hunger

In 2006 I wrote about the idea of a "Community Candidate," a candidate who has already shown his dedication to the community before he even asks for your vote. I based this on a conversation I had with a UAW member who attended a political event in Brooklyn. He expressed frustration at the political process because it was so often based on nothing but hollow promises. He wanted to see more candidates that have an existing track record of serving the community. In other words, he wanted to see some results in advance. This led me to the idea of a "Community Candidate." This is also the idea behind the organization who operate in Michigan and New York State. Over in Oklahoma, Democrat Andrew Rice is showing the kind of dedication to his community that I am looking for in a Community Candidate.

Oklahoma State Senator Andrew Rice (also a candidate for US Senate in Oklahoma) was a driving force in setting up a task force to study hunger in Oklahoma...and the report is now out. Those of us who have watched average Americans get hit by the double blow of two Bush recessions AND the Republican "Drown America in a Bathtub" philosophy, it is no surprise that the report is a rather grim one. You can read the report here (PDF).