Ingrates Complain About The Free Food We Buy Them
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A cold cheese sandwich, fruit and a milk carton might not seem like much of a meal – but that’s what’s on the menu for students in New Mexico’s largest school district without their lunch money.
(B.S.–It seems like a damn good meal for free; and considering that it’s a whole lot better than the “meal” the parents gave the kid when he or she left the house…)
Faced with mounting unpaid lunch charges in the economic downturn, Albuquerque Public Schools last month instituted a “cheese sandwich policy,” serving the alternative meals to children whose parents are supposed to be able to pay for some or all of their regular meals but fail to pick up the tab.
(B.S.–These parents don’t even qualify for the “free” meal program and they’re complaining about receiving “free” food.)
Such policies have become a necessity for schools seeking to keep budgets in the black while ensuring children don’t go hungry. School districts including those in Chula Vista, Calif.; Hillsborough County, Fla.; and Lynnwood, Wash.; have also taken to serving cheese sandwiches to children with delinquent lunch accounts.
Critics argue the cold meals are a form of punishment for children whose parents can’t afford to pay. Parents who qualify for free meals are not affected.
B.S.–First of all, I don’t believe in schools providing “free” lunches at all. But how this can be called a punishment to poor people is beyond common sense. Isn’t there an old adage: “There is no free lunch.” That’s still true–American taxpayers are footing the bill– so don’t complain about the menu!
“We’ve heard stories from moms coming in saying their child was pulled out of the lunch line and given a cheese sandwich,” said Nancy Pope, director of the New Mexico Collaborative to End Hunger. “One woman said her daughter never wants to go back to school.”
B.S.–Why don’t you go to a restaurant and do the same thing…you’re not only going to be pulled out of line, you’re not going to get the cheese sandwich.
Some Albuquerque parents have tearfully pleaded with school board members to stop singling out their children because they’re poor, while others have flooded talk radio shows thanking the district for imposing a policy that commands parental responsibility.
Second-grader Danessa Vigil said she will never eat sliced cheese again. She had to eat cheese sandwiches because her mother couldn’t afford to give her lunch money while her application for free lunch was being processed.
“Every time I eat it, it makes me feel like I want to throw up,” the 7-year-old said.
Here you go my dear, will this be acceptable?
Her mother, Darlene Vigil, said there are days she can’t spare lunch money for her two daughters.
B.S.–Whose fault is that, lady? How much welfare are you already receiving? Don’t you get food stamps? Are you working with the local church, charities, and other outreach facilities? Why do you have a claim on my money before you have exhausted your friends, family, acquaintances and goodwill?
“Some parents don’t have even $1 sometimes,” the 27-year-old single mother said. “If they do, it’s for something else, like milk at home. There are some families that just don’t have it and that’s the reason they’re not paying.”
B.S. Report–Nobody in this country is left to starve on the street. Make an effort to go to the organizations that help people–there are so many of them that exist simply to feed people; the least the hungry person can do is find out about them and go there.
My grandfather owned a restaurant and he used to feed the local area bums who would come in and hit him up for a meal. He was not a wealthy man and this was quite a burden; physically and financially. Yet, he believed he had a responsibility to care for his fellow man.
He was not an exception–Americans are, personally, very giving. What we object to is having our money confiscated by government to propagate the irresponsible behavior of others. People who get handouts have a responsibility to behave in a certain way–so that in the future they won’t need handouts.
Back to my grandfather for a moment. He would give anyone who was hungry a hamburger. I remember one of the guys who came in for a meal asking for a steak. My grandfather said, “I have a moral obligation to feed you a meal–not provide you with a gourmet dinner at my expense.”
Enjoy the cheese sandwich people–others are working very hard to make it happen for you.
THE B.S. REPORT 