Preserve our food distribution system
The corona pandemic, through accident or intention, reveals vulnerabilities for many aspects of life.
One example is our food distribution system.
It is painful to see widespread destruction of food during periods of job loss and hunger for so many people. Because of restaurant shutdowns, produce fields are plowed under, milk and eggs dumped. Lack of demand is claimed, still people have to eat three times a day.
I see a lack of imagination on how to deliver food to where it is desperately needed. If Agriculture and Market laws discourage redistribution, emergency flexibility is needed.
This plague has revealed that networks we rely on for food distribution are fragile. If enough people get sick, these and other critical systems like water or electricity could also fail. What happens when your local grocery store has to close because of contamination?
Food pantries have minimal resources and can’t be depended on for sudden, large-scale response.
Bigger and more flexible systems are needed to link supply and demand with reduced waste. Amazon, Google, or an enterprising software engineer could do this. At this time of crisis, no one should go hungry.
Unchecked, hunger could seriously damage civil society. Aside, the folks who work in these essential industries, from checkers to janitors, are heroes that we all depend on. They are greatly appreciated.
I do not advocate government control of markets, but there should be a solution before any food is destroyed. Isn’t there a federal system that buys, stores and distributes food?
Bruce Martindale
Charlton
Ban GOP for putting Trump into office
The world is appalled by the president of the United States, who is a pathological liar and cheat.
Trumpolini’s incompetence is beyond anything the people ever imagined possible in a person elected to high office.
Donald Trump knows nothing. By his narcissistic selfishness, he has killed thousands of innocent Americans with coronavirus.
As a consequence, for raising this rude, ugly lunatic to our highest office, the Republican Party should be banned for 100 years, just like the Germans have banned the Nazi Party that promoted a similar, damaged soul for the position of Fuehrer.
The Fascist rallies persuaded the shamed Germans to choose a mean-spirited leader who would blame and punish minorities for the shortcomings of the blond Nordic “master race.”
Both classical religious ethics and the Western legal tradition uphold the concept that those who do not oppose injustice are collaborators.
John Manimas Medeiros
Schenectady
Take precautions to stop spread, not laws
You’d think now that the COVID-19 pandemic is on a plateau and New York state is gearing up to get things back on track, life should be getting better. Well, it’s not. More and more restrictions are being put on us limiting how we live our lives — one being the face mask requirement. It started on April 17. On April 16, I went out to buy a face mask, I tried Walgreens, CVS and Hannaford market; none were available.
I had already checked into making my own and decided that making a proper mask was too complicated. Buying a mask would be easier. Wearing a scarf doesn’t do much good and isn’t effective.
I can’t believe covering both your mouth and nose for any length of time is any good for you. So be practical, stay social distance apart. Stay home if you aren’t feeling well.
Give us some credit on knowing how to take precautions. If no masks are available to buy, there shouldn’t be a law saying you must wear one.
Winnie Balz
Schenectady
Categories: Letters to the Editor, Opinion
