Election Day back when school lunch reform made headlines

Remember the days when we were bemoaning only a 6¢ increase in school lunch funding, the first non-inflationary increase in school lunch funding in 36 years?

What we wouldn't do to get another 6¢ non-inflationary increase in school lunch funding.

Election Day 2014 is today, and we aren't writing about the prospects of what today's results will mean for school lunch reform. The House is controlled by the GOP and that party would rather cut or eliminate school lunch funding rather than expanding the potential for millions of school children.

With gerrymandering, the GOP should retain control of the House through 2020, regardless of what Congress does. If the GOP gets controls of the Senate today (which the major TV news pundits have been long predicting), food industry reform, much less school lunch reform, is dead.

Barack Obama is still president and Michelle Obama is still kicking tail with Let's Move and trying to get kids (and adults) to eat better. But they need help — and even when the Dems were in charge for 2 years, all they could get was that 6¢ increase.

We are seeing conservative Democratic politicians running away from the president. Typically, the president's party loses seats in the 6th year of a presidency, which heightens the pundits' predictions. Loss of the Senate would put potential food industry reforms even further back on the national agenda.

So on this Election Day, please go out and vote. Do your research and bring notes to the voting booth. This is your country. This is your food supply. Voting sends a message that you are paying attention to what is going on, or not going on, in Washington and state capitals throughout the country.

After you vote, you can read some of the past election coverage of food issues from Election Days that offered more hope, promise, and change than Election Day 2014.

2012

• Election Day through the eyes of the food supply
• Latest school lunch improvements prove it's important who gets elected

2011

• Instead of 'no,' GOP needs to say 'yes' to solving food problems

2010

• Obama signs school lunch bill, still waiting on food safety bill
• We have a school lunch bill; President Obama should sign bill by the WH organic garden
• Blanche Lincoln, who worked hard to cut school lunch increase, lost her Senate race
• Election Day: vote for the future of food and nutrition legislation