Obama wants school vending machines banned

[vegiegals]

Source: AP





Obama wants school vending machines banned
Administration will ask Congress to take steps to improve kids' nutrition

updated 23 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - The Obama administration will ask Congress to improve childhood nutrition by ridding school vending machines of sugary snacks and drinks and giving school lunch and breakfast to more kids.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said the administration will seek changes when Congress overhauls the Childhood Nutrition Act.

"Our children deserve better nutrition, and our country's better and brighter future depends on it," Vilsack said. "And with the reauthorization of the Childhood Nutrition Act scheduled this year, there won't be a better time than now to act boldly."

Vilsack's comments were in a speech he was to deliver Monday, outlining the administration's goals for school nutrition. His appearance was canceled because of snow.

The Associated Press obtained excerpts of the speech, which outlines changes the administration plans to seek in the Childhood Nutrition Act. A Vilsack spokesman said the speech would be rescheduled...............


Read more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35299173/ns/health-diet_and_nutrition/

---

I believe it was in the fall of 2005 that the regulatory of the dept of ag has mandated that all school districts have a plan in place to improve the nutrition of the schools(in order to receive subsidized for meals). My own district has in place this plan and also the connections with the local producers to get fresh food for lunch and breakfast. My point is is lots have been done already and the article does not offer much information. No funding is mentioned for districts who can not afford better food.

Many school districts have tried to remove vending machines but they bring money into money starved school districts (corporate sponsors). I wonder if money will be given to the poor districts.

Clinton wanted school uniforms you may recall in one of his SOTU addresses but not much came of it.

[SharonRB]

1. When I was in high school in the 60s...

we had apple machines in the hall. They could just replace the bad snacks with good snacks, but keep the revenue stream going.

[SeattleGirl]

32. So did we!

They were very popular with the students. Replacing the candy/soda machines with machines that dispense fruit would be a great idea.

[happygoluckytoyou]

53. downhill since REAGAN decided Katsup was a VEGETABLE.

REAGAN and DUBYA.... the only 2 presidents capable of hiding their own easter eggs

[harmonicon]

56. the revenue stream isn't so much from the machines, but from sponsors

At a neighboring school to where I went as a kid, Pepsi built them a new gym floor in exchange for free advertising at sporting events - I assume this also extended to what was available in vending machines.

[SoCalDem]

60. apples & oranges for us.. and we had real drinking fountains all over the place

for ices cold water,, No one I ever knew got sick from using them..

food or drink that was not in the cafeteria was confiscated.. same for gum..

of course we also had a smoking lounge for students..:rofl:

[onpatrol98]

89. Smoking Lounge

You're kidding me...a smoking lounge for students. I guess it keeps them out of the bathroom...NOT!

[SoCalDem]

90. That why they DID it.. They were tired of kids sneaking off to the bathroom

for a smoke.. so they made an area in an outdoor atrium where kids could go after lunch for a smoke-break..

This was 1967...things were different back then :)

[Carni]

138. WOW

I graduated in 82 and my HS still had a smoking lounge, so apparently they continued to be around for a few more years!

[Seedersandleechers]

105. My high school also had a smoking lounge.

Although, you had to have permission from your parents though a lot of students got around it.

[Art_from_Ark]

118. My high school didn't have a lounge, it had a smoking tree

Students as young as 14 could get permission from their parents to smoke. I never could understand why anyone would want to start, though, considering that one could instantly recognize a smoker the instant they walked into the classroom. Also, the Surgeon General's report on smoking and cancer had already been out for about 10 years by then.

[Carni]

137. We had one too

My HS also had an open campus policy at lunch, so students could go to the fast food joint or restaurant of their choice. Hard to believe but true!

I have no problem with them yanking the soda in the machines but they should provide alternatives like bottled water, or unsweetened iced tea--fizzy waters, milk -- that kind of thing (IMO anyway)

[Midlodemocrat]

82. Not enough profit, but I do understand what you're saying.

When I was in high school in the 70s, everyone brought their lunch or bought the school lunch.

Vending machines? Nope. Didn't happen.

[Art_from_Ark]

117. There was only one vending machine at my high school in the '70s

That was a Coke machine in the band room.

[marshall]

100. The only thing I remember in the vending machine was peanuts

I was in school in the late sixties. And during lunch they sold those pecan rolls.

I used to like Pop Tarts and Toast'ems. They were sweet enough for me with just the jam inside, and I liked to spread them with butter. But now they have frosting and on top of the frosting they have sugar. The food industry has gone way overboard in loading the sugar in food.

[RKP5637]

101. Those pecan rolls were habit forming. I loved them. n/t

[mimitabby]

135. we had an apple machine too!

we even ATE the apples!

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

2. Probably not a bad idea.

[Enrique]

3. that was the first thing Hitler did

:scared:

[Democat]

18. Yes, but at least Hitler was born in America, not Kenya!

:crazy:

[timeforpeace]

4. Good for him. And if he means it, it will get done. We'll see.

[mwrguy]

64. And if he means it, it will get done.

Kind of like HCR.

[Cha]

91. Giving up already? Too bad.

[liberal N proud]

5. I remember fighting to get vending machines in school

The year 1975, we convinced the school admin to give us a student lounge. Then we lobbied for couches (you know what happened there), pool table and pinball machine.

The next thing to come was a coca-cola machine.

Now every school has them.

[Enrique]

9. we got a machine that sold NFL pencils

late 70's. Those pencils were so cool.

[WriteDown]

12. So you're to blame? nt

[liberal N proud]

67. Yup!

[earthside]

17. Good for you.

With all due respect to President Obama, when his kids are attending a public school, then he can make suggestions on how the rest of us ought to run our schools.

One size fits all, government mandated, from the top down, regulations about what should be in public school vending machines really is intruding too far into local control.

If a school is progressive enough to have a student lounge with couches and vending machines, I think that is cool and the federal government ought not to get involved.

This is exactly the kind of micromanagement that makes liberals and Democrats credibly susceptible to the "nannyism" charge.

[vegiegals]

20. I think so also--too much nannyism and we sound like

Repugs.

[Mithreal]

24. Don't go pushing that tired metaphor.

:wtf:

[vegiegals]

33. what metaphor would you be speaking about?

[Mithreal]

35. You didn't start it, so I shouldn't have directed that comment at you.

Apologies for misdirection.

Since you ask, forget that I apologized for a moment. The nanny state idea just feeds conservative framing and worldview. Check out Don't Think of an Elephant if you haven't already for more of what I mean.

Even when we use the word itself in this context it is destructive, even in denial or warnings. I edited because I think I missed making a point, hopefully that makes a lil more sense.

:hi:

[earthside]

102. Please provide list ...

... of all words that we're not supposed to use.

I mean, that would help us all think and 'frame' exactly alike.

[Mithreal]

104. Go read Lakoff's Don't Think of an Elephant, then get back to me

Then after that go read more about framing but read Lakoff first, it's short and simple.

I realize you are mocking me and that's ok, but it doesn't change the fact that when we talk politics words matter. Once we begin using conservative frames we concede to their worldview.

If you have a serious question, ask away, but it isn't about thinking and talking exactly alike, it is about sharing our own vision and our own solutions. Once you know what I am talking about you might wish you had learned it sooner. And fwiw, a good portion of the Dem Leadership doesn't give a damn about framing. It's a tool, if you don't want to use it, fine, but at least see if it is something you could find useful.

[Quantess]

107. "Nanny" also encompasses socially conservative ideas

such as restricting contraceptives, sex toys, gay marriage, marijuana, etc.

[Mithreal]

109. True, and that is more about privacy in the bedroom, body, etc.

Lakoff, using brain science and experiment, talks about this. Liberals are like nurturing parents, conservatives strict fathers, unless I misremember.

Nannies could be either, I just don't think it is useful for us. I think they would just laugh at us if we tried to use it against them. They are the strict authoritarian father party, calling them nannies would just seem nonsensical to them.

[vegiegals]

128. I appreciate your comments and explaining to

me what you meant. I am familiar with the Nanny state metaphor but it did not click with me earlier.

But, I do think--the Just say NO approach is not effective. Nancy tried it with the drug scene and it only works with a few for a while. We need an effective all out public health push on this issue and what I have read, with no money for the public health effort--it will fail. Obama seems to be doing the same ---Just say NO--approach. We will see.

[Mithreal]

131. Just say no to vending machines?

Yes, that does mean something to us. It doesn't work, just say no.

Vending machines are not the problem, it is what may be in them. I will listen to hear what they have to say about it. The money is an issue, definitely.

[Mithreal]

26. Science is back. Get used to it. Government can be used to protect our children's health.

[KansDem]

41. Studies are showing that HFCS is causing obesity and organ damage.

It's toxic and should be regulated, like nicotine.

Why shouldn't the feds get involved?

[Mithreal]

44. +1 It's about our health and longterm vision for healthier kids and adults.

big :thumbsup:

[Hekate]

46. Childhood obesity. Childhood diabetes. Childhood tooth decay. This is a genuine public health issue.

In fact, it has become a public health emergency. Diabetes used to be exceedingly rare among children; it is now epidemic. ("Diabetes Rising: How a Rare Disease Became a Modern Pandemic, and What to Do About It," by Dan Hurley)

Just in case you read this far: Human beings are hardwired to reach for sweets and fats, just in case there's a famine down the road. Millennia of hard physical labor (hunting, gathering, farming, you get the idea) and diets of only what was available where you lived meant that what great-grandma and grandma and mom cooked was probably good for you or you didn't survive. Sweets, especially, were hard to come by.

Fast forward to the mid-20th century.

If you care to read the science of what has been done on behalf of corporate profit to manipulate and take advantage of our hardwiring, I recommend the following book by former FDA Commissioner David Kessler: "The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite."

On the other hand, if you want to prattle on about how children and teens should have "freedom of choice" when it comes to what they eat for breakfast and lunch, then there's not much to talk about.

Hekate

[marybourg]

52. Children need nannies. nt.

[Mithreal]

57. Children need parents, teachers and supportive communities.

[jmowreader]

88. Can you imagine the security nightmare?

I don't know about you, but if I was running The Detail I'd have Obama's kids in private school if I had to pay for it myself.

[kestrel91316]

6. We had vending machines with apples and oranges and milk when I was in JHS

and that was in UTAH in the early 70's. Of course when they put a candy machine in, I added a daily pack of Skittles to my lunch when I didn't eat what they served in the cafeteria.

[rocktivity]

7. Vending machines can include healthy snacks, fruits and fruit juices

He should just lean on the corporations to provide healthier food.


rocktivity

[timeforpeace]

8. Human nature. The students would have demanded those by now, but they don't want them. Get it?

[Mithreal]

16. Parents and schools have a responsibility to offer good choices

It's not about what children demand. You know, adults are supposed to be in charge.

Offer them only positive choices, they will eat what you give them.

We have to overcome the weaknesses built in our evolution for preference to certain types of foods.

[rocktivity]

23. Of course children prefer junk food to healthy food

but they should be consuming it on their OWN time WITH their parents' blessing. Self-discipline--one of the things you're SUPPOSED to be getting in school.


rocktivity

[Mithreal]

27. Ironic, isn't it.

[No Elephants]

58. But, if a kid is hungry and that is all that is available, the kid will either have the fruit or

nothing. And, if the kid is not hungry enough to accept fruit, maybe he or she should not be eating anything anyway. Either way, it's a win in the fight against childhood obesity.


On edit: Please note: my reply does not mean I am in favor of the federal government dictating the contents of school vending machines. I am still thinking on that.

[Igel]

95. When I was in high school we had a vending machine.

The vending machine was soft-drink only. The student government got most of the funds. We also had a small store that sold, among other things, candy.

We had chocolate milk and soda in the cafeteria. Also ice cream.

Then somebody decided to try to be restrict access to the vending machine and to say the student store/kiosk couldn't sell candy.

There was a convenience store a couple hundred feet off campus. It started to do a booming business in soda, candy, and the kind of stuff that was harder to get on campus.

It had a downside. The kids who smoked and who didn't have cigarettes suddenly found it a lot easier to get them. An older kid going to the store? Get him to be your mule. Smoking in school got much worse.

So they tried to make sure that the campus, which had been closed, was buttoned up. Hard to get in or out. Students found a way. Instead of going straight to the store they'd cut through the athletic fields.

My last year the vending machine was back. But the administration got the money from it. Next to it was one that sold candy.

Oddly, a lot of kids still used the soda machines. Also oddly, very few of them were obese. Or markedly overweight. That came later, with computers and video games. So the solution to a later problem isn't to find what changed, but to blame something that didn't cause the problem for years. (Keep in mind, of course, that the soda machine could be there for 10 years but can't contribute to the problem in a given cohort for 10 years--you're only in high school for 4 years, so if you don't bloat up in those 4 years you can exonerate the machine, whatever problem a later cohort may experience.)

[SoCalDem]

65. students also don't "want" homework, "tough" teachers or

"hard" classes
they don't like being made to STFU in class
they don't like being told to not skip school
they don't like lots of things in school...but they should not be "in charge".
Getting them to stop eating crap & swilling syrup all day long is NOT a bad idea:)

[aquart]

11. They can but they don't.

No way does a soda machine belong in a school.

[Mithreal]

13. It's not the machines per se. It is the food in them.

He already embraced Monsanto.

[Goblinmonger]

10. The funding issue is big

It is sad that schools need to generate money this way, but the unfunded mandates from the feds need to stop. Very soon most states will tell the feds to piss off with NCLB because it costs too much money.

[amandabeech]

36. Yes. Unfunded mandates are the best way to turn independents into Republicans.

Really, Obama has much on his plate that can only be handled at the national level.

Why get involved in school vending machines now?

NCLB should be whittled down or abandoned. I don't like corporate control of education. It's just creepy.

[niyad]

14. michael pollan was on democracy now this morning, and talked about the act coming up for review.

one of the things he said was that ALL school meals should be subsidized, to eliminate the two-tier system of shame, etc. once again, we have lots of money to kill, and can't find money to feed our kids proper food.

[Beaverhausen]

31. Love him

I really wanted Obama to name him Agriculture Secretary.

[No Elephants]

66. There are fairer ways to eliminate the stigma than using tax money to buy lunch for rich kids.

[Lerkfish]

15. priorities, priorities...meanwhile, Gitmo remains open

[SeattleGirl]

34. Yes, Gitmo is an important issue, but are you saying that kid's nutritional

choices AREN'T?

[No Elephants]

68. Many things are important. Hence tthe need to prioritize. I would not say

closing GITMO is the first priority, though, but that's what makes a horse race. Supposedly, anyway.

[Lerkfish]

126. you do understand the meaning of the word "priority", right?

in the spectrum of things that needed direct involvement of the president, vending machines in schools is way down on my list.

[Generator]

108. Yep, Obama can't stop torture, war or give us health care

but he and the Mrs. can rail against fat kids. Makes you all warm and fuzzy, no?

[Hardrada]

119. This all reminds me of the Pope telling us to be better drivers.

[IndianaGreen]

19. Isn't this a local issue rather than a federal one?

People don't like being told how to run their schools, particularly by outsiders.

[Tumbulu]

25. Not if health care is a federal issue

bad food = bad health and lots of $$$$$ to repair.

I think that capitalism does not lend itself to providing healthy food. It is a system that rewards making the most money from fluff as possible. And what happens to children that eat a lot of flavored fluff full of cheap sugars, chemical dyes and hormones......? They get sick now or later.

[Mithreal]

28. 2X4 of truth

:applause:

[hughee99]

47. Isn't this one of the issues the RW claims to have with HCR?

If "the government" is in charge of our health care, they will use it as an excuse to regulate all sorts of stuff in our personal life. My brother is convinced that between climate change and health care the government will claim a vested interest in just about everything that we consume or do, and will use it to pass restrictive legislation telling people how to live their lives.

If the government uses health care as a reason to do this, why just ban it in the schools? I think they'll have to pass some sort of HCR before they'll be able to make this argument, though. Personally, I don't see any reason the final decision shouldn't be left in the hands of state and local government, although I'd be happy to see the president "encourage" them to review such policies.

[Mithreal]

55. Regulations are not in and of themselves bad.

Is there any argument you could make that would persuade your brother otherwise?

Some people are just ideologically entrenched.

Your brother is stuck in a logical fallacy called slippery slope thinking.

http://onegoodmove.org/fallacy/ss.htm

[hughee99]

93. I've tried, but how do you argue against one's preconceived notions

of what someone else might do? Any argument I make are dismissed as "all part of Obama's plan" to take control without drawing to much attention. Even if Obama decided to implement whatever the hell the repukes wanted as official policy, it would still just be part of "Obama's secret plan". You can argue to some degree, but eventually the discussion always degrades to a tinfoil hat conspiracy theory in the face of all evidence to the contrary.

[Mithreal]

97. Family members can be the absolute worst to debate with

[No Elephants]

72. Sounds as though you and your brother are pretty much in agreement.

[hughee99]

92. I think climate change and health care reform are issues that need to be addressed.

I don't see a nefarious plot to implement these things ONLY as a means to exert control the daily lives of all people, but I do agree with him that the federal government shouldn't get into micromanaging issues like this that can be more effectively addressed on a local level. Obama has a lot of big things on his plate, I don't have any issue with him talking about this, but I don't think he should spend ANY time on legislation for this that should be better spent on bigger issues.

[No Elephants]

70. When we have a national health care plan, I'll believe health care is actually a federal issue..

Right now, we don't have one. And the only bill on the table gives health insurers a mandate, so they can keep profits at high levels, even though Boomers are leaving them to go on Medicare.

[Dappleganger]

21. Well I think they should be banned, but not for that reason.

Corporate advertising via vending machines has no place inside of a public place of learning, especially around impressionable minds.

[GinaMaria]

42. Your language arts workbook brought to you by

PepsiCo. Being a lifelong loyal Pepsi drinker means getting to you in the primary grades :evilgrin:

[me b zola]

75. Pepsi is doing a promotional "Pepsi Throwback" made w/o HFCS

For those who do not like to consume HFCS like me, a great way to show support is to buy this product.

[Tx4obama]

22. Here's a really good story about what a Vermont school is doing

Farm to School program changes kids' views on food
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20100208/us-farm-scene-farm-to-school/

[Mithreal]

30. Good post, Tx4obama

[rhett o rick]

29. If he isnt careful he will piss off the coke company. And it would cut down the sales of HFCS.

He would have to raise the corn subsidies to make up for it. Dentist will be pissed off. Why does Obama hate dentists?

[hughee99]

40. Why would Coke care, they'll just sell Dasani in the machines.

I'll bet the margins are better on bottled water anyway.

[rhett o rick]

43. you are most likely right. nt

[hughee99]

49. As long as the big companies have access to this captive market

with one of their products, they probably don't care much which one people are buying. They'd fight it if they wanted to pull all the machines, but probably wouldn't put up much of a stink as long as they were still getting the sales.

[rhett o rick]

61. The school districts are not much help in some cases because they like their cut. nt

[rhett o rick]

62. Are you familar with Dr. Strangelove? Can't piss off the Coca_Cola company. nt

[MadHound]

37. So Obama, are you going to replace the revenue that those machines bring in

Granted, it isn't much money, but in many cases it is the balance between having certain programs or ditching them.

[DebbieCDC]

38. We never had vending machines in schools when I was growing up

Even in high school in the early 70's we had no vending machines. Small Ohio towns must have been behind the curve on this I guess.

[Frank Cannon]

48. Nor did we, even in high school in the late 70s

Lunch was pretty much a "shi- on a shingle" military kind of thing. You paid your dollar, and you got what was on the menu that day. No one complained, though. Sometimes the lunches were pretty good. Finger steak day was the best!

I guess I never experienced all the splendor that a coin-op Coca-Cola machine can provide. Sucks to be me and to have missed out on all those wonderful choices.

[sylveste]

51. more silliness

hell we had open campus. no need for vending machines, we just went to quik trip for junk food and a quick game of asteroids,defender or mario bros. it turned out ok in the end.

[alsame]

63. I didn't have them in my NY schools either. nt

[Lorien]

74. I grew up in Columbus, Ohio and we didn't have vending machines either

but I also attended private schools, for the most part.

[Missy Vixen]

77. I was in high school in the late 70's

We had vending machines in a suburb of Seattle. They had soda, coffee, tea, or chicken noodle soup. Yeah.

The student government also had a "store" that sold candy, chips and cookies.

In other words, where there's a will, there's a way, and there is no possible way to force all children to eat nothing but fruits and vegetables. Suggesting better choices would be a definite step in the right direction, but as others have already mentioned, the soft-drink sponsorship dollars are bringing revenue to districts whose budgets have been slashed to the bone. What (or whom) will replace that?

[BumRushDaShow]

85. None in my HS in the mid-'70s either

but there were convenience stores near the school where folks would get their soda fix.

[Starbucks Anarchist]

39. Great idea.

[graywarrior]

45. Excellent! EXCELLENT!

[fascisthunter]

50. Good! (nt)

[Donnachaidh]

54. YES!

That's one change I've been wanting for YEARS.

[HopeHoops]

59. I'm in complete agreement with respect to soda and junk food, however...

I think 100% juice is still a legitimate thing to offer. Most cafeterias don't provide that regularly and my kids are among the minority who don't drink soda but will drink juice. Still, I think it should be restricted to 100% juice as "juice drinks" are essentially soda without the carbonation.

[Quantess]

69. Pepsi - Minute Maid won't let this happen.

[bergie321]

71. Improving Nutrition is Easy

End corn and soy subsidies. Only give subsidies to non-factory farms that produce quality, organic, healthy produce.

[No Elephants]

73. How long did we subsidize tobacco growers?

[bergie321]

84. Lobbyists

Have honed their game so you can expect HFCS to be subsidized long after science conclusively links it to cancer, diabetes, and all of the other "western diet" diseases.

[w4rma]

76. Damnit. Obama is using the Clinton playbook of promoting little things, instead of big ones.

These little, near worthless, initiatives won't get him anywhere good in the history books.

[woo me with science]

78. I dislike this, too. It made me think of this column this morning:

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/2010/02/08/president_obama_the_scold_229106.html


President Obama the Scold
Carol Lee, Politico


For a president who ran on uplifting themes like change and hope, Barack Obama spends an awful lot of time scolding Americans about how he hopes they’ll change.


He has advised parents to “replace that video game with a book and make sure that homework gets done.” He has urged members of Congress not to read blogs or watch 24-hour cable news. And he’s challenged lobbyists, lawmakers, bankers, journalists, insurance companies and other heads of state to do a better job.


He’s prodded people to get off the couch, eat healthier and exercise more. He’s even suggested Americans buy stocks, U.S.-made cars and energy-efficient light bulbs, while cautioning them not to max out their credit cards.


At times, having Obama in the Oval Office is...

Read Full Article ››

[Starbucks Anarchist]

79. God forbid we take good advice.

Let's keep our kids fat and stupid, send our money to foreign corporations and hobble ourselves with debt.

Hey, at least we don't have a wagging finger in our face. :eyes:

[woo me with science]

110. I suspect most people believe the President has more important things to do

than lecture schools about vending machines. In this case, I think the good advice would be to save his bully pulpit for less local and personal issues.

It's also generally true that people don't appreciate wagging fingers.

[Starbucks Anarchist]

115. It's a national health issue.

Childhood obesity has skyrocketed with this generation.

[woo me with science]

124. You don't fix that by lecturing people and attempting to control

what their children can drink at lunch in local school districts. Especially if you are President of the United States.

Wagging his finger and jumping into something this local and personal to people activates some of the worst stereotypes about liberals, that they are controlling busybodies who will micromanage your life to "do what's best for you" if given the chance.

Wagging fingers and lecturing people are never good options for a President. The best Presidents lead by educating and inspiring. Obama has shown that he can inspire with the best of them. I have no clue why he would choose this avenue instead.

We will just have to agree to disagree on this.

[vegiegals]

127. Indeed, it is public education that is needed. It has taken a long time with

cigarettes, and tobacco products, but I think in the long run, it is starting to pay off (the public education push). It has only been recently that people (the "experts") has started to push the idea of drugs as a public health issue. The just saying no and wagging the finger is not effective.

[woo me with science]

129. +1 nt

[vegiegals]

130. Thanks. The WH could start using the science of nutrition and

begin to turn this obesity issue around. I said begin because it will be long slog.

[d_r]

80. here's an idea

let's ban corporal punishment in schools.

[Midlodemocrat]

81. An outstanding idea. If the vending machines were really necessary?

They wouldn't be unplugged when 'the concession stand is open.'

No reason on the planet to have vending machines in schools. Kids who are on reduced price or free lunch can't take advantage of them and the other kids shouldn't.

If the vending machines sold water only? All for it.

Not gonna happen anytime soon.

[CreekDog]

106. +1

Except for the Perrier thing. :hide:

:rofl:

[tonysam]

83. He needs to butt out.

Food fascism is for the birds.

[Starbucks Anarchist]

87. How is keeping junk-food corporations out of school fascism?

[SemiCharmedQuark]

111. "Fascism" is one of those words like "socialism" that has lost all meaning with some.

[femmocrat]

86. He needs to rid the school lunch and breakfast programs of sugary snacks and drinks as well.

They sell that junk during the lunch periods. The three staples of school meals: sugar, salt, and fat.

[hedgehog]

94. Absolutely! Our district doesn't even have kitchens any more -

just places where they reheat packaged frozen foods like cheeseburgers, chicken fingers and the like.

[femmocrat]

96. Same here.

And the kids aren't even done eating when they roll out the "snacks"--- bags of salty snacks, ice cream, and other junk. No candy, though. Candy is BAAAD for kids, ya' know!

[twitomy]

98. So this is what "hope and change" has been reduced to?

Oh brother!

Im sure the Founding Fathers watching down are impressed with this exercise of the role of govt in the framework of the Constitution :eyes:

[defendandprotect]

99. Great idea . .. !!! And, how about banning military from our schools ????

[Nikki Stone1]

103. So the curriculum can be privatized but not the snacks....

Hm....

[AlienGirl]

112. Oh boy, Alien Spawn is going to be pissed!!

[cynthia]

113. high schools around here have only healthy snacks and timers

The machines that dispense only water are available all day, but the ones the dispense healthy snacks and juices are on timers so that they can only be used after school for the kids who stay after for clubs

[Wednesdays]

114. Can we take out ALL the corporatist crap while we're at it?

K&R

[Zomby Woof]

116. I went to high school in the mid-80's

We did not have one single vending machine in the school (and yes, it was a public school). When I taught high school in the 90's, the school had lots of them, stocked with sodas and junk. The kids after lunch were out of control, even the 'good' ones. They would grab sodas in-between classes too. They got whiny if I didn't let them go get one during class. There was a definite entitlement about having them around.

They should yank them all cold turkey, in between school years when they're closed. No one will miss them when they're gone - after the kids who once had them are cycled out, the new kids taking their place will go to school in a machine-free zone, just like I did. And hey, I survived!

I wonder how many in this thread protesting this idea also decried the SCOTUS decision because it afforded "free speech" to corporations. Their mantra should be: DOWN WITH THE CORPORATIONS!!! (EXCEPT WHEN THEY DO THINGS I LIKE!!)

[JCMach1]

120. Sorry, but this IS Nanny state stuff

I once saw a wonderful experiment using sweets and caffeine vs. healthy foods and the resulting behavior.

It was the activities that got kids 'out of control' not the diet.

I remember as a teacher the 30min. lunch. Seriously, :wtf: by the time you spent 15-20min. line, how are you even going to eat? If it was quicker to get a soda and a snack, of course students are going to go for that.

European kids get get a full lunch time and time to go home and back again. My daughters (here in the UAE) can enjoy a full coffee and cappuccino bar and have a nice healthy salad or sandwich with that. They also have plenty of time to eat.

So no, treating students more like inmates is NOT a good idea.


Once again, Obama and Arne get it wrong on education... they are clueless.

[TheWatcher]

122. Still, it's good to see him getting so tough on critical issues.

I mean, HCR, Ending the Endless Wars, Holding War Criminals and Banksters Accountable, Fixing The Economy, Equal Rights For Gays, Repealing The Patriot Act, all of these things are hip and trendy, and pretty darn quaint, but they are NOTHING when compared to the mortal, clear and present threat that these vending machines pose to our innocent children.

This might even be a bigger threat than Al Qaeda.

He should probably Bomb them just to be safe.

:sarcasm:

[JCMach1]

123. I draw the line in the sand when they come for the kids' cinnamon rolls!

:sarcasm:


Meanwhile, back to reality... the Repugs will have a field day with this one! i.e. get big government's hands off my snacks!

[proteus_lives]

121. They should be.

[Chulanowa]

125. I was a 90's kid

We had four snack machines, a coke machine, a pepsi machine, and like a bottled water machine or something.

The food in the cafeteria probably had less nutritional value than anything out of those snack machines.

I usually ended up skipping lunch in high school because I couldn't afford the snack foods and refused to eat the shit on a shingle they served in the cafeteria.

[blueworld]

132. This is why we're paying gazillion bucks for a government?

I think improving children's nutrition is a magnificent goal, but I thought the First Lady had made this a priority - appropriately. The Prez can make the occasional speech to emphasize the importance of gardening organically & kids eating vegetables but hasn't he got bigger fish to bake?????

This Congress is filled with well-educated men & women, highly paid, perkily perked who, IMO, have much more important things to do than monitor vending machines! One little housewife in NY managed to kill bake sales & sugary cupcakes in school fundraising all by her little onesies! Can we dip into the Pentagon budget to fund some schools???

Want to remove something? Remove our soldiers from two war zones! How much better would all our children eat if both parents were at home & working & making a decent living? Here in VA, the wives & kids of soldiers deployed overseas are lining up in food banks!

Appalachian families may quit smoking, but the only jobs are in coal mines & their kids are living with sludge in their drinking water. Could Congress tackle that problem? Are we going to fuss over fried pork rinds while US families are sliding into poverty by the thousands every week? Jesus weeps.

[LeftHander]

133. Bring back meat loaf, chicken ala King and lunch ladies in hair nets!!

I am appalled at the fast food served in today's lunch programs. Pizza Hut, taco Bell etc...sick reheated crap.

[Lerkfish]

134. considering that school lunches are inedible in most cases

I see nothing wrong with the kid eating SOMETHING.

[Ter]

136. Ban, ban, ban

This isn't the change I voted for. I had the vending machines in my HS, and so did my parents. Now we are gonna take away that right from our kids. Hypocrites!