21 million schoolchildren in the US get free meals because their parents are too poor

[Meatpie]

The New York Times published new data today about subsidized lunches iand the figure is staggering: 21 million schoolchildren eat a free dinner daily after classes as authorities fear most of these kids would otherwise go to bed hungry like their brothers and sisters in Africa.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/30/e...hool-lunches-reflects-economic-crisis.html?hp

 

[platinum]

Yep, times in middle class america are getting really hard! Not just the normal poor anymore who are suffering, a lot of those who bought into the property owning boom are suffering now the bubble has burst. Until companies stop the relentless quest for ever greater profits, people will continue to lose their jobs. There is a strong case for restricting by law the amount that companies can fire their workforces or shift the work to other countries. It's better to have people doing work to earn their money than have them sitting around on the dole.

 

[Adrian88]

People like to pretend that hunger and poverty don't exist in America. Most the people on TV, in the newspapers and magazines are well off. Most the novels we read are about upper middle class angst. But you don't have to look very far to see people hanging on by a thread. There was a controversial report (here's a link to a summary) that suggests that nearly half of Americans are poor or low income. It seems like the only people getting rich now are members of congress (another intersting link about that) , who supposedly represent ordinary Americans.

 

[exhibsm]

And it's the same here in Europe.

 

[UNickMaker]

Thank god we have the Republican Party to make sure these low lifes are kept where they belong. How dare they exist

 

[bindiboi]

If it hadn't been for these programs, I would have gone hungry in grade school. We were really poor after my dad lost his job working in heating/air conditioning. That's why I support programs like these and others like The Salvation Army and Goodwill. UNickMaker, I hope you were being sarcastic.

 

[verlup1]

We always had free lunches until college where of course it's not free. I never thought much of it.

 

[xuye199011]

I must see,in China is too.Sometime,in China the government can help the other country,but in my country have many children can't have meal too.

 

[Showboy1983]

ok I know I'm gonna get a lot of guff for this but here it goes...

where's my free dinner?

I work, pay taxes, pay into unemployment and my own health care, but I am still consisted over poverty standers to quality for anything of medical or food assistance. I work 36 hours a week. I am no longer full time. I lost my benefits in the first round of laid off and cut backs in 2008. I am thankful to be working "at well" hoping everything goes as until it gets better.

Where's my dinner? I had a cup of soup, string cheese and two vodka tonics

 

[pigfoot70]

it's getting harder and harder to make a decent honest living in the USA. it's sad it's all about who you know not how hard you work. that's why our country is declining and other countries are passing us by. it used to be that people would emulate a hard worker. now they seek to destroy the hardest workers with stupid corporate politics. people who get promoted due to their work ethic are few and far between. it's sickening. we need to stop supporting these evil corporations and let our dollars do the talking.