On the way home tonight, I tuned into MPR’s Marketplace report. As I listened I heard a wonderful story about Brazil’s success in feeding its population. In 2003, the leftist union leader Luiz Inacio “Lula” da Silva was elected president and made food a basic human right for his people. Zero Hunger was a program that he created to fight his nation’s hunger and make this right a reality.

Of course, there have been other efforts that have been put in place to address the problem of hunger and poverty in this nation. The result? Since Lula has been in power, more than 23 million people have been lifted out of poverty. Now that is something to sing about. And something that nations like ours should pay close attention to. Because food is a basic human right. Because if you can’t eat, you can’t live. So if we have a right to life, we should have a right to the very things that sustain that life. No questions asked!

Make sure to listen to Marketplace’s report. I guarantee you will like it.