The Real Recovery | November 18, 2009 | 70 comments

Why 14.6% of America can't afford enough food - Real Recovery

source: http://blogs.current.com/news/2009/11/18/why-14-6-of-america-cant-afford-enough-food-real-re...

Image
afitzgerald
Here's a math problem for you: The national unemployment rate hits its highest point since the 80s in October: 10.2 percent. According to a report released this week last year 14.6% of Americans couldn't afford to buy enough food. How does that add up?

Well outside of the various nitpicks that can be done to both of those numbers, one big culprit is "underemployment". We've been talking about underemployment a lot in The Real Recovery because I think it's a more accurate measure of how many Americans have been affected by the recession. If you "get discouraged" and stop looking for a job, you no longer count as "unemployed". Or, as we're talking about this week: if you go freelance part time.

The official measure of underemployment is called the U-6 and the Bureau of Labor Statistics describes it in breathtaking terms:

Total unemployed, plus all marginally attached workers, plus total employed part time for economic reasons, as a percent of the civilian labor force plus all marginally attached workers

In October, when we saw that big 10.2% unemployment number, the U6 number was at 17.5% Nearly a fifth of the population!

You know what that does not include though? All the Americans who've taken pay cuts or reduced hours in the recession. (More digging through numbers to come).

Want to get involved with The Real Recovery? Here's two easy things you can do:
- Post your story to the group. How have you been affected? Are you underemployed? Have you taken a pay cut?
- Help me find some other numbers to look at. How many Americans have taken pay cuts?


FROM THE NEWS BLOG: http://blogs.current.com/news/2009/11/18/why-14-6-of-america-cant-afford-enough-...

THE REAL RECOVERY: http://current.com/groups/the-real-recovery/

SOURCES: http://business.theatlantic.com/2009/11/146_of_americans_experienced_food_shorta...
http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.t12.htm

IMAGE: http://images.google.com/hosted/life/l?imgurl=8c32455de9a85f7d&q=bread%20lin...:life&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dbread%2Blines%2Bsource:life%26hl%3Den
  1. groups:
    Community,   News_Featured,   The Real Recovery,   Recovery from the American Dre
  2. tags:
    Economy,  Finance,  Money,  Collective Journalism,  14 more
  3.     
    |

70 comments // Why 14.6% of America can't afford enough food - Real Recovery

  • passjay
    • 0
      passjay  

    • Blame Wall Street, and money creators, and the people who do not own up the responsibilities of providing the proper means for those that need food to eat. America is becoming as bad as the average third world country. Especially when you consider we are beginning to have problems supplying people on U.S. soil with food.

    • 2 years ago
  • extracrazykiwi2008
  • Gravity_Man
  • ahappymintleaf
    • 0
      ahappymintleaf  

    • Clearly the unemployment rating is completely irrelevant when judging the health of this country. The U-6 number should replace it to show the truth behind how unsuccessful our current economic model is. The poverty line has to be raised to actually reflect the adjustment with inflation over the decades, and what it actually takes to survive, region-by-region. This shit is ridiculous.

    • 2 years ago
  • artemis6
    • 0
      artemis6  

    • I have traveled a bit lately . One thing i have noticed is the difference in food price varies greatly from state to state , city to city . I do not buy name brands because even with coupons , there are less expensive alternatives that aren't full of chemical crap in them . Eating well is an investment in your future health . I gave up my vehicle to try and eat as well as possible . A kind of individual , health insurance .

    • 2 years ago
  • mojojuju
    • 0
      mojojuju  
    • artemis6:

      "Eating well is an investment in your future health . I gave up my vehicle to try and eat as well as possible . A kind of individual , health insurance ."

      I wish more people would live by your example before demanding free health insurance for the bodies that they refuse to take good care of.

      "I do not buy name brands because even with coupons , there are less expensive alternatives that aren't full of chemical crap in them ."

      Name brands are for suckers.

    • 2 years ago
  • Miglue
    • 0
      Miglue  

    • It sucks that so many new people are suffering including myself, but everthing has a purpose. I hope that we can all have a little more compassion or empithy for the people in the world that are not new to hunger. think about those that cant get jobs because their undocumented they work shity jobs for next to nothing to feed their families with no expectations of being better off tomorrow. i know i look at things differently i've never been so close to ending up on the street in my life. but at least i know this is temperary. the worst is knowing that the richest of us are liven it up with their pockets only getting fatter yet they find the balls to crying about their taxes going up it makes me want to throw up but i wouldnt want to wast my meal.

    • 2 years ago
  • Gravity_Man
    • 0
      Gravity_Man  
    • Miglue:

      Miglue, the system is slanted against us. A lot of us are kept where we are on purpose. I found a much lower cost apartment so I could have some $$ to do something with and they turned me down over a car loan 7+ years ago. I've paid this high rent payment every month on time for 6 1/2 YEARS. When "City Hall" decides to squat on us and dump it just has ta happen sometimes.

      I made a rather low cost mix of oatmeals (some flavored with apple, cinnamon) with olive oil, wheat germ oil and coconut oil, and grits. Added some more cinnamon to regulate blood sugar. It turned out to lower my appetite and I ate on it all day long. Turned out it improved my health! Very immediate action.

      I can't believe how a bag of rice has shot up to $9.00... but, when John wrote the Revelation he said he "came to be by inspiration in the Lord's day" so we have confirmation yet again that the "times of the nations" did end in 1914. Most religions ignored it.

    • 2 years ago
  • Gravity_Man
    • 0
      Gravity_Man  

    • Go buy plenty of Xmas presents and a big turkey too, that'll show those rich people's statisticians who they're dealing with out here! They keep records of our movie attendance too so they know we can all afford the expensive health insurance plans.

    • 2 years ago
  • in4itsover
  • kivol
    • 0
      kivol  

    • i would not be surprised if that 14.6% is a conservative estimate. I bet its even higher. I know that one in five children go hungry at sometime during the year. That aint right in the richess country of them all. we have to lower what the rich take in and we need to raise our pay checks. The average worker hasn't seen a raise in 30 years. Our wages have fallen flat as prices on just about every has done up. who is to blame but the fuckers at the top.

    • 2 years ago
  • RaceBannon
    • 0
      RaceBannon  

    • solidarity to the gentleman above, no person should have to micromanage their food for money reasons. I can only offer suggestions about hydroponic growing or aeroponic growing. Those are initially expensive endeavors but I suggest organizing the growing with neighbors to spread the cost and share the benefit with the community. Some might call that idea communist... its kinda nice when it applies to food doesn't it?

      We have more than enough food to feed america many times over, but we waste the land for industrial farming of things like corn. I propose we should figure how to automate the production and harvesting of food in order to give it away free. If every american didn't have to worry about their survival, then that'd be a unstoppable citizenry capable of doing great things. So bring on the engineers!

    • 2 years ago
  • kivol
    • 0
      kivol  
    • RaceBannon:

      free subsided food WHO WOULD PAY FOR IT? OMG COMMUNISM!!!!!!! fuck those starving people! they are so fucking lazy, they don't want to work for their food! they want it free. they want hand outs. fucking hate right wing bull shit.

      I absolutely agree that if we fed our population, gave them access to education and real growing opportunities we would be the strongest nation till the sun no longer rose. It would be as beautiful as a rose. Though we might have to cut the military spending to get these programs that we all would agree on.

    • 2 years ago
  • Gravity_Man
    • 0
      Gravity_Man  
    • RaceBannon:

      Kivol uhm the military isn't what's breaking the US it's providing a military to so many other countries saving them the cost so they can take 3-4 week Have a Life vacations with their family. We are very nice people as we try to make up for our near-extermination of Native American Indians. We're actively engaged in conscience cleaning.

    • 2 years ago
  • 2helenahandbasket
  • carmalite
    • 0
      carmalite  

    • I am sorry that you are unemployed now. If you become a vegan until you get another job, it will help you get through this time with more food to eat. I became a Vegan because of health issues and our food bill really went down and so did my BP and cholesterole.

    • 2 years ago
  • CreditFigaro
    • 0
      CreditFigaro  

    • "In October, when we saw that big 10.2% unemployment number, the U6 number was at 17.5% Nearly a fifth of the population!"

      These people's outrage isn't high enough. 17.5% of WORKERS aren't working. The workforce is about half of the total population. So really we are only hurting for about 25 million jobs rather than 50 million that the figure would imply. However, half of the population depends on the half that is working. So, 50 million people are actually suffering because of this job shortage.

    • 2 years ago
  • shengled
  • delas78
  • J_Jammer
  • quixotic12
  • macdontcare
  • delas78
  • calm_incense
    • 0
      calm_incense  
    • delas78:

      @ delas78:

      Uh...I've never paid for an Internet connection. I was indeed surfing Current at the library just a few hours ago, and I now am using my apartment's free Wi-Fi.

      So, shove it.

      As for the general discussion regarding food, food really needn't be that expensive. I really cannot see why any average American wouldn't be able to at least get a job at some fast food restaurant. I work at a university campus dining commons and therefore eat for less than $70 a month. With the exception of three or four times for social purposes, I haven't actually directly payed for any food in months (food from work is deducted from my paycheck; for breakfasts I bought a bunch of dry oatmeal, a huge box of soy milk from Costo, and some big boxes of cheap cereal),

      Not to mention, there's always some event with free food. If you happen to live near a Costco, you essentially have access to a free lunch.

    • 2 years ago
  • MoonLoon
    • 0
      MoonLoon  

    • I can understand Julian's plight, as I have experienced it several times in my life. My solution was too develop a very tight dailey budget and stick to it. No soft drinks, fast food, or dine out. Mostly I cooked at home, roasted whole chicken with potatoes, onions, carrots (lasted 3 days). Meat sauce and pasta ( lasted 2 days). Lots of rice and beans and pototaoes, potatoes and more potatoes. I found that buying the larger portions of meat and spreading the meal over several days was the most economical approach. Some cafeteria's have a good bargain on a restricted portion plate; you will see many seniors taking advantage these deals, as the portions are adequate and the price is reasonable. However, learning to cook is an essential skill when on a restricted budget. Eating out or purchasing prepared meals from a supermarket will destroy your budget. Good Luck Julian.

    • 2 years ago
  • delas78
    • 0
      delas78  

    • Alot of people in my neighborhood choose to spend their money on sneakers and rims. Which everybody knows is more important than food.

    • 2 years ago
  • shengled
    • 0
      shengled  

    • I am a 39 year old unemployed construction worker in Florida. For the last year and a half I have worked part time or less, sometimes just one day a week, sometimes not at all. My meager unemployment check is lessened by 40% by child support which leaves me with a little more than half of my rent, about $380 per month. In my 20's I had several arrests that disqualify me for most jobs. I would love a low paying job at this point but even construction company's are checking backgrounds these days, something I have never seen before. I had to resort to food stamps to feed myself and my daughter that stays with me 3 days a week and somtimes I buy my son some food as he is an underemployed college student. The $200 that I get for food is sufficient for us and we eat rather well. Sometimes just a chicken breast and rice but we enjoy that as well. Being single and not having sole custody they will probably not extend the food stamp benefits for more than 3 months. SIngle males are not expected to need them for longer than that. I have worked steadily for the last 15 years and never asked for benefits of any kind but I have to say that I'm a little worried when the food stamps are no longer available not to mention that I have no idea how I'm going to pay the rent this month.

    • 2 years ago
  • lu7cky
    • 0
      lu7cky  
    • shengled:

      I wouldn't worry too much about the arrests; I got into some trouble myself (felonies and such) in my 20's and actually spent 6 months locked up. I found that honesty was the best approach and most employers were pretty understanding. Keep your head up, if you have one in college already you're doing doing something right.

    • 2 years ago
  • J_Jammer
  • CreditFigaro
  • J_Jammer
  • lu7cky
  • J_Jammer
  • lu7cky
  • J_Jammer
    • 0
      J_Jammer [removed]  
    • J_Jammer:

      Because he's to blame for all these problems. Come on...he solved them for the big business but left everyone else to suffer. How is it not his fault? Billions of dollars could feed 300 million people easily.

    • 2 years ago
  • lu7cky
    • 0
      lu7cky  
    • Image
    • J_Jammer:

      why do I even bother?
      It seem like you have a boner for Obama since you can never stop talking about him and as usual you are confused on the facts at hand. Go to this site http://www.recovery.gov/Pages/home.aspx and you can see for yourself the progress made so far, the jobs that have been created or saved by the stimulus, where it's been spent and how it will benefit all. The bailout, which was designed to buy from firms up to $700 billion in troubled assets -- mainly mortgage-backed securities, was created by the Bush administration, as was the econmic crash that made it necessary.

    • 2 years ago
  • J_Jammer
  • lu7cky
  • Incredulous
    • 0
      Incredulous  
    • J_Jammer:

      Jammer -- you may not have won a fake peace prize, but you've won other prizes around current...you just never acknowledge your notoriety. What would we do without your insights...probably just sit around trying to sharpen our dull wits?

    • 2 years ago
  • macdontcare
    • 0
      macdontcare  
    • J_Jammer:

      Jammer you're a wreck. Stick to the GOP party line. A lie repeated a thousand times does not make it the truth. If you believe Obama is the only one to blame for the mess we're in, then you truly were born yesterday.

    • 2 years ago
  • J_Jammer
  • Incredulous
    • 0
      Incredulous  
    • J_Jammer:

      if you would actually go back and read the comments you make and compare them to the comments your so called liberals are making about Fox and Palin, you would notice that your liberals are having a lot of fun knocking Fox and Palin around the room...you don't seem to be having any fun with your constant anti-Obama drivel...

    • 2 years ago
  • J_Jammer
  • lu7cky
    • 0
      lu7cky  
    • J_Jammer:

      I have shown no hate or ill will toward anyone, nor have I said anything about fox or palin, I could care less about either. You opened up this can of worms in your usual fasion; injecting Obama in a discussion not having anything do with him followed by circular logic which inevitably ends with you saying others are filled with hate or some other such nonsense. In this battle of wits, I'm afraid, you have brought a knife to a gunfight; there is just no way for you to win. I really can't see any reason to continue this discussion, since it has nothing to with the topic at hand and you have shown no willingness to look at differing perspectives or even offer some sort of cohesive argument that would strengthen your position.

    • 2 years ago
  • J_Jammer
    • 0
      J_Jammer [removed]  
    • J_Jammer:

      Good thing you believe in gun ownership.I also just said something off handed and you too offence. It's cute. Especially when worse things are said about the Palin and Fox. You don't stand up for them it's only fair to suggest it. Right? Link everyone together who thinks the same. Best way to go about anything.

    • 2 years ago
  • lu7cky
  • J_Jammer
    • 0
      J_Jammer [removed]  
    • J_Jammer:

      Democrats were the majority when Bush was first in office. Don't pull that blame republican crap. It will not work because it's a lie.

      If you can't blame Obama then he can't take credit for fixing anything....you can't get the praise if you don't get the blame when it's still bad. Stop protecting him as if he pays you to do so.

      And this rich crap you just pulled is ridiculous. That doesn't even make any sense other than explain that you're bitter.

    • 2 years ago
  • nkeg87
    • 0
      nkeg87  
    • J_Jammer:

      Obama didnt create the mess. But he hasnt fixed it either. Cant blame him for causing it but I guess you can blame him for fixing it cause its still a mess. But then again, an immediate fix was never within reason.

    • 2 years ago
  • drewsuf721
    • 0
      drewsuf721  

    • I'm technically in poverty, making much less than $16k a year, but I share a house and food costs with other graduate students. We eat well, have a great life in a rental house on the water, and even go out and party from time to time. I think a lot of costs come from things that you think you need, but may not really need. If you are cooperative and frugal, life doesn't cost all that much.

    • 2 years ago
  • lu7cky
    • 0
      lu7cky  

    • @Julian
      I am in my :::::::ahem::::::: mid(ish) 30's, 6 foot 1, 220 lbs and eat for less than $120 a month. Never touch any ramen and eat quite healthy ( usually chicken, fish, brown rice, vegatables, etc), so I know for a fact that it is possible. I do have a garden, but dont' rely on it to sustain me and shop quite a bit at discount stores. I go with generic or store brands when ever possible, but never go hungry. I also burn quite a bit of calories since I workout 5 times a week, do yoga on the weekends and stay pretty active during my down time. I would suggest doing some of your own research to cut costs before you judge others ( I'm guessing this is the week you go hungry?) I wish you luck in your job search, I do know how tough it is out there. I've had to take a job that pays less than I am used to making, but have learned to live with it(mostly).

    • 2 years ago
  • CarolineS
    • 0
      CarolineS  

    • This is why everyone should have access to the ability to grow their own food, or at least community run programmes that are grown in the community, by the community, for the community, you get the food for free and only get what you need, so as no food gets wasted, and everyone gets fed properly, a healthy nation is a happy nation.

    • 2 years ago
  • JulianCommongold
    • 0
      JulianCommongold  

    • I am a 48 yr old unemployed single male...

      i have exactly $180.00 per month for food.

      I do not eat the last week of the month.

      this is why I am such a shit head sometimes in my posts.........................
      ;)

    • 2 years ago
  • mojojuju
  • amandamanda
  • mojojuju
    • 0
      mojojuju  
    • JulianCommongold:

      If you can't eat healthfully on $180, it sounds like you might need to learn how to shop for food. Go with whole foods, and grow your own when you can. Beans, rice, fruits, veggies, you name it - they cost much less than processed stuff. Take for example, bananas - packed with Vitamin C, potassium, & lots of other great stuff - are one healthy low cost item to add to your diet. At around 20 cents a piece, $180 could buy 900 bananas. That's, of course, not to suggest one should live on a diet of 30 bananas a day, but to give an example that there do exist foods that are high in nutritional value and are low priced.

    • 2 years ago
  • reddau
    • 0
      reddau  
    • JulianCommongold:

      you cant eat on 180 dollars a month? seriously? did you ever go to college? i eat off of about 100 dollars a month 3 meals a day and no i have not gained my freshman 15, infact i have become a heathlier individual, you really should consider reaserching online on how to budget your meals.

      You may be a 48 year old unemployed single male due to your lack of budgeting skills, no employer wants an employee who is not smart enough to budget.

      And for all the people who are unemployed, i understand the economy is bad but i do see now hiring signs frequently, usually when someone is unemployed they do not realize their job from 9-5 daily is to find a job, even if that means you have to swallow your pride and flip some burgers at mcdonalds. Money is money.

    • 2 years ago
  • artemis6
  • reddau
    • 0
      reddau  
    • Image
    • JulianCommongold:

      I never said i live off 100 dollars a month, i said i eat off that.
      I am not 18 years old
      I eat off 100 a month by choice because i do not need to spend more than that, anything else is a waste.

      Tips for budgeting food:
      1.coupons.com
      2.sunday paper coupons.
      3.buy everything you can at a farmers market, the meat is much much cheaper as well as the fruits and veggies, i can usually get about 4 chicken breasts for about $2.50
      4.buy in bulk, as well as buying non-perishable items, if your food goes bad your just throwing money away.

      I dont live in a dorm room, i live in a 3 bedroom house, im sorry you assume shit
      I do my laundry
      I wipe my ass
      I have never eaten ramen, i cant deal with that type of sodium intake.

      Im actually majoring with a bachelors in digital arts and design as well as a masters in entertainment business.

      Im sorry for your situation, but i was just being honest. I am not a liar, i am not making up numbers. Take from this what you will, you can get offended and be sensitive but honestly, not being able to eat off 180.00 a month, thats 45 dollars a week, 6 dollars a day. I really dont see how you can not do that, really dont understand.

      was this insightful enough?

      oh, and nice use of language, really a great way to defend yourself.
      you sound like your 15 and just learned that curse words exist.

    • 2 years ago
  • mojojuju
  • reddau
  • JulianCommongold
    • 0
      JulianCommongold  
    • JulianCommongold:

      @ reddau

      Dude
      You personaly attacked me first.

      QUOTE

      You may be a 48 year old unemployed single male due to your lack of budgeting skills, no employer wants an employee who is not smart enough to budget.

      END QUOTE

      If you wanted this to be a civil convo then you should have kept it that way.
      I was no WHINING about a fucking thing. JUST STATING MY PREDICAMENT, WHICH YOU HAVE NO KNOWLEDGE OF!

      If you are getting off on thinking I am destroyed then I am glad to entertain you.

      You have no clue of what my situation is from my few sentances and I am not inclined you my life story.

      You are not omnipotent and can keep your critiques to your self.

      BTW
      I am typing this on a shitty and laggy library PC....

      mojo
      s usual you have no clue what you r saying.................

    • 2 years ago
  • reddau
  • JulianCommongold
    • 0
      JulianCommongold  
    • JulianCommongold:

      OK Now you r implying I am a deadbeat..
      piss off son

      I do not sit at the library all day.

      It just took me 5 min to post last post.
      I will be home on Sat. if you want my life story then I will more than happy to give it to en you will have some perspective if you really wan it..
      i can not stay on this machine any longer or i will destroy it...........\

      i typr a sentance and can litterally watch the letters slowly scroll accross page......

    • 2 years ago
  • JulianCommongold
    • 0
      JulianCommongold  
    • JulianCommongold:

      on 2nd thought
      nevermind
      your not worth my trouble.
      just got under my skin and that was my bad.
      this is the nets and i really could give a ratsass on your opinion.
      you would just disbelieve any thing i told you anyway unless you wanted to cal my surgeons to confirm and you r not worthy of that info...

      i have worked my ass for 35yrs(um that would be your ENTIRE life span plus some) to disability and life is rough, as it is for alot of people now adays..
      as i said b4...you are not omnipotent and your opinion is shit.

      at works for you does not mean it works for others.

      AND AGAIN...YOU ATTACKED ME FIRST
      THIS IS WHY I LOST IT
      but i will be the man here and apologize for calling you names and the rude profanity laced message i sent ur box.

      if you do not know THE ENTIRE story of ones situation you should not comment...

      have a nice life my son......................

    • 2 years ago
  • Incredulous
    • 0
      Incredulous  
    • JulianCommongold:

      In Julian's defense I would like to point out that the cost of food varies greatly dependent upon
      1. Where you live
      2. How far you have to go to procure food
      3.What means you have available for growing and/or preparing food

      When you are unemployed, your ability to improve or change any of the 3 above is often severely restricted...just saying.

    • 2 years ago
  • mojojuju
    • 0
      mojojuju  
    • JulianCommongold:

      "Reddau and mojo are getting paid by their parents to go to school, and haven't yet learned the brutality of the real world."

      This is great news. Can you tell me when I'll start getting paid to go to school?

      I guess I'll let my wife and my sons know that I'll be leaving soon for college.

      "Don't take it personally, they are just ignorant."

      I love you.

    • 2 years ago
  • mojojuju
    • 0
      mojojuju  
    • JulianCommongold:

      "mojo
      s usual you have no clue what you r saying................."

      Well, actually I do. Maybe you posted here looking for pity, but I'm not going to offer you any. You don't need it. Don't feel sorry for yourself; just pull yourself up by the bootstraps.

      Do you have any food pantries in your area?

      When I was going through some tough times, I would hit up food pantries as often as I could. Sure, I'd go to churches who's doctrines I don't accept, social centers and such, and I'd walk out with boxes and bags of good food.

      Check around your area, see what resources you have available.

      One thing I'm glad about having lived through poverty is that it made me a more resourceful person. I learned to be thrifty. It made me stronger than others who have never faced such problems.

    • 2 years ago
  • kivol
    • 0
      kivol  
    • JulianCommongold:

      hang in their julian, i am so sorry to hear about your situation. I wish their was a way for me to help, but i am only a college student. my only advice is to get out there and organize yourself with other unemployed and demand a job, a good paying job, don't settle nothing, or my personal favorite go harass the rich for fucking our economy. the rich are to blame for the hell we face. not the poor who continue to be taken advantage of. Find local nonprofits and try volunteering just to put more things on the resume. Also don't let the fucking idiots bother you, they are useless tools for talk radio. the idiots should stay under their rock cause they now they are fucking useless trash. t

    • 2 years ago
  • DRudeBoy
  • TopScruffy
more from The Real Recovery:
from the community

top videos