A blog post on the website of The Hamilton Project has revealed that hunger in the US has expanded to historically unprecedented proportions since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, especially among households with young children.
Reporting on evidence from two surveys, The Hamilton Project shows that by the end of April 2020, more than 20 percent of all US households and over 40 percent of mothers with children under the age of 13 were experiencing food insecurity. These figures are between two and five times greater than they were in 2018, when food insecurity data was last collected.
Households and children in the surveys are considered food insecure if a respondent “indicates the following statements were often or sometime true”:
The food we bought just didn’t last and we didn’t have enough money to get more. The children in my household were not eating enough because we just couldn’t afford enough food. Lauren Bauer, a fellow in Economic Studies at the Brookings Institution who specializes in social and safety net policies, wrote in her blog post on Wednesday, “Rates of food insecurity observed in April 2020 are also meaningfully higher than at any point for which there is comparable data” from 2001 to 2018.
A woman clutches a child while waiting with hundreds of people line up for food donations, given to those impacted by the COVID-19 virus outbreak, in Chelsea, Mass., Tuesday, April 28, 2020. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa) Further placing the present ability of families to put food on the table in historical context, Bauer writes, “Looking over time, particularly to the relatively small increase in child food insecurity during the Great Recession, it is clear that young children are experiencing food insecurity to an extent unprecedented in modern times.”
Bauer explains that the surveys conducted their own national sampling of mothers in late April by asking the same questions used by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) in previous food insecurity studies.
Significantly, Bauer also explains that the USDA aggregates a battery of questions on access to food from the Current Population Survey in 2018. If the nearly two-to-one ratio between the percent of mothers with children under the age of 12 who had food insecure children in their household and the percent of families with children who were not eating enough because they couldn’t afford enough food were maintained today, the “17.4 percent [of] children not eating enough would translate into more than a third of children experiencing food insecurity.”
The Hamilton Project (THP) is a Democratic Party economic policy think-tank associated with the Brookings Institution. Launched in 2006, the THP featured then-Senator Barack Obama as a speaker at its founding event, who called the organization “the sort of breath of fresh air that I think this town needs.”
The publication of the US hunger data is part of an initiative by THP to push for increases in government spending on national food programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as food stamps.
As pandemic death
toll approaches 200,000, American oligarchs celebrate their wealth 12
September 2020 The United States is passing through a historic social,
economic and political crisis. The death toll from the coronavirus pandemic is
nearing 200,000 and could double by the end of the year. Democratic forms of
rule are breaking down, with the Trump administration intensifying its open
incitement of fascistic violence. Tens of millions are unemployed and face
impoverishment and homelessness. Wildfires are burning out of control on the US
West Coast.
It is impossible to understand any of these processes
outside of the massive levels of social inequality. The United States is an
oligarchy, with a concentration of wealth that is historically unprecedented.
The release of the Forbes 400 billionaire report
gives a sense of this reality. The richest 400
individuals (0.00012 percent of the population)
now possess more than $3 trillion.
The report declares: “Pandemic be damned: America’s 400
richest are worth a record $3.2 trillion, up $240 billion from a year ago,
aided by a stock market that has defied the virus.” The surge in the stock
market, underwritten by the multi-trillion-dollar CARES Act passed in March,
has filled the already overflowing coffers of the super-rich, who now hold
claim to the equivalent of 15 percent of the country’s gross domestic product.
Even the numbers provided by Forbes ,
based
on figures from July 24, are a major
underestimation of the current reality. Since
that time, the wealth of Amazon CEO Jeff
Bezos, the world’s richest person, has shot up
to more than $200 billion, while the wealth of
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has grown to over $100
billion. Bezos’s holdings are three million
times greater than the annual income of the
typical American household.
The staggering level of inequality reflected in the Forbes
list is the central feature of American society, which is defined by the transfer
of obscene and ever larger amounts of wealth from the working class into the
hands of a tiny financial oligarchy through tax cuts, bailouts, the slashing of
wages and the clawing back of pensions and other benefits won by workers in the
struggles of the 20th century.
The latest rise in the billionaires’ wealth is not based on
any exertion of labor but on the inflation of the stock market, with trillions
of dollars in debt from the Federal Reserve and Congress which will be paid off
the backs of the working class. Everything has been subordinated to ensuring
that the Dow Jones and S&P 500 rise to new heights.
It would take the median American, who earns $33,000 per
year, 97 million years to earn as much as is controlled by the wealthiest
Americans. Consider what $3.2 trillion could pay for in a year:
·
In the 2016-17 school year, $739 billion was spent on public
elementary and secondary schools, providing education for 50.8 million students
and employing 3.2 million teachers and another 3.2 million school employees.
·
The Congressional Budget Office projects that the federal
government will spend $1.3 trillion on health care programs this year.
·
Diabetes cost the US economy $327 billion in 2017, with insulin
accounting for $40 billion of this total. The average cost of insulin, critical
for the survival of diabetes patients, is up to $6,000 per year and continues
to rise.
·
According to the US Department of Agriculture, $800 billion was
spent by Americans on food and beverages for consumption at home in 2019. The
federal government provided $60 billion of this in food stamps for the poorest
and most vulnerable to gain access to essential nutrition.
·
The 2018 fire season cost $24 billion, driven by record
devastation including the destruction of the city of Paradise, California. All
told, extreme weather and climate disasters that year cost $91 billion.
Added up, the wealth of just 400 people could pay for an
entire year of public education, health care, nutrition and disaster relief for
millions of Americans. The UN recently reported that 132 million more people
will go hungry worldwide this year due to the pandemic, driving the number of
undernourished close to 1 billion.
Despite the burning need to save millions from
malnourishment and starvation, the World Food Program faces a shortage of $5
billion in its effort to deliver food to those in need. The wealth of the 400
richest people in the US is more than 600 times this amount.
Every element of politics is subordinated to the interests
of this social layer. It is for this reason that the danger of the pandemic was
initially covered up, the bailout of Wall Street was organized and the
back-to-work and back-to-school campaigns were implemented.
The systematic looting of society left the country
vulnerable to such an outbreak. The subordination of health care to the
predatory interests of for-profit health care companies and insurance giants
turned nursing homes for the elderly into death chambers and left nurses and
doctors without the necessary personal protective equipment and other medical
equipment—such as ventilators—needed to treat patients.
The drive of the Trump administration to fascism and the
cultivation of extreme right cannot be understood except in relation to the
class interests of the oligarchy, representing that faction of the ruling class
which seeks to smash outright any sign of opposition from the working class. On
the other side of the coin, the Democrats represent that faction that has
sought to use the politics of race and identity to smother the class struggle
while fighting for access to positions and greater wealth.
As only the latest example, the racially
fixated New York Times published its “Faces of Power” list
this week, noting that too many people in “influential positions” are white. What
difference would it make if everyone one of them was black, Hispanic, Asian or
Native American? In fact, the report found that a majority of police chiefs in
the largest cities are black or Hispanic. Cold comfort for the young black men
who are disproportionately killed by police.
The obsession by upper-middle class academics and
journalists on race and gender is a distraction from the grotesque levels of
wealth that define social relations in American society. This form of politics
has nothing to do with the interests of the working class. Instead, it seeks to
harness anger over racism and social inequality to advance the interests of a
small layer of minorities in the next 9 percent who want a larger piece of the
pie hoarded by the top 1 percent.
At every point, science, reason and human solidarity
collide with the economic interests of the current rulers of society—the
oligarchs, the parasitic masters of finance capital. It is impossible to defend
democratic rights or save lives without confronting this issue.
Mass problems such as the COVID-19 pandemic, increasingly
deadly fires fueled by climate change, and global hunger require mass
solutions. The problems of mankind cannot be resolved without breaking the
stranglehold of the capitalist oligarchy in every country. The wealth must be
expropriated and directed toward meeting social needs. The large corporations
and banks transformed by the working class into democratically controlled
institutions oriented to meeting human need and not private profit.
The social inequality that characterizes capitalist
society—and all the policies that flow from it—is fueling an immense growth of
social anger and working class struggle. These struggles must be organized and
united on the basis of a conscious, revolutionary and socialist program.
Protesters march outside Jeff Bezos' $165million Beverly Hills mansion to demand the Amazon billionaire pay more taxes and take responsibility for the 20,000 workers who have tested positive for COVID Protesters marched to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos' $165million mansion in Beverly Hills, California, on Sunday The event was organized by The Congress and Essential Workers and joined by a number of environmental activist groups The event, dubbed 'The Wrong Amazon is Burning' rally, demanded the company address labor issues related to their COVID-19 response and climate issues Chris Smalls, a former Amazon warehouse employee, led the rally after he was fired in March Amazon officials said Smalls was fired for 'violating social distancing guidelines,' but he contends that he was dismissed because he organized an employee protest over an alleged lack of health measures Amazon recently revealed that nearly 20,000 employees have tested positive for COVID-19 The Congress and Essential Workers released a list of demands from Amazon, including securing a $2-an-hour hazard pay increase and paid leave until COVID-19 test results are confirmed By LAUREN EDMONDS FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
PUBLISHED: 01:12 EDT, 5 October 2020 UPDATED: 01:48 EDT, 5 October 2020
Protesters marched to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos' palatial Beverly Hills mansion to demand the company address environmental and labor issues that came to a head during the pandemic.
Saturday saw a coalition of labor and environmental activists gathered at Will Rogers Memorial Park on Sunset Boulevard to decry Bezos and his multi-billion dollar e-commerce empire during 'The Wrong Amazon is Burning' event.
The Congress and Essential Workers, a group of current and former Amazon warehouse employees, organized the rally and it was spearheaded by Chris Smalls of Staten Island, New York.
Smalls, a former Amazon warehouse staffer, was fired from his position in March after he organized a protest over what he described as a lack of PPE and hazard pay amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
'We demand that Jeff Bezos and the rest of the billionaire class pay their fair share to deal with the climate crisis,' TCOEW said in a statement, per Patch .
'We are calling for a decent living wage of $30/hour minimum for all Amazon employees, Medicare and childcare for all, and the right to unionize without fear of retaliation. These are just a few of the issues that we feel billionaires like Jeff Bezos, who makes nearly $4,000 a second, can absolutely help relieve or resolve.'
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Hundreds of protesters fighting for labor rights and environmental reform at Amazon marched to CEO Jeff Bezos' $165million mansion in Beverly Hills, California
Some of the demonstrators at 'The Wrong Amazon is Burning' rally were there in support of Amazon making environmental reforms to its business practices
Pictured: A demonstrator holds a sign during a protest prior to a march to Amazon founder Jeff Bezos' mansion to lobby for higher wages, the right to unionize and a series of reforms in the way the giant company handles the COVID-19 crisis
A member of Red Rebel Brigade Manifesto performs during a protest prior to a march to Amazon founder Jeff Bezos' mansion in Beverly Hills
The crowd of demonstrators who shouted 'f*** Bezos,' who's worth $185billion, were joined by climate activist groups Sunrise Movement and Extinction Rebellion.
Demonstrators who donned face masks hoisted signs that read 'f*** Bezos,' 'your greed is killing us,' 'abolish billionaires' and 'share with your country!'
Other signs urged Bezos to consider environmental changes, including one that said 'there is no planet B' and 'science not silence.'
At one point, members of the artivist troupe, Red Rebel Brigade Manifesto, wore red ensembles during a performative piece aimed at highlighting the global environmental crisis.
As the group of determined protesters drew near Bezos' mansion, they chanted 'tax Bezos' while someone played the drums.
The group of protesters gathered outside of Jeff Bezos' $165million mansion in Beverly Hills with signs reading 'f*** Bezos' and a banner calling for more stringent taxes on the billionaire
Demonstrators who donned face masks hoisted signs that read 'f*** Bezos,' 'your greed is killing us,' 'abolish billionaires' and 'share with your country!'
Demonstrators march to Amazon founder Jeff Bezos' mansion to lobby for higher wages, the right to unionize and a series of reforms in the way the giant company handles the COVID-19 crisis
Chris Smalls, pictured in front of Bezos' mansion: 'Destroying small businesses, destroying working class people, destroying lower class people. Enough is enough'
Once the group arrived to Bezos' grand front gate, Smalls used a bullhorn to rally the crowd and declared 'enough is enough.'
'Destroying small businesses, destroying working class people, destroying lower class people. Enough is enough,' Smalls said. 'We're tired, we're done, and I want to say this...f*** Jeff Bezos!'
After Smalls' dismissal, Amazon officials said he was fired for 'violating social distancing guidelines and putting the safety of others at risk.'
But Smalls asserted that it was retaliation for organizing a workers protest.
In the memo obtained by Vice News, top Amazon executives planned to smear 31-year-old Smalls, a management assistant, after he spearheaded a walkout of several employees on March 30 over coronavirus safety fears.
The top bosses referred to Smalls as 'not smart' and discussed placing him as the face of the workers' walkout.
'He's not smart, or articulate, and to the extent the press wants to focus on us versus him, we will be in a much stronger PR position than simply explaining for the umpteenth time how we're trying to protect workers,' wrote Amazon General Counsel David Zapolsky.
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Jeff Bezos (left) owns a $165million mansion in Beverly Hills (right), which sits behind a large gate in an affluent part of the city
Sunday's protest comes after Amazon revealed nearly 20,000 employees have tested positive for COVID-19 and ahead of the company's annual Prime Day
In the memo, which took place at a day meeting and included CEO Jeff Bezos, Zapolsky's notes reportedly show executives mapping how to navigate bad press of Smalls' firing.
They allegedly wanted to make Smalls the center of Amazon's narrative about worker safety.
Zapolsky wrote: 'We should spend the first part of our response strongly laying out the case for why the organizer's conduct was immoral, unacceptable, and arguably illegal, in detail, and only then follow with our usual talking points about worker safety.
'Make him the most interesting part of the story, and if possible make him the face of the entire union/organizing movement.'
The memo allegedly showed executives considering using Smalls to discredit the company's labor movement.
Pictured: A promotional flyer for 'The Wrong Amazon is Burning' event held on Sunday
Members of the artivist troupe, Red Rebel Brigade Manifesto, wore red ensembles during a performative piece aimed at highlighting the global environmental crisis
Signs are set up at Will Rogers Memorial park in Beverly Hills prior to a demonstration against Amazon on Sunday as people demand Jeff Bezos make labor and environmental reforms
Sunday's protest came after the recent revelation that nearly 20,000 Amazon workers in the United States have tested positive for COVID-19, per a blog post . And ahead of Amazon's annual Prime Day, in which the company offers discounted sales and lowered prices on various items.
'Employees are not going to be treated fairly and going to have mandatory overtime and have no breaks for the next two months into December,' said Jordan Flowers, an Amazon warehouse worker from Staten Island, per CNet .
Although Prime Day has been used to highlight consumer perks, it's often a hectic time for warehouse employees who've complained of the overwhelming workload.
Prime Day protest have previously been held in places like New York City, Seattle and across Europe.
'Cancel your Prime memberships, order less on Prime Day week and give us time to be prepared because peak season is hectic,' said Flowers, in reference to the holiday season.
'We're doing 50 or 60 hours a week with one or two days off.'
In addition to the protest, TCOEW released a media statement that outlined a number of demands from the group.
'Amazon must be transparent and honest about the number of cases they have in their facilities,' one demand said.
Other requests included securing a $2-an-hour hazard pay increase and paid leave until test results are confirmed.
DEMANDS TO AMAZON per The Congress and Essential Workers The Congress and Essential Workers have released a list of demands for Amazon, including:
• All employees to be retroactively paid for all unpaid time they have used from March until the facilities are safe for workers.
• PPE and cleaning supplies to be provided at all times by the company.
• Employees who receive a COVID-19 test are to be placed on paid leave until test results are confirmed, and not to return until they test negative for COVID-19 with 100% percent pay not a percentage.
• Buildings or locations that have positive cases are to be shut down, professionally sanitized, and remain closed for a minimum of 14 days with 100% percent pay for all affected employees.
• $2/hour Hazard pay increase or sick time pay is to be provided during the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Amazon must be transparent and honest about the number of cases they have in their facilities.
• Reinstatement of all employees who have been terminated during the COVID-19 pandemic for refusing to work, protesting, or related reasons.
• Employees that have lost their lives during the Pandemic Families to receive $200,000 in addition to life insurance policy payments directly from Amazon.
• A 1-3% Federal Wealth Tax; money collected will be distributed to fund the urban communities and organizations that the Employers are invested in.
• $30/hour minimum - We demand a living wage! Jeff Bezos net worth is $188 billion dollars and is trending to be the world's first Trillionaire. Amazon has over a million employees worldwide yet pays employees minimum wage $15.50 which is insufficient to the amount of value a worker really deserves.
• Amazon employees to become shareholders upon employment and receive annual investments with the company
• Free Childcare and Healthcare to be provided by Amazon
• Full time employees receive 1 hour lunch breaks.
• No wage cap and monthly bonuses for productivity or sweat equity (attendance).
• Money generated from the Wealth Tax is to be distributed not only to fund Amazon workers but also to help deal with global crises like Climate control, Homelessness, and Pandemics.
• Public housing, unemployment, health care workers unions, hospitals, teachers unions, workers unions, and community organizations can also qualify to receive funds from the Wealth Tax.
• We demand that workers have the right to unionize and sign employee/employer contracts that are renewed annually so that our demands are negotiated and upheld by all parties involved and workers are not vulnerable to backlash from management.
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