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From: janw@inmet.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.politics
Subject: Re: Re: Extent of hunger in America: Dec
Message-ID: <7800666@inmet.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 5-Nov-85 12:12:00 EST
Article-I.D.: inmet.7800666
Posted: Tue Nov  5 12:12:00 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 8-Nov-85 21:20:50 EST
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Nf-From: inmet!janw    Nov  5 12:12:00 1985


[ tim sevener whuxn!orb]
> The point is that Jan has offered absolutely no evidence to refute
> Richard's claims about the *distribution* of food in Communist countries.

(1) Well ... why not try *reading*  the  article  you  are
responding  to  ?  It  is  so short. And the last paragraph goes:
  "Uneven DISTRIBUTION has compounded this shortage" etc.

(2) You might also try *reading* Richard's statement you quoted. He
made *no* "claim about distribution of food". Richard's claim was
that a more equal distribution  of  "power  over  food-producing
resourses"  greatly reduced hunger. And this makes much more
sense than what you attribute to him.

Land reforms *can* feed people. I agree with him there. But in places
like China, Cuba, and Nicaragua, there are overriding factors.
For in these  countries,  the  real  *power  over  food-producing
resourses*  is  in  the hands of the central government and so is
less distributed than ever.

(3) By breaking off the quote where you did, you made it factual-
ly misleading (unintentionally, I presume). It appears to be say-
ing that China is only as bad as India or Pakistan in feeding her
people.  But  in  the original, an important BUT follows, proving
that she is much worse - as bad as Bangladesh.

(4) Now, since you are interested in statistics, try  and  verify
the  following  theorem:  "If  the average person is hungry, then
*some real people* are hungry, whatever the  distribution".  See,
averages do tell you something. In fact, per capita  figures  are
universally and correctly used in this field of study.

(5) See my new note on Food for China.

		Jan Wasilewsky