The fall of capitalism: Quarter of US children went hungry last year

[Ifor Bach]

The point you ignore is that unhealthy food has far more calories in it, owing to artificial sweeteners and other products added to it in order to beef it up. Thus, where an unhealthy diet is the only one you have access to, or indeed the one you have most access to, it is more likely that you will, as a consequence, have obesity issues.

This isn't rocket science. That is the whole issue of food poverty - it isn't that people are not necessarily eating, it is that people are forced, both financially and because of social and educational norms, to eat an unhealthy diet. Unhealthy diets lead both to obesity and also poorer development in kids, which compounds the issues for them into later life.

In the USA, as was alluded to above, a single dollar can buy 1,200 calories of potato chips, but only 170 calories of fresh fruit. This is owing to subsidies within the American economy for various producers.

I completely fail to see where the element of 'coercion' comes in.

The American poor are provided with 'junk' food, because this is the kind of food they happen to like eating.

If they preferred 'healthy' food, then no doubt McDonald's would start a new line of carrot-burgers in wholemeal bread.

[Cael]

I completely fail to see where the element of 'coercion' comes in.

The American poor are provided with 'junk' food, because this is the kind of food they happen to like eating.

If they preferred 'healthy' food, then no doubt McDonald's would start a new line of carrot-burgers in wholemeal bread.

Rubbish, they eat junk food because its tasty and cheap. Of course, it only tasty becuase its pumped full of artificial flavours, fat, salt and sugar.

[Ifor Bach]

Rubbish, they eat junk food because its tasty and cheap. Of course, it only tasty becuase its pumped full of artificial flavours, fat, salt and sugar.

How does that contradict what I wrote?

[Hazlitt]

I'd say today the question should be why are so many skilled and educated people without a job....

Specific to the problem of poverty, it's fair to ask why are there so many unskilled/uneducated people unemployed - if we want to attempt to answer the question about an increase in hunger directly related to the OP. For example - we all know that one of the main barriers for unsk/ened people getting a job is the minimum wage, we could start with that.

Why do you assume that only the unskilled and uneducated can be hungry ?

I obviously don't. We were discussing people who (in your words) "don't earn enough money" - usually people with highly-demanded skills/knowledge etc can earn enough for decent meals, so we would have to assume that the majority of people in poverty have little or no education/skills.

[eyeswideopen]

Specific to the problem of poverty, it's fair to ask why are there so many unskilled/uneducated people unemployed - if we want to attempt to answer the question about an increase in hunger directly related to the OP. For example - we all know that one of the main barriers for unsk/ened people getting a job is the minimum wage, we could start with that.

I obviously don't. We were discussing people who (in your words) "don't earn enough money" - usually people with highly-demanded skills/knowledge etc can earn enough for decent meals, so we would have to assume that the majority of people in poverty have little or no education/skills.

It has been generally true in Ireland that graduates have had a lower rate of unemployment. It isn't a law of nature though.

There has been high unemployment here in the unskilled population because proportionately low skilled jobs have been replaced by machinery or displaced to other countries to a greater extent than highly skilled people.

Since last year, highly skilled jobs have been lost in their thousands and there are a large number of graduates on the dole - architects, accountants, IT specialists, temporary civil servants etc.

In Iran, there is very high female graduate unemployment as 60% of Iranian women are going to University and there aren't graduate jobs for half of them.

In Russia, when the USSR was ended and the IMF moved in, large numbers of civil servants, teachers etc. were only part paid or were unpaid for months. People lived from hand to mouth.

There is nothing about being middle class that provides a guarantee against future poverty. If you go back a few generations in a working class family, you will often find a better off ancestor who was "down on their luck".

There is also the phenomenon known as the "reserve army of labour" - it is essential to the smooth running of capitalism that there should be a reservoir of cheap, flexible, labour and if there is full employment, that ceases to exist and wages go up.

[Hazlitt]

It has been generally true in Ireland that graduates have had a lower rate of unemployment. It isn't a law of nature though.

The demand curve for labour (like everything else) slopes downwards... This is a law - The Law of Demand

The minimum wage disemploys the least skilled, if we want to have a serious discussion on why unskilled people cannot earn enough to afford food, we cannot overlook the fact that government interference in the price for labour is a massive factor in the problem.

There has been high unemployment here in the unskilled population because proportionately low skilled jobs have been replaced by machinery..

The Curse of Machinery

Machinery benefits our economies output. Why we shouldn't have unskilled labourers doing something that can be done quicker, cheaper, and with an increase in output by a machine is obvious. This labour would be redirected to more productive uses in a free market but are being prevented by a minimum wage! Let's not forget the new jobs that are created in machinery by the way, but I agree we keep our discussion to the unskilled.

You should read: Candlemakers' petition - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

And remember the phrase: If Edison invented the lightbulb today, the headlines would read: 20,000 candlestick makers lose their job!

..or displaced to other countries to a greater extent...

In no small part due to operating costs.

Since last year, highly skilled jobs have been lost in their thousands and there are a large number of graduates on the dole...

Thanks in no small part to operating costs in comparison with other countries, due in turn to government decrees such as the minimum wage.

There is nothing about being middle class that provides a guarantee against future poverty.

I don't think anybody here ever said that...

There is also the phenomenon known as the "reserve army of labour" - it is essential to the smooth running of capitalism that there should be a reservoir of cheap, flexible, labour and if there is full employment, that ceases to exist and wages go up.

This is not true on two fronts. Firstly "cheap" labour is not necessary for a successful business, the price spread is the important thing. Secondly it is natural on a free market for there to be voluntary unemployment - this is an obvious fact of reality.