There are, of course, problems, concerns, and risks involved in ending world hunger while maintaining the prosperity of farmers, livestockmen, and dairymen, and protecting the global environment. McGovern addresses these and other issues in his logical, down-to-earth way. Understandably, some of the economic and social responses will be controversial. But as he passionately argues, one compelling moral issue is clear: Every major religion and ethical formulation commands its adherents to feed the hungry. We feed the hungry because it is right. McGovern argues persuasively that it will also be economically beneficial to all.

As someone who grew up on the plains of South Dakota during the drought and depression days of 1932, McGovern saw some of the world's best farmers flounder under surplus production that they could not sell for a break-even price. At the same time, he read of hunger and starvation in other parts of the world. In this groundbreaking work, he combines his personal experience and political know-how to work toward changing our world.

Customer Reviews:

A Nonpartisan, non-ideological, relatively inexpensive plan.......2004-08-22

PEACE ON EARTH.......2002-04-27

Mr. McGovern presents five possible solutions that may mitigate the plight of millions, among these worldwide WIC and school lunches, an increase in the food stamp program, and a minimum wage increase. Unfortunately, many of these measures seem implausible, for the ironic reason of their political inviability; FEW Americans favor an increase in taxes, to say the least.

I found this book to be more than an overview of hunger's politics. It is a window into the soul of a great man. In truth, world hunger would be a fading memory were we like Mr. McGovern: compassionate and selfless.

Layman's Guide to Reduce Hunger.......2001-03-05

In the 1960s, McGovern's origination and stewardship of food and agriculture policies led to programs that benefited the U.S. economy. In the new century, McGovern uses his national visibility and standing to propose fresh political remedies: food policies that favor women and children; universal school lunch; genetically modified crops; fresh water; and agricultural aid modeled on the Peace Corps. The author endorses government action, rooted in biblical teachings, to feed the hungry. While the book is short on documentation, it is long on policy. The title from Gary Hart's memoir of McGoven's ill-fated presidential bid, Right from the Start, may aptly sum up this new work.

The Moral Imperative and Necessary Direction to End Hunger!.......2001-01-03

Senator McGovern has been close to the issue of hunger for many years, having first headed the Food for Peace program for President Kennedy and more recently working with the United Nations on food issues for President Clinton. In this book, he describes many of the lessons learned about allievating hunger in the United States and elsewhere around the world, the benefits from eliminating hunger, the barriers to making faster progress, the plans for making the next steps, and his proposal for eliminating world hunger for humans by 2015.

I remember hearing much about this subject in the 1960s, and especially recall the CBC special from 1968. Historically, American farmers had excess production that was hurting farm prices while people were hungry. During the Kennedy administration this was turned into a series of initiatives to reduce the surpluses to strengthen the prices and feed more people. Large gains were made in students attending school and in their academic performance through free school breakfasts and lunches for the poor.

What has happened since then? Well, the good news is that these and many other good ideas have been expanded around the world. The number of hungry people is still enormous, 800 million, but it is many fewer than 40 years ago. As Senator McGovern rightly points out, we now have the technology, expertise in food distribution, and financial resources to eliminate hunger for the final 800 million. All we lack is a focus on the issue, and the will to make a difference.

The U.S. contribution would be less than the cost of a building a B-2 bomber annually. It turns out that most people think that more than 10 percent of the Federal budget goes for foreign aid, and that is almost all food. Actually, foreign aid is less than 1 percent and most of that is armaments. In recent polls, over 70 percent of Americans favor ending world hunger. Throughout the last presidential campaign this issue got lost. That's a shame, because here is an area where we pretty much agree.

His proposal focuses on the following elements:

(1) Extend the school lunch program around the world (the bulk of the poor hungry are children, and this gets them to school and improves their ability to learn)

(2) Favor women and children in food distribution (because of their better use of the resources and the fact that this by-passes corruption the most) usually by providing the food at the schools for pick-up

(3) Create local food reserves around the world of the sort we have in the United States so that emergency food can be more readily available to respond to natural disasters and wars

(4) Train local farmers to be better at what they do and provide them with better technology, appropriate for their part of the world (especially better ways to irrigate that don't harm the soil)

(5) Support research into better agricultural practices, including biotechnology

(6) Reduce the arms made available to countries where on-going wars are likely since such wars cause much hunger

(7) Clean-up the water supplies to reduce disease at the same time, and eliminate the risk of future wars over water

(8) Further encourage democracies since they make avoiding famines a high priority.

One of the nasty surprises I got from reading the book is that despite world progress, hunger is growing again in the United States due to cut backs in food stamps and other programs aimed at hunger. If we have been making mistakes in this area, that's pretty bad . . . at a time of unprecedented prosperity and government surpluses.

I also hope that private companies and individuals will step up their efforts to take a hand in eliminating hunger. I suspect that the know-how of these individuals is probably even more valuable than their money and time.

I strongly encourage you to read this book. Write to your congressional leaders and to our new president about this subject.

Also, I suggest that if you can afford it, that you allocate $30 per person per year in your household for donations aimed at eliminating hunger. That's about what it would take. At least you would know you are doing your part, even if the rest of society sleeps. Ultimately, that's all any of us can be sure of, is that we have stood up and been counted.

This book should be shared. If you belong to a book reading group, I hope you will suggest it. I also ask that you give a copy to your spiritual advisor. This book could become the basis of some good projects for your house of worship.

Love thy brother as thyself.

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Give Us This Day A Lutheran Proposal For Ending World Hunger (Lutheran Voices) David Beckmann Manufacturer: Augsburg Fortress Publishers ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback General | Poverty | Current Events | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books Lutheran | Protestantism | Christianity | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books All Amazon Upgrade | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books Nonfiction | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books Religion & Spirituality | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books Similar Items: Ending Hunger Now The End of Poverty: Economic Possibilities for Our Time ASIN: 0806649933

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Ending Poverty: A 20/20 Vision Guide for Individuals And Congregations Nancy Maeker , and peter Rogness Manufacturer: Augsburg Fortress Publishers ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback General | Poverty | Current Events | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books Ethics | Religious Studies | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books Church & State | Religious Studies | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books All Amazon Upgrade | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books Nonfiction | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books Religion & Spirituality | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books Similar Items: Justice in a Global Economy: Strategies for Home, Community, and World My Name Is Child of God...Not "Those People": A First Person Look at Poverty In Search of the Good Life: The Ethics of Globalization What Every Church Member Should Know about Poverty Less Than Two Dollars a Day: A Christian View of World Poverty and the Free Market ASIN: 0806680032

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Stories from four different settings help define poverty, recognize communities of poverty, explore the hidden culture of class, and take a deeper systems view that shows how we are all one community. A practical guide for congregational study groups, this book is a call to action on behalf of the poor.

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Ending Poverty Robin Lapthorn Marris Manufacturer: Thames & Hudson ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback Policy & Current Events | Popular Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books General | Popular Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books Development & Growth | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books Economic Policy & Development | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books International | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books Macroeconomics | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books Production & Operations | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books General | Poverty | Current Events | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books Futurology | Technology | Science | Subjects | Books Similar Items: Inequality in America: What Role for Human Capital Policies? (Alvin Hansen Symposium Series on Public Policy) It Takes a Nation Poverty and the Underclass: Changing Perceptions of the Poor in America ASIN: 0500281149

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The Blue Book of Freedom: Ending Famine, Poverty, Democide, and War Rudy J. Rummel Manufacturer: Cumberland House Publishing ProductGroup: Book Binding: Paperback War & Peace | Current Events | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books Democracy | Government | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books General | Freedom & Security | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books ASIN: 1581826206

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"There is an unbridgeable chasm in the world," says Professor Rudy J. Rummel. "On the one side are democratic countries where people are free, secure, and need not fear mass poverty, murder by their leaders, or mass famine. On the other side are criminal gangs, sanctified by the term 'government,' and the United Nations they dominate. By their guns they enforce mass slavery, mass death, mass violence, mass impoverishment, and mass famine."

Democracy is the solution to these scourges, Rummel asserts. "Most of the world's people have been robbed of their freedom by tyrants. In the twentieth century alone, 272 million of them were shot, burned, stabbed, tortured, beaten, starved to death, blasted to death, buried alive, or whatever other ways of murdering their slaves these thugs could imagine."

Rummel has been a student of war and peace for more than forty years, and the results of his research are startling. He has learned that democratic freedom provides a solution to the evils that have plagued mankind. The Blue Book of Freedom presents the results of his work in everyday language. The main points are:

• Freedom is the way to economic and human security.
• Free people never have famine.
• Where people are free, political violence is minimal.
• The more freedom a people enjoy, the less likely their government will murder them.
• The less free the people within any two nations are, the bloodier and more destructive any way between them will be.
• To do away with famine, mass impoverishment, democide (the murder by a government of its own people), and war, promote freedom.
• Democratic freedom is a method of nonviolence and an antidote to war.

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