But the food banks are a symptom of poverty. If our society were organized
differently and if our tax money had been allocated appropriately, and if we
had a government that cared about planning for its citizens like many others
in the world, Germany or New Zealand, for example, our people wouldn't have
to be waiting on bread lines. We are giving trillions to other countries for
military aid and trillions to corporations and banks and Trump's cronies,
and our people are in need of food and shelter. It's wrong. The only reason
people accept it is brainwashing, pure and simple. Americans have been
fooled into thinking that they have the best system in the world and that
if some people suffer, it's their fault. And that's absolute bullshit!
Miriam
-----Original Message-----
From: blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
<blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> On Behalf Of Andy Baracco
Sent: Monday, September 28, 2020 6:33 PM
To: blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [blind-democracy] Re: Report: 56 Million Americans Depended on Food
Banks During the Pandemic
Thank God the food banks are there.
Andy
----- Original Message -----
From: "Miriam Vieni" <miriamvieni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Monday, September 28, 2020 3:25 PM
Subject: [blind-democracy] Report: 56 Million Americans Depended on Food
Banks During the Pandemic
Report: 56 Million Americans Depended on Food Banks During the
Pandemic Once only associated with enemy nations and the Great
Depression, bread lines have returned to the US, often in form of
miles-long traffic jams or car parks filled with hungry drivers.
by Alan Macleod
September 28th, 2020
By Alan Macleod
Amid a pandemic that has claimed the lives of over 209,000 Americans
and caused widespread economic dislocation, tens of millions have been
forced to rely on food banks to survive. A new report from the Pew
Research Center found that 17 percent of the 13,200 people they
surveyed said they had received food from a food bank or similar
organization during the pandemic.
Nationwide, that figure would amount to 56 million Americans.
Unsurprisingly, those who identified themselves as "lower income" (35
percent) were far more likely to turn to food banks for help than
those in the "upper income" bracket (1 percent). However, even 12
percent of "middle income" Americans admitted they needed outside help
to put food on the table. Black and Hispanic Americans were around
three times more likely to need these services than white Americans.
Pew's research also sheds light on a number of other ways in which
COVID-19
has harmed American society. 15 percent of respondents said that they
had been made unemployed as a result of the fallout, with 25 percent
of households having a member lose their job. One third of Americans
have been forced to take a pay cut, 16 percent said they had had
problems paying rent or mortgages, while a quarter could not pay other
bills. As with food bank usage, these other problems were far more
common among poorer households and people of color.
Although they die at a far lower rate, younger people have felt the
brunt of the pandemic's economic consequences, with Millennials and
Generation Z less likely to have the resources to weather the
coronavirus storm, and more likely to be employed in sectors that were
vulnerable to closure.
Long Breadlines Form Outside of Food Banks as America Struggles to
Cope With
COVID-19 Fallout
MintPress spoke to people working food banks and on the front lines
attempting to keep America fed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
MintPress News | Alan Macleod | Apr 15 Once only associated with enemy
nations or with the Great Depression, bread lines have returned to the
United States, although they often do not resemble classic images of
lines of disheveled people. Today's bread lines are as likely to be
miles-long traffic jams or car parks filled with hungry drivers,
sometimes waiting overnight for their turn at the drive through
distribution centers. Overwhelmed charities work day and night, but
have had to ration out deliveries.
Even as food banks were cleaned out, fresh produce rotted on America's
farms. Many American farmers do not sell to a mass market. Instead,
their produce is bought up by networks supplying universities,
stadiums, or restaurants. But with many of those businesses shuttered,
supply distribution networks broke down, leading to feast and famine.
Small businesses have been decimated. Business review site Yelp
recently announced that 60 percent of businesses forced to shut their
doors during the pandemic are now permanently closed. At the same
time, retail giants like Amazon have surged, leaving them in an even
stronger position than before the pandemic. Its owner, Jeff Bezos,
already the world's richest individual, has nearly doubled his wealth
since the lockdown began in March.
"A Disturbing Milestone": America's Top 12 Plutocrats Now Own $1
Trillion in Wealth Welath Inequality: The billionaire class is
becoming richer than ever, adding nearly $700 billion to their fortune
since the lockdown began.
MintPress News | Alan Macleod | Aug 20 Bezos is representative of
virtually the entire class of highly wealthy Americans, for whom the
pandemic has often had a positive impact. Figures from the Institute
for Policy Studies (IPS) show that the country's billionaires have
grown their wealth by 29 percent since March.
Much of this has been made possible by the stewardship of the Trump
administration, who refused to act in February or earlier in March,
and whose Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act
proved a massive boon to the country's wealthy elite. A non-partisan
congressional study of the tax cuts forced into the CARES Act showed
that 82 percent of the benefits would go to those making over $1
million per year. Meanwhile, many have received only one $1,200 check
to tide them over for months. The IPS also found that more equal
countries had a far lower death rate per capita than those like the
U.S. where inequality was high. A great deal of research has shown
that people in more equal societies feel more loyalty and
responsibility towards others, perhaps contributing to higher mask
usage or more strict adherence to lockdown procedures.
With a seven-day moving average of over 41,000 new infections and
nearly
800
daily deaths, it appears that the United States is a long way from
returning to normality, suggesting that the economic pain will
continue indefinitely.
Winter is coming. Food banks should prepare for more inundation come
Christmas. Tens of millions will need them.
