“Why We’re Fasting” – Mark Bittman

Today I started fasting and I’ll do it for two days. It’s to bring attention to the many poor who will go hungry and also those who will die because of the legislation being passed in Congress right now that cancels food for the poor. I’m joining Mark Bittman who just finished his fast. He writes eloquently in his New York Times blog about ironies. And about outrage at defunding food for the poor while simultaneously giving tax breaks to those who are rich.
He writes “In 2010, corporate profits grew at their fastest rate since 1950, and we set records in the number of Americans on food stamps. The richest 400 Americans have more wealth than half of all American households combined, the effective tax rate on the nation’s richest people has fallen by about half in the last 20 years, and General Electric paid zero dollars in U.S. taxes on profits of more than $14 billion. Meanwhile, roughly 45 million Americans spend a third of their posttax income on food — and still run out monthly — and one in four kids goes to bed hungry at least some of the time.”
I hope many food enthusiasts, writers and chefs will also join up. It’s not too late to join. Take a picture like mine and upload it here.
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