Minnesota Rep. Hagedorn Falsely Claims No American Goes to Sleep Hungry

[BmorePat87]

(05-02-2019, 09:10 AM)GMDino Wrote: The "availability of food" has nothing to do with people who are worried about feeding their families or who go to bed hungry.

He made an ignorant (not fact based) statement.

And I know he was just saying how wonderful our agricultural system is...that's great.  But that doesn't have anything to do with the millions who do worry about feeding their families and those who do go to bed hungry every night.

There are an abundance of new car dealers near my home...that doesn't mean everyone can afford a car or no one worries about their car breaking down or how they will get to work or the store (that has all that food)

He was wrong to say what he said.

The headline extrapolated on his statement...and correctly IMHO.

This is why you should use the news source that breaks the story rather than one that is reporting on that news source.

From the Globe:

Quote:“Agriculture is a national security issue,” he said, noting that he feels that dependence on importing food is a threat to the security of the nation.

“Nobody (in America) goes to sleep at night wondering if they’ll be able to feed their families,” Hagedorn commented while speaking about the availability of food in grocery stores, and America having a food supply that is abundant and nutritious in stark comparison to other counties. He added that agriculture is what makes this possible.

You're arguing at this point that his context is irrelevant because you are choosing the new context now. He wasn't speaking to people who go to bed hungry. He was saying that Americans do not worry whether or not they can find food because our nation has available grocery stores full of fresh food. You example is flawed because he's not arguing that people can afford food. He's making the argument that the US food producers can adequately meet the needs of our population without relying on foreign food producers. A more accurate example would be saying "Americans have access to car dealerships, no one wonders if they will be able to find one. We don't need more foreign car companies selling here". 

If you want to argue that he's wrong, you'd likely be countering his comments by referencing food deserts. The article you posted actually does that. Many places, including Minnesota, struggle with inadequate access to stores that carry fresh food that is healthy.