Feeding the world

OK, so since Ari brought up lifestyle changes and extra cash available, I have to comment on something.

Years ago my parents sponsored a starving child in some third world country and today I saw an ad on TV imploring people to help starving children in Brazil. If I did indeed give up smoking and lattes, I might consider doing this, EXCEPT -

What's with Brazil? They can't afford to feed their children?

Why do I ask this? WE can't afford to feed our children!

This is a disgrace. I remember being at First Parish Church a couple of years ago and Minister Nancy showing me photos of a poor child the church sponsors.

"Where does he live" I inquired, expecting her to name some foreign locale.

It was somewhere in one of the Dakotas, I think.

Sink me, what is going on here? We've already got hungry kids and now there will be more because who can afford food in this economy? I think my cat eats better than a lot of people living in this country!

(And if I gave up smoking and lattes, I'd be even meaner than a junkyard cat.)

Elementary notions aside, I agree with the sentiment expressed in this Fourth of July "Our View" column in the Daily. Well, I agree with the first bit (the Declaration of Independence) and the last sentence:

But let today's holiday serve as a reminder that we need to consider very carefully the person we choose as the 44th president in November.

Everything in between sounds like what was taught in elementary schools, in the 60s.

Somehow, as was the case in 1776, the right person or persons have stepped forward when the country was most in need of strong leadership — Abraham Lincoln when the slavery question threatened to tear the nation apart; Franklin Roosevelt who saw it through the Great Depression and World War II.

Well, not the part about Roosevelt, necessarily - we never got that far in history in elementary school. I'm always amazed when people say "so and so really stepped forward." That's their job! What was Lincoln, who was not so much into freeing slaves in any case, supposed to do, hide in the corner with his blankie while states seceded from the union?

As usual, I digress (and take a shot at our beleaguered paper of record). If I'm not willing to fork over 50 cents for a Daily News, I'm hardly likely to fork over $1.50 for some other publication.

Unless it's good for some potshots (might be tax deductible).