US meets UK

The ultra fabulous and funny Ms. Pug recently wrote a post about the cost of responsible eating.  I began to write a comment, but around the third paragraph I thought a post might be more appropriate. The three points that stuck out at me most were 1. That many people prefer not to know the specifics of the food they eat 2. the idea that eating from local farmers that use sustainable, humane best practices is expensive 3. that it’s classist (this is a comment form another, not her) and  the high cost of joining a CSA.

Since I’ve started to eat meat, our food budget has definitely grown and we’ve had to prioritize our budget in different ways. We have an old, tube tv, and there are definitely parts of our apartment that are woefully unfinished. It’s taken us longer to fix our car, because it was simply lower on the priority list. Our grocery bill jumped most when we started to filter out processed foods in favor of fresh ones. In some ways it has become less expensive-it’s cheaper to make your own bread than to buy it. But, I don’t have the time to bake that much bread… so we usually purchase it. In others, more so because we are purchasing a spaghetti squash ($5) instead of spaghetti(.99).

For me personally, the majority of the time that I eat, I eat the way that some people would refer to as responsible or ethical. But, it’s only classified that way because currently, that is not the norm for most people in this country (let alone the planet). I try to eat smaller portions because I want the food we purchase to go farther, and it’s better for my health. I house a moral dilemma each time I shop, and frequently when I eat. I fully admit that the way I approach food, especially meat, is different from most people. When I eat a burger, I think about the cow. From my conversations with the meat eaters I know, this does not appear to be normal behavior.

Currently the cost of a sustainable food chain is more expensive for the consumer. I think it’s a shame that farmers are being essentially bullied when it comes to what they produce, and what they are paid for it. Take note of the recent anti-trust DOJ and USDA/Dairy farm issue.  As a side note, do you think cows should be fed donuts? It’s not that I think quality food HAS to be expensive - it’s that prices and certain (commodity) crops have been so subsidized that things are a bit bonkers. There has been an insane over consolidation of food producers and consumers are ultimately the ones who deal with higher taxes and unsafe food production.I want to see a point in my lifetime where this isn’t the case.

As far food politics being a classist issue. It is. But, I think it would be more accurate to call it a social justice issue. Why are there urban food deserts-why are there so many Mcdonalds and so few grocery stores in lower income areas? Why are there so many barriers for lower income people to purchase healthy, quality food? Why is there a lack of nutritional education for children of all classes? In DC, and in many other cities, food stamps are able to be used at the farmers market-but if the choice is to buy a $5 roasted chicken at Safeway, or a $30 chicken at the farmers market? Well…. you do the math. How can we work to change this structure?  I’m pleased that Walmart is making efforts to purchase from local farms, revive local economies and agriculture. Though, this seems to be working out a bit better in theory than in practice. But, it’s a great step since Walmart’s business decisions have far reaching implications.

When Pug inquired about the CSA with drop offs around the corner she was told that it’s $1,000 a share. But, what I think is important to have a few important answers in regards to CSA shares: How long is the season, how many people does a share cover and what crops are included. If the season is long enough, and the crops are varied enough, a half share at $500 might not be so bad. We currently spend around $400 on groceries per month and the bulk of this is fresh fruits and vegetables. We also have just a mini fridge..so we’re shopping pretty frequently and DC food prices are steeper than in the suburbs. If you’re looking for a CSA (though, it’s a bit late to get into the summer share game) I recommend checking out Local Harvest and Eat Wild for farms and other resources. We joined a local metropolitan meat buying club, so our meat is generally not that much more expensive than CAFO meat from the grocery store.  Our Hedge Apple beef that we love so much? Ground beef is only $3 per pound which covers several meals for Nick and I.

Eating in ways that support local small business is currently more expensive, and yes, some people are priced out of the options currently. Eating is a personal choice, and as time passes the personal truly becomes more and more political.

I’m ready to “move my money”. If you check the Huffington Post, then you know this campaign has been going for awhile. I’ve just put off dealing with the action for various reasons that are really just excuses - I’m lazy! Laziness however, doesn’t really get anyone anywhere.

Curious about the campaign? Here is a very populisty recap:

I don’t trust corporations, and I certainly trust them less now that they’ve essentially attained personhood in the US. Having been a consumer and campus advocate, I’ve fallen too far down the rabbit hole of corporate misdeeds and greed to be able to look at our system with rose colored glasses again. These corporations are actively taking your money to lobby against your best interests. Corporations have grown so powerful in the US that the actions by the US Presidency (both past and current) can be described as “Corporate Socialism”. The whole reason I left education was to make a difference in policy and work at a systems change level. If you’ve got the afternoon this Sunday, I highly recommend watching The Corporation on hulu. Fair warning, it isn’t a Michael Moore film, but he is featured in it.

Some people claim that PEOPLE have control over the corporations. That’s really only true if you have a choice of where to spend your money, and assuming that there actually is a “best option”. Consider the many monopolies that still exist, despite anti-trust laws? If you have to purchase a product and you’re choosing between, bad company, bad company and bad company? Well, who are you supposed to choose to give your money to? If you live in a rural area, are you supposed to drive hours to purchase it?

Not to mention, low income individuals that live in urban food deserts have very little choice over where to spend their food dollars. Low cost, low nutrition foods are made abundant, while healthier choices are more expensive and harder to acquire. These foods are hardcore marketed to them, and chemically constructed to be addicting.

Some also claim that only the government can mandate control over it’s constituent’s lives - who do you think is controlling the government? Perhaps by now you think I’ve gone off the rails, but I encourage you to watch the Corporation, and do your own research.

Happy activist Sunday?

This is what gets my feathers ruffled about the CBS/Focus on the Family/ManCrunch ad issue. CBS denied an ad in 2004 promoting gay acceptance. CBS accepts an ad in 2010 from Focus on the Family. CBS has said that the 2004 ad would be accepted today, but it’s oh so very easy to say you’d accept something when you’re not faced with it.

What does CBS consider to be responsibly produced? What are their standards? That’s what I’m most curious about with their new change of policy. Because like it or not, media outlets are exactly that - outlets. So what is aired by a major network (usually) has a farther reach than.. youtube. or this blog. So if only one viewpoint is stated, then it’s the only viewpoint that gets out. Forgive me for assuming that corporations have responsibility, I forgot about the SCOTUS ruling!

However, I’m certainly not promoting the idea that you must have opposing viewpoints to share a view point at all. That would be silly, ex. to air your pro life ad there must be a pro choice ad? That kicks too many things out of the arena. What if a pro cat organization wanted to run an ad, but there was no pro dog ad to counter? Then the cat ad couldn’t air? I don’t think that would work too well either.

Why is the Tim Tebow ad a-okay and the gay men’s dating site not okay? Why are there spots for PopTarts, but not ManCrunch?

In the end, all I’m asking for is a bit of transparency here. What are CBS’s standards for a “responsibly produced” ad? What makes the cut and what doesn’t?

From my British Husband, Nick:

For anyone that doesn’t know me, I recently moved to the US (from the UK) to live with my now wife, who runs this lovely blog. I was initially going to write a post about a few of the differences between these two great places, but with health insurance being one of the big differences, I decided it needed a post all of its own!

If you don’t know, the UK has a publicly-funded health care system, known as the NHS (National Health Service), which provides free* health care to residents of the United Kingdom. The system is not perfect (my father might still be here today if it were), but it works for the most part, and everybody is entitled to a mostly adequate level of care. If you need to see a doctor, you can. If you have a terminal illness, you can get treatment. If you have an accident, you can think about your recovery, rather than the financial impact that it’s going to have. Health care is available to everybody.

However, thing’s are a bit different in the US, which is a new scenario to me. Health care in the US is run by insurance companies that are trying to make a profit, based on risk — in this case, the risk of an individual becoming ill. Now, I have no problem with companies trying to make money, or the insurance model in general, but applying the insurance model to something as important as someone’s health is just plain wrong.

Here is how I understand it: each individual (unless they have group coverage through their employer) is accessed by the insurance company on the risk of them becoming ill. The calculated risk then becomes a premium, which the individual must pay in order to have the luxury of being able to receive care. Then, depending on the plan, you will usually be required to pay an additional cost if you go to the doctor, are admitted to the emergency room, require medications etc. Additionally, if someone has a history of health problems, they can expect to pay a higher insurance premium, because the risk of them becoming ill is greater than someone who has relatively few health problems. You can literally end up paying tens of thousands of dollars per year, depending on your plan (and the treatment you receive).

Sadly, this often gets to the point where that person can no longer financially afford the premium, or worse still, is refused insurance because they are “uninsurable”. Believe it or not, millions of Americans today are in this very position. People are dying and nobody wants to do anything about it, or at least that’s what it seems to me.

Enter President Obama’s Health Care Reform plan. If you haven’t been spending your spare time chasing hot air balloons around Colorado, you will no doubt be familiar with this term. In short, this public health reform would introduce a public health care option, giving every American access to some level of health care. People that currently have no insurance, would be thrown a life line.

“It will provide more security and stability to those who have health insurance.
It will provide insurance to those who don’t, and it will lower the cost of health care
for our families, our businesses, and our government.”

President Barrack Obama

The thing that amazes me, is that there was resistance against this plan. Not just a small pocket of resistance, but massive disapproval. I was astonished. Seriously, does anyone want to stop this madness? People are dying because they can’t see a doctor, and being under treated and over treated left and right. It seems that everyone who was against this plan, didn’t want to see their own coverage affected. They were scared of higher premiums or not getting the same level of coverage they have now. They don’t want change, they don’t like change, and they most likely didn’t vote for Obama. To me, this is extremely foolish (not to mention selfish) and it makes me very sad; these people are worried of being in a position that millions of their fellow Americans are already in.

Anyway, regardless of the resistance, a somewhat mangled version of the health care reform bill recently passed the house of representatives, and is currently in the senate, for more squishing. What comes out the other end is anyone’s guess, but I hope to god it makes even the smallest improvement to this flawed, unfair and unethical health care model.

What do you think of health insurance? Do you think the health care reform plan is a good idea?

* There may be additional costs for eye tests, dental care, prescriptions, and many aspects of personal care. UK residents contribute to the NHS through National Insurance (NI) payments, which is calculated from earnings.