Dan GelberMaybe it’s because people who go to soup kitchens tend not to vote in large numbers, or don’t write six and seven figure checks to his re-election campaign.
Maybe it’s because he figures impoverished children should show some industry and simply rummage through the garbage for their vegetables.
Or maybe it’s because he just doesn’t care.
But whatever the reason, Gov. Rick Scott’s decision to zero out the state budget for the Farm Share program and food banks is just mean.
Farm Share takes fruits and vegetables that might otherwise not be used by retail grocers and distributes them to thousands of low-income households, including single parents, seniors and the disabled. It’s run by committed professionals and volunteers who believe that it’s a good thing to alleviate the hunger and malnutrition confronting some of our less fortunate neighbors.
That’s why folks like state Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam and U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio gladly serve on its board. And also why Scott has no trouble posing for photo ops at Farm Share events.
It’s not the first time Scott has shown his disdain for the people Farm Share serves. He vetoed their state money two years ago, which reportedly caused them to shut down two distribution centers.
This time Scott took even more out of their budget. His decision is especially mean-spirited at a time when Congress is cutting the national food stamp program by millions. The proposed federal cuts will mean thousands of families – including children — in Florida will just have to forgo 34 meals each month, according to the anti-hunger group Feeding America.
As a society we are judged by how we treat our most vulnerable. Our poor, our aged, and our children. It’s a sorry day when in a growing economy we can find enough money to give a tax break for major corporations, but not a few bucks to ensure our most vulnerable have access to something as basic as food.
This is quite a commentary on what’s really important to Rick Scott.
