My blood boils every time a Democrat attempts to throw a blanket of socialism over American society. This particular attempt, however, does help illustrate the fundamental flaw in the Democrats' approach to governing.
The first thing one gives up when registering as a Democrat is a sense of personal responsibility (irony goes quickly after that). Once you're in, you can blame all ills on the ubiquitous lack of funding, the Republicans or, in the case of the Climate Commies, the fact that weather changes. Sadly, some current Republicans get guilted into signing on to some of the nanny legislation whenever they're accused of being against the children. The first thing the GOP needs to do is send this group home and get some candidates who understand the differences between the parties' philosophies.
Which brings us to the fat kids. What the United States lacks in domestic fuel production we make up for in the production of porky pre-teens. When teachers complain of classrooms that are too full they are often merely describing how much room these little Oompa-Loompas take up.
I'm going to muddy this discussion up by introducing some casual empiricism. Go to a mall this holiday season, sit on a bench for a while and watch the people. See how many fat kids have fat parents in tow. One might come to the conclusion that all of this chubbiness is beginning at home. Naturally, the best place to remedy this is to go after the Ho-Ho's (can we still call them that?) and Ding-Dongs at school.
It all seems so heart-warming and laden with altruism, doesn't it? Wait, what's this?
This same article mentions that leaders are more optimistic than ever about enacting the legislation because "...leaders in the food and beverage industry have had a hand in creating the new standards." Hmm, might these leaders of industry have some new products that just happen to fit those new standards? I'm no journalist (I'm a Republican so I'm not allowed in that club), but I bet a little digging might find some new, improved and perhaps even more expensive snacks waiting in the wings.
I can already hear my liberal friends saying, "So what's wrong with that? At least the kids will have healthier choices at school!"
What's wrong is that many of these kids will still have the parents at home who are feeding them fried ice cream and pork rinds for breakfast. Afternoons will still be spent munching on the unhealthy snacks that those same industry leaders will still have on the shelves and sitting down in front of the computer or TV. It's like trying to fix a broken leg by just giving the patient crutches without a cast.
In the end, all this does is give some parents a scapegoat and the feds another chance to weasel their way into kids' lives.
The kids don't need more carrot sticks at school, they need parents who provide good examples and teach them to make good choices. No government can do that. If the parents can't say "No" to junk food the kids have very little chance of learning, even if Tom Harkin wants to help.
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