Let them eat cake
The privileged elitists on Trump’s cabinet can’t help themselves. They broadcast how, like Trump himself, they’re out of touch.
“Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins made waves this week with claims that the Trump administration’s revamped food pyramid leaves plenty of room for Americans to maintain a healthy diet for as little as $3 a meal.
“In an interview Wednesday with News Nation, Rollins said her agency came up with plenty of low-cost meals that conform with the new dietary guidelines, which call for Americans to eat more red meat and butter, and less processed food. “Are we asking them to spend more on their diet? And the answer to that is no.”
“She said the agency ran “over 1,000 simulations” and found that “it can cost around $3 a meal for a piece of chicken, a piece of broccoli, you know, a corn tortilla and one other thing.”
How big a “piece.” What is “one other thing?”
Here’s a reality check:
““Is it possible to cook one healthy meal for $3? Yes, it is. Is it easy to live a lifestyle where you consistently are able to put together healthy balanced meals for $3? No, it is not,” said Joel Berg, CEO of the organization Hunger Free America. Eating cheaply and healthily requires effort, he said, such as buying food in bulk (which generally means having a car to transport it and a pantry large enough to store it), or shopping at multiple grocery stores to get the best deals.
“Most low-income people are busy working and raising their children, he said, and often traveling long distances by public transportation. “Healthier food is generally more expensive, but it is also critical to know that it usually takes a lot more time.”
“Then there’s the broader issue of affordability, he noted. “The top reason people can’t afford food isn’t, counterintuitively, the price of food. It’s the price of everything else.”
“Every penny that you have to pay for health care, every penny that you have to pay for child care, every penny that you have to pay for prescription drugs is less money that you have for food,” he said. “You can buy less healthy food. And that’s what happens on a daily basis.”
Ag Sec advocates $3 meals
“Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins made waves this week with claims that the Trump administration’s revamped food pyramid leaves plenty of room for Americans to maintain a healthy diet for as little as $3 a meal.
“In an interview Wednesday with News Nation, Rollins said her agency came up with plenty of low-cost meals that conform with the new dietary guidelines, which call for Americans to eat more red meat and butter, and less processed food. “Are we asking them to spend more on their diet? And the answer to that is no.”
“She said the agency ran “over 1,000 simulations” and found that “it can cost around $3 a meal for a piece of chicken, a piece of broccoli, you know, a corn tortilla and one other thing.”
How big a “piece.” What is “one other thing?”
Here’s a reality check:
““Is it possible to cook one healthy meal for $3? Yes, it is. Is it easy to live a lifestyle where you consistently are able to put together healthy balanced meals for $3? No, it is not,” said Joel Berg, CEO of the organization Hunger Free America. Eating cheaply and healthily requires effort, he said, such as buying food in bulk (which generally means having a car to transport it and a pantry large enough to store it), or shopping at multiple grocery stores to get the best deals.
“Most low-income people are busy working and raising their children, he said, and often traveling long distances by public transportation. “Healthier food is generally more expensive, but it is also critical to know that it usually takes a lot more time.”
“Then there’s the broader issue of affordability, he noted. “The top reason people can’t afford food isn’t, counterintuitively, the price of food. It’s the price of everything else.”
“Every penny that you have to pay for health care, every penny that you have to pay for child care, every penny that you have to pay for prescription drugs is less money that you have for food,” he said. “You can buy less healthy food. And that’s what happens on a daily basis.”
Ag Sec advocates $3 meals
Joel:
For thee and not for me.
“The modern conservative is engaged in one of man’s oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness.”
~John Kenneth Galbraith
The Trump administration is dumb. Hire Dean Baker and Paul Krugman and they’ll convince Americans not to let the cost of food bum them out. Problem solved.
Eric:
There comes a time when your stance on particular issues goes beyond what is acceptable, realistic, etc. Trump is a person who sees little value in the people he is supposed to be guiding as a president. Instead, it is all about him and what he wants regardless of the people.
Your comments are superficial, do not have a basis, and are meant to antagonize. I would like to think there is a modicum of intelligence in that head of yours. You keep proving Joel and I wrong. You add nothing to this post by Joel other than a childish remark a 12-year-old could make.
Thank you for this.
John:
Both Joel and I accept “most” opinions. This is not even an opinion, it is meant to antagonize. Thank you for commenting at Angry Bear. We do look forward to intelligent comments.
I will edit or delete comments that (a) attack the author of the post rather than the content of the post or (b) are off-topic and attempt to hijack the thread. These are examples of trolling. Trolling is poison for blog comment threads.
Joel:
A McDonald’s meal for one:
“McDonald’s prices for a hamburger and fries vary by location and deals, but expect around $3.79-$4 for a single Hamburger. With meals starting around $5-$8, often including a burger (like a McDouble), small fries, and a drink, with app deals sometimes offering even better value, such as $3.99 bundles.”
This is a relatively cheap meal for one person. It is loaded with fat, salt, and processed ingredients. Not your healthiest meal for sure. McDonalds Menu
“Healthier food is generally more expensive, but it is also critical to know that it usually takes a lot more time.”
When you may be working more than one job to make ends meet, time is a critical factor, likewise if you work overtime regularly. Processed foods cut down on prep time. Processed foods cost more. My grocery store sells ready-to-eat, prepackaged stir fry/soup/stew vegetables and peeled/cut fruits, and regular produce. The meat counter has regular meat an pre-marinated ready to cook. Then there is Costco. When you shop in bulk you can get lots of meals from one package of Costco chicken breasts. You just have to be able to afford to buy that package in the first place and have enough freezer space to store it.
There are economies that people with money and/or leisure time can make that poor people can’t.
They don’t seem to realize that.
Jane:
I agree with you, And there are always the lame reasons coming back at people as to what they should be doing to escape their predicament. What is done is never enough and someone always has a better solution. Except, you have to give something up or do this or that. The risk is always on you if it does not work. Then what?