Privileged NYT Food Writer Mark Bittman Blames 'Unregulated Capitalism and Greed,' Bush, Reagan Tax Cuts for Hunger
New York Times food writer Mark Bittman’s Thursday morning nytimes.com blog post on the end of his politically motivated four-day fast, “Stating the Obvious: Hunger Is a Disease,” is a followup to his bizarre left-wing rant on Wednesday’s op-ed page, where he claimed proposed spending cuts in the new House budget plan would “quite literally cause more people to starve to death, go to bed hungry or live more miserably than are doing so now.”
After describing the symptoms of his fast, Bittman, a best-selling cookbook author, cooking-show host, and continent-hopping gourmand who has made a very good living selling his wares to other privileged foodies, nonetheless attacked “unregulated capitalism and greed” as the cause of the world’s problems.
What causes the lack? Imprisonment, torture, being stranded on a desert island, anorexia, crop failure....and both a lack of aid and bad distribution of nutrients. Some (or much) of both of these last two stem from unregulated capitalism and greed. Bad distribution is causing roughly 15 percent of the world to be overweight and 15 percent of the world to be hungry. The amount of grain being fed to industrially raised livestock in the United States alone is enough to alleviate much if not all of world hunger.
The cost to the United States of extending the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy for one year -- this is only one example, there are dozens of others -- is $42 billion; the U.N.’s World Food Program spent $1.25 billion last year. The estimated cost of obesity-related diseases in the United States alone is $150 billion annually; at least some of that money could be saved by reducing the consumption of soda and other junk food and industrially produced meat, all of which cause disease, directly or indirectly.
Bittman also appeared on CNN at 8:15 Friday morning, and advanced a sophomoric liberal argument, asking why we weren't scrapping defense or taxing the rich instead of cutting food aid programs, one minute into his interview with anchor Kiran Chetry: “Well this is really to call attention to the fact that H.R.1, the budget legislation introduced by the House, cuts aid to the poor and hungry in the United States and abroad, rather than scrapping, say, defense program or increasing taxes on the rich or any other number of ways we could be raising money.” (Clip at Times Watch.)
After a query from Chetny mildly challenging his assumption that “the Bush tax cuts on the rich cost us $42 billion a year,” Bittman responded, “It’s wealthy people’s money, who have, you know, who have hundreds of times as much money as most people in the United States. And this is not how it’s been traditionally, and taxes were much higher until the Reagan years.”
Bittman concluded his self-righteous rant: “Well I believe we’re here at this stalemate because we refuse to tax corporations the way they should be taxed and we refuse to tax billionaires the way they should be taxed. That would make a huge difference.”
No comment on whether Mark Bittman thinks he is being taxed enough.
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Comments
1994
Submitted by jon_torlin on Fri, 04/01/2011 - 4:42pm.
I'm having a 1994 flashback.
-Jon
Enough is Enough!
Submitted by Grumpy in Arizona on Fri, 04/01/2011 - 5:10pm.
Hopefully, the future will return us to the days when these Latte slurping, Truffle loving, Brie munching “Food-Critic” morons don’t try to talk politics but get back to discussing the merits of Tofu!
Unregulated capitalism? What is this idiot talking about?
Submitted by Dave. on Fri, 04/01/2011 - 5:24pm.
We haven't had a free market economic system since the early 1920s, and the years since have brought on more and more draconian government regulations into play to the point where any resemblance to capitalism is purely accidental, and is a big reason why we are in deep economic doo doo today.
And if Bittman is really concerned about people going hungry, maybe he ought to talk to Obama about his hideous ethanol policy.
-Dave
Vote for the American in November
Do you homework, Mr. Food Writer
Submitted by Galvanic on Sat, 04/02/2011 - 1:24pm.
BITTMAN: "Bad distribution is causing roughly 15 percent of the world to be overweight and 15 percent of the world to be hungry."
I'm willing to bet that the 15% of the world that's overweight have capitalist economies and the 15% of the world this hungry is governed by socialist/Marxist dictators.
Perhaps the most anti-capitalist country in the world is North Korea, where the average height of adult residents has been decreasing under the Communist regime.
Look elsewhere in Africa and Asia -- similar stories.
Not being taxed enough???????
Submitted by IdahoJim on Fri, 04/01/2011 - 6:33pm.
If he wants to pay more taxes, he is free to write a check of any size and send it to the US Treasury. He is also free to convince as many millionares and billionares as he can to do the same. Nobody is stopping him.
Who the h*** is this guy to say whether someone has earned enough money or not? Obama does the same thing and it just irritates the ____ out of me.
And, Mark, your dietary choices are your own. Don't tell me what I can and cannot eat. You're not the king of the world.
Go pound sand.
BTW I'm setting up a blog site this weekend where I can rant my brains out about the evils of liberalism, bad economics, government spending, sex, drugs death and taxes. I will opinionate on much more but I haven't figured out all the subjects I feel need comments.
IdahoJim
http://idahoandy.net
The blog site is up...
Submitted by IdahoJim on Mon, 04/04/2011 - 7:59pm.
...but not yet firing on all cylinders. I still can't get comments and the archives still show a 404 error.
I also need to turn on other features as I study WordPress.
http://idahoandy.net
IdahoJim
http://idahoandy.net
IdahoJ
Submitted by Blonde on Mon, 04/04/2011 - 8:15pm.
Best wishes on your blog! And BEWARE, it is addicting.
I am a WordPress user for about a year, now. It's really very easy, and you can easily edit on the fly to add new categories, etc.
In order to get to your comments, go to "Settings" and then select "Writing"...you can set up your options there.
Here's my blog, if you have any questions, you can e-mail me at my e-mail addy under the "contact me" page. I can give you some hints as far as blocking certain domains (i.e. Russia, I am overrun with spammers) and whatnot.
Good luck, and have fun....WordPress is really very intuitive once you get used to it. Oh yeah, and your ISP should be able to handle bigger files than what is indicated, the "limit" is BS, I can upload huge files, but you have to get your ISP to unlimit your account.
Handy Reference Guide to Obama's Gaffes and Goofs ~ Currently Numbering 200 (and Counting)
Bittman No More Books or a FAN
Submitted by RightRealDeal on Fri, 04/01/2011 - 6:36pm.
I just threw his book out, no more Bittman cook books. Bittman is making a ton of money, what a hypocrite. When is he donating?
good call..
Submitted by OldJoe on Sat, 04/02/2011 - 3:30am.
Hope others do the same.
I want the numbers on exactly
Submitted by LAM SON 719 on Fri, 04/01/2011 - 8:27pm.
I want the numbers on exactly how many kids in the US starved last year during the summer of hunger? How many elderly are buying cat food and which flavors do they prefer?
Bittman
Submitted by dmaley1714 on Fri, 04/01/2011 - 9:59pm.
let's give this idiot the 42 billion tax increase on the rich. What abot the other 1.55 Trillion in borrowed money.
Great peice at real clear politics about this today
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2011/03/31/bill_whittle_on_eating...
This fool is incompetent and
Submitted by rbosque on Fri, 04/01/2011 - 11:38pm.
This fool is incompetent and does not know what he's talking about.
Wait a sec...
Submitted by shooter on Fri, 04/01/2011 - 11:56pm.
Is this country dangerously obese, or are we starving to death?
Make up your minds!
_________________________________________
"An armed society is a polite society" -- Robert A. Heinlein
Mark Bittman, Inc.
Submitted by OldJoe on Sat, 04/02/2011 - 3:41am.
Should voluntarily and happily pay taxes at a 90% rate.. better yet, he can ditch his accountant, the lawyers, etc. just fill out the 1040 with standard deduction only. Or simply write the big check every time he opens his pie hole.
say no more...
Submitted by Rackie on Sat, 04/02/2011 - 12:50pm.
"Bittman performs in a video short each week on The New York Times website, in which he describes, cooks, and eats a simple dish". (Wiki)
... and then takes a nap.
the curse of reasonably successful people is that they feel compelled to hector us "lost souls" to follow their path to paradise.
we just don't know what's good for us. (sigh...)
A little bit puzzling and stupid
Submitted by Student1776 on Sat, 04/02/2011 - 4:09pm.
Why is it that the countries with famines, with massive deprivation are not the ones who embraced Capitalism? Rather it is the countries that embraced communism or collectivism or socialism or whatever term you wish. Russia and China had repeated famines under communism. None now. Zimbabwae was the bread basked of Africa under capitalism and is in famine and disaster now under socialism. Bittman is an idiot and a socialist. Ah, but I repeat myself.
Wealth is not "distributed" its earned.
Submitted by thestalkinghorse on Sat, 04/02/2011 - 5:32pm.
Bittman could have made a real contribution to society by seeing this thing through to its logical conclusion.
Bittman should start his
Submitted by Trix Rabbit on Sat, 04/02/2011 - 6:14pm.
Bittman should start his whine with none other than that billionaire socialist Soros. Bittman should then ask, grovel, and cajole Soros as to how much he will depart with his ill-gained profits in order to feed entire families in the Bronx, Cabrini-Green, South Central L.A., and Homestead, FL.
For the MSM: In your pomp and all your glory, you're a poorer man than me. As you lick the boots of death born out of fear.
Ian Anderson "Wind up"
Really????
Submitted by cobokat on Sat, 04/02/2011 - 7:21pm.
I find it hard to believe that anyone goes hungry in this country. Look at the obesity rate and it's climbing all the time. When I go to the grocery store I am armed with coupons and always look for sales-if it's too much I don't buy it. When I see others shop and buy what they want all they do is whip out the welfare card and guess who's paying??
yeah
Submitted by ArrowSmith on Sat, 04/02/2011 - 11:32pm.
you have to be downright lazy or mentally ill to be starving in this country.
Dangerously obese != starvation
Submitted by ArrowSmith on Sat, 04/02/2011 - 11:20pm.
I think America has a fat problem.