANY personal responsibility - - it is fully up to our government to provide for us, to tell us what to do, to solve every problem that comes down the pike!! I know this, because Barack Obama TOLD me so!! He says we must rely on HOPE! HOPE and his able leadership is all we need to solve all the world's problems!! We citizens needn't lift a finger - Barack will take care of EVERYTHING for us!! He will broker world peace, solve the oil crisis, provide jobs for everyone, reduce the world population, and free donuts for everyone on Fridays!! I tell you, HE is the ANSWER. All we have to do is vote, and wait....
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BB641 year, 8 months ago
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Saint, you are toooo funny. Who needs the ethanol anyway. Obama is one of those light rail/mass transit guys. They feel you and I should only be permitted to travel using mass transit or bikes. Probably would like us to carry identity papers too. Not showing that we're register voters or citizens but that we might go to church or perhaps own a gun.
The government plan you're talking about is the Womb to the Tomb plan. Don't know where I heard it but I think it started when Bill was still president.
Have a great evening!
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bill29361 year, 8 months ago
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Well in Middle America (Texas), went to the store yesterday and found bags and bags of rice. 50# bags no limit ~$20 a bag, no rationing. Beans in bags up to 50# no rationing. I almost think that the stores with 'storages' are those that choose to have 'shortages', then blame the economy and run up the price.
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BB641 year, 8 months ago
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I don't think Bill distrusts market forces, it's a law of supply & demand. We won't see reductions in food stuffs on our shelves. However, we used to be the breadbasket of the world and gave away billions in aid. Taxpayers would provide funding to buy up excess crops and ship them to poor nations. That's not the case anymore. Our liberal tree hugging friends want us to fuel our cars with ethanol so the farmers are planting more fuel corn reducing any surpluses. The left has always said they were for population control and that there were too many people on earth. Well, in a round about way they've won both fights here. They're forcing us to use a bad product that isn't very friendly and they're starving poor countries, reducing their populations. Way to go lefties!
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Gransater1 year, 8 months ago
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Whether or not there is a shortage, it sure is an indication that people feel insecure about the economy, even here in the US.
Blaming it on icreased population elsewhere is horse puckey. It would be more accurate to blame it on shift to growing crops for biofuels. The world population haven't suddenly increased to a degree to cause these shortages. The increase is high, but steady, and have been for decades. What has changed drastically is the acreage devoted to growing crops for biofuels. It pays farmers a lot more than growing food crops. This is about to change. The question is how many of these poor people are going to be able to afford the high cost of feeding themselves. Geopolitically we have some challenging times ahead of us.
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BB641 year, 8 months ago
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I don't think the economy is the problem, it's the biofuels. The USA has been the food basket for much of the 3rd world. Now that we're not seeing the excesses purchased by the Feds for food banks and the like, you're going to see more riots in the poor countries.
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newbie0420Comment removed: Hard Banned1 Reply
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canadianrancher571 year, 8 months ago
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saintetienne-engineers comment might not be that far off, what he is talking about is the idea of critical mass which applies to nearly everything you can think of. Alot of us look at the world as a place which has unlimited resources and the ability to produce food for all but I think that you are smart enough to know that there are limits to everthing even good old mother earth.
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normallysilent1 year, 8 months ago
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Gransater,
Weren't most of the crops being used for fuels primarily used for livestock feed in the past? I don't think food for direct human consumption was significantly affected. We do need that feed for the livestock though. I think the food crops would still pay better but I could be wrong.
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BB641 year, 8 months ago
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That's partially true. Much of the corn used for ethanol is used for cattle feed, however, farmers can make more money selling their corn to the ethanol plants rather than food crops. So rather than planting more human food, they're growing fuel corn. The fuel crop has many more subsidies also connected to it.
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Dionys1 year, 8 months ago
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True. However the amount of food that goes to feed America's worst habit (Beef) could easily feed the entire world if we diverted most of it away from beef production. Not that I'm suggesting that, but it's a reality. Let me also say that grass fed beef is far superior in quality and taste to corn fed animals.
See "King Corn" -- a great film about corn production, farming practice, et cetera.
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BB641 year, 8 months ago
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I don't know about that. Been a part of blind tasting group and grain feed beef was by far better tasting and more tender. Actually, the most tender beef I've had was Kobe. They're fed beer. Ah... beer... Sorry, had back surgery after a little fall so I haven't had a beer in about 3 weeks.
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Dionys1 year, 8 months ago
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" don't know about that. Been a part of blind tasting group and grain feed beef was by far better tasting and more tender."
It's possible. It has about 9 times as much saturated fat as grass fed, so for a typical American I suppose the corn fed, fat-soaked crap tastes better. I suppose that's the danger of being raised on McDonalds -- you develop a taste for fat and ******e.
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quackpot1 year, 8 months ago
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Gransater1 year, 8 months ago
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Yes and no.
The thing is that it isn't only corn being used for biofuels. If you were to go to Brazil for instance, they have been using biofuels for a long time, and their biofuel is based on sugar cane crops.
In the pacific there is much razing of palm trees, to make room for biofuel crops, thereby limiting availability of cocunut oil and fiber, a staple in much of that region. The list goes on, but the essense of it is that enough acreage is being diverted specifically towards biofuel crops, that it is affecting regular food for humans type of crops, wether its food we eat directly, or food that we feed our livestock.
In industrialized countries, such as Italy, there has been unrest because of the dramatic increase of cost in flour and semolina. Enough of a cost increase that it has affected household budgets of many italians. Eventually the market place will adjust itself, but, higher prices than before this fiasco started will be a fact.
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quackpot1 year, 8 months ago
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All of the changes that you so correctly mention (an you might include soybeans in Brazil) are done by wealthy individuals and big corporations usually at the expense of locals (except for a few temporary jobs) and at the expense of the environment. The economics that drives this is a combination of low valuation of forest land and big political "contributions" by the corporations.
There is probably an even larger effect of the very inefficient process of feeding grain to animals and then using animals as a source of food. But, people have liked to eat meat for longer than they have liked to drive cars.
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BB641 year, 8 months ago
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It's nice you're a vegan but for the rest of the free world, we're going to eat meat. Ethanol is by far the largest groups taking over the corn industry.
As an environmentalist I'm surprised you'd zip over the soybean so easily. It's one of the most costly plants to grow. It takes tons of fertilizers and even more pesticides to keep alive. Bugs love them and the plants have no real protections. Not a very planet friendly crop...
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quackpot1 year, 8 months ago
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BB64,
I do agree with your claim that producing corn-based ethanol is not a good use of farm land (although it is MUCH smaller than the amount of land devoted to corn-for animal food).
I DISAGREE with your claim that this mis-allocation of land is due to "tree hugging environmental freaks". Rather, the mis-use is due to the lobbysing efforts of BIG agribusiness (by BIG, I mean considerably larger than your 400 acre farm).
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BB641 year, 8 months ago
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You're wrong on the farm part. All of those farmers are voters. Between the environmentalists and the farm lobby are forcing this issue. Big business is making money here but in the long term, it's going to cost us a lot more than it's worth.
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nostalgia1 year, 8 months ago
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Yes but there is a ripple effect.
Increased cost of corn used to feed animals = increased cost of meat
Wheat etc is not being planted - more profitable to plant corn
Therefore there is going to be a shortage of wheat and other human food crops
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BB641 year, 8 months ago
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Depending upon the markets, yes and no. When a farmer converts from, say oat, barley or wheat for corn, that reduces those products available. Substitutions in diets will also occur because of the reductions of the other crops. Corn can be found in about 90% of all our products in the USA. This was mainly done because of costs. Without it, you will find other solutions. Take Coca Cola. In the 1970's Coke used real cane sugar, now it's corn syrup. If corn sugar costs continue to rise, it might have to go back to the original recipe. How many plantations will go back to sugar and displace whatever they're currently growing.
Another issue that people have missed was the clear cutting of thousands of acres of rain forests in Malaysia for farming biofuels. Again, I don't think our environmental groups thought this through before they push for ethanol.
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quackpot1 year, 8 months ago
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Environmental groups are not pushing for the clear cutting of Malaysian rain forests. This clear cutting is being done by wealthy land owners in response to economic conditions. One of these economic conditions is the low value that Malaysia has placed on its forests. Another is the ability of wealthy land owners to pay off politicians in Malaysia. You may substitute any other country in the world for Malaysia.
Basically, BB64, your continually placing the blame for the worlds ills on environmentalists is an incorrect accusation.
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BB641 year, 8 months ago
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That isn't their intention but that's one of the consequences of pushing ethanol production. As to blaming the environmentalists I certainly do. I'm moving 1500 jobs here in Wisconsin to Ohio yet you don't hear that in the media. The reason for the most part are the clean air requirements. Our new plant won't meet the standards for clean air. Sounds like a great thing, the Clean Air Act but it's little more than a political movement. When first created, we had over a dozen foundries, several hundred metal working plants, 5 breweries, a yeast plant, 3 tanneries and a car plant. Today, we're down to one brewery, a few metals plants and one foundry yet we missed the standards. Turns out over the last 30 years, every time we got close to meeting the standards, they lowered them. So if things continue, the only way we would meet the attainment levels would mean everything closing and all of us moving away. In 30 years, that 250,000 jobs lost here. O do blame you guys.
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walden31 year, 8 months ago
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Well the Republicans almost have us where they want us, but we're not quite desperate enough yet. There'll be two Americas. The one where we all scramble for scraps and crumbs and the other of gated communities with ostentatious displays of wealth.
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nostalgia1 year, 8 months ago
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walden31 year, 8 months ago
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nostalgia1 year, 8 months ago
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This is the Senate version - even more generous than the House version
Senate's Farm Bill Includes $10 Billion in New Aid
The plan is backed by the National Corn Growers Association and is sponsored by Sens. Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and Harkin.
Sugar beet and sugar cane growers would get a new program aimed at protecting their share of the U.S. market in the face of an expected surge in Mexican imports. The 10-year cost: about $1.3 billion.
Tucked into the measure is good news for the companies that store and handle the South's peanut crop. The bill partially reinstitutes a program that was discontinued in 2006, allowing the companies to bill the government for some costs they incur under the federal price-support program. The CBO has set a $175 million, 10-year price tag on that
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/ar...
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nostalgia1 year, 8 months ago
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The Pelosi Farm Bill: A Corn Subsidy Windfall
Indeed, critics of the bill from the progressive community who have had the privilege to speak to Rep. Pelosi's staff about the legislation have been told in no uncertain terms that she will not tolerate any significant changes via amendment on the House floor. To further frustrate reform efforts, the farm bill is being rushed to the floor this Thursday, July 26. Amendments like the reform package to be brought forth by Democrat Ron Kind of Wisconsin must be delivered to the Rules Committee by 6 p.m. Tuesday, and if approved, will be allowed limited debate and a vote on the House floor.
But Speaker Pelosi's staff have made it clear that she firmly supports the bill as it is, and will make sure enough Democrats vote with her and the subsidy lobby to kill any reform that displeases Chairman Peterson.
http://www.mulchblog.com/2007/07/corn_and_the_p...
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walden31 year, 8 months ago
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You won't find me defending pork-barrel spending, especially to agri-bus at the expense of small farmers. I'm not in favor of any ongoing subsidies for any established business. I do see the need however, to balance our security interests in being able to feed ourselves with the unpalatable need of propping up some growers.
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nostalgia1 year, 8 months ago
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nostalgia1 year, 8 months ago
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I know what you mean!
This info goes back to 2005:
David Pimentel of Cornell University, it takes the equivalent of 1.29 gallons of gasoline to produce enough ethanol to replace one gallon of gasoline at the pump. Instead of making the nation more energy self-sufficient, ethanol production actually increases our need for oil and gas imports, Pimentel says
Pimentel is an ecology professor who had been examining energy usage in corn production since 1970. It may sound odd for an ecologist to study agriculture, but it's not actually a big jump, because ecologists have long been interested in energy flows in natural systems. Pimentel sees his work merely as applying a traditional way of thinking to a new arena.
http://feinstein.senate.gov/05speeches/ethanol-...
If people knew this in 2005 and earlier, why was Congress ignoring the information?
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BB641 year, 8 months ago
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That report isn't correct. It didn't take into account the energy for raising corn and getting it to the market. You don't just dump the seeds on the ground and hope for a good year. Corn takes a bit of work and lots of chemicals. Also ethanol can't be transported via pipelines, it has to be trucked or moved by rail. Conservatively in the energy market, we consider it takes a little over 5 gallons of fossil fuel to produce 1 gallon of ethanol. When burned in modern cars, the fuel economy of the vehicle tends to decrease by 10%. Ironically very close to the 10% ethanol found in most large cities. Another problem, the emissions are not as clean as you would find if you used the unblended fuel.
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nostalgia1 year, 8 months ago
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That's true but even with the information known in 2005 and further studied after that, Congress should have known better.
I'm tired of politicians claiming that more emphasis needs to be placed on science when they ignore science to reward special interests
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walden31 year, 8 months ago
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That's because I save my best for you.
I still am friends with many people I graduated from high school with in 1982. Many of my friends I've had for 30 of my 44 years. Many are really my family. Some of my guy friends are brothers. Believe it or not I have elementary school pictures that show me with some of my current friends from the first and second grade. Two weeks ago I played cards with four other guys and two of them I know from the second grade and two others from high school and I've know myself my whole life.
Been married for 18 years to my high school sweet heart.
I must be doing something right.
I've lived in the same town basically my whole life. People don't move much in New England.
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saintetienne1 year, 8 months ago
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"I must be doing something right."
No. You must be doing something dull. I've never been so bored reading about someone's life. I nodded off once when you started droning on about elementary school pictures, and again when you said something about living in the same town your whole life.
I now understand why you're such a nitwit.
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ADAGUY1 year, 8 months ago
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Perhaps you wouldn't be so bored if you had any friends of your own!
Your mouth along with your ignorance are a sad combination.
You simply spend too much time being an ignorant wise ass, and not enough time attempting to say something intelligent. But it's what we have come to expect from you.
Comments that require thought are not part of your conversation.
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walden31 year, 8 months ago
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Stinkytaint-
I'm a simple man that finds simple pleasure in simple things. I like walking in the woods. I like walking my dog and my wife. I like working outside with my flowers and veggies. I ski and ride my bike a lot. I like having friends over. I like cooking for people. I like watching sports. I'm not into electronics, movies, fashion or video games.
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BB641 year, 8 months ago
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Walden, the ethanol lobby has it's real roots with the DNC and the Sierra groups. Because they can make money making ethanol you now have GOP members interested. That plus even your lowly farmers are making money growing fuel corns.
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normallysilent1 year, 8 months ago
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Sorry Walden, I do like the lyrics you put above however I won't be voting for either of the Dem choices offered. I also do not live in any gated community or ever intend to. I have actually been looking at property further out. I would move now but I think I would have more than a little trouble selling right now. I like a lot of nothing around me.
I also disagree with this being a Rep and Dem type of problem. I don't see any difference whatsoever in the driving forces behind any of them. They are all out for one thing and there isn't one of them with a real understanding of the problems the rest of us are facing. They don't listen to the people and haven't for a long time.
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MacR1 year, 8 months ago
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Amen, nostalgia. But it will always be the same. Rah rah rah my party is better than yours. We do more for the poor and the unfortunate. Blah blah blah blah.
When it reality they are there for the monry and the money from the lobbyists. Oh we hear from one side they never accepted lobbyists money... Lies. We hear on the other side the so called straight talk.
The only talk we see is more money going into the pockets of CEO's and Gov't officials on both sides. Methane can be made from waste from the cattle we eat. There is a dairy farm that was featured on the show Dirty Jobs that makes and uses the fuel created this way. Wonder what the rest of the industry could do as this one farm has done. Seems like there are smarter people out there who know what this gov't does not want you to know.
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saintetienne1 year, 8 months ago
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Look chumps, it's high time the people in this country go on a diet anyway. Have you SEEN the obesity figures and the diabetes statistics? It wouldn't hurt for people to cut back on their food intake, and ship it to the third world so THEY have a chance to eat something. Push away from the table, people. It's not going to kill you. And besides, think of the reduced health costs. I'm telling you, this problem is easy to solve. GO ON A DIET.
This is a non-story. NEXT.
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nostalgia1 year, 8 months ago
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Saintetienne
It's not that simple
The obesity rates are highest in the middle and lower economic groups
When you have limited income the overprocessed, high calorie and high fat foods are cheaper to buy
As a result you aren't getting the nutition you really need and you "feel" hungry
Buying fresh fruit and vegetables along with quality cuts of meat and fish is very expensive
I know how much I am spending for just the 2 of us and I can't imagine how a family with kids and low income could afford it
Do a little test. Buy only fresh fruits and vegetables along with quality meats or fish. See how much you spend.
Then take a look at how much you could buy with that money if you bought lower quality
White bread is a good example. Compare the price of a loaf of white bread to a high quality multigrain loaf - not the overprocessed "wheat" bread (it isn't much better than white)
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saintetienne1 year, 8 months ago
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Stop having kids.
Get a second job.
Get a better-paying job.
Eat LESS high-calorie, high-fat foods.
For God's sake, you act as though people are endless victims, chained to one spot their entire lives, unable to move, change or think for themselves.
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saintetienne1 year, 8 months ago
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And I'm simply pointing out that government growth and interference - across all aspects of our lives - is what continues to make simple problems much more complicated and costly. If the government would BUTT OUT for once and allow the market to run itself, instead of imposing endless subsidies, rations, tariffs, regulations, payoffs, taxes, new programs, more committes.... all at the expense of us taxpayers, perhaps some of these problems could begin to work themselves out.
But no. People think more government = more solutions. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! Nothing could be further from the truth. It's quite the opposite. The government even works at odds with itself. In Washington, one committee is petitioning for farmers to grow more corn, while down the street in another building they're fighting to stop farmers from planting corn and offering them subsidies. It's lunatic! And we the people are STUPES to keep tolerating and financing this charade.
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canadianrancher571 year, 8 months ago
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saintetienne- I agree I would like to see government butt out I would like to see alot of government departments disappear but when you are talking about them getting out are you also in favor of them doing away with minimun wage and also opening the borders so that labour can also flow freely around the world or are you selective in what you ask for. There are professional people in the world that would like to come to the U.S. and work and for less money is this going to be allowed in your perfect world but would you allow this or ask government to stop these people.
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joeblowe1 year, 8 months ago
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well, here's something I don't see mentioned: JIT supply. I've personally seen instances where IDIOTS think that Just In Time inventory control will work on a transcontinental - or worse, international - basis. It only takes a LITTLE problem - say, unexpected congestion at the docks, or a labor action (at EITHER end) or ... well, practically any little thing, and the WHOLE SYSTEM grinds to a halt. And at considerable expense. A temporary local rice shortage could be something as simple as that - a temporary snag in the supply line. Trust me. I've seen instances where an entire assembly line (automotive) was about to be shut down because a truck got stuck in a snow storm. The idiots run their operation THAT close to FAIL mode.
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nostalgia1 year, 8 months ago
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A friend of mine is from the Philippines. Apparently the Philippines is in the midst of a rice shortage.
Although my friend usually sends money, many of her family members are requesting food - they send what they call balikbayan boxes filled with food etc.
Now she is sending 50 lb sacks rice, canned salmon etc
She sent me a link to a story from Vancouver. The same thing is going on there in the Filipino community
http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/busines...
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jamesjajames1 year, 8 months ago
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Why are people hungry, because they choose to be. A few years ago I did a little experiment just to see how hard it was to get a meal. I spent one month in the summer paid $0 for food and ate 3 meals a day. Typically http://mattressl.t35.com/ the Salvation Army handled one or two meals a day. There was another religious organization, that had a breakfast program for the homeless. I may have had to listen to a sermon or http://mattressq.t35.com/ wash a few dishes, but I ate and no begging or 'dumpster diving'. I got the idea from http://mattressw.t35.com/ another program they have in Texas http://mattresse.t35.com/ where kids (under 18) can show up at various locations and get breakfast and http://mattressr.t35.com/ lunch for free during the summer. There were those that complained about the program because they would not delivery to the kids houses.
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jaxguy1 year, 8 months ago
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Food insecurity is a huge problem in the United States. If you don't experience it, its may be hard to understand but it goes together with poverty. Poverty in the US has increased in the last few years and so has food insecurity. And btw, biofuels will cause the price of food to go up, and leave more people hungry. It's already happening in other countries.
Here is a good article about food insecurtiy from a major US health org ...
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=Articl...
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jaxguy1 year, 8 months ago
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Food insecurity is a huge problem in the United States. If you don't experience it, its hard to understand but it goes together with poverty. Poverty in the US has increased in the last few years and so has food insecurity. And btw, biofuels will cause the price of food to go up, and leave more people hungry. It's already happening in other countries.
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walden31 year, 8 months ago
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I know I sound nuts, but who cares. We're all strangers anyways.
Cleaning man, cleaning. Filth will be the enemy. Hospitals could be nuts, anti-biotics will be worth god knows what. Sanitation will be key. Clean surfaces, disinfect water, clean your laundry. Some lime might not be a bad idea either for that latrine if power were cut out on us. Keeping clean and not getting infections is paramount. I like to limit my dependence on others as much as possible.
If you prepare for the worst, then you're prepared for the best.
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simonsez1 year, 8 months ago
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A year ago, most of the names I see here were belly-aching about the price of gas and clamoring for bio-fuel. You were thrilled that the government demanded more ethanol added to the fuel. Now, it's everybody elses fault that there's a food shortage and higher food costs.
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Wolfie20071 year, 8 months ago
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simonsez, You are so right, but I was not silent when ethanol was approved for use and I said then as now, it is immoral to use food for fuel. I also want to remind everyone to say a prayer for the starving children of the world every time you start you hybrid.
I guess a rice shortage is good news for Arkansas rice farmers that is if their fields ever dry up enough to plow and plant. Last I heard it might be a month or more.
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xiaomian11031 year, 8 months ago
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Major retailers in New York, in areas of New England, and on the West Coast are limiting purchases of flour, rice, and cooking oil as demand outstrips supply...
http://www.laptopbatterymart.co.uk/applepowerbo...
That is an website for replacement laptop batteries, such as apple powerbook g4 laptop battery, dell 9300 battery, which maybe do with these things.
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gmarlett1 year, 8 months ago
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lovermanComment removed: Retracted by user
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getreal11 year, 8 months ago
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Never take anything for granted. We have a Congress that wants to pass a bill allowing a cut back in corn production. Does that really make sense? Now is the time to grow anything that you can. Any where that you can. When I first move back to SC the little neighbor was over run by chickens. Right now those chickens would be a welcome sight. It's not really the government but the ones that went with unfair world trade that are responsible for this. VP Cheney had a lot to do with the NAFTA agreement. If that agreement weren't so one sided we would have something on the table. Corporations can not have it all. They eventually buy themselves in to a no such supply by paying our Congress to not let certain things happen here. Like the less Corn production deal. Production of enough to feed and supply fuel, just might cut back oil production. That puts a well deserving, beautiful dent in a lot of fat pockets. (Continued)
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getreal11 year, 8 months ago
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That doesn't help us. Neither did paying for transportation that could have done away with the use for oil and gas decades ago. I for one do not plan to let them take me with them. I guess my little investment in tomatoes may bring some bread and butter in to my home this summer. There is the negative and the positive, when the negative is done the positive can not produce and that effects us all.
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