The Haves and the Have-Nots

Here are some sobering statistics provided by my friend John Freund, C.M., during his homily at mass this morning:

The amount of annual investment needed to completely eliminate hunger and malnutrition worldwide: $19 billion.  Annual expenditures on pet food in the United States and Europe: $17 billion.

The amount of annual investment needed to immunize every child: $1.3 billion.  Annual  expenditures on ice cream in Europe: $11 billion.

The amount of annual investment needed to provide clean drinking water for all: $10 billion.  Annual expenditures on ocean cruises: $14 billion.

The amount of annual investment needed to attain univeral literacy: $5 billion.  Annual expenditures on perfumes: $15 billion.

There may be disagreement among adherents of CST as to how certain goals are to be attained, but whether one believes CST provides rules, principles or standards (see Rick's post), I think we can all agree these statistics are a serious indictment of our priorities as a society.