[Peace-discuss] Tell Congress: Protect food stamps and family farms
E. Wayne Johnson
ewj at pigsqq.org
Tue Jun 26 20:41:23 UTC 2012
Perhaps one of the most evil things that the US Government has done is
to redirect foodstuffs
from the mouths of poor people to the maw of transportation. The
production of "biofuels" is
an example of the Stupidity of Evil. As planned, the diversion of food
to automobile fuels has
raised food prices worldwide, and put more pressure on the poor and hungry.
It's hard for people to be happy when they are hungry.
They tend to get angry.
Oh, you're hungry? Your poor wittle bewwy is empty?
How about some Gasohol soup? Oh, baby doesnt like Gasohol soup?
How about some nice Biodiesel, you ungrateful little twerp?
Biofuels for your tank.
America needs more tanks.
Tanks a lot. Tanks but no tanks.
"you know where to put the cork"
On 6/27/2012 3:04 AM, Jenifer Cartwright wrote:
> Pls sign, then forward widely to yr family and friends. Color of
> Change gets results!
>
> --- On *Tue, 6/26/12, Rashad Robinson, ColorOfChange.org
> /<info at colorofchange.org>/* wrote:
>
>
> *Why is Congress cutting food stamps while funding Big Agribusiness?*
>
> farmer
> <http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1584?t=1&akid=2528.394109.46JCrQ>
>
> *Demand a Farm Bill that protects critical nutritional assistance
> programs and livelihoods for Black family farmers.*
>
> Join Us
> <http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1584?t=2&akid=2528.394109.46JCrQ>
>
> Dear Jenifer,
>
> *Congress is poised to both cut food stamps for nearly half a
> million recipients and cripple a program that assists Black family
> farmers*. And while it's slashing these essential programs that
> help regular folks make ends meet, our Representatives are bending
> over backwards to protect billions in wasteful subsidies for Big
> Agribusiness.^1,2
>
> In light of the ongoing economic crisis — including stubbornly
> high rates of joblessness and food insecurity — *it's imperative
> that healthy food, hungry people and struggling family farmers
> come first*. But time is running out to make our voices heard: the
> House Ag Committee is now deliberating the text of the 2012 Farm
> Bill, the omnibus legislation that will dictate our agriculture
> and nutrition policy for the next five years.
>
> The Farm Bill has already suffered major cuts to crucial programs
> in the Senate.^3 *Amending the bill now before it passes out of
> the House committee is crucial to ensuring that our families — on
> the farm and off — will continue to be able to put enough food on
> the table even in the toughest of times*. Please urge Congress to
> protect the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and
> safeguard livelihoods for Black family farmers. It only takes a
> moment:
>
> http://act.colorofchange.org/sign/farmbill_house/
> <http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1584?t=3&akid=2528.394109.46JCrQ>
>
> The Farm Bill was created over 60 years ago to help the country
> recover from the Great Depression, and to ensure that farmers
> could survive and people wouldn't go hungry. And that remains its
> primary purpose. The last Farm Bill was passed in 2008 and is set
> to expire in September of this year.
>
> *Ensuring food security for all*
>
> The largest expenditure in the Farm Bill funds the Supplemental
> Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), also known as food stamps,
> which helps hungry families buy groceries, provides a market for
> small farmers, and boosts local economies in some of the most
> depressed regions of our country. Put plainly, *SNAP is key to
> ensuring food security for millions of Americans who are struggling*.
>
> 46 million people, or more than one in seven Americans, have
> signed up for SNAP so far in 2012 — which is in keeping with the
> percentage of the U.S. workforce experiencing unemployment or
> underemployment.^4 Of that number, 22.5% are Black folks,^5 with
> as many as 9 in 10 Black children receiving food stamps before
> reaching the age of 20.^6 Yet, in spite of the staggering levels
> of American poverty and hunger these numbers represent, proposals
> continually roll in to eviscerate SNAP, a vital element of our
> rapidly-fraying social safety net.
>
> And SNAP isn't just necessary to make sure that no one goes hungry
> — the program also reliably generates significant economic growth.
> For every dollar invested in the food stamp program, $1.71 is
> pumped back into the economy, helping to pay the wages of
> producers, grocers, truck drivers, and any number of other people
> who help move our food from farm to table.^7 In this way, SNAP is
> key to the economic stability of some of our poorest states.
>
> *Preserving livelihoods for Black family farmers*
>
> Protecting access to healthy and affordable food through SNAP is
> only half the battle. Also on the chopping block is a program
> dedicated to redressing the generations of disparate land loss
> experienced by so-called "socially disadvantaged" producers —
> meaning Black, Latino, Native American, and other minority farmers
> and ranchers historically discriminated against by the US
> Department of Agriculture.
>
> *For decades, USDA officials systematically denied Black farmers
> loans and subsidies that they routinely made available to white
> farmers*.^8 At best, this state-sponsored discrimination retarded
> the growth of many Black farms, but in practice it resulted in
> many simply going under — causing devastating losses of land,
> income, and intergenerational vocational knowledge. In 1920,
> Blacks made up about 15 percent of the nation's farmers, but today
> that number is just one percent.^9
>
> The Farm Bill's 2501 program exists to ensure that today, minority
> producers have opportunities to successfully acquire, own, operate
> and retain farms and ranches despite the USDA's history of neglect
> and abuse. Specifically, 2501 seeks to guarantee that socially
> disadvantaged producers equitably participate in all USDA
> programs, through the provision of targeted financial and
> technical assistance. Yet the current version of the Farm Bill
> would decimate 2501, significantly slashing the program's funding
> and making it much more difficult to access resources.^10
>
> *The 2501 Program and SNAP provide necessary resources to improve
> equity for Black farmers as well as ensure access to healthy food
> and vegetables for our families.* So many Black folks are
> struggling in these tough economic times — it's critical that
> Congress prioritize safeguarding human lives and livelihoods over
> pandering to ludicrously profitable agribusiness corporations that
> don't need the help. Without sufficient resources provided in the
> Farm Bill, millions of families will have an even harder time
> making ends meet than they do today. Join us in urging our
> Representatives to fully fund those portions of the Farm Bill that
> our community relies on the most. And when you do, please ask your
> friends and family to do the same:
>
> http://act.colorofchange.org/sign/farmbill_house/
> <http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1585?t=4&akid=2528.394109.46JCrQ>
>
> Thanks and Peace,
>
> -- Rashad, Gabriel, Dani, Matt, Natasha, Kim, Aimée and the rest
> of the ColorOfChange.org team
> June 26th, 2012
>
> *Help support our work. *ColorOfChange.org is powered by YOU—your
> energy and dollars. We take no money from lobbyists or large
> corporations that don't share our values, and our tiny staff
> ensures your contributions go a long way. You can contribute here:
>
> http://www.colorofchange.org/donate
> <http://act.colorofchange.org/go/205?t=5&akid=2528.394109.46JCrQ>
>
> References
>
> 1. "Food Leaders: The Farm Bill Props Up The Wrong People," The
> Atlantic, 06-05-2012
>
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1567?t=7&akid=2528.394109.46JCrQ
> <http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1567?t=6&akid=2528.394109.46JCrQ>
>
> 2. "Senate farm bill a small step forward for California," San
> Francisco Chronicle, 05-28-2012
> http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1568?t=9&akid=2528.394109.46JCrQ
> <http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1568?t=8&akid=2528.394109.46JCrQ>
>
> 3. "Food Stamp Vote In Senate Blocks Bid To Restore $4.5 Billion
> In Aid," Huffington Post, 06-19-2012
> http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1583?t=11&akid=2528.394109.46JCrQ
> <http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1583?t=10&akid=2528.394109.46JCrQ>
>
> 4. "More than 46.4 Million Americans Participated in SNAP in March
> 2012," Food Research & Action Center, 03-01-2012
> http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1570?t=13&akid=2528.394109.46JCrQ
> <http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1570?t=12&akid=2528.394109.46JCrQ>
>
> 5. "Fact Sheet: Poverty and Hunger among African-Americans"
> (.pdf), Bread for the World Institute, 02-2011
> http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1580?t=15&akid=2528.394109.46JCrQ
> <http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1580?t=14&akid=2528.394109.46JCrQ>
>
> 6. "Study: Half of U.S. kids will receive food stamps," USA Today,
> 11-02-2009
> http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1571?t=17&akid=2528.394109.46JCrQ
> <http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1571?t=16&akid=2528.394109.46JCrQ>
>
> 7. "The Farm Bill Should Protect Hungry Kids, Not Subsidies for
> Insurance Companies," Huffington Post, 06-06-201
> http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1572?t=19&akid=2528.394109.46JCrQ
> <http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1572?t=18&akid=2528.394109.46JCrQ>
>
> 8. "Demand immediate justice for Black farmers,"
> ColorOfChange.org, 04-01-2009
> http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1573?t=21&akid=2528.394109.46JCrQ
> <http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1573?t=20&akid=2528.394109.46JCrQ>
>
> 9. "Payout to black farmers: Too little, too late," Atlanta Voice,
> 05-10-2012
> http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1574?t=23&akid=2528.394109.46JCrQ
> <http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1574?t=22&akid=2528.394109.46JCrQ>
>
> 10. "The Farm Bill is Dead! Long Live the Farm Bill – Part Two,"
> National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, 11-22-2011
> http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1577?t=25&akid=2528.394109.46JCrQ
> <http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1577?t=24&akid=2528.394109.46JCrQ>
>
>
>
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