Joe Moore Calls Chicago a "Food Desert"

The world according to Alderputz Joe Moore:

• We're all cruel barbarians for eating foie gras. Or bacon. Or lobster. Or anything animal.
• The CTA is a "third world" transportation system.
• Employers must pay a "living wage" - even though there is no real definition of "living wage."
• Most of Ald. Moore's campaign contributions are turned over to the Little League and the Home for Lepers.
• Chicago is a "food desert." No, not "dessert," but "desert." You know, like where there's little or no life.

Joe needs to get out more. And judging from the looks of Joe's three chins and large derriere, he is apparently living in some kind of "food tropical rain forest." Oy. According to ABC Channel 7, "The planned closing of more than a dozen Chicago Dominick's grocery stores will create what one researcher calls a "food desert" in some neighborhoods." There is a beautiful posting about this from the famous and highly respected Marathon Pundit today (Feb. 22), which should have a look at. Joe Moore, of course, is repeating this. But do you believe it? I don't. First a paragraph of sarcasm, then some happy news. If Dominick's stores close, that would be bad for many or all of their employees, of course. But to say that it would cause a "food desert" is a big overstatement, undoubtedly meant to create a sense of "crisis" and and need for some kind of urgent action. Guess what that urgent action would be. Right! Some kind of government intervention in the private sector. How about a Big Pantry Ordinance, Alderman Moore? Sure, you could make it a law that grocery stores that occupy 50,000 square feet or more can never close, not even if they are losing money by staying open. That was the sarcasm. Now the happy news. Rogers Park may be lacking in some things, but we are blessed with a good number of very nice little grocery markets. The researchers who predict "food deserts," and Alderman Joe Moore, do not like to shop at these little markets. They're so, you know, ethnic. Joe Moore would rather shop at the Whole Foods in Evanston, which is much closer to where he really lives anyway. As for the nice, non-mega-chain markets, there's Morse Fruit and Vegetables (on Morse) and Devon Market (on Devon). There are a number of others, and they offer all the staples and more and at reasonable prices. I've found many a great deal at MFV and DM, often better than the prices at Dominick's or Jewel. Would it be good if Dominick's - or any other business other than a hooka shop - closed down? No, of course not. But would the closing of one grocery store be a crisis? Would it cause a "food desert?" Doubtful, very doubtful. Would screaming loudly that it would be a crisis perhaps be a benefit for the desperate campaign of a failed alderman in the 49th Ward of Chicago? You bet it would.