Food for LIFE!

Jersey Mayor Cory Booker is planning on living on food stamps for a year after being challenged by a Twitter follower. Sounds crazy doesn't it? Reminds me of the political stunt orchestrated by then Mayor Jane Burn to live in Cabrini Green to prove it was safe. Despite the political motivations of Booker or anyone else, the larger issue, in my mind, is the complicated issue of hunger and poverty which affects millions of Americans in the richest nation on the planet.

This challenge between the NJ Mayor and the unknown Twitter Follower "TwitWit" began when "TwitWit" comment that "nutrition is not the responsibility of the government" before the conversation evolved into food stamps and "TwitWit" tweeted; "why is there a family today that is too poor to afford breakfast? Are they not already receiving food stamps?" This aimless comment prompted the challenge by the NJ Mayor. "lets you and I try to live on food stamps in New Jersey and feed a family for a week or month. U game?" "Sure, Mayor. I'm game," TwitWit responded and there the challenge was born.

This is a very interesting challenge to me because as we all know, NJ has a relatively high cost of living and it has been said that the food stamp total the Mayor and TwitWit will be using amounts to approximately $133.26 (US Department of Agriculture for NJ 2011). My math suggests that averages to approximately $1.43/meal just barely enough to purchase ONE item on the McDonald's dollar menu. I don't think any of us would thin we could feed a family on this amount.

To add insult to injury Andrea Tantaros, a Fox Television pundit when asked about the challenge stated living on a $133/monthly food allowance would make her look "fabulous....I should try it because do you know how fabulous I'd look? I'd be so skinny. I mean, the camera adds ten pounds, it really does. I'd be looking great." This comment about the harsh reality which affects about 50 million people is insensitive and callous. According the to the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP), households have a monthly income of about $731 and over 75% include a child or elderly or disabled person. WithOUT SNAP, I would guess millions of more Americans would go hungry.

Tantaros' uneducated response to an everyday issue is unfortunate especially when she has access to such a powerful venue like Fox News. What Tantaros and TwitWit don't realize is food stamps and other assistance programs is not a lot. It helps somewhat and can probably keep them from taking up the "sport" of dumpster diving and eating garbage but it is at the end of the day a very low budget for food and to feed a family. So, what comes with having a low food budget? Well, in my experience it means the food choices are very limited and the recipients normally fill up on high carbs and high fat food choices which are normally high in sugars and low in vegetables and nutrition. This leads to obesity and other abnormalities like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes which lead to strokes, heart attacks and early death or long term hospital care.

Fox News is a far leaning right wing channel and most of the pundits and commentaries who are on the channel seem to speak from a very high horse. Remember, this is the same network where Sean Hannity has a show. Hannity you recall tried to weigh in on his view of SNAP recipients when he barked they should shun SNAP and eat more rice and beans because they are inexpensive and could be bought in large amounts for "negligible amounts of money." It's remarks like Tantaros, Hannity and TwitWit which resemble, more recently, those of Romney's 47%. These guys say they understand what's good for Americans but their words clearing reflect their hearts. They are speaking from afar and not hands on. They don't have experience in the everyday struggles of most Americans. Simple things like food and nutrition and health care are taken for granted by this group and because it's commonplace for them and mostly everyone they know. It's expected and anyone who is outside of their bubble is a slacker looking for "gifts" and "handouts" from the government. What they miss is what they take for granted, 50 million Americans are struggling to get just to stay alive.

It's time for those who sit on those high horses while they throw their stones to be knocked down a peg or two where they can see how the rest of us "low lifes" live.

Penn State hierarchy should be dismantled NOW!

THE REPORT is out and it's not totally surprising. Penn State officials all the way to the top had knowledge of the egregious acts committed by Jerry Sandusky against the children which were placed into his care. Penn State has been a proverbial crime scene for more than a decade. Former FBI Director, Louis Freeh conducted a Penn State sponsored investigation into the allegations of criminal conduct by Sandusky and his report revealed mostly everyone in a position of authority at the university knew or had some knowledge of what their pedestal posted football staff was up to. 


It is a vast understatement to say this was disgusting. It was and IS a reprehensible and unbelievable mistrust of authority and privilege enjoyed by the university. It's clear, in my mind, the power and influence of money, draft picks, notoriety and reputation played a primary role in the cover up. Children who are the cornerstones of our society and the future of our nation and who are the ones who will eventually keep the institution of college education moving were placed at the feet of greed and selfishness by Penn State.


This is not solely a Sandusky crime. It is an institutional crime. The officials who are paid handsomely to safeguard and mentor and guide our children and young adults through their football program have sacrificed our most precious commodity for the sake of an athletic department and one man's perverse desires to repeatedly commit child abuse. Paterno, the so-called beloved coach of Penn State's division winning football team is just as guilty. He knew of the cover up, he knew of the acts, he knew of those responsible and yet he hid his eyes and in doing so, endorsed the abuse. Paterno may have been a winning coach but he is no hero. In fact, I would lean towards describing him as a co-conspirator and an enabler to Sandusky and the powers that be at Penn State. Let's not forget Assistant Coach, Mike McQueary who personally witnessed Sandusky raping a 10 year old boy. McQueary notified Paterno who told Athletic Director Tim Curley. Curley and Vice President Gary Schultz, did NOT REPORT the incident to the police. All they did was restrict him from bringing underage children onto the campus. 


Okay so  here is the punch line. In a January 2012 interview with the Washington Post, Paterno tried to explain his rationale for not reporting Sandusky to the police. "I didn't know exactly how to handle it and I was afraid to do something that might jeopardize what the university procedure was," Paterno said. "So I backed away and turned it over to some other people."WHAT??? "Didn't want to jeopardize what the university procedure was..." Unbelievable. We see where Paterno's priorities lied and those were definitely NOT with the best interest of the children who were being violated and abused. In the real world, if someone has knowledge of a crime and covers up the crime and does nothing to inform the authorities of that crime that person is charged with that crime just as if he took part in the initial act. This is what should happen to the people at Penn State. 


There should be a scorched earth type policy erected at that disgusting place. Everyone INCLUDING the board of directors, President, VP, down to the people writing the checks for the football program should have been removed. ANYONE who had the slightest knowledge or inclination of wrongdoing should be charged and prosecuted. NO ONE at that Godforsaken place had the gumption to stand up for the most vulnerable which were placed in their care and trust, the CHILDREN. It's unbelievable and very depressing.


-"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." (Edmund Burke)