If Only North Dakota’s Reporters Asked The Tough Questions
Read through this long, in-depth article from Fargo Forum about so-called “farm to school” programs.
Notice something missing? How about a mention of how much these programs are costing the taxpayers at the local, state and federal levels? Wouldn’t you think that would be a side of the story that would be important for we citizens to consider?
Instead the article is all rainbows and sunshines about how we’re going to solve the childhood obesity epidemic (which we’re assured exists by no less an unbiased source than First Lady Michelle Obama’s website) by paying schools to plan and plant gardens to provide lunch for schools.
At a time when we’re graduating high school seniors who aren’t ready for college-level course work, at a time when our nation is collectively losing when our students are compared to students from other countries, should we really be focusing school resources on planting gardens for school lunches? Should we be spending school resources on shopping at farmers markets?
This cannot possibly be more efficient, from a tax dollar stand point, than ordering school lunches through existing contractors. And I’m more than a little skeptical that this is going to do anything to help obesity rates either.
Instead, I think it’s the sort of “sustainable” and “green” (local-grown vegetables don’t have to be shipped!) nonsense that liberals always get all drippy about no matter what the cost. Because reality doesn’t matter when it comes to these programs.
If it feels good, if it seems like it should work, then let’s spend tax dollars on it and to heck with reality!
Tags: farm to school, farmers markets, North Dakota News
