Making Huge Profits As People Starve.."Food riots are shaking the world..."

[No DUplicitous DUpe]

Making Huge Profits As People Starve
from http://www.saneramblings.com - posted with the author's permission

Food riots are shaking the world. Prices have skyrocketed so fast, millions of people can't afford even basic staples like rice, beans and bread. They and their children are starving.

To understand what's happening and its consequences to you and me, I created Benji, a little 7-year-old Egyptian boy. Benji is a head shorter then a typical American boy his age, his cheeks are sunken and his clothes hang loose from his small frame.

"Why don't we have enough food," Benji asked as his tummy rumbled with hunger. "My dad works hard six days a week and yet he and my mother barely have enough food to feed our family two small meals a day."

"It's because of the continuing fall of the American dollar," I replied. "Like oil, most food in the world markets is traded for dollars but except for America, often the people growing the food now want to be paid in stronger currencies like the Euro or the Yen. As the dollar keeps losing its value so does the amount of food your dad's paycheck will buy."

"But America is a great place my dad told me," answered Benji. "He said they grow far more food than any other place in the world. Often they even grow too much food."

"That's true Benji," I replied. "But giant American companies grow most of this food and because so many people now need it, they want to make as much money from it as they can."

"Oh," answered Benji with a confused look on his face. "Don't they know how hungry we are?" Embarrassed, I struggled to find the right words to tell him as I knew many of these firms are announcing gigantic profits.

"They know," I replied. "But Benji try to understand. These firms are in business to make as much money as they can for their shareholders, their management and their employees and for the big firms that buy and sell their stock."

"Do their shareholders and the others wait in long lines for food," Benji asked. "No they don't," I replied. "And they are all very well fed."

"Can't they spare anything for us," Benji asked. "I guess not," I said softly. "But the American government could. However there's so much food in America that it actually pays farmers not to grow it."

This confused Benji. "If the American government pays for it, why don't they let them grow it and send it to us and to other hungry people," he asked. I didn't know how to answer his question.

I thought about the consequences of mass starvation in a world where some have plenty. The extreme bitterness it will cause and the brutal revenge some will want to take against those who sit in apathy and silence as men, women and the most vulnerable of all, the children and the elderly die from hunger and hunger related diseases.

"Benji," I responded. "They could send food to you and to the other hungry people in the world if the American people asked them to. I believe when Americans learn how desperate your situation is, they will ask them, starting with those who read this message, for each of us can help make a difference."

For the first time in our conversation he smiled. "There is hope Benji," I added, as I hugged him. "People really do care."

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Powerful, timely column, Dick.

[malaise]

1. It's good

the people of the world will react at last

[On the Road]

2. I Did Not Realize This"

"most food in the world markets is traded for dollars but except for America, often the people growing the food now want to be paid in stronger currencies like the Euro or the Yen"

That offers some hope, since changing currencies is easier than growing more food. But it's not good news for the US. Hopefully the next president will strengthen the dollar before the whole world abandons it.

[N4457S]

3. Yes...

...and that will require an increase in taxes plus a hike in interest rates. There's no way around it. Bob Rubin knows it. So does Paul Volcker. So does Greenspan but he'll never admit it.

It'll crater the housing and auto markets. And it doesn't matter. We can't sacrifice the nation so the boomers can cash out their homes and rental properties in California and New England and retire to the Cayman Islands.

[Mountainman]

4. Does anyone else remember CARE? We use to send CARE packages around the world.

I remember seeing video of cargo ships unloading grain marked with CARE on it. Men carrying sacks of grain on their backs smiling.

Those were back in the days were we cared about people before profits?