Free lunches at school

[Peikko 1,575]

I think it's totally wierd to want to control the lives of those less fortunate than yourself...to educate people to make better choices is one thing, but to get totally irate because people make stupid, dumb choices that you would never, ever make and then want to somehow relegate them to the sidelines forever because of them...ho hum. well, there you go, I simply don't get why anyone would want to be so involved in the minutae of so many other lives.

[Aymerlu 3]

what about if you can afford the kids when you have them but then somewhere down the line life happens and you might not be able to afford the kids??...

Thank you for saying this Marilyn. Am I for the program? YES, however I feel the system needs to tighten it's reigns on some of the families that receive it. In 1999 when my life went to hell for a while, I had to use the program in the schools, however, because of my income, I received reduce lunch for my kids, not free lunches. If I had to pay for their lunches it would have cost me $100.00 a month and at the time, there was no way in hell I could have done that. Never in a million years did I ever think I would have to have a child on this program. Here I was a hard working nurse and due to life circumstances I really had no other choice. No I was not on welfare, food stamps or any other program because I made too much money. And yes.....I was providing healthy meals at home for my kids. The thing that really shocked me is that I was never told to supply my income verification to receive this.

I did learn something from my past hardship. I used to be one of the people not for the lunch program, because I had the attitude that I will never need it and the people that used it were losers. That slapped me right in the face! Having to be on the program was an eye opening experience for me. I'm so thankful that it was available when I needed it.

I just looked up the ratio of students on the lunch assitance program at my kids school and it is 3% in one school (300 students) and 5% in one school (410 students). When it's broken down like that, it's really not that many kids.

Edited August 26, 2007 by Aymerlu

[Aymerlu 3]

I think it's totally wierd to want to control the lives of those less fortunate than yourself...to educate people to make better choices is one thing, but to get totally irate because people make stupid, dumb choices that you would never, ever make and then want to somehow relegate them to the sidelines forever because of them...ho hum. well, there you go, I simply don't get why anyone would want to be so involved in the minutae of so many other lives.

And really.....no one really knows WHY some of these families have to use the program. I

[Ban Hammer 13,334]

what about if you can afford the kids when you have them but then somewhere down the line life happens and you might not be able to afford the kids??...

i suppose you've heard of insurance?

I think it's totally wierd to want to control the lives of those less fortunate than yourself...to educate people to make better choices is one thing, but to get totally irate because people make stupid, dumb choices that you would never, ever make and then want to somehow relegate them to the sidelines forever because of them...ho hum. well, there you go, I simply don't get why anyone would want to be so involved in the minutae of so many other lives.

when is the last time you looked at your tax bill? and as i recall, you've been a bit vocal about the spending in iraq.......

[Trompe le Monde 1,107]

what about if you can afford the kids when you have them but then somewhere down the line life happens and you might not be able to afford the kids??...

i suppose you've heard of insurance?

wild guess is that most people who qualify for free school lunches don't have health insurance for birth control (and many, many plans don't cover it)

[Jasman0717 9]

This is very political and the agency I work for is directly involved with it.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

I think it's totally wierd to want to control the lives of those less fortunate than yourself...to educate people to make better choices is one thing, but to get totally irate because people make stupid, dumb choices that you would never, ever make and then want to somehow relegate them to the sidelines forever because of them...ho hum. well, there you go, I simply don't get why anyone would want to be so involved in the minutae of so many other lives.

Agreed. There is an undercurrent of crude paternalism being expressed in some of the responses here - that implies that the poor (who are all apparently lazy and irresponsible) need everyone else to tell them what to do. Seems rather arrogant to me.

[Aymerlu 3]

what about if you can afford the kids when you have them but then somewhere down the line life happens and you might not be able to afford the kids??...

i suppose you've heard of insurance?

wild guess is that most people who qualify for free school lunches don't have health insurance for birth control (and many, many plans don't cover it)

Wrong guess. I left my ex that made around $80,000 who had me and my kids on his insurance plan. Insurance coverage at my work was $650.00 a month on my $38,000 income plus I got all my ex's f-in bills. Oh, and I will add that $650.00 a month was just coverage for my kids....NOT for me. If I had of chose to get insurance for myself I would have had to pay a whopping $900.00 a month!!!!Me having to use the program had nothing to do with if or when I had birth control available. This issue has nothing to do with birth control. Unless you have been there did that, I really don't think anyone can make assumptions.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

and your solution is to ban the programme rather than try to educate?

Makes perfect sense...

Educating parents to feed their kids? #######. Great a "new program" How to feed your kids, Totally absurd. Very typical response from someoneone who is driven only by emotion.

Driven by emotion!? :lol: :lol:

What are you driven by Marc? Take a look back at your posts in this thread.... You'll find far more 'emotion' there than in the post you highlighted above.

I should have been clearer I guess. Decisions should not be made based on emotions.

Ok - but then what is your basis for wanting this program to be scrapped? Based on what you've said so far it sure isn't based on anything specific or factual. Making a decision based solely on rhetoric is about emotion, not logic.

[Peikko 1,575]

when is the last time you looked at your tax bill? and as i recall, you've been a bit vocal about the spending in iraq.......

I look at my pay slip every week, never changes mind you...

Point to one post where I have made any reference to spending in Iraq. Just one will do.

[Peikko 1,575]

...as if it has any relevance to anything except as a typical red herring post.

[Heracles 417]

No the parents should suffer for their decisions and not everyone else. If your poor and not prepared to do the extra work; don't have kids..

Everyone goes on and on about their 'rights' and their 'right to choose' but conveniently, when they ###### up, someone else has to deal with it and pay for it. Welcome to the 21century where we are supposed to be intelligent and advanced.

Sorry to disappoint, but "their" rights are also "your" rights and mine -. if you and I have the choice of having or not children, so does everyone else.

Quick question: What about being pro-eugenics is intelligent or advanced?

It is quite simple really. If you cannot afford to have a child, don't.

[Peikko 1,575]

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

No the parents should suffer for their decisions and not everyone else. If your poor and not prepared to do the extra work; don't have kids..

Everyone goes on and on about their 'rights' and their 'right to choose' but conveniently, when they ###### up, someone else has to deal with it and pay for it. Welcome to the 21century where we are supposed to be intelligent and advanced.

Sorry to disappoint, but "their" rights are also "your" rights and mine -. if you and I have the choice of having or not children, so does everyone else.

Quick question: What about being pro-eugenics is intelligent or advanced?

It is quite simple really. If you cannot afford to have a child, don't.

And if you do (or rather, if you fall on hard times after you have the kid) then.... what.....?

P.S. Fred Thompson is an ugly motherf*cker.

Edited August 26, 2007 by Number 6

[Missbollinger 1]

If you've never been in the position where you have to look for help where you can you will never understand what some government programs exist and what they are worth to those that need them.

Last year as a family we experienced that for the first time. Our son just turned 9 and I was 3 months pregnant. Our income was cut in half by a labor dispute and even though DH had looked for work it was hard to gain employment in the area because the company he had worked for had so many people without jobs. We got good unemployment compensation but as I said it was nowhere near what he normally made. We went down to one car, DH had to work out of state and was away alot, working a job that paid a fraction more than unemployment. We didn't qualify for food stamps but we did get WIC which helped tremendously. Unfortunately when I miscarried we lost that too. That and the fact that we had thousands of dollars in medical bills from my miscarriage. We barely held onto our home and remaining car all because corporate wanted to make more profit and cut hours and wages.

13 months we struggled and even though DS qualified for free lunches we didn't take up the offer. It was still a relief to know those programs were in place in case we needed it. No one plans for their husband to be locked out of a job he has held for 12 years. No one plans on having a miscarriage. Our savings are depleted but slowly we are rebuilding our lives again.

Rewind over 13 mpmths ago. Two cars a beautiful home, money in savings and I was able to only need to to work p/t for 'fun' money. Some might say we had it made. How things can change literally overnight. Today we are a lot more frugal. I work from home more now to reduce childcare costs. We don't take anything for granted and my husband and I both are looking at ways to start a business, work for ourselves so we're never at the mercy of corporate America.