Poverty is expensive, but fixing it doesn’t have to be — at least not compared to the status quo.
The Institute for Policy Studies and the Poor People’s Campaign recently released a Moral Budget, and it’s a veritable treasure trove of illuminating data proving that point.
They propose we could easily cut $350 billion from the annual military budget — which would still leave us with a bigger budget than China, Russia, and Iran combined — and raise $886 billion by enacting fair taxes on the rich and corporations.
That would free up billions to help alleviate poverty and make life more secure for all of us — including by making sure we all get access to good food and nutrition.
The Moral Budget identifies additional funding for SNAP (or food stamps) to the tune of $6.5 billion, and $1.1 billion for child nutrition. That would be fantastically effective, and it would cost just a tiny fraction of the overall savings the budget finds.
But on the heels of a farm bill that continued the cycle of subsidizing a small group of American farmers that farm in a deeply unsustainable way, we could use another small portion of those billions to help fix our food system.
Our entire food industry is built upon the exploitation of labor and land. The reason we have cheap meat and vegetables is because farm workers — often undocumented immigrants — are underpaid to work long hours, exposed to pesticides and herbicides that harm not only our environment, but also their health.
It’s a tragedy. But it’s also one that can be remedied.
Funding incentives for local, organic producers would help address the needs of our population, our health, and our planet. Boosting the pay of farm workers and providing an easy path to unionization would be a boon for the folks who pick our fruits and veggies.
Outlawing factory farming and the awful facilities that dominate our meat industry would go a long way to better the treatment of animals in America.
We also need to keep the meat industry from polluting our waterways with animal waste, and instead use a model that’s more in harmony with growing crops. Studies show that a farm that raises both animals and crops is a healthier and more productive farm.
But most importantly, we need to use this money to erase the food deserts that litter the country.
Low-income and communities of color often are situated in these food deserts, without access to fresh fruit and vegetables. It’s a large reason why those communities, who are stuck with processed, unhealthy foods, have higher rates of diabetes and diet-related health problems.
Funding more urban farms, food co-ops, farmers markets, and CSAs would help alleviate this problem, especially when used in tandem with an expansion of food stamps. Child nutrition programs — especially free breakfast, lunch, and dinner programs — should be universal, and sourced with healthy foods from local farms.
Transitioning our agricultural system to a more regional and localized operation would reduce emissions and pollution from poor farming techniques, boost wages for farm workers, and improve our national health.
So instead of giving our military billions of dollars to go pollute the globe, and letting big companies run family farms out of business, we should instead pay for a better system for all.
It’d be a pittance compared to those billions we’re giving away. But it would have a huge impact.
Truthout Is Preparing to Meet Trump’s Agenda With Resistance at Every Turn
Dear Truthout Community,
If you feel rage, despondency, confusion and deep fear today, you are not alone. We’re feeling it too. We are heartsick. Facing down Trump’s fascist agenda, we are desperately worried about the most vulnerable people among us, including our loved ones and everyone in the Truthout community, and our minds are racing a million miles a minute to try to map out all that needs to be done.
We must give ourselves space to grieve and feel our fear, feel our rage, and keep in the forefront of our mind the stark truth that millions of real human lives are on the line. And simultaneously, we’ve got to get to work, take stock of our resources, and prepare to throw ourselves full force into the movement.
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There are many terrifying planks to the Trump agenda, and we plan to devote ourselves to reporting thoroughly on each one and, crucially, covering the movements resisting them. We also recognize that Trump is a dire threat to journalism itself, and that we must take this seriously from the outset.
After the election, the four of us sat down to have some hard but necessary conversations about Truthout under a Trump presidency. How would we defend our publication from an avalanche of far right lawsuits that seek to bankrupt us? How would we keep our reporters safe if they need to cover outbreaks of political violence, or if they are targeted by authorities? How will we urgently produce the practical analysis, tools and movement coverage that you need right now — breaking through our normal routines to meet a terrifying moment in ways that best serve you?
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