Food as a right is a very touchy subject and she be carefully focused on. I think that what the people of Belo Horizonte are doing a wonderful job and when I read the article it put me in the mind of the Principle of Respect for Persons, which states that we should act such that never treat another person merely as a means to your own ends, but always as an end in themselves. Basically to treat others the way one wants to be treated. This city took their food issues into their own hands so that they could cut down on the hunger issues in this city. After reading the article, I really started to think of how the United States differs from this city in many ways. While this city banned together to find a means of eliminating hunger by producing more fresh foods and restaurants that provide food/dinner at very low cost, the U.S already has systems set in place for those who are less fortunate. There are food stamps, WIC, child support, section 8, and many more programs for those who are struggling. These systems that we have in place are set to help those who are in need and also to help provide in aiding less hunger so that children and families do not have to go without or be homeless. So while I think that what that city did for their people is truly great and amazing, I really just do not see the strategy used being something that would work in the United States. We are a free country that allows one to be able to get up and apply for jobs, apply for government assistance, or (as much as I hate to say it) not do any of those and live homeless.
The cost of how much it took to end hunger in this country is also something I found to be very interesting. Around $10 million annually or less than 2 % of the city budget is how much it took to end the city hunger. I find that this is a large number and just to know that that is all it took to change this cities hunger is amazing. I am glad to know that there are places that take hunger seriously and want food to be a right. When I think of this city the principle of utility comes to mind, to act so as to promote the greatest amount on happiness for the greatest number of people. This city exercised this principle by strategizing to come up with the best solution to stop hunger so that everyone can achieve the greatest amount of happiness.
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