Hunger in America …

[frugal-one]

It was said on Sunday morning with Jane Pauley today that 13,000,000 children go hungry in America daily! ��
That seems unbelievable!

[iris lilies]

It was said on Sunday morning with Jane Pauley today that 13,000,000 children go hungry in America daily! ��
That seems unbelievable!

why do you think that is?

[LDAHL]

Let’s see how New York and Seattle’s socialist experiments work out. I hear both incoming mayors have some interesting grocery ideas in mind.

[frugal-one]

Let’s see how New York and Seattle’s socialist experiments work out. I hear both incoming mayors have some interesting grocery ideas in mind.

Please explain. I have not heard about this.

[Tradd]

The new NY mayor elect was talking about city run grocery stores to make things more affordable for residents. The thing is, grocers have a very slim profit margin.

[iris lilies]

The new NY mayor elect was talking about city run grocery stores to make things more affordable for residents. The thing is, grocers have a very slim profit margin.
You weren’t suggesting the cities actually going to try to make money are you? It’ll be a tax supported welfare program, yet another feeding program.

[bae]

The new NY mayor elect was talking about city run grocery stores to make things more affordable for residents. The thing is, grocers have a very slim profit margin.

Yeah, I don't get that one. I am very very familiar with the finances of our island's main grocery store, and our Coop store, and the smaller grocery store, and our Food Bank. There is very little profit there to shave.

[Tradd]

You weren’t suggesting the cities actually going to try to make money are you? It’ll be a tax supported welfare program, yet another feeding program.

I was implying that they’re going to lose money massively. It’s not like there’s a huge margin they would be able to cut in order to make things cheaper for NY residents.

[iris lilies]

I was implying that they’re going to lose money massively. It’s not like there’s a huge margin they would be able to cut in order to make things cheaper for NY residents.
oh, for sure, it’s not a venture that will even recover costs. But that’s OK, the taxpayers of New York have deep pockets.

[Tradd]

Chicago talked Whole Foods into opening a store in an all black neighborhood, Englewood, which is not a nice place. The store only lasted six years. What isn't to be mentioned, but was making the rounds on local radio is that shoplifting cost the store a ton. Not profitable to keep it open.

https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/whole-foods-to-close-chicagos-englewood-location-after-opening-just-six-years-ago/2820286/

[iris lilies]

Chicago talked Whole Foods into opening a store in an all black neighborhood, Englewood, which is not a nice place. The store only lasted six years. What isn't to be mentioned, but was making the rounds on local radio is that shoplifting cost the store a ton. Not profitable to keep it open.

https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/whole-foods-to-close-chicagos-englewood-location-after-opening-just-six-years-ago/2820286/

The shoplifting in poor neighborhoods is an inconvenient truth and is seen as victim blaming for the problem of “food deserts” there.

In my former gentrified neighborhood, the local Walgreens, just two blocks from a public housing project, had a very high rate of theft. All kinds of things were locked up on the store’s shelves. They had quite an extensive liquor selection tho, they knew their customers.

[bae]

We have a huge shoplifting problem here. We didn't used to 25 years ago.

We have a year-round population of 5-6000 people. We have ~1 million visitors a year to the community, tourists here to see the wonderful things.

We used to have lots of farm stands, with cash boxes, and purchases were done on the honor system. Starting around the time of Covid, farm stands would get stripped clean of cash and produce, as if locusts had passed through. Cameras went up (which is hard in our environment). The bulk of the criminals were "visitors", people with no ties to the community, no social reputation to maintain.

Similarly, our smaller shops in our village have a major shoplifting issue. Again, generally "visitors". Quite often younger, very privileged "visitors".

We generally have one law enforcement officer on duty on the island, and we don't have 24 hour coverage. We have no jail cells here. The courthouse is on the next island over, and the Sheriff's office adjacent to the courthouse has a few holding cells. Each criminal trial costs the local taxpayers quite a bit of money. So, there's very little chance anyone will get arrested, prosecuted, and sent to jail/prison. We have to pay the next county over for prison services.

We used to be able to just take malefactors down to the ferry, put them on it, and ask them to never return, but we aren't allowed to do that anymore.

We also now have homeless encampments in several public spaces. We never used to. The homeless residents of those encampments are not locals, they are people from the mainland who made a conscious choice to pay the $$$ to take the ferry over here. To a place with near-zero support services.

Fun times.