Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Could it be possible that a family was well off when they had children but later lost their jobs due to the economy?
Of course it could be possible, but, if they were "well off" they should be able to have a little savings and be prepared for such a thing.
I think it is more likely that those you refer to are people were living paycheck to paycheck, with a mortgage, car payment, bills etc they didn't save anything, if they lost their jobs, they had no plan for what to do. Basing ones life on what one currently earns as the bottom line is irresponsible, especially when there are dependents involved. Just because one can afford a house, doesn't mean they should, if it puts them in a situation where a loss of income would mean loss of everything because they couldn't afford to save.
Live simply, live within your means and always prepare for the worst.
Of course it could be possible, but, if they were "well off" they should be able to have a little savings and be prepared for such a thing.
I think it is more likely that those you refer to are people were living paycheck to paycheck, with a mortgage, car payment, bills etc they didn't save anything, if they lost their jobs, they had no plan for what to do. Basing ones life on what one currently earns as the bottom line is irresponsible, especially when there are dependents involved. Just because one can afford a house, doesn't mean they should, if it puts them in a situation where a loss of income would mean loss of everything because they couldn't afford to save.
Live simply, live within your means and always prepare for the worst.
Here is a point that might drill through the hard headed/hard nosed Conservatives.
One in four children without adequate food probably will lack adequate health/dental care also. These children will grow up watching demonstrations of overweight senior citizens who protest against UHC while demanding no cuts to their Medicare.
When these children grow up, how motivated will they be to help and care for senior citizens or the elderly?
Well, too bad for the conservative whiners. A good government helps people improve their lives.
Ok, let's examine this for a minute: First of all, I do not always or ever as a matter of fact put too much into these studies, but that isn't the only thing to consider here:
In the 60s I was President of our local PTA and on a board to improve food qualtiy in our local school cafeterias. This was a moderly successful, upper mobile city north of San Francisco, but not really affluent. A small portion of our district was lower and lower middle class. I was one that objected to the amount of carbs the kids were getting and the sugar. Well, I was told, by the district dietician there was little that could be done, they were following the government guide lines...For the life of me, I couldn't understand how a meal could be within the guidelines when the dessert was twinkies and there was not one green vegetable served sometimes almost all week. The argument, this is what the kids will eat. So you see, it is partially the parents fault, and the governments as well.
Then we moved to So Calif where school bussing was the order of the day, thus our kids were in an elementary school that had been about80% black and hispanic as well as very low income. Most of the kids were on free or reduced meal plans. Again the diet, offered was awful. Oh, by the way, our kids qualified for the reduced rates because of where they went to school and not income. Twice a week breakfast consisted of hot dogs. Again, the reasoning, kids will eat hot dogs. Good quality weiners can be a good sourse of protein even though high in sodium, but do you think the school district offers quality meats? Of course not, they can't afford to. So these kids eat crap at school and go home to crap.
Yes, many can't afford decent food, but if they would take the assistance offered them and try, the results would be fewer kids suffering from bad diets. It isn't the lack of availiblity, it is the lack of interest on the parents part.
In the early 80s I taught a class on eating healthy on a budget. How many in that class really practiced what I taught? Probably not more than a couple. I don't know why they were there, I think some of them got pressure from the social workers to attend..
Stop expecting the government to be the answer to all the countries problems for heaven's sake.
And yet childhood obesity is a pandemic.
I was getting ready to start my yearly contributions to the Salvation Army/ Toys For Tots/ Red Cross, etc. I already donated some money for sending care packages to kids overseas. But then a discussion on local talk radio made me think long and hard.
Local charities/ food banks/ Christmas wish lists groups for kids are overburdened and in need of help. A huge reason these kids are in need of food and clothing and toys this winter is because their parents are losers. They might have one parent, the mom. Or maybe the dad works and the mother is on welfare but the dad doesn't support the kids.Or one parent is in jail. Or they can't speak english well enough to get a job. Or they blow their money on cell phones and stereos and big screen tvs, drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, clothes for themselves, bling jewelry, cars. We have a failing city with increasing crime and uneducated nitwits who burden the school system with kids who can't speak english or or only come to school to fight.
I used to get a warm feeling from giving thinking that I am making a difference trying to help somebody who needs it. But now I give and have this gnawing doubt that even if I help some unfortunate child, who isn't to blame for his situation, I have some yutz sitting back thinking that somebody else should be responsible for looking out for their progeny or themselves. I still give because I don't want to stop thinking that we should all try to help others if we can.
But we will soon, and VERY SOON, come to a point where the government will be unable to support the freeloaders and will either cut them loose or try to gouge everybody even more to support them and you'll have a revolt. Either way things will get nasty.
Actually there is a thread on Obeseity in this forum. I have been trying to get people to provide some ideas about what things can be done to help fix the problem. If you have some ideas, please post them.
Well, I don't believe it. Things are tough right now; but they areen't that bad — yet.
They are that bad, some of us are just lucky enough not to see it on a daily basis. I bet if you looked you could find evidence in your own neighborhood or town.
It is a continuation of a trend that started a few years ago. Last year's report was almost as bad, so, what this tells me is that all that money, etc. that was supposed to trickle down from the tax cuts was just absorbed into the ether by those who were already well-off.
Priorities, you know.
The thing is Americans are generous people. If there was a way that people could donate on-line to a reputable and honest organization that provided food to needy children in the United States, people would donate. I often find that there is a huge willingness to help people but scam artists have ruined that.
If someone knows of such an organization that does, provide it here. My advice is to find people in the community to help. I'm sure there are people you work with or know that need help. Do your part and offer any assistance you can. A lot of people especially the poor are proud and honest folk who don't want hand-outs even though they need help. Get past that and offer them help.
There are such places, at least on a local basis. Several of the area food pantries and soup kitchens here in NJ have websites where you can donate directly. I've done it.
As a matter of fact, one of the largest food pantries ran out of food last year and had to close its doors. The local newspaper ran a column on that the next day, and by the next morning the donations were pouring in electronically. People just need to KNOW sometimes. If not for that article in the paper, no one would have known the supplies had run out.
You can cook your own meals that are far healthier and cheaper than fast food IF you take the time to plan the meals correctly and shop for good buys.
The problem is like most of these issues is that requires too much responsibility that a person is willing to take.
Some of them are just plain stupid, and I mean that literally, not as some kind of insult.
A friend of mine worked until recently for Rutgers University as an admin assistant under a federal grant program that goes out to the schools and teaches kids and parents about better nutrition. It's also tied into the agricultural program at the university to help get fresh produce out to these people as part of the "Families First" (NJ food stamps) program.
A lot of these kids were born when their parents were teenagers and have great-grandmothers who are still in their forties. Generation upon generation hasn't finished high school. Forget about them making any effort to learn about good nutrition. Having a child is the step into adulthood in their world, not graduating from high school or going to college.
The grant was not renewed this year, so now my friend is bartending. But maybe somebody learned something. Let's hope.
When there are fast food meals cheaper than purchasing healthy groceries parents make that choice.
Also, there's the problem of obese kids, so they must be eating something... even if it's unhealthy food they're eating it.
I agree with you, LuckyGem and NoMander. It's not the quantity, it's the quality. It's laziness and/or ignorance. It's easier to buy prepackaged processed foods rather than cook from scratch. A lot of adults these days don't know how to cook anything. For the price of a box of frozen breaded chicken nuggets, you could buy a whole roasting chicken and probably get more than one meal out of it, including soup from the carcass. Dried beans are a gold mine of nutrition and low fat protein, and cheap too - but too much trouble for most to prepare.
Last edited by stoogemania; 11-19-2009 at 10:52 AM..
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
