[contactmatts]

Addressing the "elimination of poverty" statement: Isn't poverty a relative construct? Unless full-communism is implemented, there will always be those that have less than others. For example, poor people living in the US have a much different life-style than the poor in a 3rd world country.

[joelrunyon]

Yes, but they're unequal in their "less"-ness.

Having less in the US means you have a hard time paying your bills, etc.

Having less in a third world country means you're dying because you're literally crapping your insides out because there's no drinkable water.

Eliminating poverty (especially extreme) poverty seems worthwhile . Making sure everyone has the same amount of stuff doesn't seem quite as important

[mordocai]

The only problem I have with your comment is that there are quite a few people who starve or nearly starve in the US. Dismissing all poverty in the US as just a hard time paying bills is incorrect.

Yes, there are a lot of programs to provide help in the US but many of them are far enough away that you'd need a car and if you don't have a car you are out of luck.

[joelrunyon]

Is there a database of statistics on starvation in the US? Genuinely curious.

[hluska]

Feedingamerica.org would be a good place to start. The site is about the difference between poverty and food insecurity. If any place could put to a comprehensive database on outright starvation, that would be it.

I'd argue though that in North America, outright starvation isn't as much of a problem as just having difficulty accessing healthy food. The last stats that I read argue that about 15 million kids in the US experience hunger. They may not be starving, but they will have more trouble learning without adequate adequate nutrition.

[joelrunyon]

I think that would be my complaint too - malnutrition rather than direct starvation.

That said, that has a LOT to do with our guidelines via the FDA and draws down from that moreso than inequality.