It seems to me that the School lunch program here in the US is a perfect example of how the government can't get things right. It can't get things right because it must treat everyone exactly the same.
We have a problem here in the US with kids that are fat. Yet we also have a problem here in the US with kids that are too skinny. As a teacher I get to see this first hand. I see kids that are absolutely huge and I see kids that are skin and bones. I've talked to many of these skin and bone kids and they say that there is simply no food in their homes. School is the only place that they get food.
One girl told me that all she has in the frig at home is a bottle of mustard, while another boy told me that there isn't anything at all. He has to make it over to his grandmother's house if he is going to eat outside of school. These two problems were brought up because these two kids were in Alternative School that meets from 3-8 which is after school. These kids don't get the free lunches after school that they would get in regular school. I've brought up this problem with the administration for many years maybe this year something will be done.
One size does not fit all.
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Originally posted by KazetNagorraMany of hte parents don't have the money to feed their kids properly. Do you propose we have poor houses of Dicken's time?
The parents', of course. It's the government's responsibility to make sure everyone has access to sufficient food.
Originally posted by EladarMinimum income, which should obviously be set lower than minimum wage. In the Netherlands the minimum income for a single person with children in the household is set to approximately $16k/year plus free/subsidized health care, education, housing and public transport, which is nothing extravagant but enough to get food.
Minimum income or minimum wage?
Originally posted by KazetNagorraI fully agree. Feeding kids at school simply isn't good enough. What about the holidays and weekends? What about kids not at school? What about the adults?
Minimum income, which should obviously be set lower than minimum wage. In the Netherlands the minimum income for a single person with children in the household is set to approximately $16k/year plus free/subsidized health care, education, housing and public transport, which is nothing extravagant but enough to get food.
Originally posted by twhiteheadI don't believe anyone thinks it is enough to feed kids at school but there are very good reasons to do so all the same. Not least is that it is a delusion to imagine schools can educate a hungry child so if the school is to function as it is intended, then food has to be part of the package. You can moralise away til the cows come home without changing this. A hungry child is not going to learn so if you are not willing to feed them, close the schools and end the futility of it all.
I fully agree. Feeding kids at school simply isn't good enough. What about the holidays and weekends? What about kids not at school? What about the adults?
In another debate you can worry about the morality of neglectful parents so irresponsible that instead of having abortions they try to get by on the pitiful takings from our low wage, insecure economy. Or maybe you want to ban all but the comfortably affluent from having children - maybe from having sex - since there is no cheap way to bring up children "properly."
Originally posted by KazetNagorraWhat if those parents don't use the subsidies correctly? Who is to say that the parents are buying the correct foods for their kids? Money can be spent many ways.
Minimum income, which should obviously be set lower than minimum wage. In the Netherlands the minimum income for a single person with children in the household is set to approximately $16k/year plus free/subsidized health care, education, housing and public transport, which is nothing extravagant but enough to get food.
