If They're So Poor, Why Are They So Fat? Ask Detroit.

It's hard to have a conversation in America today about hunger, especially since it seems to contradict all we hear in the news about America's obesity epidemic. Yes, more Americans are becoming obese, and many of those Americans are low income - the same population served by Food Stamps. But many of these people, such as in Detroit, lack access to healthy foods, such as fresh produce. In fact, although Detroit is one of our nation's largest cities, the last large chain supermarket has just pulled out of the city. News has now come that a local independent grocer will give those closing stores a try, but far too many residents are left to find expensive, highly processes, not very nutritious food at neighborhood convenience stores. Meanwhile, Congress is considering a reauthorization of Food Stamps (believe it or not, such programs do have to be reauthorized by Congress every few years, or they will cease to exist). Several Members of Congress and the Governor of Oregon took a "Food Stamp Challenge" to see if they could live for a week on the average benefit of just $1 per meal. I am hoping that Congress will see fit to raise the benefit just a bit, especially since food prices have been rapidly increasing thanks to more food being turned into ethanol.