Hunger in America

[Amelia]

Hunger in America

April 11, 2008

The news at the grocery store is grim for many. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, food prices rose by 4% last year, the largest increase in 17 years. And, the USDA predicts they will rise another 4% this year. Eggs are up 40% in the past year; milk up 26% a gallon; a loaf of standard bread, 20%.

http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/04112008/profile4.html

Watch the video here

http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/04112008/watch.html

[delta]

So what's your opinion about the food in "a dollar stores" or "99 cents only stores"...

Do you think all the food in the store shall be gone due to the higher prices?

Or, since we can 100% guarantee that the food must be more expensive now and tomorrow, is it still safe to buy any food in "a dollar stores" or "99 cents only stores"...

Or maybe they need to change the name of the stores such as "99 cents only store but food"??

What do you think?

[Amelia]

For the most part the food in dollar/99 cent stores is perfectly ok to consume. Alot of it is factory overruns, discontinued product and store closure lot sales.

[Dr. Shane]

This is the price of environmentalism. I am not saying environmentalism is good or bad. I do consider myself environmentalist although I prefer the title conservationist since I am not on the "extreme" end of the environmental spectrum.

Food inflation is being driven by the price of oil. Oil is needed to plant food, harvest food and take food to the market. Without oil, we don't eat. Environmental restrictions have prevented American oil companies from drilling off shore and in areas of Alaska where large oil reserves are known to be. More oil on the market means a lower and more stable price of oil.

Mass production of ethanol is driving up the price of corn. With a high price of corn more farmers are choosing o grow corn rather than wheat, soy and other agricultural products. The federal government subsidizes ethanol production and places tariffs on foreign ethanol which can be purchased from other countries cheaper than what it can be produced here in the US.

So the solution is rather simple. Continue alternative fuels R&D but allow more oil exploration. As much as we need a replacement fuel for oil, I don' think it wise to replace it with our food. This is bad for everyone - not just the poor. Ethanol should only be used in metro areas with air pollution problems and foreign ethanol should be allowed to be imported in without punitive tariffs.

[fccool]

That's one of the troubles right now. We live and die by oil. Unfortunately, renewable energy research is ether being bough up by the big guys, or is not being invested in... because as of right now it is against the status quo. There are technologies available, but these are still luxury driven. I think in order to convert faster, this technology needs to be much more affordable than it is right now. As much as I would love to have electric car, I resolved not to live beyond means. This is the case with many people, not only in US. When you have to think about what you have to eat tomorrow, the renewable energy support/research is the last on people's list.

[Dr. Shane]

The private sector is only going to invest it that which shows promise of a return on investment. Alternative fuels simple do not show that promise any time in the foreseeable future. That is why the government must offer grants to industries and groups that can produce alternate fuels that show promise of becoming marketable.

Ethanol will never replace gasoline. It can't. We cannot grow enough corn to fuel all of America's autos. Ethanol is good as a supplement to help clean up polluted air but it is not a silver bullet to get us off from oil.

[Lil Star]

Can you use both in your/anyones car?

Or is that saved for the newer cars that are hybrids? Or whatever they are

[Dr. Shane]

Fuel that is 90% gasoline and 10% ethanol can be burned in any gasoline vehicle. This mixture has been shown to significantly reduce air pollution in major cities.

E85 is a fuel that is 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline. This can only be burned in vehicles that are designated "Flex Fuel". The engines are the same except the gaskets and fuel lines are made for ethanol. Cars that are not flex-fuel cars will do damage to the gaskets and gas lines if they use E85.