Posted on 09/25/2012 5:48:21 AM PDT by fungoking
In Wisconsin, high school athletes are complaining about not getting enough to eat each day, due to the skimpy new school lunch menu mandated by the United States Department of Agriculture and First Lady Michelle Obama.
The story we published earlier this week on that subject is unfortunately not unique. Students across the country are complaining about the new school lunch regulations.
Perhaps the real motive is to starve students into slimming down. Just ask students in Pierre, South Dakota who, too, are in an all-out revolt.
"I know a lot of my friends who are just drinking a jug of milk for their lunch. And they are not getting a proper meal," middle school student Samantha Gortmaker told Keloland.com.
Despite the fact that the new regulations have increased the cost of a lunch 20 to 25 cents per plate, it’s not pleasing students.
Some are throwing away their vegetables while others are adapting to the rules by becoming industrious. In New Bedford, Massachusetts, students have created a black market - for chocolate syrup. The kiddie capitalists are smuggling in bottles of it and selling it by the squeeze, according to SouthCoastToday.com.
Nancy Carvalho, director of food services for New Bedford Public Schools, was quoted as saying that hummus and black bean salads have been tough sells in elementary cafeterias. That means even smaller children are going through the day fighting hunger pains, which can never be considered a good thing.
One government official tried to put the blame on the students.
"One thing I think we need to keep in mind as kids say they're still hungry is that many children aren't used to eating fruits and vegetables at home, much less at school. So it's a change in what they are eating. If they are still hungry, it's that they are not eating all the food that's being offered," USDA Deputy Undersecretary Janey Thornton was quoted as saying.
Ms. Thornton just put her finger on the problem. The government is trying to impose a new diet that children are not accustomed to. It’s not reasonable to expect them to either eat what the government deems healthy or go hungry.
Many will opt to go hungry, and that’s the government’s fault.
So we’re to believe that children who prefer chocolate syrup to vegetables are the ones who are right in this matter, eh? Okay.
It is stupid for schools to have meals for the children anyway. I never did. We went to Catholic school and my parents provided us lunch daily. Get rid of lunches and let the parents provide for their kids. It would say on buying supplies, heating and water and the cost of the kitchen staff.
Michelle Obama is a nutjob —> proof: hummus and black bean salads for elementary school children ... gawd !
I think that they are presenting the smuggling as an unintended consequence.
No, you are to conclude that the government is overreaching and becoming more of a nanny state everyday.
There ain’t no such thing as a free lunch. You want better lunch, pay for it yourself.
Hummus and Black Bean salads??
I disagree with the federal government having any involvement in grade school education, but I wouldn’t say it is the school’s fault if the kids are hungry because they won’t eat food. If parents provide a healthy dinner at home, and the kid won’t eat it, do we say it is the parents’ fault that the kid is hungry?
My 2nd grader has been complaining since the first day of school about the menu. She said the portions are much smaller and the food is nasty. She’s bringing now.
When I was in school one of the few things that could rouse us to political activism were crappy school lunches. I remember when Jimmy Carter bailed out the turkey farmers and we had to eat some form of processed, reconstituted turkey product 4 days out of 5. SDS had nothing on us as to the howls of protest we were putting up.
“So we’re to believe that children who prefer chocolate syrup to vegetables are the ones who are right in this matter, eh? Okay.”
No, we are to believe that parents and children are to be free to decide what they eat without a fat, Marxist FLOTUS making that decision for them.
Were I a parent of a hungry child, paying for strange crap we don’t eat, I would prepare a tasty, nutritional lunch every day and dare the school to interfere with my parental right to do so. Too bad for the other children who are forced into the government gulag at lunch time.
So has mine. They come home starving!
Thanks to the Food Nazi’s and Reich Marshal Michelle O-Bozo, we now have “food speak easy”; do the Coded Knock twice on the door and give the password.
Face it: you hate it because Michelle Obama did it. If it had been Laura Bush, you'd have much less issue with it.
Hummus belongs in the soil to enrichen it, not something to eat.
The poorer students who can’t take a lunch hardest hit
No, we are to believe that it’s none of Moochelle Obama’s damn business what parents decide for their kids to eat. What is that so hard to understand?
Here’s how I would look at it were I still a kid: Do I eat what I want (and my parents allow) — or do I eat what Moochelle dictates and end up with a bloated belly and big, fat ass like hers?
Not really a tough choice, is it?
In my youth many years ago I went undercover inside a Moonies Unification Church ranch to ferret out how they collect young people off the streets of San Fransisco, how they are bussed to a commune north of the city, fed a high starch low protein diet and encouraged to run up and down the hill all day like boot camp recruits.
The effects of such a diet and strenuous activity changed the mentality into more of a near zombie state ripe for brainwashing, which was the agenda of course.
Same thing here, dumb down the kids through a reduced diet, brainwash them with “hopey changy socialism”.
parents should react NOW, at the very least supplement your kids diet, make them eat a larger breakfast, or take them out of public school.
Laura Bush would never have done this, so that’s beside the point.
However, your point about those who send their kids to public school already allowing government intrusion and decision making is a good one.
Ya know, FLOTUS Michelle O. although is decent shape (for her age) , however does not at all strike me as some authority on fitness and healthy eating.
The media makes Michelle O. out to be Jillian Michaels or Cory Everson, etc.
It was also a complete joke when she disapproved when that gymnast Gabby Douglas (a world class athlete with less than 2% body fat) said she ate a Big Mac.
But really, as far as Michelle O - in the words of Sir-Mix-Alot , “Red beans and rice didn’t miss her”
—— In New Bedford, Massachusetts, students have created a black market - for chocolate syrup. The kiddie capitalists are smuggling in bottles of it and selling it by the squeeze, according to SouthCoastToday.com. ——
Someone learned to hustle today, so school wasn’t a complete waste.
I’ve advised my daughter in govt school to look for similar opportunities. It might help to keep her awake during babysitting.
In 1973, the sixth graders organized a lunch strike. They bullied or threatened any “scabs.” To my everlasting shame, I sided with the “scabs.” Little did I know that the bullies were right on this one. I was as yet unfamiliar with the ad hominem fallacy.
Anyway, the strike lasted for three days, until the obese, bug-eyed principal came down to the cafeteria and had a nervous breakdown, screaming uncontrollably for five minutes.
It frightened the bullies into submission.
Damn shame.
I think kids all over the country should try it. Fight the power!
I went to Catholic school too and the menu at our cafeteria was: Hot dog, hamburger or PB&J Monday through Thursday, tuna fish SW on Friday. That was it! Much better off bringing lunch from home.
My four year old loves hummus and black beans. His favorite fish is seared tuna. My one year old had freshly pureed avocados for dinner last night. We eat healthfully and we eat fresh, and we try to do that mostly from our own backyard. That stated it is my choice, not the First Wookie’s, on how I feed my family. And the food pyramid that she and Big Gov are so fond of? It is a crock! I’d be 200 pounds if I ate that much grain!
I love hummus but I doubt they are serving a very high quality type in elementary schools.
My niece and nephew eat again when they get home, probably would shock the food nazi’s to know they also have cereal before school and can ignore what they do not like.
Then again the schools here don’t seem to be following Michele Obama’s advice...
the elementary school sells cookies, chips and stuff
the high school has outside vendors in the cafeteria... including Chick-fil-a
hahahahahahaha
“hummus and black bean salads have been tough sells in elementary cafeterias . . . “
I think this food should be on the white house menu every day. Let know-it-all Michelle shovel it into her fat mouth.
That's definitely not true for me. I think this is yet more government over reach no matter who is pushing it,
Most parents quickly figure out that despite what you may want to happen, you still have to give the child food that he or she will actually eat.
They’re using the chocolate syrup to flavor their plain milk since all flavored milk has been removed from the menu.
A long, long time ago, the yellow stuff on the tray usually looked worse than the green or brown stuff. But, the toothless, sweating, grinning server, wrapped in a slop stained apron, made it all seem so yummy.
I guess that has all changed now.
We say that ... but yet, I think it's perfectly reasonable to expect my children to eat what I deem healthy or go hungry.
Amusing as all this is, there's no solution other than having parents provide food for their children for all meals, or having the children get jobs and buy their own food on the free market.
It probably tastes good at your house, too.
It’s probably not processed and packaged stuff that’s been on a truck for 2 weeks, and then sitting in a cafeteria for hours.
The obesity battle is nothing more than a scam. There are studies showing thin people are sicker and die sooner than normal weighted people. More gummit control is what it is about. Start them early and yes, kids like chocolate syrup so what?
Pray for America
I’m in my 50s. When I was in elementary and jr. high school, the meals offered to us were nutritional. I don’t know where anyone got the idea they were not already just fine.
Kids need calories to be able to make it thru the rest of the day for physical and mental energy.
If kids are fat - it doesn’t have anything to do with what they are eating at school for lunch.
Conservatives and FReepers disagreed with Bush all the time when he was in office.
I do not condone overreach by the federal government, but this seems a silly statement to me. If the kid doesn't like the food provided by the school, can't the parents send lunch with them? Seems like a simple solution.
well those really harmone inhanced fried chicken nuggets should makek them all slim. why didnt she encourage reading like a nice first lady
All my kids love hummus, although black-bean salads aren’t very popular, unless there’s an awful lot of yellow corn in there.
One article I read said these new guidelines reduced the amount of protein in school lunches, which was dumb, especially for growing kids. Sounds like they put far too much emphasis on fruits and vegetables. When calories are reduced, more protein will help kill the hunger pangs and keep the kids going until the next meal far better than fruits and vegetables.
Let her black market lunches and snacks that kids would actually like. Hey, kid, want a turkey sub?
Mostly the article was meant to be cutesy. I thought it was an awesome lesson on this whole stupidity.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.