A place at the Table...

[WCGreen]

CBS this morning had the two women who created a documentary updating of 1968 CBS documentary on today....

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=50142961n

It really is shocking at how hard it is for those of us who can't find a proper range of needed foods. Food Deserts are popping up all over America as mostly the poor, working classes have no meaningful access to fresh fruits and vegetables, only processed foods filed with empty calories.

This film pretty much proves that unfettered Free Enterprise can't provide the needs of the people. There is no viable profit model to serve the needs of those forced to live in these huge pockets of nutritional wastelands. Markets were not designed to provide a just allocation of resources. It's as simple as that.

What "free market" conservatives like Rep. Paul Ryan preach when confronted by stuff like this is to fall back on hoary bromides such as pull "themselves up by their bootstraps and just get to work." Same old crap Reagan promoted back in the 70's and 80's. It didn't help back then and obviously it isn't working now.

What bothers me the most about all of this is the only people on "our" side of the aisle who bring issues such as this are shuffled off to the side out of the way by those DC insiders who don't want to make waves on stunningly ignored social problems such as these food deserts.

How long ago was it that Nickel and Dimed in America was published and yet everything pointed out by Ms. Ehrenrech is still there and getting worse.

Christian Nation my fucking ass...

[pinto]

1. Food Access Research Atlas (USDA Econ Reseach Service) -

Interesting interactive map that correlates low income / low food access nationwide at variable distances.

http://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/food-access-research-atlas/go-to-the-atlas.aspx

[CaliforniaPeggy]

2. It's good that this topic is getting some much-needed attention...

I'm hazy on this, but it seems to me that in Los Angeles, the major grocery chains are being encouraged to open up in the poorer areas, thus bringing the produce they desperately need to those people.

And I've read that the big grocers are doing just that.

K&R

[WCGreen]

3. There is a independent chain of stores that have located in some of the urban

neighborhoods.

But in many places within Cleveland, there are more people living beyond walking distance and without accessible via the public transit.

[redqueen]

4. K&R nt