While former president and new co president Bill Clinton (D) works on the tax bill and other projects, President Barack Obama (D) admits that his other co- president is behind his latest government takeover of parental responsibilities, The Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act.
"Had I not been able to get this bill passed, I would be sleeping on the couch,"
he joked, referring to his wife, the force behind this $4.5 billion act which
provides more free school meals to the pool, and gives the government more power to decide what foods can be offered in those meals, as well as in school vending machines and fundraisers during school hours.
The White House describes the bill thusly.
The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 will improve the quality of school breakfasts, lunches and other foods sold in schools while also strengthening nutrition programs that serve young children, including WIC and the Child and Adult Care Food Program.The bill is an important advancement of the Obama Administration's goal of solving the problem of childhood obesity within a generation, which First Lady Michelle Obama has championed through the Let's Move! Initiative.
After nominal president Obama spoke, Michelle took over: [W]hen our kids spend so much of their time each day in school, and when many children get up to half their daily calories from school meals, it's clear that we as a nation have a responsibility to meet as well," Mrs. Obama said. "We can't just leave it up to the parents. I think that parents have a right to expect that their efforts at home won't be undone each day in the school cafeteria or in the vending machine in the hallway. I think that our parents have a right to expect that their kids will be served fresh, healthy food that meets high nutritional standards."
This free lunch bill, is not quite the free lunch it appears to be; it is paid for by reductions in funding for food stamps where people can actually select what food to buy for their kids, say potatoes or potato chips, in their food desserts.
And why do so many kids get "half their daily calories from school meals"? This is another area of responsibility removed from the parent(s) and handed over to the government; parents don't even have to make their kids lunch to take to school. Or even breakfast or dinner. A rising number of kids also eat these meals in school paid for by the government ( you) relieving parents of another responsibility with a corresponding lack of familial bonding.
And the kids, crammed together in noisy lunchrooms (as a former teacher; I know what they're like) for these not always happy meals, don't even get a healthy toy for eating all their healthy food instead of leaving their healthy food on the plate, on the floor, or throwing it at another student. Which is the fate of most of the free student food.
But at least the students are fulfilling, as best they can, Michelle's Let's Move! Initiative.
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