India to US: stop blaming us for your rising food costs!
Filed under: Food
Americans -- the majority of whom are overweight -- are crying their 42-inch waists off over the soaring price of food. Some U.S. officials have suggested that India's rising prosperity and the resulting increase in demand for food are to blame.India's response? The New York Times has all the details but if you're in a rush, I'll summarize it for you: Sit on it.
Pradeep S. Mehta, secretary general of the center for international trade, economics and the environment of CUTS International said that if Americans ate less, "many hungry people in sub-Saharan Africa would find food on their plates." He also added that the savings resulting from a decreased need for liposuction could be used to feed famine victims.
Burn sauce! Apparently this whole mess started when our commander in chief opined that "When you start getting wealth, you start demanding better nutrition and better food, and so demand is high, and that causes the price to go up."
Indian commerce ministry Jairam Ramesh's rebuttal? "George Bush has never been known for his knowledge of economics." More burn sauce!
I'm inclined to agree with the commentators critical of Bush on this one. The idea of America's president blaming increased consumption in India for rising food prices is laughable. It's like Ralphie May telling Amy Winehouse to get off the couch because she's taking up too much room.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
5-14-2008 @ 11:33AM
donnie berglund said...
Funny how there's no mention of the drugging, genetic manipulation, chemicization of our food supply, added hormones, genetic manipulations, chemical additives, drugged up food supply of livestock, all contributing to a FAT USA.
Just go back and watch some '70's VHS's and see how "skinny" everyone was before the development of our currently highly unnatural and plastic food supply.
Really, what's in that hamburger you're eating. It's very strange how things don't taste as wholesome as they used to these days.
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5-14-2008 @ 6:08PM
Jeff said...
I'm no fan of George Bush, but I have noticed it's fashionable in India to blame and/or ridicule foreigners for any and all of India's problems. While India isn't to blame for America's food costs, maybe Indian politicians should be addressing the spiraling disaster in food prices in India right now instead of taking pot shots at W. According to Paranjoy Guha Thakurta, an Indian economist writing on BBC, "In the capital, Delhi, milk costs 11% more than last year. Edible oil prices have climbed by a whopping 40% over the same period.
More crucially, rice prices have risen by 20% and prices of certain lentils by 18%. Rice and lentils comprise the staple diet for many Indians." George Bush didn't make those prices rise.
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5-15-2008 @ 1:14AM
Doug said...
To be fair, they weren't taking pot shots at George W. for the fun of it. They were addressing the false claim that he made concerning India's effect on the food prices. What you are talking about is a separate issue. Although there is something to said about two wrongs not making a right...