" Nice article. I felt utterly sick as I read the article in question. We all need to be reminded how many people in our world, nation, and little community go with out the basics. I also wonder how much money it would take to make this go away, to provide everyone with enough food - I bet its less than $700billion~ "

" Make these numbers real to yourself. Skip breakfast, lunch and dinner one day, and see how you feel.

I did, at least my blood sugar went down.

Imagine if you truly had no idea where your next meal would come from.

Had that too in the last couple of months, had my food stamps cut off because I didn't make enough money last year, yes, that was no mistype. They're reinstated now.

I know what some of you will say, you have internet? Yes, it's included in the phone bill, no cell phone , no cable, not much worth watching anyway.

It is absolutely abhorrent in this country that anyone should not have enough to eat.

Don't take this letter as a sob story, it is not, it is, however, a fact for a whole lot of people, and it not likely to change much for the forseeable future.

It may not even occur to them to think of gifts for the holidays.

You're wrong, the poorest always THINK of gifts, they just can't buy them. "

" I also wonder how much money it would take to make this go away, to provide everyone with enough food - I bet its less than $700billion~ "


Far Far less. "

" This is just so sad. I think that instead of bailing out automakers the goverment should do more to make sure that no one in America is going hungry.

Medic my heart goes out to you I know many people in your situation. I agree with your statment about the poor think of gifts they just can't buy them. I am in the position now, I've already told my kids that I dont have the money to buy gifts for them or anyone else this year.

Prices on gas and some items may be going down sure, but now those of us who were at the bottom of the barrel have a long slow climb back towards the top. "

" I get along ok, I have a few friends. "

" I can relate to what is going on. Being an older student who graduated with a masters degree and worked hard all my life, alas, I have nothing to show for it. Now I am disabled and fighting for my life and of course no SSI to help and a husband who hasn't had a job in 6 months. The only thing I have to face is the street. I don't understand. Merry Christmas "

" It is unfortunate that people go hungry in this world, that goes without saying. I am managing to raise five children on one income. My family and I raise most of our own vegetables and are going to raise chickens and goats for our own supply of milk, eggs and meat. The question I am asking is, Why is it the responsibility of the government to provide a solution to this problem? It isnt difficult to raise a garden. If you need help, the U of I Extension office is there to help. If you have to go into a garden with two or more families that would be even better. You can share the work and the results. If you dont have the space, dont worry, try gardening by the foot, can be easily researched on the internet, free access at public library. My families ancestors raised chickens and veggies on the roof of tennament slums to secure their food supply. Developing a Food-Coop that builds a community garden is another thing that people can do to secure their food. Stop eating fast food and cook your own meals. Clip coupons for the groceries you need(start a coupon sharing circle) Unfortunately the undying dependence on the government to relieve us of our troubles has fostered a generation of people who do not know how to take care of themselves. This may be the thing that this country needs to get people off their couches and out there doing something about their problems. "

" unknownjoe

I take it you live in the country, how much garden does it take to feed a family? and where do you find the space in city limits? In town, you cannot raise chickens or goats. "

" Being self sufficient isnt always about living in the country. We co-op the goats and chickens with someone right outside city limits. But goats and chickens aside, let us talk about the garden. I have an 80x250 lot in town. inside that lot I have a 12x30 garden. How much garden does it take to feed a family? We were still eating 2007 harvest as we began to harvest 2008. In addition I have apple trees, blackberry bushes,grapes, currants and assorted other fruit bearing plants. Again it isnt about the size of the space that you have. Gardening by the foot, as found on Google, will point you to many webpages that can help with developing a gardening by the foot concept for the space you have. Do we rely completely on our garden for our nutritional needs. Not right now, but that is the goal. It does however free up money in our budget that normally would have been spent on food and gasoline to go back and forth to the store. I have now developed a way to veggie garden indoors for the winter, and outdoors with cold frames for cold resistant vegetables. There are many ways to do these things, that are far from the normal inside the box thinking. "

" I have now developed a way to veggie garden indoors for the winter

You must have a really big basement. "

" One nice thing though, I have had at least 3 invites for Thankgiving dinner, one from family and two from friends,hey, and one of those is on Saturday. :} Yes, that means I get 2 dinners. "

" Besides you having the blessing of fruit tress in your yard,you have the blessing of having a yard Try your havesting with 4 herniated discs and 2 bulging discs.Try gardning tnen.You are blessed.I worked a hard 41 tears so I don't kneed someone telling me how lazy I am.I worked 2 jobs for 7 years,7 days a week 3 to 4 hours sleep,for seven years.Not a problem.Just taking care of my family, only to lose my house.Let's take away your fruit trees and yard,then you won't have such a jump on the rest of lazy folk.You do try to may a point,if you are in your.position.Many are not.Wish I could be.I lived in a garge for 2 years,mis that old place.Still feels like home. "

" I see you are stuck in the mindset of someone do it for me. Much easier to take a link card and sit on the couch, or wait for invites from friends than it is to actually do some thinking and working. You can grow food enough to survive in a small space. Does it mean you can gorge yourself to exhaustion every day, no! What it does mean is that you can take steps to be independent of some other entity taking responsibility for you and your welfare. I suggest reading the following. http://www.mindfully.org/Food/2008/Politics-Food-Politics26apr08.htm

http://www.squarefootgardening.com/

http://ohmyapt.apartmentratings.com/gardening.html

as well as any other research you could do on your own. All available free on the internet, which you stated that you had.

But as human nature has it, it is easier to complain about something and do nothing than it is to actually take an active role in making changes. "

" Shootum, Let's plant you a garden and if you need help harvesting it, that can be arranged. In any situation there are always alternatives, just takes a bit of thought to find them. "

" You can grow food enough to survive in a small space.

No you cannot. Then you can wait for one really summer growing season, then you'll really lose weight. "

" unknownjoe

Is your wifes name Daisy? "

" A 600 acre vegetable farm in Colorado opened their fields to the public to glean leftover vegetables after the harvest. 40,000 people showed up. "Overwhelmed is putting it mildly," the owner said. "People obviously need food." "

" The question I am asking is, Why is it the responsibility of the government to provide a solution to this problem?

Correct me if I'm wrong (I'm sure some will) but isn't the State and Federal Goverment funded entirerly by the people, it IS the Governments duty to help people when they are in trouble. They don't mind helping big business with Trillions. Funny, the first thing a person has to do when he makes a buck is to pay taxes, not buy food. "

" What?

Can you imaginge walking a 600 acre farm because you need food, I guess that shoots the lazy theory out the window. "

" M57: They probably wouldn't walk all over the whole 600 acres unless they want it all. "

" Nice personal attack on my wife. But that is about as good as you can do I suppose. I seriously doubt that 40,000 people showed up to glean 600 acres, however if they did then good for them, it sounds as if someone actually took action and availed themselves of an opportunity offered to them. As far as paying taxes, usually people on government aid pay little if any taxes or the money they have paid in to the government is returned upon filing a tax return along with an Earned Income Tax Credit. As far as billions to bail out big business and banks, I wholeheartedly disagree with the entire bailout. Fortunately I have made sound financial decisions not to live beyond my means and am able to pay my mortgage. Hence, growing the garden. If I can save money by growing my own food, that to me is sound financial planning. As far as the laziness theory, no where in my comments did I refer to anyone as lazy; however you were quick to jump to that conclusion and label yourself that way. So it appears that it isnt the first time that this has happened. The point of my posts has nothing to do with labeling people. The point is this. It is better to take action towards self-determination when it comes to food choices and financial independence, than it is to rely on a political entity to provide for me. How often are political entities long on promises and short on delivery? This begs the question. What would happen if the government could no longer provide for you? A total collapse of the government would mean an absolute end to social programs as they are now. Who would eat then. Good thing I have my garden. "

" unknownjoe

A total collapse of the government would mean an absolute end to social programs as they are now. Who would eat then. Good thing I have my garden. "


If that happens, you'll have to have several guns to guard it with. By the way, I was making a joke about Daisy being your wife, but now that we know it's fact, it sure does explain a lot of these posts. "

" unknownjoe
I seriously doubt that 40,000 people showed up to glean 600 acres


So now, What? is a liar.

You tell everyone to fend for themselve, even though some cannot, your wife knows a bunch of people cheating the system. It's her moral obligation to notify the authorities. If she really does know people who cheat the system, either they tell her they are doing that, or, she spends a whole lot of time at the food stamp office and at the food bank. "

" unknownjoe wrote "I seriously doubt that 40,000 people showed up to glean 600 acres." See Times- Courier, Nov. 26 2008, page C4. I seriously doubt that you have the good sense to pour a certain liquid out of boot and would be doing yourself a favor to simply remain unknown. "

" Why so much animosity from some of the posters here?

Granted, you may not agree with everything "unknown joe" is saying,but there's some merit to what he is saying. What's wrong with supplementing one's food with things you grow yourself? He's even supplied links/info on how to get started, and the idea of a community garden/food co-op isn't a bad idea at all. I know for a fact that Coles County has programs for this in place -- there are several community members who are in the Master Gardener program, and I think they do promote programs to help people. This is a program that is supported by community members from the schools and colleges in our area as well as local businesspeople, retirees, you name it. It's a great idea -- there are several urban communities across the country that have formed community gardens where people pitch in the help with it that they can and are thus allowed to part of the harvest. Some in inner city areas (which I would think would have a much harder time successfully getting together such a thing compared to Charleston or Mattoon, or any of the surrounding communities). One of the biggest issues of nutrition in this country isn't the amount of calories people are eating (there's actually an overconsumption) but the type of calories (a lot of American's are technically malnourished because they're eating a diet too low in fresh vegtables and fruit). It seems an excellent way for people to supplement their diet with exactly the types of things they're most in need of (while saving them some money for other food purchases). Of course it isn't most likely going to completely feed you (although I suppose one could)but the ability to consume fresh, possibly organic, whole vegtables is one more people need to consider. What's the problem with this idea?

I also didn't see anywhere where he or his wife had any personal knowledge of people "cheating the system", nor any reason to make fun of his wife or allude to his property getting stolen. Who would have thought that the suggestion of people getting together as a community, availing themselves of programs through the community, and growing fresh veggies for the community's consumption would cause so much anger? "

" Medic: My wife's name isnt Daisy. It seems you were fishing for information as to who I am so you could use more personal attacks. You really have me mistaken for someone else. I have absolutely no idea who it is that you are referring to, but, if it makes you feel better then by all means fire away. Speaking of the system; cheaters of the system are an inevitable product of the failed system you seem to hold on to. The good thing about the current system is that it allows us to legally own firearms so if it does collapse we have plenty to defend what is ours. It does seem however that you would advocate violence and theft in order to feed yourself. Funny how that is. As far as the post by What? I didn't call him/her a liar. I made the educated guess that the information that was given was taken from some news article, and as we know, the press never exagerate information to beef up a story. As far as good sense is concerned; I seem to have good sense enough to grow my own food and manage my money well enough to own a house. My question to What? is, why would I be doing myself a favor to remain unknown. Sounds like some sort of a veiled threat. That doesnt surprise me. In the absence of a sound argument backed with facts, the only thing you have left are personal attacks and threats. In turn, this proves to me that your ignorance is only outmatched by your incompetence. "

" unknownjoe

I don't see a personal attack on your wife, just a question to you. "

" It does seem however that you would advocate violence and theft in order to feed yourself.

I would never advocate violence for anything except self defence or the defence of a loved one. If you don't think that things wouldn't fall apart in a meltdown, then you're very naive. People would be shooting each other for a gallon of water.

As far as threats go, I have NEVER threatened one person ever in my life, including here. As far as you saying Daisy was not your wife, you said in an earlier post that she was, and I never personally attacked her in any of my posts, by the way, if Daisy is not your wife and you accused me of attacking her, how could I have attacked your wife? "

" unknownjoe

Speaking of the system; cheaters of the system are an inevitable product of the failed system you seem to hold on to.

If that's the case, then the system has been flawed since Roosevelt was president. I guess we could go back to the years before him, years in which poor people were thrown off of their land with nowhere to go and nothing to eat. Do you remember tThe Grapes of Wrath? Do you want that back again? "

" unknownjoe, you questioned my honesty. I proved you wrong and backed it with facts. If you find that threatening so be it. "

" chuckvegan wrote

Why so much animosity from some of the posters here?


Go to almost ANY blog site or BBS on the web and you will see the same thing. People will talk anyway they want simply because they can't get thier nose punched from behind a monitor. I would venture to say that NO ONE here (including myself) talks to people this way when standing 2 feet from them. "

" Medic57: I have also thought what you said in your last post. No one would EVER talk to someone standing 2ft. away from them, let alone total strangers, as we all seem to be guilty of on these blogs.
I did that to one "Oblivious" and hope all is well, as I asked that person to forgive me for a statement I made to him/her.
I wish we would take into consideration the fact that we're all human and have frailties and problems and maybe that is where some of the "frustrations" come from.
It would even be nice if somewhere, sometime, someone could actually "see" the other persons point of view. I hope things look up for you in the future.
MERRY CHRISTMAS...a little early. "