Or all week, for that matter:
"How school lunch fight will shape America’s future" by John E. Sununu, Globe Columnist February 16, 2015
I’ve reached the age where discussing “the way things used to be” with my children takes on the aura of a script for Dana Carvey’s “Grumpy Old Man” character. In Carvey’s world, the past was always tougher. The water was dirty, the toys were dangerous, and instead of movies, “we had one show in town — it was called stare at the sun!” Michelle Obama’s school lunch initiative, however, has managed to turn that world upside down. Whether you are 25 or 75, one look at the food served in schools today will leave you pining for the rich gastronomy of your grade-school cafeteria.
There is something amiss in Lunch Lady Land. Children are in revolt,
school boards under fire. Even the School Nutrition Association is
alarmed by the consequences of the first lady’s signature “Healthy Kids
Act” of 2010. You can see for yourself, but be warned: The photos
tweeted by students under the hashtag #thanksMichelleObama are not for
the faint of heart. Forget about the battles over immigration, Iran, or
Obamacare. The coming clash over school lunch will shape America’s future. After all, it will largely determine whether or not our children think all politicians are fools.
The problem here is not one of intent. Michelle Obama isn’t naive or
misguided for believing that nutrition is important, or that sound menus
might help improve children’s health. But it’s both naive and arrogant
to think that federal legislation is the best mechanism for achieving
those goals. In fact, it’s difficult to find a more egregious example of
the nanny-state run amok.
Swept up by the euphoria of good
intentions, a Democrat-led Congress pushed the bill through in 2010. The
resulting regulations establish caps on calories, outlaw traditional
flour-based pasta, and limit the fat content of milk. Don’t even think
about serving white bread. You know things have gone too far when New
York’s senators have to petition the federal government to declare
“Greek yogurt” to be an acceptable source of protein for 8-year-olds.
Senator Susan Collins’s victorious defense of the Maine potato was a tour de force.
The unintended consequences of this unprecedented meddling would be
laughable if it didn’t represent such a tragic waste of time and money. A
government audit reveals
that during the past two years, more than 1 million students have
walked away from school lunch programs. More than 80 percent of schools
report an increase in the amount of food waste. And school lunch
administrators report a significant increase in costs.
In an interview with Cooking Light magazine, the first lady reassures
us that all will be fine once we’ve raised a generation whose only
experience was horrible school lunches. “If all they know are whole
grains and vegetables, by the time they’re graduating . . . they won’t
know anything different.” That sounds more like indoctrination than
education, all the more so when her own children attend private schools
that are exempted from the rules.
Set aside for a moment the
ridiculous level of micromanagement — would it really be a national
scandal if the staff at your local elementary school indulged students
with 2 percent milk? The more fundamental question is why we won’t allow
states to set reasonable goals for feeding their own students. Does
Michelle Obama feel that school administrators in Nashua, Newton, or
Hartford are less trustworthy than federal bureaucrats?
Equally
important, doesn’t the federal government have anything better to do?
Apparently, the first lady doesn’t think so, nor do the legislators who
pushed for the sweeping rules in the first place. For them, it’s about
control and the kind of self-gratification that comes from writing bills
that tell other people to do the right thing — or else. It’s also about
the paternalistic and dangerous idea that anything that’s a good idea
should be a law, and preferably a federal law: Wear your seat belt, eat
whole-grain pasta, and — please! — only 1.8 gallons per toilet flush.
No
one should condone poor decision-making, and no one should belittle the
value of maintaining a healthy, balanced diet. But the fact that some
people will make poor lifestyle choices is the natural result of a
government that allows people to make choices in the first place. The
alternative — a government that actively legislates, regulates, and
manipulates personal behavior — is far worse.
These rules aren’t
the end of the world. They’re just foolish, expensive, and statist. The
federal government should get out of the menu business. It’s hard to
believe, but school food was better in the old days. Just ask any
12-year-old — or a grumpy old man. It’s one thing on which they can
finally agree.
--more--"
As you can see, I didn't touch it.
"Shortfall may lead to closing of ‘handful’ Boston schools; Targeted facilities to be named soon; deficit in budget could reach $51m" by James Vaznis, Globe Staff February 04, 2015
Interim Superintendent John McDonough is proposing to close a “handful” of schools under a preliminary budget proposal for the next school year that he presented to the School Committee on Wednesday night.
The $1 billion spending plan also calls for other cuts, such as streamlining menu offerings in school cafeterias and possibly ending bus service for most seventh-graders.
Meaning they would have to risk traveling on the T or walking the streets to get home.
The latter measure was approved by the School Committee last year but was put on hold in light of growing opposition from parents and elected officials.
The cuts, McDonough said in an interview before the meeting, are an unfortunate reality the school system must face as the cost of doing business rises faster than revenue, creating a potential shortfall of $42 million to $51 million.
Uh-huh.
Sort of $trange $ophi$try coming from the schools when the economy is roaring, blah, blah.
It's $ame old goddamn excu$es every time!
He called the situation frustrating, noting the system has had to cut spending each of the past several years, and said it requires “difficult trade-off decisions to position us for long-term success.”
It $ure as hell is!
The shortfall also comes as the school system has pursued some costly initiatives, such as expanding pre-kindergarten, increasing the number of schools with extended days, and giving schools greater latitude to hire teachers from the outside, which in turn leaves veteran teachers without job assignments.
McDonough said the targeted schools will be named in the next two weeks. The proposal is expected to stir emotions and considerable public debate....
You know who is to blame, right?
--more--"
Still waiting.
Related: Boston School $y$tem Thinks You Are Stupid
Special Ed classes are still being held:
"A Pennsylvania appeals court said a special-education teacher should not have been fired for hanging an ‘‘I abuse animals’’ sign around the neck of an autistic, mentally challenged 14-year-old who hit a goat during a petting-zoo field trip. The Commonwealth Court’s ruling Monday upholds an arbitrator’s decision to convert Bruce Millheim’s firing from the Bethlehem-area Colonial Intermediate Unit to a 53-day unpaid suspension. Arbitrator Rochelle Kaplan reversed Millheim’s December 2011 firing despite finding fault with the sign and other discipline measures, including calling students sissy and crybaby, twisting arms, and pushing heads."
Looks like bullying.
"A Manchester police officer investigating a theft bought a “desperate and hungry” suspect a meal at McDonald’s before charging her. The incident unfolded at about 8:30 Friday morning when officers Lisa Mackey and Kevin Gelinas responded to a call from a woman who said her purse had been stolen. The officers found the suspects’ car in the parking lot of a McDonald’s. Christopher Greene was in the car and his girlfriend, Holly Solans, was inside the restaurant. Solans, 20, told Mackey they were homeless, had been living in the car, and needed food. Mackey bought Solans a sandwich, let her eat, then charged her with receiving stolen property. Greene was charged with possession of heroin (AP)."
Isn't that entrapment?
