We heard a news story a day or so ago, about how school principals in Philadelphia are going to be held responsible for feeding all their students breakfast. No, I didn't say lunch. I said breakfast. That would be in addition to the lunches. Don't be surprised if you see the day that they also have to feed supper.
That prompted me into one of my favorite fantasies, one that has me cast as the Wiz of America. You know, the guy with the pointy hat adorned with stars and planets and who carries a magic wand with which he could make whatever changes he thinks make most sense.
In this case, the Wiz would wave this wand and pronounce that henceforth, parents are responsible for their children's meals. No school would be involved in 'nutrition' programs of any nature, other than perhaps in classes dealing with the topic academically. That's right, no breakfasts on the taxpayer's dime. No lunches. Kids will be expected to be fed at home and bring their lunchboxes to school.
I know this is breathtakingly shocking, that anyone in this day and age would want to require parents to feed their own children. No, to many people it's better that parents pay to feed other people's children, and that other people should pay to feed their children in some bizarre sort of Ponzi-like buck passing scheme, with the Feds and States as middlemen, raking off their cuts and imposing their propaganda agendas.
"But so many parents don't feed their children properly," I'm sure I'll read in comments to this posting. "The only proper meals some children get is at school," others will say. To both arguments I will reply the same. So what? I'll ask. If parents don't feed their children, then by golly maybe the school can report that information to Children Protective Services. I'm all for that. I'm all for holding parents accountable for their own children's nutrition.
Schools, at least American public schools, are not supposed to be little communes, where food and entertainment is provided to help cajole young minds into accepting the crap that passes for education these days. No, the schools are supposed to teach. Parents are supposed to parent, which time-honored task includes instilling values and feeding. This is a proper division of labor. This does not require parents in Rattlesnake, Kansas to cough up tax dollars so that kids in Key West, Florida can have fries with their lunches.
So the Wiz says NO to school nutrition programs. Let the schools teach, not feed. Think of how much money that would save, not having to have kitchens and cooks on staff. Now multiply that by the number of schools in America . . . oh, the mind boggles!
