Urban Confrontation; 32; Hunger in America - A Curse on an Affluent Nation

Well Northeastern University the National Information that were present Cantante. That fly as they said without inadequate in a mall attack the taxes we get now does not deal with probably because of the rep and the amount of that at the federal fed in their field a hundred and fifty seven billion down the ages that they have that on the clad one he has now configured for the NAC with that hate that was created and thinking and thinking. But then I thought that I was a husband a fifth of the finance thought that the Fed of the federal budget the kit and program and all that 19 billion the Hill good to case it had a way out that the next thing I put out for help with that with is that there that were cut back and feet till the end of the original plan by the president and then they said thank you ma'am point that that I'm glad to have killed it. Well that clip was cool with a laugh though it here that does not have a chance. It has a family of rabbit have a collar a problem now that we can develop my reality and outback to view and that would include people

that people are going to God if he cannot accept them whether we like it at that. This week on urban confrontation Jesse Jackson economic director of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and the director of Operation Breadbasket in Chicago and doctors here chairman of the president's White House conference on food nutrition and health. Discussing hunger in America a curse on an affluent nation. Here is your host Joseph Barbados. America is a nation of contradictions black and white rich and poor affluent and hungry. More people die from overweight in the United States than any other country in the world and yet more than an eighth of our population goes to bed hungry each night. Today our guest is Dr. Shah my air the president's advisor on hunger and nutrition. Dr. Meyer the first question is this. How bad is the hunger problem in these United States.

But it's not as bad as you just stated. We do have about 15 percent of the population. 30 million people who are below the poverty line and therefore in food jeopardy of these About half of them of 15 million literally just don't have enough food to buy a decent diet. Now the enormous majority of these people are actually by a very poor diet which cheers them up and causes malnutrition but not hunger in terms of not enough food. A number of these people do get hungry because they literally don't have enough food and enough money to buy even poor quality food in sufficient amounts. But I think it's important to distinguish between hunger which is lack of food and malnutrition by food of poor quality which saps people's

resistance vitality and so on but which they have in sufficient amounts. Well could you describe what it's like to suffer from the problem of hunger and malnutrition in particular parts of the United States for example what's the diet like in Norway England Maine or the South Mississippi or southwest Texas. The diets are very. Yes they do. And we do have various groups at risks in the various areas of the country that people are most poorly fed. First of our black displaced agricultural workers in the Mississippi Delta and Mexican-American guard sure. And so Mira persons in the Southwest Indians on reservations who are probably the worst of any group in the United States in year in the Eskimos in Aleut in Alaska migrant workers mostly Mexican Americans on the West Coast and

mostly Puerto Ricans and black on the East Coast who are quite agriculture or rural or very small town people such as the people in the whole area of our police here. Who are the people in Maine. And then some groups in the large cities. I am quite aware of the fact that the program is called urban confrontation but I would like to point out something which is all too often forgotten at this point the majority of the very poor people in the United States are still in the country rather than in the cities and that the people own will fear in the north even though they do receive more money infinitely better off. Than the people in the south in the southwest where the welfare level is miserably low and where Furthermore because of prejudice because of the poor don't

get on welfare at all. Now one group I haven't mentioned because they are outside the continental United States but ought to be mention is some of the people in the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico and some people in trust territories in the Pacific you are responsible for. I for example are in the situation where a family on welfare would get about $300 a month in large cities in the north. They will get only $29 in Mississippi or 19 Daus in the Virgin Islands. So these people are at that point very easily hungry rather than simply malnourished. Could you give Dr Meyer a graphic description of what an average daily diet might be for a poor undernourished person in various sections of the country I mention the southwest Texas selve Mississippi or knowing when for example Maine in the southwest of course the diet will be principally based on cotton.

As for various corn products with relatively little supplementation with fresh foods and vegetables and meat again in the deep south core. But this time not in corn flour and perhaps some fatback which is like extremely fat bacon. It will be at the root of the carries in the diet supplemented hopefully by some greens in Maine potatoes or will be the backbone of a very poor diet. Again potato is in this case right to be high in vitamin C but very low in protein. Potatoes only has one or two percent of protein. So in all cases what we have is a diet which is high in starchy foods. And very monotonous and without a variety of words to bring in the necessary due to man's not to my error let's pause at this point in the

program we have on our phone lines coming in from Chicago the a leader of perhaps one of the most successful urban efforts to feed the hungry. A Reverend Jesse Jackson who lives in Chicago formally associated with the Reverend Martin Luther King and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and now heading up Operation Breadbasket which I'm sure you would agree is a very successful urban effort to deal with this problem. Reverend Jackson I'm going to ask you a question which I asked many guests from time to time on this urban confrontation series a real hypothetical and it assumes that you are president of the United States if you are what would you do to solve this hunger problem in America. And I'll ask the same question of Dr. fire after your response Reverend Jackson in Chicago the first thing I would do I would take a look at how the death of a lot of the first of the Christians that kind of shit like that the five years of the second I was taken put out

a profile for the fair the press there. But look at the family but the administrative costs are 50 50 50 a probability of that that I was. Let's then they create a platform that they can hear that there's a lot of the some of the with the way the Puerto Rican Mexican-American it is whether the full black another one that the tab that they cry is an account of the America that they that they know the people feel that with the Congress that it's the rep or that the people I would call them like well that acknowledge the Congress that represent the people with a proposal that takes into account enough money that the kind of at the tip of that that at a hundred got the piccolo about freakin billion dollars the other thought about it. Hunger the debt and rest of it there for the chronic aspect the hunger inherent in the economy that were left until we

have a job that everybody in the economy. They define the role that they are that bad that had the confrontation with the nation and I would have legislated home although I have a poll that much and I know that if a new. What allowed me what I did for me for the film the fast food and fuel for the pulled out of a car that I believe that a lady with a lobby didn't care whether they get the best of the bargain down the street. Dr. Meyer here our studios in Boston you are the president. What would you do to solve the hunger problem. I think that it's time that we stop thinking of us our sport as a White nation which just tolerate some people and that's why we are a nation where the capital of our country 60 percent black and a nation never many groups and many colors and I think really there in lies the gist of what Reverend Jackson is talking about. We can know

for as a nation not to give health not to give up to needy enough to give food to all of our citizens. And I agree with the Reverend Jackson that even if the economy is in trouble or the priorities just cannot be ignored and those concerns food else education and I think that sooner or later and the sooner the better we really have to have a readjustment. Our priority is to make sure that all of our children I've taken care of for the whole of IgE and so on. Now I think the idea of a presidential or two to give even greater relevance or priority to the problems of hunger and malnutrition and the problems of poverty in general would be a useful one though I'm beginning to suspect that after the government hearings after the trips of Robert Kennedy and Senator

Kerry Senator cook and is said to this you know this the people who do not yet know about hunger in malnutrition people to a certain extent willfully blind. And at some point I think priorities will have to be set by the president that by Congress without waiting for every last convert. To agree that those are the priorities Dr. John Meyer here in our studios in Boston you were with President Nixon for the six months that it took to set up the White House conference on attrition and health. Do you believe he is really in his heart desirous of fighting a war against hunger. Let me make a point first on the problem of the committee chairman which agri with me is one of the most crucial problems in making our government work. This is very much a bipartisan problem over the Freeman with Secretary of Agriculture for 80 years and added caps so beautifully my miserable record of fighting

hunger and malnutrition much worse than the present administration. Now its not because of a freeman is a bad man its just because he never had the courage to take on Congressman Bogan congressman with and as a result let him stay or be at the absolutely worst possible level of support for the food program that the Whitten could get away with since he's been replaced by Secretary there's been an undoubted enormous improvement in part B goes the administration is more committed than the previous administrations was on the problem of five and malnutrition. Leaving aside other areas like Yale and so on. But on the on this and also perhaps because they. A different body from Bogun which they are listed soon all the time lest they antagonize them on a point of social posting Be that as it may I think it's important to realize

that the problem of dealing with those aged reactionary says the committee chairman is very much a bipartisan problem and that the Democrats are as bad a very good ole would say way to dealing with it as the Republican administration has begun. The commitment to fighting and malnutrition. Yes I had a very strong feeling that the president was interested in dealing with her medications and what can be done and what can be said is that even though more money could quite rightly be appropriate on this area. At least the area of good meditation is one ear Yeah which is receiving much more money next year. These are almost twice as much money as before well over a billion dollars more but it is a bunch more than last year and at a time when many of the solution only sees

a great deal because of lack of funds. This at least is one which is making some progress. Isn't time running out as far as I'm concerned. Time ran out then years ago up 20 years ago our Reverend Jackson in Chicago Could you repeat that today on the difference between 1970 and thinking and 1970 we do have an ever cause the fourth of that have the capacity of the few differ by by the difficult weather and the didn't have that and think hey what did the president think Fred he needed to convey about the truth of who and who killed him by the Harvard people for the White House at the heart of a politician. He will the Mississippi have their move there and Arkansas as well as fall for then the cargo the president has the power warmed brick they could have bought. And I'm a little through infinite hope that the put the bottle in a towel he won't have that is standing in conflict with the president of the nation's progress. Therefore the president had him for the power politically and otherwise the threat them meaning

for that to an Agriculture Department that they operate in for the goal of purity and few people know anything about it. He has not taken the path addressed them there with meaning but they're all a political and therefore while the president and other politicians would go there thank those and play with their fiddle paper felt like a parody and perhaps for the soul of the nation. Hope for that not but that is the fate of the Nation this morning. I was only responding to the DO THAT question of this debate it has to be in the Gints of commitment on the part of the president to defeat Bill Graham but I will say is that enough to make them hot. I feel deep down in his heart is irrelevant. There will press the question becomes how did he feel deep down politically. We elected have President to cut an ad based on his heart. Think of the by his political will because the bill that the Big Three have a bit of with the plate in this regard Reverend Jackson I have a very significant quote here from Look magazine I

recall many months ago reading the same thing in the Wall Street Journal and that was a quote that the president made to a cabinet member a few weeks before he called for an end to hunger in America for all time and this is a quote you can say that this administration will have the first far reaching attack on the problem of hunger in history. Use all the rhetoric so long as it doesn't cost any money end of quote midst of a let me say this immediately that he goes this supposed statement was so serious that DC can't be true. I said that you would not have accepted the job of advising on Hyundai. I personally think Chua's. From cabinet members from the minutes of the cabinets from the sixth day of the cabinet to lose they have to find out if that food was good and I have been I should absolutely categorically that the president never made such statement that there is no record in Cabinet ministers of the event he made that statement and at least the

guts was completely misinformed. Live by day live magazine when he made that state. But let's assume that President Nixon is committed to fight the hunger problem or a federal problem. Well just for the purposes of discussion let's make it the question is on an operational day to day level given what we know about American politics and given what we know about the influence of big business on the Republican Party one of the major industries is the food industry. Now given what we know about how politics run of this country isn't it true to say that whether President Nixon has his heart in the right places hands are tied by the major food industries there Dr. Meyer you're shaking your head. The problem. In adding in effect 20 30 40 million customers to the food industry so that they would have enough money to go out and buy the good food they ought to have instead of not getting anything up and getting the

money to ship Priss and commodity products they don't want. He's not specifically with the food industry in fact the food industry iPhone is for reasons which have to do both I think. There's no reason to inferring there multis both with their motivations as people and with their motivations as businessmen is very much in favor of anything which would in effect allow them to sell more food to customers and they have a play on the product. With the president quite late with no yet couple back about 1950 to about let it happen and he did that they came before the nation and then the kid that never. Hit them in the job and bought him that make that era and then wrap in the top of a car different father they have what a great deal of empathy that bother the with him that they have the right the vice president alone the bad now this was the Checkers speech that's for elevation of

feel right that the fact is get the care that in the case that he did well they would know where they are at the math that he'd want to combat they have to admit that they think he has gone there with that he's gotten that if he's coming to God he's got the buffet and then they would follow him up there too but they didn't know that they need when they get out but the problem he had the number one of them is with whether that thought that the legislative process had of them that we have that he can't. And that number two the food and the fear that they're going to go the way they could protest it could hear all of the old father figure all that in the future. They would have no thought but the bar the him a rifle club that that's the way how you say that again I am the president that got that but then that when they give you a commitment you rather the point he was taken might of APL attacked again and felt liberated. Did he wield until

they gave me hope and one thing about hunger and that wheeling and dealing. Whether he can wield in the jhana let's pause at this point in the program to let those around the country who may have tuned in late you know what the program is who we're talking with what we're talking about the program urban confrontation the topic of hunger in America and the guests in our studio Dr. John mire an advisor to President Nixon on malnutrition and hunger problems. And on our direct phone line to Chicago Reverend Jesse Jackson. A leader in the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and the organizer of Operation Breadbasket a successful program for feeding hungry children in the city of Chicago. Gentleman let's approach the question of the influence of the business community on the Nixon ministration from this angle Arthur Burns the Nixons chairman of the Federal Reserve Board I think could be said to reflect some of the philosophy of big business and he feels apparently that expensive government programs to solve social problems

risk economic disaster that either the south or Right now we're one of them have the pop or they get all the way to think that they have the wealth of the world about a the fourth the fifth and the bottom half of the pot but they are the left and one of them that you in the conflict of that that what about the rich. How will they all that might have from the kind of man you want in there but the point to keep on having the habitat of that talk about it occurred to me that that was doing in place of the rich people life after death Paula. Well what does it say about the nature of our economy. Good of the economy let have enough in Alaska to be able to tell for the rest of the people by the people that they get in the economy. Death if ever they come in is not there that have the people up. Dr. Meyer here in our studios in Boston where I'm not an economist but I think my colleague Professor Goh Braith makes a great deal of sense when he says that we have enormous unmet social need in health education and so on and

that we have to raise taxes to take care of them. If we don't seem to be able to take care of them any other way than they would to do it just take good care of it through tax money. And yet we now have a taxpayer revolt in the middle income will not pay any more to well then maybe we should take a good look at the 4.6 billion those for instance for supporting We culture most of which are agreed you know which is the will to do. They had big people not to grow food. They are programs which obviously could be cut down again and that you know from an economist who said make this statement that if we spend four billion dollars more on combating malnutrition we need to support agriculture by less than 4 billion does what I suspected there was some sort of correspondence of that sort. What about the 57 billion a day are spent since 1967 for ego gratification or for whatever purpose it was to put our flag up there on the moon. Now one tenth of that was spent during the same period to an adequately feed the hungry that our action.

That's why I say that it is not a question of more taxes but the fact that we've got that does not bear fruit probably because of a rather than the moral value of them. Federal Budget there deal with 157 billion dollar aid is that they have that on the cleared war in Vietnam in the and for the next but there eight of them that was created and 13 taken but there was that al of the husband they fit I think than than what that the state of the federal budget the killing program and all that 19 begins they will get the case in any way off that collective way up what will the fit with yours that they're there with that back and be till the end of the original fall by the president you know that is I think the bad point that that a lad who was killed and all that put up what type of thing. Glad to hear that. Does not have a problem it has a value a problem it has a hollow a problem now that we can develop from our reality and our tax distribution that will include people the people are going to the brother's economic system whether we like it at that gentlemen.

What will happen to this country if it's hunger problem is not solved Dr. mire. Well I think that we're just they continue to have deep social problems will continue to the children who are not in a situation to their own children who are sick. Let me just make a very cold blooded economic statement. It's very expensive to feed our people properly. It got much much more. Yes. Reverend Jackson with a cost possibly be social revolution in the United States. I'll buy for that a lot of the car. Say a fiver. The. First thought that they that BUY ONE GET ONE OF OUR was a lot of the wow I'm lifted up and out of the car arrogant I would defer to people quickly on the other hand don't give me a little bit of Abba. People of faith because they thought they were happy with the other cab among the riot account of the fact of the birth of the great woman. If you have a

anti hero one with a hood and make the fake it till they prove that that you can get there they have a bill for the couple that I think people of America would deal with and deal with. Told them to get out by Riverbend nothing with the people holding our breath up there for the rich people that get how women have in the past 30 minutes our audience around the country has heard from two different gentleman one a periodic advisor to President Nixon on problems of hunger and nutrition. The other day a militant Afro-American human rights activist and yet one consensus emerges from these two perspectives. We cannot afford to have hungry people in America anymore. Gentlemen thank you very much. Thank you thank you. Northeastern University has rescued Jesse Jackson economic director of the Southern Christian

Leadership Conference and the director of operations breadbasket in Chicago and Dr. John my Air chairman of the president's White House conference on food nutrition and health discussing hunger in America. Her son affluent nation. Views and opinions expressed on the preceding program were not necessarily those house Northeastern University. Or this nation. Questions asked Who are the moderators method of presenting many sides of today's topic. Your program hosted in the jokes of our favorite director to partner radio production. This week's program both were used by Peter Lance and sheen or Sylvester. Directed by Peter Robinson. Technical supervision by Paul Diamond. Executive producer for urban confrontation is Peter Lance. Urban confrontation is a producer for the division of instructional communications at the nation's largest private university. Northeastern University. Requests for a tape recorded copy of any program in this series may be addressed to urban

confrontation. Northeastern University Boston Massachusetts 0 2 1 1 5. You're an observer. Dave Hammond. This is the national educational radio network.