七分之一的美国家庭are having difficulty feeding their members.

这两天，很多人可能都看到了这一新闻。最近美国农业部的一份资料显示在美国，有一千七百万，也就是说14.6%，或是七分之一的美国家庭为没有足够的食物摆到餐桌上而担忧（food-insecure, struggling to put food on the table)。很多儿童会有吃不饱肚子的时候。而且这个数字随着经济危机，失业率的增加还在继续增高。

 

这条新闻让我震惊。

 

说起饥饿，吃不饱饭，我的脑子里想象的是中国的三年自然灾害，是非洲的饥民，怎么也不会和美国这个世界上最富裕的国家挂钩，特别是这个贫困人群的数量在美国的人口比例中占到七分之一的比例？简直让我感到匪夷所思。

 

说起来，人类从在地球出现的第一天起就在为食物而奔波劳作，以前是靠天吃饭，碰到老天不长眼，大旱大涝的年代，人们没有足够的粮食，会有饥荒，吃不饱肚子。。。

 

随着科学技术，特别是基因工程，水利灌溉，抗病虫害等新技术的进展，科学家研究出优质高产的粮食作物，让粮食产量成倍增长。在发达国家，吃饭早就不成为问题。

 

美国的农副业在这方面是一直处在世界的领先地位，是个粮食生产和出口大国。

 

在我的想象中，一直以为美国这样的产粮大国，早就摆脱了还有人吃不上饭或吃不饱的局面，人们只是在为能有健康食品，绿色食品而战。。。

 

可是这一串串数字，让人不得不相信，在美国这个世界上最富裕的国家，还有很多人在为吃饱肚子而忧愁。

 

调查表明，这些家庭多是单亲，低收入家庭，而且黑人，拉丁裔占很大的比例。里面有很多是儿童和怀孕的妇女。

 

美国是没有足够的粮食吗？是没有钱吗？

 

答案很清楚，都不是。那这些粮食，这些钱都哪里去了？

 

一个世界上最富有的国家，如果连自己的人民都喂不饱，花很多的人力财力去当国际警察，打那结束不了的战争，是不是有点儿滑稽？

 

也许有人会觉得这些人是自作自受，不值得同情。。。

劝你再深层的想一想，这些孩子如果连饭都吃不饱，那就不要谈教育了。

前几天在爬梯上有个朋友在感叹美国的整体教育水平在逐渐下降，他在担心这对美国今后发展的影响，我现在有点明白他在担心什么了。

如果这个陷在贫困线下的人群数量在美国越来越高，贫富差距越来越大，就会出现更多的暴力，枪杀，抢劫等社会问题。。。

这样下去也会影响到生活在一个国度里的中产阶级和富人阶层。

 

听说这份调查报告已经引起了奥巴马的重视，今天国会的参议院会对针对这个调查举行听证会。

 

但愿这一切能给美国政府敲响警钟！

 

 

THE US Agriculture Department has released bleak figures on the state of hunger in the United States, showing that more American families are having difficulty feeding their members.

The annual Household Food Security report showed that in 2008, families in 17 million households - 14.6 per cent of US homes - had difficulty putting enough food on the table at some point during the year, an 11 per cent increase over 2007.

The figures "represent the highest level observed since nationally representative food security surveys were initiated in 1995," the USDA said.

"The fundamental cause of food insecurity and hunger in the United States is poverty - marked by a lack of adequate resources to address basic needs such as food, shelter and health care," the statement added.

President Barack Obama described as "unsettling" the report which came as some 60 heads of state and government were attending the World Summit on Food Security in Rome.

 

"This trend was already painfully clear in many communities across our nation, where food stamp applications are surging and food pantry shelves are emptying," Mr Obama said.

The President said he was especially troubled that there were more than 500,000 US families "in which a child experienced hunger multiple times over the course of the year".

"Our children's ability to grow, learn, and meet their full potential - and therefore our future competitiveness as a nation - depends on regular access to healthy meals," he said.

The first task to reverse the trend of rising hunger "is to restore job growth, which will help relieve the economic pressures that make it difficult for parents to put a square meal on the table each day," Mr Obama said.

The President also said his administration has increased help for low-income families seeking food assistance, especially those with children.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/world/us-department-of-agriculture-report-shows-17-million-american-families-struggling-to-put-food-on-the-table/story-e6frf7lf-1225798709906

[星星光]

回复xxq2001的评论:
这是我想说的，把打仗制造仇恨的钱来做点正事吧。

[星星光]

回复lapis的评论:
在现实社会里，肥胖症可是穷人病，因为便宜的垃圾食物吃多了。

[xxq2001]

According to the US Census, in 2007 5.8% of all people in married families lived in poverty.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poverty_in_the_United_States

35 Million Americans, 12 Percent of U.S. Population on Food Stamps.

http://www.mybudget360.com/35-million-americans-on-food-stamps-12-percent-of-us-population-on-food-stamps-highest-since-records-kept-in-1969/

统计来源不一样，口径不一样，出来的数据也不一样。

不必担心，美国穷人的日子比中国穷人的日子好过多了。 他们拿着food stamps, 住着Section 8几乎不要钱的房子，领着fuel assistance. 看病不要钱，日子很不错呢。 他们吃的比我也多得多，暖气开得比我家热多了，让人好羡慕。

这些统计，听证会都是政治姿态，形势没那么严重。 美国少打点仗穷人的饭钱就都有了。

[夹心]

忽悠!彼此忽悠,忽悠彼此.

[greenlane]

回复lapis的评论:调查发现，越是贫穷的人越胖，因为罐头、垃圾食品最便宜，食品救济库里的都是垃圾食品，而且他们没钱没时间做运动。他们也较不在乎自己的形象。

[smileymoon]

And also, 64% of Americans are overweight -- hmm, I wonder how one person could be hungry but overweigh at the same time. :)http://usgovinfo.about.com/cs/healthmedical/a/hhsobesity.htm
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/overwt.htm

[群思]

六人里有一个失业的，七个人里有一个没饭吃的就不奇怪！富人太黑了，三亿只枪就不会让他们安静。

[lapis]

别被媒体的宣传忽悠了。现实是肥胖人口肥胖儿童越来越多，不make sense.
如果问一个人是不是感到过饥饿，很多人会说yes，这不等于没有能力果腹.
(转自24net)

[PHZWW]

钱都拿去吸毒了吧？我觉得他们自作自受。

[星星光]

回复cuteyeve的评论:

这是美国农业部的统计，昨天在参议院做听证会，连奥巴马都发话了，这种数据我不觉得是随便出来的。。。

[cuteyeve]

开大玩笑了。我想这帮人吃不饱是因为他们太能吃了吧。有点不相信这个统计。 不知道是打电话调查的还是经济数据分析的。