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Could It
Be So??
By Mona Lease
Hi, all!! The following is purely my conjecture - purely my wondering
after studying our past as a country - our past as a people.
President Trump - while on his campaign trail - said he was going to
"reorganize" the welfare system...or some other "re" word meaning he
was going to change it. Everyone at his rallies was fine with it...they
clapped loudly. He said he was going to do a lot of other stuff, too.
People kept clapping. Now that he's started doing this stuff - people
have a problem with it. I'll stick to the welfare issue.
Most people to whom I've spoken have a real problem now that President
Trump has said he's not going to hand out food stamps. He's going to
hand out boxes of food.
"I can't eat canned tuna...I'll puke." "My kids won't eat beans or rice
or peas." "My kids will only eat certain things."
My first question is: "How do you know what's in the food box that
President Trump says he's going to have distributed?"
When I was really young - maybe 10 or so - the government sent
"commodities" to Darke County. Government cheese (5# brick), butter
(maybe 1# brick), bags of rice (maybe 2# bags), are what I remember
people saying they were going to stand in line at the Darke County
Fairgrounds to get. My family never went. We sold tomatoes, cabbages,
potatos, and such.
Someone gave my family half a brick of the cheese - some family friend
or other. I don't remember it being bad. It made really good macaroni
and cheese as well as good toasted cheese sandwiches.
I know the "Harvest Food Boxes" being distributed to our senior
citizens today contain: 1 32 oz bottle of juice (orange or grape, etc),
a big box of Ralston dry cereal (wheat chex or corn chex, etc), a
smallish box of liquid milk (I don't know how they packaged it for it
to keep), 1 one pound can of Lakewood beef, 2 cans of green beans, 1
can of tuna, 1 can of pineapple, a box of crackers, - this is off
the top of my head. There's more. A girl friend of mine takes care of
her Mother as a way of life...the Mother gets the food box. I think you
have to be at least 60 years old to receive the box. Speak to Community
Action Partnership about all of their guidelines. Granted - it won't
feed you for a month - but, it has to help.
Now - knowing that we are a "chemical" society - chemicals to give us
ice cream that doesn't melt right away (it will all melt in time),
chemicals to give us soft cheese and "cheese food products," chemicals
to keep our crackers "crispy" longer, chemicals to give our peanut
butter easier "spreadability" - is this why there is such a problem
with the "government food boxes?"
"Puffed wheat (no sugar added to the original cereal), puffed rice (no
sugar added to the original cereal), rolled oats (hot cereal actually
cooked), hot mush cereal (cooked like rolled oats)....were what most
everyone was eating for breakfast (in the way of cereal) when I was
young.
So - is the problem with said food boxes the fact that they're not full
of sugar? Is the problem with the food boxes the fact that they are not
going to contain pizzas, soda, popsicles, etc? Is the problem with the
food boxes the fact that they are not going to contain "Snoopy"
pictures (or whatever other cartoon character) on the box or even a
prize in the box??
Could the real problem with the food boxes be that we (in Darke County
for sure and the rest of the USA) really do not know hunger??
I only think I know hunger.
I've listened as people 80+ years old right now, have told stories of
eating dandelion greens. I asked what they tasted like. "Grass" is what
I was told. The poorest added bacon grease and maybe a little bacon for
some flavor.
There's always a place to go for food. Most churches hand out food
weekly...and contribute to a "community food bank" to be cooked for a
fellowship meal...usually for a Wednesday noon meal.
Perhaps the question in my mind that bothers me the most is: "Are the
food boxes to be distributed a warning in disguise?" Should we start
shifting our minds to the possibility that we won't be drinking
Kool-Aid, pop, etc with every meal? Should we change now to avoid a big
"hurt" later?? Again - do we really know what hunger is and are we
afraid to actually cook - without the microwave oven??
Remember the kiddies and our service people. Take good care of the
furry and feathered ones out there. Be safe and healthy. See ya next
time. Ever Toodles!! MONA
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