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Something rotten about a free lunch...

June 26, 2012 @ 4:33 pm (Updated: 5:17 pm - 6/26/12 )

The News Tribune of Tacoma has a story about a free lunch program that is being offered throughout the county in which anyone 18 years old or younger can go to their school and get served a free (read: taxpayer funded) nutritionally approved lunch. There is no financial hardship requirement, no ID required and no questions asked.

Last year, 39,455 of these lunches were served daily across the state.

So what does this program teach us? What incentive does it create?

It seems to me that this program encourages dependence--for both parents and children. Fundamentally, Americans are supposed to value self-reliance but this program encourages the opposite--and encourages kids to grow up thinking that it is an entitlement to receive the free lunch.

The more people served the more "successful" this program will be perceived, but the idea of a social safety net should be the opposite. The goal should be to get people less dependent not more so.

There is something rotten about this "free" lunch.

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Comments (14)


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  • Howdy wrote...
    'Do not feed the wildlife...
    June 26, 2012 4:49 pm
    .. they become dependant on handouts and associate humans with food'. Isn't there signs like this all over the place in the national parks?

    I say make them work for their lunches, like picking up litter/trash or cleaning up graffiti. Of course work like this seems to be associated with punishment these days and I bet if they had to work for their lunch 99% wouldn't even show up.

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  • ron prevost wrote...
    TANSTAAFL
    June 26, 2012 5:28 pm
    David, you should know 'there ain't no such thing as a free lunch.'

    Taxpayer paid, of course. But it's hard to fault those that take advantage. Any more than the $3 donation optional lunches at the senior center. Fault those that tax fund without any need requirements.

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  • WAMA wrote...
    "Free Lunch"
    June 27, 2012 7:54 am
    My kids qualified for for "free" meals when they were going to school. I was informed of our eligibility and encouraged to sign up. School officials were puzzled when I insisted that I would make their lunches myself and send them to school with them. I managed to find the resources to do this even though the program standards indicated I could not. The first thing you do as a parent is feed your children. There is no stronger bonding activity than linking family with meals. Parents that participate in these programs,even if their circumstances dictate it to be necessary,undermine the cohesion of their parent/child relationship.
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  • messiah101 wrote...
    WAMA
    June 27, 2012 8:35 am
    This program is to fill the gap between parents who do feed their kids and those that do not.Face it biologically almost anyone can have kids but that doesn't mean you should have kids.Whats a 16 year old know about raising children? And when that child enters scholls the mom is in her early 20s and just learning how to survive in the working world.She was lucky if she graduated high school so likely is earning minimum wage. How would anyone be able to raise a kid while earning minimum wage?
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  • WAMA wrote...
    WAMA Reply
    June 27, 2012 11:31 am
    Messiah remember your own mother was only about 14 and she knew instinctively (together with guidance from the Holy Spirit) how to raise the Son of God. That facetiousness aside, note that I used my own personal experience. Do you have that experience? Parents who are not feeding their kids should be investigated as to why not and,if found neglectful,have them taken away. If they are conscientious parents,they should receive assistance that will get them out of dependency instead of programs that inculcate and sustain it. Unless, of course, you are in favor of kids having kids, dropping out of scholls(sic) and living on minimnum wage generation after generation.
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  • Chuck Gould wrote...
    Please follow the link and read the entire article, many of these lunches are not government funded....
    June 27, 2012 10:04 am
    Mr. Boze is right, there's a lot of government money being spent on these lunches- but he incorrectly implies that all of the lunches are publicly funded.

    Actually read the News Tribune story. All the way to the bottom. At the foot of the story, you will find a list of "sponsors" for the free lunch program. There are churches (St. Leo's, for example) and other organizations which aren't taxpayer supported. Yes, the majority of sponsors appear to be school districts, etc....but certainly not all.

    Huzzah for the charitable, religious and private philanthropy organizations involved in the free lunch programs. As far as I am concerned, they can buy lunch for anybody they want to...needy or not.

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  • kata wrote...
    hmph...
    June 27, 2012 10:34 am
    Dependency can be an endless circle - but when it comes to feeding children you need to be discerning about where you try and break that circle. I suppose there might be a parent somewhere forgoing feeding their children lunch in lieu of buying a bottle of booze or a carton of smokes - but the kid can't control that.

    I wish that public money wasn't necessary. Until more people are willing to move (that is, donate to church or charity) to bridge that gap it will continue. So drop a dime or two into your local food bank :)

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  • AmIalone wrote...
    Come on Dave
    June 27, 2012 11:10 am
    additional Federal Funds to help close those MASSIVE shortfalls the schools and Districts have are tied to how many free and reduced lunches they serve. Sad that so many families think new cars and smart phones are priority over feeding their children. This way everyone benifits, District gets more free money, parants get to cut their grocery bill enough to buy another Xbox game and the kids get some much needed food.
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  • cigarfan wrote...
    Better to feed kids than feed the military industrial complex....
    June 27, 2012 1:25 pm
    I'd be embarrassed to be some of the folks commenting on how feeding children is "wrotten". When you confuse adults (beer attempt by caravanb) or have no problem with corporate welfare and war profiteering but object to feeding children, you have truly drank the rightwing koolaid and failed as a human being. WWJD?
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  • Howdy wrote...
    Missing the point
    June 27, 2012 3:21 pm
    I think Dave's point was that programs like this only serve to make people dependant on government. Their success is defined on the amount of money spent- more expenses equal higher success- opposite of the private sector.

    But who cares- I hear they have hashbrowns and soylent green on tomorrows menu.

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  • cigarfan wrote...
    @Howdy
    June 27, 2012 3:35 pm
    Does Dave ever make the point that Military industrial programs only serve to make people dependant on government/War?
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  • Howdy wrote...
    Cigarfan
    June 27, 2012 3:50 pm
    I'm not sure if ever has and I'm not going to waste my time researching it.
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  • messiah101 wrote...
    Howdy
    June 27, 2012 9:19 pm
    Go to you tube and punch in iron cross Dwight D Eisenhower and see what a retired 5 Star General and GOP President had to say about welfare and military spending. Its only a few minutes long and will open your eyes to an ongoing problem
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