Bush Policies At Work

But Not For You

CNN ran a segment yesterday about the decline in donations this years for food banks, while the need has increased. They didn't put it up on their website, so here's a typical story, from San Diego:

Donations are down for food banks and charities in San Diego County and across the country. Blame it on a bad economy, high gas prices and growing debt.

It seems like San Diegans are just tapped out at a time when donations are crucial.

Donations for the San Diego Food Bank's annual food drive have been minimal, even though the need is greater than ever.

"There are more people that will be affected by hunger this year than we're evacuated in the fires this past year," said Jim Jackson.

I'd like to juxtapose that headline with this one from the New York Times:

"The increase in incomes of the top 1 percent of Americans from 2003 to 2005 exceeded the total income of the poorest 20 percent of Americans, data in a new report by the Congressional Budget Office shows.

The poorest fifth of households had total income of $383.4 billion in 2005, while just the increase in income for the top 1 percent came to $524.8 billion, a figure 37 percent higher."

The poor are getting worse off, and so are the middle class. One can hardly blame the latter for donating less this year than last with Bush-induced uncertainties about mortgages, job security and the shaky dollar one imagines them all worrying more about how they are going to provide for their own families. And I guess the rich just don't give a damn about the misery their greed has caused. Have they ever? BTW, if there's a war on the giving spirit of Christmas, it is this Grinch class of capitalists who are fighting it. And they're doing all right, Jack.

Len Hart puts it succinctly over at The Existentialist Cowboy:

"Unless you are a GOP insider, a Wall Street co-conspirator, or a part of the endemically crooked Military/Industrial complex, the GOP has bent you over and screwed you. Anyone supporting the GOP is either a GOP insider, a crook or an idiot.

We haven't seen incompetence on this scale since Warren Harding, Calvin Coolidge, Herbert Hoover, Ronald Reagan or Bush Sr."

The simple and sad fact is, as we approach Christmas there are too many who can't provide even a simple dinner for their families, let alone a lavish banquet. Then there are heating bills to worry about - it looks like this winter is going to be a cold one.

If YOU can spare it, I hope you will give to your local food bank. Or you can donate directly to Second Harvest, which supports over 200 food banks across the country.

And since you've all been nice unrulies this year:
(and from what I hear, some of you are nicest when you're being naughtie!)

John Lennon: So This is Christmas

TAGS: Food Banks, Hunger, Greed, Spirit of Christmas