Supermarkets in the USA started putting liquor and drug departments in their stores many years ago. I didn't think it was a good thing at the time but maybe it is. Some shoppers today might be looking for drugs or a good stiff drink when they get their grocery bill at the end of the check-out lane. Our rising food prices are nothing compared to what the global concerns are. We have programs to feed needy people, in many parts of the World starvation will be the only thing on the menu. The new global economy is already starting to drive a huge wedge between many people, speculators have one concern "profits on that bottom line."

Being able to buy staple items to have on hand is very important part of food buying, but still expensive.The people who have to make almost daily trips to the market for their grocery needs are really going to feel an extra burden on their budgets. I imagine the assistance programs like food stamps that help people purchase food are going to be running short of funds too. Food pantries have seen their shelves being emptied sooner for a long time already, long before these latest price increases. Everything in this country moves by truck. We are now starting to pay for the ungodly increases in diesel fuel prices that the trucking industry has been dealing with for the past year. Wall Street investors have also started pulling their money out of the stock market and putting it into the commodity markets and food prices soared immediately. This is driving up grain and food prices now the same way speculators made crude oil prices go up. We have always been told a free enterprise system runs best when there are no controls placed on it. If human greed gets any further out of control a few people might kill the goose that lays those golden eggs in this "free market system". What goes around comes around.

The high prices of cereal grains and cooking oils here are going to send repercussions around the World. Feed grain prices will also increase meat costs accordingly. There will be a lot more vegetarians, but it won't be by choice! People in Third-World countries are going to witness more starvation in their midst's. Those countries will not be able to pay $20.00 or more for a bushel of wheat. World relief programs will not be able to deliver as many tons of food in the future.

Civil unrest will surely develop in places we never imagined, here and abroad. This is maybe looking at the worst case scenario. The only thing that could create more problems for the USA in 2008 would be if La Nina comes to visit us with a drought. The bread basket of our Nation squeaked through with good crops for the past few dry years. A huge crop failure because of drought would be the coup de grace, for our countries current economic troubles. Maybe history does repeat itself "The Dirty Thirties" and crop failures followed the market crash of 1929. We haven't had a crash yet though in 2008, just small collisions and the Federal Reserve has been fixing these fender benders as they happen.

Let's just say this is a temporary glitch in the system and it will be patched up soon. We can all cut back on our food intake anyhow it would be good for most of us in this country. May we be ever mindful of those who are hungry in other parts of the World.

Learn more about this author, L G Hoel.
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