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Have Congress declare that 1/4 cup of processed tomato paste on a pizza makes that pizza a "vegetable". Is that now a nutritious meal ?
And then you say the Tea Party has no common sense ?
Which members of Congress do you think came up with that genius idea? I don't consider the tea party real republicans, and they were the ones who fought to the wall to block the proposed USDA changes that would create healthier school menus. Like I said--zero common sense, and the sooner they're gone the better it will be for the party.
I don't think food stamps go as far as people think they do. Our school lunches are $3 a meal. If you have a couple of kids, that adds up to $120 a month--a big chunk if you're making minimum wage. I think the free lunch program is a good thing for families who can't afford it--kids can't learn on an empty stomach.
I have five teenage boys in Jr High through High school, and my kids often eat TWO lunches a day--they all play sports, they're all growing, and they all think they're starving 24/7 . My family is financially comfortable and even I sometimes raise my eyebrows when I write monthly school lunch checks. We sometimes pack lunches, but we live in a colder climate, and hot meals are a much better option when it's 20 below, and they provide more variety than a couple of cold sandwiches and an apple.
There is no reason you have to pay $3 for a cafeteria lunch.....that is a luxury.
Pack their lunch and use thermos bottles if you want them to have a warm lunch.....it is a lot cheaper. BTW, your schools are heated, aren't they?
Parents are just too lazy to be bothered packing lunches these days, IMO.
If YOUR kid is hungry in America, YOU are a disgrace.
You're the type of republican that's a disgrace to the party. You don't need to be a "bleeding heart liberal" to understand that poor children can't help being poor--you can blame their parents if you want, but it isn't the child's fault--and that you can't learn on an empty stomach. How do you expect them to pull themselves out of poverty if they don't have the very basic things that they need to get an education and move forward in life? You may think what you're saying is smart and funny, but the truth is that harsh attitudes like that, and a total lack of any kind of compassion, are some of the things destroying the republican party. Old school R's are horrified and embarrassed by some of the stuff you people spout off. You should be embarrassed, but I doubt that you even get why what you say is so awful. Reagan was a strong supporter of compassionate conservatism. You people hold Reagan up like a God, but you don't know the first thing about what he really stood for.
There is no reason you have to pay $3 for a cafeteria lunch.....that is a luxury.
Pack their lunch and use thermos bottles if you want them to have a warm lunch.....it is a lot cheaper. BTW, your schools are heated, aren't they?
Parents are just too lazy to be bothered packing lunches these days, IMO.
I'm fine paying for our school lunches--I made the point to illustrate that it's not as cheap as some of you think--and whether or not I pack lunches for my kids is really none of your concern. Lunch prices have gone up because transportation and food prices have gone up. Do you have kids in school now? What are the prices in your cafeteria, and what do they serve? Our school serves nutritious meals with fresh ingredients. I suppose they could pare it down to $2 and serve reheated pizza, but I don't consider that a lunch. We have some kids on the free lunch program in our district--not many--and I don't begrudge them the program.
Which members of Congress do you think came up with that genius idea? I don't consider the tea party real republicans, and they were the ones who fought to the wall to block the proposed USDA changes that would create healthier school menus. Like I said--zero common sense, and the sooner they're gone the better it will be for the party.
Blame which ever side you want. That final bill got passed by the House and the Senate and was signed by the President. All along the USDA objected.
It was the USDA vs big Ag food companies and the companies won.
Pizza and fries stay on the menu because tomatoes and potatoes are healthy foods.
I'm fine paying for our school lunches--I made the point to illustrate that it's not as cheap as some of you think--and whether or not I pack lunches for my kids is really none of your concern. Lunch prices have gone up because transportation and food prices have gone up. Do you have kids in school now? What are the prices in your cafeteria, and what do they serve? Our school serves nutritious meals with fresh ingredients. I suppose they could pare it down to $2 and serve reheated pizza, but I don't consider that a lunch. We have some kids on the free lunch program in our district--not many--and I don't begrudge them the program.
My point is that parents have no business complaining about school lunches.....no one is forced to buy them. If you don't like the food or you don't like the price.....pack a lunch.
And as far as the kids on free lunch programs, if their families are that poor they should be on food stamps, and they should be using those food stamps to pack their kid's lunches. If they are getting food stamps and their kids are starving, then they should be reported to children's services instead of just throwing more money at them.
You know, I don't even have a problem with schools offering a limited amount of food to school kids, whether they pay for it or it's given to them free. My biggest complaint is the expense. Keep it simple, offer a couple different things so nobody starves, leave it at that. I don't know why we need food courts or whatever.
In defense, not every child is going to enjoy the Brussels sprouts. Adding some variety is a lot better than just lumping some potatoes and broccoli on a plate.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mb1547
You're the type of republican that's a disgrace to the party. You don't need to be a "bleeding heart liberal" to understand that poor children can't help being poor--you can blame their parents if you want, but it isn't the child's fault--and that you can't learn on an empty stomach. How do you expect them to pull themselves out of poverty if they don't have the very basic things that they need to get an education and move forward in life? You may think what you're saying is smart and funny, but the truth is that harsh attitudes like that, and a total lack of any kind of compassion, are some of the things destroying the republican party. Old school R's are horrified and embarrassed by some of the stuff you people spout off. You should be embarrassed, but I doubt that you even get why what you say is so awful. Reagan was a strong supporter of compassionate conservatism. You people hold Reagan up like a God, but you don't know the first thing about what he really stood for.
I don't mean to burst your bubble mate, but that's what the Republican Party has enshrined and become. The religious-right, Tea Party Republican? That is the Republican Party now. It was pointed out in another thread, that in order to paint President Obama as a far-left marx-socialist liberal, the Republican's had to move even further to the right.
You're now classified as a centrist. Congratulations, here's your complementary voucher for gray slacks and cauliflower.
Blame which ever side you want. That final bill got passed by the House and the Senate and was signed by the President. All along the USDA objected.
It was the USDA vs big Ag food companies and the companies won.
Pizza and fries stay on the menu because tomatoes and potatoes are healthy foods.
That goes back to the whole issue that the sooner we get corporations out of buying elections and spending big lobbying dollars, the sooner we get our government back. The D's and old school R's are just as bad on the corporate issue. You raised the big ag issue earlier, and you're right.
That said, I don't think the bill is as bad as you think, but it should have been better, and that's what the USDA was fighting for. Counting pizza sauce as a vegetable is really stupid, but it requires that another vegetable be on the plate as well, and that they use whole grains for the crust and lower fat. Our school used to serve the prepackaged heat and serve stuff before we went to a healthy menu, and it was AWFUL--all empty carbs and almost no nutritional value. This is an improvement, even if it's not perfect. I'm not too petty to admit that this is one issue where the Obama administration (or at least the first lady) is on the right track. It may be one of the only issues where I can say that, but they deserve credit where credit is due.
They can't. The poor have no money for breakfast, lunch or snacks for their kids.
The kids will starve to death unless they get free meals at school.
That is so ridiculously untrue...
Listen, people will live up to what they can get away with.
So if you tell some lazy ass that their kid will get free lunch, they sure as hell aren't going to bother to try to figure out a way to get their kid a lunch.
My point is that parents have no business complaining about school lunches.....no one is forced to buy them. If you don't like the food or you don't like the price.....pack a lunch.
And as far as the kids on free lunch programs, if their families are that poor they should be on food stamps, and they should be using those food stamps to pack their kid's lunches. If they are getting food stamps and their kids are starving, then they should be reported to children's services instead of just throwing more money at them.
I'm not complaining, and I have no problem paying for them. My point is that they're not as cheap as you think. As far as poor families go--a single mom with two kids making minimum wage would have a $15,000 annual income before paying SS, and would be eligible for about $150 a month in food stamps. That's less than $1,250 in monthly income, along with the food stamps. After rent, utilities, transportation costs, clothing, medical and dental bills (they might be able to get kids on free health insurance, but the adult wouldn't be covered) there isn't much left, including money to pack a school lunch at home. I don't begrudge kids from families like that free school lunches for a second.
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. My family is financially comfortable and even I sometimes raise my eyebrows when I write monthly school lunch checks. We sometimes pack lunches, but we live in a colder climate, and hot meals are a much better option when it's 20 below, and they provide more variety than a couple of cold sandwiches and an apple.
