$32.9 billion
Amount in profits reported by five major oil companies for the three months ending Sept. 30.
$1.2 billion
Amount the federal government spends on a food-aid program to help American humanitarian groups feed the hungry abroad, purchasing produce from American farmers for the effort.
50,000
Number of additional lives the White House estimates could be saved by diverting one-quarter of those funds to buying food overseas, a move opposed by both the farmers and the humanitarian groups, concerned about losing farmers' support for the program, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Now, follow me here...oil companies can soak the American consumer for whatever the hell they want, but when an American farmer asks a certain price for his goods, the White House...not the Government, but it specifically says "White House", wants to buy their food from overseas to save 300 million dollars, and they disguise it as wanting to "save lives" in foreign lands, the same crap the Bush supporters claim is "Anti-American" when someone from the near-right, middle, and left wants to do it.
BTW, if they're really concerned about where the 300 million will come from to save these people, why don't they roll back the tax breaks for the rich that were unnecessary and unwise? They'd have that money...and much more...in a couple of months.
Better yet, ask Exxon-Mobil and the other disgustingly greedy profiteers in the oil business to donate 300 million to worldwide hunger. Amazing, isn't it?
