HUNGRY GERALD

That was the headline of a brilliant and moving work of journalism by the Washington Post’s Eli Jaslow (read by HG a few weeks ago). Saslow details the impossible challenge of feeding a family of five on the standard government allotment of $1.50 per meal. Says Jaslow: “The cheap foods this affords tend to be among the least nutritious–heavy in preservatives, fats, salt and refined sugar.” This is a recipe for morbid obesity, diabetes, high cholesterol and other ailments. There are millions of kids in the United States whose minds and bodies are being destroyed by a reliance on unhealthy food. But, what can an impoverished mother do, someone living on foods stamps, when her child cries that he’s hungry and must eat? Pour some cheese sauce directly into a bag of Cheetos. Costs a buck. It is part of a vicious circle. The Republican war on the poor is going to mean more illness and higher health costs. What happened to “Family Values”? And, for that matter, “Christian Values”? HG must stop. Fury is boiling.