Current Events vs. Founding Documents
This column presents facts regarding the United States Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, the Wisconsin State Constitution, and various other documents in reference to modern topics. Mark hopes to encourage interest in those works so that others can consider whether our government is practicing within its constitutional limits. In the last category, he may indicate his opinion. Mark is a resident of New Berlin. Readers are encouraged to visit the following sites for more information on the United States Constitution and Thomas Jefferson's views on politics and government.
Federal Lunch Dictate
Entry 160
Current Event
According to FoxNews.com, September 18, 2012
High school students boycott school cafeteria over new lunch restrictions
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With new federal guidelines dictating what is served at school cafeterias during lunch time, school districts all over the country have reworked their menus to accommodate the new rules. The changes include serving more whole grains, daily doses of fruits and vegetables, less sugar and salt, and only low- or non-fat milk.
For the first time, school lunches must have age-aligned calorie maximums, capping the amount of calories high school students eat to around 850 calories. The new restrictions all come from the updated Dietary Guidelines for Americans from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and are funded by the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 – legislation promoted by Michelle Obama.
While the changes may seem like a step in a healthier direction, not all students are finding them so tasty. On Monday, about 70 percent of the 830 students at Mukwonago High School in Wisconsin who typically buy their lunch boycotted the school’s cafeteria, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported. The high schoolers were joined by middle schoolers in the district, reducing the number of lunches sold by half.
According to the Journal Sentinel, the Mukwonago School District is not alone, as many other schools nationwide are also reporting students frustrated with the new rules.
One such student from Mukwonago High, Nick Blohm, said the healthier food is not so much the problem as it is portion size. A 6-foot-3-inch, 210-pound linebacker, Blohm said he burns around 3,000 calories during three hours of football practice and weight training. He’s also the class president, and he’s taking various Advanced Placement classes. But the new caps, he said, are making it harder to perform both physically and academically.
"A lot of us are starting to get hungry even before the practice begins," Blohm told the Journal Sentinel. "Our metabolisms are all sped up."
Another issue for students at Mukwonago is the new pricing, the Journal Sentinel said. A 10-cent price increase was added to lunches by the USDA in order to make lunches closer to the $2.86 it typically reimburses for students who qualify for free lunches. That increased raised the new lunches from $2.40 to $2.50.
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According to the Federal government:
Certification of Compliance With Meal
This rule requires State agencies to certify participating school food authorities (SFAs) that are in compliance with meal pattern and nutrition standard requirements as eligible to receive performance-based cash assistance for each reimbursable lunch served (an additional six cents per lunch available beginning October 1, 2012 and adjusted annually thereafter). This rule also requires State agencies to disburse performance-based cash assistance to certified SFAs, and withhold the performance-based cash assistance if the SFA is determined to be out of compliance with meal pattern ornutrition standards during a subsequent administrative review. The intended effect of this rule is to provide additional funding for SFAs to implement new meal pattern requirements, thus increasing the healthfulness of meals served to schoolchildren.
FAILURE TO COMPLY.—Beginning on the later of the date described in subparagraph (A)(ii)(II), the date of enactment of this paragraph, or October 1, 2012, school food authorities found to be out of compliance with the meal patterns or nutrition standards established by the implementing regulations shall not receive the additional reimbursement for each lunch served described in this paragraph.
VS
Federal Government vs. The Constitution
Founding Document
The US Constitution, Amendment 10
The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.
"When governments fear the people, there is liberty. When the people fear the government, there is tyranny. (Thomas Jefferson)
We the People:
How can the federal government dictate something over which it has no legitimate constitutional authority? Are we too fearful to assert local liberty? Which is fearfully submitting; the federal government or the school boards?
Students: When the President said “eat your peas”, he meant it. Is this closer to liberty, or closer to tyranny?
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