The nanny state is ever-vigilant in its coercion for a purer life for you and your children. Whether it be mandating what children should learn, how they should think or what they should eat, the nanny state relies upon the fundamental precept that it knows how to raise your child better than you do. Nothing exemplifies this better than the oft-floated theories that table salt should be banned or fast food outlawed. At the college I recently attended the vending machines even have a tri-colour smiley face system for the foods. Happy green for the healthy choices, yellow ambivalent for the moderately healthy choices and, of course, red unhappy for coca cola.
In one Chicago public school the nanny state has been taken to its logical extreme, making it illegal to bring food from home. This is the progression, of course, from such allergenic bans as peanut butter and nuts.
At his public school, Little Village Academy on Chicago’s West Side, students are not allowed to pack lunches from home. Unless they have a medical excuse, they must eat the food served in the cafeteria.
Principal Elsa Carmona said her intention is to protect students from their own unhealthful food choices.
“Nutrition wise, it is better for the children to eat at the school,” Carmona said. “It’s about the nutrition and the excellent quality food that they are able to serve (in the lunchroom). It’s milk versus a Coke. But with allergies and any medical issue, of course, we would make an exception.”
When I was a kid I used to eat a bag of chips and drink a can of coca cola every day. As a baby I was a vegetarian. Neither seem to have any present effect on my health.
The problem is that Canada is an even more likely candidate for this sort of nonsense than the United States. With universal single-payer health care there’s a very strong argument to be made that the state is already responsible for our health choices since we’re all collectively responsible for the health of our society. It’s the reasoning behind handing out alcohol to alcoholics and needles to drug addicts, donchaknow.
So I can foresee a Canada where the government packs your lunches, fortified with Vitamin B12 supplements so that no animals have to actually be killed in the production of the food. And since the argument can be made that childhood obesity is straining our medical resources, it’s only logical that the government will step in and feed everybody.
It’s a brave new world, and it’s being run by collectivists.
Perhaps it is something in the air or in the water, but the increasing number of people today who are hell bent on controlling others has become a cancer to society and spells the death of freedom when they manage to gain any kind of position of power. The irony is that in the same breath they usually call for diversity, when in truth they want everyone to conform to their ideas. As the saying goes the road to hell is paved with the best of intentions.
This is up to the parents to go see this idiot and tell her to F…Off. It’s not the kids choice it is the parents choice and if she doesn’t like it all the kids will leave the school grounds and eat whatever they bting from home.
If they want kids to eat healthier in the schools, they need to make the nutritious food and drinks cheaper than the garbage. If milk is $2 and pop is $1, why would any of then buy milk? Same goes for fries vs. salad in the cafeteria. Serve both, but make sure what you want the kids to eat costs less, and the kids will be more likely to buy it.
And of course it is the parents’ responsibility to fight stupid regulations like this. Policies like this are overkill for the problems at hand.
We live in a time where social activists are given taxpayer money to deter you from anything you might enjoy. Whether it’s playing lawn darts, using salt , riding a bike without a helmet, drinking ,smoking ,eating anything that has calories, using wood stoves or even barbequing. I could go on and on as the list grows longer every year. The nanny state is on a roll and with every activist victory they feel empowered to tackle the next cause. Activists never quit. When one cause has been ridden into the ground they simply change causes and carry on. Of course it’s always for our own good or “think of the children”.
At the rate we are going the Soviet Union will seem like a bastion of freedom within a decade and only the old folks will remember what it was like to live in a free country. Sad.
Government should be there so that we don’t kill each other, assault each other, steal or defraud each other, companies don’t kill us or poison use with chemicals or sloppy safety measures. Also, take care of national defence, basic services/infrastructures we need, want and can afford in a sustainable way …. but get out of our way and don’t give power to every petty low grade functionary to multiply rules telling us what to do in minute detail.
There might be some other things we are glad that the Government takes care of, so my list may not be complete, but the problem are the ” HORDES ” of busybodies who constantly want to add to the lists of DO(s) or DON’T, sheesh ! ….. LOL.
“Principal Elsa Carmona said her intention is to protect students from their own unhealthful food choices”
That’s funny; when I attended public school the cafeteria food sucked big time; the healthy food for the most part was brought by students.
I have fond memories of the University cafeteria hamburger steak: Sure is was probably 80% hamburger helper or some sort of cereal filler, tofu or soy ” something ” mysterious ???
The taste was unique and strangely appealing like bad junk food really bad for you that you can’t resist.
Sort of also reminds me of the very early T.V. dinner before they got ” better “.
LOL !