this post was submitted on 09 Sep 2024
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Today I Learned

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[–] [email protected] 160 points 1 month ago (5 children)

And it's entirely preventable. We can afford to feed every single student every single day. It doesn't have to be a brown bag, sad little whitebread and cheese slice sandwich. It can be the same food everyone else eats. In fact, we spend more administering a for-profit food service payment system than we spend on the food. It would be cheaper to just give it away to everyone.

We know this because we did it during COVID. All of the schools closed, and the for-profit food providers were going to lose a lot of money. Sysco and Aramark and US Foods and Sodexo are all big donors to both parties, so we had to bail them out by buying the food. There wasn't a debate in congress, there wasn't any tax increase or funding shortfall. The money was just there because they wanted it.

Schools had more food than they knew what to do with. Food banks and public pantries were fully stocked, and school districts were begging parents to come take home some breakfasts and lunches.

It could really just be like that. No registers, no accounting, no shaming poor kids, no threatening demand letters, no lunch cards, no websites. Just feed children, because hungry children don't learn.

[–] [email protected] 69 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (2 children)

There wasn’t a debate in congress, there wasn’t any tax increase or funding shortfall. The money was just there because they wanted it.

And then states like Missouri refused the money because Republicans hate children.

[–] [email protected] 42 points 1 month ago (1 children)

It's so much worse than that.

During Covid, the money just went straight to the corporations, and the food went to the schools. With schools back in session, the Conservatives in the federal government put restrictions on the funding, requiring documentstion and forms for all of the students participating in the program. They wanted to make it as onerous and invasive as possible. This administrative red tape disproportionately affected the more densely populated regions, and also gave the conservative states a reason to decline participation. Because if Republicans are going to be forced to help children, by God they're going to use the statistics against their enemies.

[–] [email protected] 20 points 1 month ago (1 children)

This alone should be enough for a revolt

[–] [email protected] 13 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Sure. Except those on the Left won't. Couple reasons:

  1. Can't agree on a reason.

  2. Won't agree on a where and when.

  3. Will disagree whether it's worth it right now.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

1 exploitation of capital.

2 right now, wherever you are.

3 yes it is.

the ones who disagree with it are probably the majority of liberals who perpetually think they can fix it in the next election. liberalism is not leftism though.

[–] [email protected] 24 points 1 month ago

I mean I hate children, but I still want them to have free food like eveyone else

[–] [email protected] 31 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Minnesota has free school lunch for all students. Thanks Walz....

[–] [email protected] 13 points 1 month ago (2 children)

I haven't heard anything about Tim Walz that I didn't like.

[–] [email protected] -2 points 1 month ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] -3 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Yeah, that says he's a Zionist

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Really? Ok. I don't have a problem with what he said there. Palestinians have a right to live, the attacks in Gaza are unacceptable and should cease immediately, regardless of the horrible attacks on October 7th. I would go further and call it a genocide, but I can understand why a politician would avoid incendiary language during an election cycle.

Does that make me a Zionist, too?

[–] [email protected] -4 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Do you know what is the definition of a Zionist?

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I thought I did, but you seem to be using it differently. Tell me yours.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

From Wikipedia:

Zionism is an ethno-cultural nationalist movement that emerged in Europe in the late 19th century and aimed for the establishment of a Jewish state through the colonization of a land outside of Europe

Zionists are people who think there should be a Jewish Ethno-State

Anti-Zionists are people who oppose the existence of a Jewish Ethno-state. There have been anti-zionist Jews since as long as there have been Zionist Jews.

The article you linked-to said that he wanted a 2-State solution. That, by definition, makes him a Zionist.

Edit: why is this being down voted? I'm not stating an opinion..

[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 month ago

But how are you going to maintain an exploitable underclass, if you actually help poor people? Bet you didn't think of that, huh? Checkmate leftists!

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 month ago

Please discard your "logic", in favor of some vitriolic spew from an angry white man (or woman) that I heard on the radio / saw on the TV. /s

Just bc we can, doesn't mean we should.

We should (no /s), but that doesn't mean that we will.

Democracy requires the good faith of its voting citizenry, e.g. to edumacate themselves.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I'm going to be exceedingly gracious and assume that the one person who downvoted your comment (as of the time I'm typing this) accidentally hit the wrong button and didn't realize it.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

I have definitely done that. But I also think I might have a stalker who follows me around and downvotes comments. Especially when I post something stupid, they all come out of the woodwork.

But yes, I agree, I wouldn't expect "feed children" to be a contentious suggestion.