By As tens of thousands of Californians continue to line up at food banks, why are our elected officials focused on issues that would take more money from our pocket books or spending $2000 on self-promoting highway signs touting “stimulus” projects?
Families are hurting. They are finding it difficult to pay for their basic necessities of shelter, food, and clothing.
Robert Jordan from the Contra Costa Times recently reported that Tri-Valley Haven of Dublin, Livermore, Pleasanton and Sunol, recently experienced a doubling of people who are in need of food.
The Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano distributed about 11 million pounds of food to 200 local agencies; Alameda County Community Food Bank gave 16.4 million poinds to its agencies.
In Alameda County, people begin lining up at 7 AM every Friday for the weekly produce give away, a week ago people waited to receive a box of squash, plums, apples, onions and watermelon. In 55 minutes the staff had gone through the 7-ton supply.
The Alameda County Community Food Bank reported 3,005 calls to its food hot line in August- the most since setting up the line in 1994.
As this economic tragedy continues across the United States, local Democrats have taken the lead in defending the spending of millions of dollars in taxpayer money on these self-promoting highway signs. ABC News reported that one of these $2,000 signs was enough to fill 40 potholes.
To put it another way, $2,000 would help provide 6 families over $300 in groceries.
It should be about priorities.
(Robert Jordan, “Food Bank Faces Onslaught Of Need,” Contra Costa Times, 9/19/09)
(Jonathan Karl, “Expensive Stimulus Road Signs Raise Eyebrows,” ABC News, 9/23/09)
