HUNGER PAINS

Eradication of hunger and poverty is not a trite proposition. The cartoon simplistically depicts greedy “powers-that-be” as the responsible parties for hunger and poverty. “If we really need a war, it should be one against greed.”

 That is unhelpful and promotes antipathy, so why do it? Poverty and its cohort hunger are together a complex issue. To eradicate or at least alleviate the problem, you first need to explain to the haves why they should help to deal with it. The poor mostly lack proper food, shelter, healthcare, education, and other resources needed to survive and prosper. Without these, firstly you have slow to no economic growth in your country, and, secondly, an agitated, unhappy group of citizens prone to civil unrest. And that’s why
 we should strive for the elimination of hunger and poverty. To achieve a solution, we need a proper national strategy - and that strategy will require a combination of sub-strategies including: (1) improving food production, nutritional quality and supply chains, (2) delivering education and health services, (3) ensuring corruption and extortion free financial support to the vulnerable, (4) delivery of affordable shelter options and (5) providing community safety and security through honest policing.
 I'm afraid but I do not see this type of resolve, nor thinking, nor intent, nor (regrettably) capacity of our great government to even take [to paraphrase chairman Mao] the first step in that 1,000 mile journey.