Education Secretary Betsy DeVos hints she may cut free and reduced lunch school programs for poor children https://t.co/otuN97ICak
— Ben Norton (@BenjaminNorton) February 27, 2017
Betsy DeVos, who amazingly is the actual Secretary of Education in the United States, made a recent crack about "free lunch." Given the GOP speed at proposing to eliminate the gains in the school lunch in the Obama Administration and go beyond, the "free lunch" joke didn't go over well in the Twittersphere.
By the same logic, the classrooms, teachers, library (if you have one), gymnasium, chalk, and desks are also "free." School programs are subsidized by taxpayer dollars. The government, in all forms, have worked really hard to make sure as little money is spent on those school lunches. Republicans and conservative Democratic politicians, in particular, have worked hard to make sure the food served is as non-nutritious as possible.
The GOP is also looking into making qualification into the program more difficult and reducing nutrition standards.
If you are going to use taxpayer money for education, then you should get the best return. Healthy school lunches can be efficient in making that happen.
Blanche Lincoln, who worked hard to cut school lunch increase, lost her Senate race
BalanceofFood.com school lunch coverage
The lack of a solid immigration policy has hurt farmers in recent years in terms of workers to harvest the food that ends up on American plates. We are hearing rumblings of that situation being that much worse this summer. How much damage will need to happen before the MSM starts to pay attention? You would think the answer would be "a lot" but this may be a trick question since they likely will never pay attention.
Food prices would go up with food left unharvested, but that connection is difficult to find in the thinking of major media.
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Sonny Perdue is still the choice of the new administration for Secretary of Agriculture. Perdue's nomination has run into problems with the Office of Government Ethics over possible conflict-of-interest concerns should Perdue be the ag secretary as well as ethics concerns while governor of Georgia.
Perdue's paperwork hasn't even reached the Senate, the body that would confirm his nomination. One of those senators is his cousin, Sen. David Perdue (R-GA).
Perdue has worked in agriculture, a rarity for those in the chair of the Secretary of Agriculture. He once ran a grain and fertilizer business. Environmental groups are concerned about his record.
Whether Perdue or someone else ends up being the Ag Secretary, we won't know until they are confirmed as to how policy will change. No one expects improvements; more about lessening damage.
Celebrating the Michelle Obama legacy for food and nutrition
However symbolic the White House organic garden may be, the garden is staying. Michelle Obama took steps to ensure the garden will stay and Melania Trump has also said the garden will stay.
We are still very early on in the process of this new administration. Given his love for fast food and disdain for vegetables, combined with the GOP narrow view of quality in the food supply, we have to keep an eye out for what may happen next.
Twitter grab: Twitter @BenjaminNorton
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