Campaign against poverty lacking

Richard B. Faris Albemarle County
Published: September 5, 2008

Senators Barack Obama and John McCain sent letters encouraging me to sign on to their presidential campaigns and to send money to promote their candidacies. I must respectfully decline their offers.

When there are 854 million people starving and malnourished in the world, when there are one to two million homeless in America, when abject poverty is something thousands of children wake up to every morning, it is obscene to spend half a billion dollars for presidential campaigns (in 2007 alone) to run TV attack ads, churn out bumper stickers and send solicitation letters ad nauseum.

They both promise change, change, change. But when will change happen for those on the fringes of society, those forgotten in Denver and St. Paul and in other cities in our land?

The candidates have different views on war in Iraq and Afghanistan. But can they at least agree on a war on poverty in this country and beyond?

So I’ll pass on the opportunity to help fill their coffers and will send money to organizations that deal with hunger relief and prevention.
Imagine what half a billion could do toward that effort!