Making America great again and where to start

 With the presidential elections closer than we would care to think, we as citizens of this once great country have to start asking ourselves do we want more of the same. Are we going to sign up for the statuesque and rhetoric that has become the norm over the past three decades? We were once a society of innovators and neighbors focused on making life rich and full for each other. However as the amount of wealth grew for a select few, so did the gap in our ability to empathize with others and to understand we are all a part of this community. Recently while I was watching the republican debate I heard Donald Trump, multi-billionaire, mention he wanted to make America great again. Which started my wheels turning. What would it really take to make us great again? My ideas of what made us great and what has the ability to heal us as a society come from my understanding of some basic business principals and some things that seem to be common sense to me. We have some issues that we need to address before we can even think about calling ourselves great again. This will be a series of the issues I deem important not just for us and the culture we have created in this country, but world wide as we are often imitated around the world, lest our climate of apathy and callousness for each other spread.

So if people with less can be innovative and find ways to take care of others with the waste they would throw away why can we here in a country with so much not find a way to do the same in all our communities to feed those who do not have? It is mainly because of the social stigma attached to not having food or a home. Our society does not see a person in need, we see individuals who have some how earned their place on the streets or their position. When in fact the statistics are staggering.

In 2010, 14.5% (17.2 million) of households in the United States experienced food insecurity at one time. 

• Households with children have almost twice the rate of food insecurity as households without children.
• 26.1% of Hispanic households and 25.2% of black households experience food insecurity, compared to 10.8% of white households experience food insecurity.
• Almost 14% of households experiencing food insecurity consist of a married couple with children, but 35.1% of households consist of a single woman with children, and 25.4% of households with a single father and children experience food insecurity.3

Food insecurity and hunger stem from poverty and a lack of reliable income sources. This climate is controlled by some of the jobs that used to pay a living wage being outsourced overseas. This causes a high rise in the rate of homelessness, healthcare, and petty crimes.

 If we are ever to get back to being a society of innovators we need to start taking care of each other in a way that says we are not just in it for the money. What do you think? Let's really start working on the problems and not just treating the symptoms.

 http://www.npr.org/player/v2/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist=false&id=431960054&m=432036132&live=1

References:
Nord, Mark, and Mark Prell. "Struggling To Feed the Family: What Does It Mean To Be Food Insecure?" Amber Waves June 2007. USDA Economic Research Service.
2.U.S. Conference of Mayors 2010 Status Report on Hunger & Homelessness. Rep. Washington DC: City Policy Associates, 2010.
3.United States. USDA. Economic Research Service. Household Food Security in the United States in 2010. By Alisha Coleman-Jensen, Mark Nord, Margaret Andrews, and Steven Carlson. 2010.
4.Grief, Meridith J., and Barrett A. Lee. "Homelessness and Hunger." Journal of Health and Social Behavior 49.1 (2008): 3-19.
5.Alaimo, Katherine. "Food Insecurity in the United States An Overview." Topics in Clinical Nutrition 20.4 (2005): 281-98.
6.Supra note 4
7.Cook, PhD, John, and Karen Jeng. Child Food Insecurity: The Economic Impact on Our Nation. Rep. Chicago: Feeding America, 2009.
8.Ibid
9."Food Desert Locator Documentation." USDA Economic Research Service - Home Page. United States Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service.
10.United States. USDA. Economic Research Service. Access to Affordable and Nutritious Food Measuring and Understanding Food Deserts and Their Consequences : Report to Congress. [Washington, D.C.]: U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, 2009.
11.Baer, Kathryn. "Acute Food Needs Now Monthly Events For More Than Three Million U.S. Households « Poverty & Policy." Poverty & Policy.Wordpress.com. 27 Oct. 2011.
12.Ibid.
13.United States. USDA. Economic Research Service. Food Security Improved following the 2009 ARRA Increase in SNAP Benefits. By Mark Nord and Mark A. Prell. [Washington, D.C.]: U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, 2011.