Came across this lovely example of shocking ignorance earlier today. Cynthia Davis is the Republican state representative from Missouri’s 19th District. Unsurprisingly, she represents a county where the median income is over $70,000 (1). Even so, her utter lack of understanding of poverty and hunger issues is nearly incomprehensible. It seems her answer to hunger is suggesting cutting back on Twinkies and getting jobs at McDonalds.

She’s apparently decided that attacking the highly successful summer nutrition program is a good idea. The program provides lunch for children during the summer who would normally receive free or reduced-price lunches during the school year.

She actually asks the question, “Is school the only place a child can get a nutritious meal?” Apparently, Ms. Davis didn’t bother to check her statistics. If she had, she’d have found that 12.4 million children live with the daily risk of going hungry(2). So yes, Ms. Davis. Sometimes, it is.

The most laughable part of the press release is when Ms. Davis recommends teenagers address the problem of going hungry by getting a job at McDonalds where “they will feed you for free.” Um…yeah. Because with a youth unemployment rate of 14% (3) (in 2008…it’s probably even higher now) that is just going to be so easy. Not to mention she harps all through the newsletter on nutrition. McDonald’s, Ms. Davis? Seriously?

I am embarassed to live in a state where the residents elect such a rampantly uninformed, uncaring individual.

(1) St. Louis Regional Chamber & Growth Association
(2) Share Our Strength, Facts on Childhood Hunger
(3) U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment and Unemployment Among Youth, 2008