Writing Assignment #1

Writing Assignment #1
Subject: Food as a Right

Please consult the course syllabus regarding the required length for writing assignments. Also, you must formulate your response as an informal essay. In other words, you need not develop a “thesis statement," but your response should present a clear, thoughtful, and articulate position regarding the article and the question(s) asked.

Check out this article.

In this article, the reporter tells us about a city in Brazil that has eliminated hunger amongst its citizens. The basic idea driving this initiative is that of “food as a right.” Civic leaders and organizers alike came up with a plan guided by the notion that food is a basic human right that we have in virtue of our being human. The goal: to create a community based program wherein everyone regardless of their position within that society can have access to quality, wholesome food for free (or with the least amount of expense possible).

In America, one area wherein we have a similar commitment to universal access is the area of education. Across the united states, we as a country believe that all children, regardless of their socio-economic background, should have access to a quality education and we justify collecting taxes and other civic actions based on our belief in the absolute worth of an education. To put it in Kantian terms, we believe education is something that is good in and of itself. Recent efforts have attempted to elevate heath care to a similar status. For their part, the people of Belo Horizonte took extensive efforts towards making food a right for its citizens and the effects have been pretty remarkable.

Please discuss this article and consider the viability of such a program in the US (even if on a small local scale). In your discussion, try to articulate your response in light of our discussion of moral principles (both individual and social). What principles do you think they are appealing to in order to justify a) the position that food is a right and b) the measures taken on behalf of the city to fund a project such as this. If food is to be a right, then that means we, as citizens and as a society, have a duty (in spite of any ill consequences to us personally—i.e. paying higher taxes and such) to ensure that all have access to quality food. So, what do you think? To what extent to you believe that food is a right? Moreover, to what extent should a society go to protect this right and ensure its citizenry access to food. If it is not a proper right then please explain why it is not. Were there any particular facts about what was accomplished that impressed you? Please discuss them and what you found to be impressive about them. If you are unable to find one on your own, consider the following: According to the article, the program costs the city roughly $10 million dollars a year which amounts to about 2% of the city’s budget at the cost of about a penny a day for each citizen. Why would knowing a fact like this be an important if one wanted to make the case for developing a similar plan in one’s own community? If it costs so little to take care of so many (including ourselves!), to what extent do we have a moral duty to do so? If we do not have such a duty, please explain why we do not.