Yeah, he said that last night at a rally in Des Moines, specifically addressing “the school-aged kids” in the audience.
Cute, right?
Two weeks ago, we went down this very same road with Governor Chris “I Don’t Care What School Kids Eat” Christie, so I know I should keep my mouth shut and move on.
Except.
Except. . . .
- Senator Cruz tells voters he wants to beef up the nation’s military. But retired military generals from both sides of the political aisle strongly support healthy school meal standards – the kind that don’t promote a lot of French fry consumption – purely as a matter of national security. Turns out you can’t have much of a military if the majority of your potential recruits are too overweight to fight.
- Senator Cruz is the parent of two young daughters, and presumably wants only the best for them. I’m guessing he
wouldn’t want them to become like the one in ten American kids who currently suffer from painful fatty liver disease caused entirely by poor diet. (“It’s like you’re being stabbed in your stomach with a knife,” said one 13-year old victim.) Twenty percent of those kids may eventually need a liver transplant, but they’re likely to be out of luck; looks like we’re not going to have enough livers to go around.
- Senator Cruz represents Texas, a state with the second highest Hispanic population in the nation. These Cruz constituents are at a much higher risk than the general population for obesity and its related diseases, including diabetes and fatty liver disease. Indeed, according to a 2015 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Hispanic-Americans are 50 percent more likely than whites to die from complications arising out of these two diet-related diseases. Hispanic kids, who participate in the National School Lunch Program in greater numbers than white, non-Hispanic students, therefore benefit exponentially when school meals are healthier.
- Senator Cruz says he wants to strengthen our economy and reduce healthcare costs, yet obesity – which I’ve never heard him mention on the campaign trail – has a huge impact on both of those goals. Just between 2005 and 2010, obesity-related healthcare costs rose an astonishing 48 percent, from $213 billion to $315.8 billion. And there are other, unexpected economic consequences from rampant obesity, everything from greater absenteeism (costing us $8.65 billion annually) and lower worker productivity (“a major source of drag on the economy”) to, reportedly, an additional billion gallons of gasoline used each year. Those are staggering financial burdens we all have to bear – even if Cruz does fulfill his quest to “repeal every word of Obamacare.”
But, whatever. Kids do love their junk food, so, absolutely, let’s be sure to bring it back to our school cafeterias at the first opportunity.
[Hat tip: Politico Morning Agriculture report for alerting me to the Cruz statement.]
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Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2016 Bettina Elias Siegel
R Swierszcz says
If this was 1970 that would probably still be ok because they used normal food products back then but today, no way!!!!! All they would be serving up is GMO garbage.
AB says
While eating healthy and having healthy options is important. I think having FREEDOM of choice is more important. Wither it is school lunches, vaccinations, homeschooling, etc. What happens when your choice is taken away and you happen to be on the wrong side of the fence! Plus I don’t trust our government to tell us what is best for us, especially in the food industry. We need education to make good choices. (I also don’t trust our government to fully educate.) We need to teach our kids what is the best choice.
Who knows maybe Heidi would cook those french fries in coconut oil!
Meloncholy31 says
Amen! Education not legislation.
Megan says
I couldn’t agree more! I can also see where Christie and Cruz’ statements are easily manipulated by the left. I don’t believe at all, that their intentions in these statements to be of ill will or for lack of care towards children but in fact the point being, it should not be up to a Government to decide what OUR children eat, but up to the parents as well as the schools to TEACH and EDUCATE our children on how to make smart choices. So what, we force the children to eat “healthy foods” during school lunch periods, which if they aren’t taught why and how to eat more healthily they will surely not eat at all, then go home stuff their faces with extra fat, sugar and salt because they didn’t eat at school.
This is all about properly educating families on how to eat properly and why it is so important to their health and future. Not forcing them to choose between the overcooked, soggy, brown broccoli or the mushy, canned fruit because the cafeterias are equally uneducated on how to properly cook and serve fresh fruits and vegetables. I use my own child as an example who adores fresh vegetables, who is fortunate enough to have a Chef and pro gardener for a mother. She will come home hungry every day she’s served these “healthy” school lunches because they look and taste terrible. She begs for a salad bar or even some soup. But if the schools and parents don’t educate the kids, and don’t know how to properly prepare and serve fresh, healthy foods, the kids WON’T eat them!
Warren Bobrow says
Rather than complain…. VOTE…
Anonymous says
It’s a shame this site has become such a liberal, democrat agenda pushing mess :-/
Lindsey Parsons says
Awesome! This is a totally non-partisan issue. Republican moms and Democratic moms want their kids to eat healthy. Someone needs to let the Republican leaders know this. Good job!
Bettina Elias Siegel says
Thank you!