MN Progressive Project here, noting a Strib item which unlike much of Strib content, is authored in-house vs carrying an AP feed.
WAPO reports, here.
WAPO editorializes, with many helpful links, here. In particular, this study.
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It's not working. The party of NO says so.
Does that sound familiar by now?
Especially when Mr. Mitt's 47% might appear to benefit from something actually working. Calling it a failure first, then wanting to undermine it, from kid's eating healthy meals to expanding access to healthcare; it fails is the regular starting litany - the party of NO, showing up, saying so.
Truth stands on its own, so look, think, decide. Should the nation be channeled to eating healthy meals, as a first step to curtail eating-habit related later life healthcare costs? That as a part of bending down that curve, as we've heard so much about? Should that happen or at least be initiated at as early an age as possible? What is the downside to that? Whose ox might be gored by such a policy; organic and other growers; or food processing conglomerates? Does any reader know whether Cargill has a position on the school lunch question? If so, please leave a comment.
___________UPDATE___________
Burns' MPP item posed the question of whether the Strib's in-house authored item was puffing pro-Kline or whether it was aimed to be somewhat neutral but not offensive to Strib subscribers who might favor Kline. Keeping subscriptions being an aim, this day and age of the web. He drew an interesting comment from Mac Hall, who sees Kline much as I do:
Pro-Kline.
First, off before getting into the jest of the story, what about the timing ?
The word was out last week that Mike Obermueller was going to have a “big announcement”. Kline’s camp had to know this was coming … so did they push a story to make sure they had something going for whatever Obermueller did. Let’s remember that his committee held a hearing on food lunches in June 2013 … so why is this a Strib story now when the school year is coming to an end ?
Ya gotta remember who the audience is and how far the reader will follow the story.
Read the first line — “From his powerful perch as chairman of the House Education and Workforce Committee, GOP Rep. John Kline is trying to slow down implementation of new rules …”
The issue is not school meals … it’s the nanny state. And that first line was a campaign commercial.
That’s the message that he wants his supporters to hear … “we don’t want the government telling us what to feed our kids” (the fact that he voted to cut $40 billion from the food stamp program that helps feed children is not a concern.)
John Kline has been Penny Unwise and Pounds Foolish for years which I outlined before.
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[links in original; Crabgrass readers are encouraged to read each].
As Hall clearly seems to judge, Mike Obermueller is by far a superior choice in that Congressional district, over sending Kline back for yet more kid food Scroogery and more student loan obscenity (favoring Kline's for-profit phony-university support base, and yes, opinions can differ).
I regret not being in that district where an Obermueller vote might make a difference more so than a Perske vote in CD6 where I live, and where despite every reason in the world not to, the electorate likely will replace Bachmann with Emmer and not feel shame over it.
Perske seems like a genuinely nice guy, more capable than Emmer and more decently self-restrained, but Emmer has the Hubbard steamroller fired up, so we shall see.
Here is hoping for but not expecting a sound CD6 result. Send a buffoon to DC being the expectation.
However, in CD2 any thoughtful voters there should be sure to respond to Obermueller GOTV effort, since Kline is vulnerable and overdue for being phased out of politics, this cycle.
To contribute or learn:
.........................................
the Obermueller Campaign:
phone: 612-518-0498
email: info@mikeobermueller.com
P.O. Box 211682
Eagan MN, 55121
_____________FURTHER UPDATE_____________
More local commentary on the student lunch effort, here.
It does seem Strib's item cautiously but decidedly spins against the weight of criticism.
Hall is likely correct about that despite the very tedious and ever constant groundswell of Republican blog bleating over the press treating them wrongly - which clearly is a falsehood regardless of how often it is reiterated.
And - bonus time but a constant thread of a theme - more of the big lie GOP naysayers being contradicted by fact; this time on their "It does not work" healthcare posturing, here and here.
Again two items well worth the time it takes to read each.
The bigger the lie; the more it is repeated -- propaganda methodology likely with us since Roman times if not earlier. So, take that "It does not work" stuff with a major grain of skeptical and analytical salt. Fact in an ideal world trumps fiction. The Mindemin item about Stuart Mills makes that point well.
_____________FURTHER UPDATE_____________
Nobody jumps on Kline's diservice to the state and nation, hard and with spurs on. He deserves it.
Check out the maps MPR offers on obesity, something Kline does not suffer - he looks trim and fit, himself - unless his fat's all in the head. MPR notes on the "freedom to choose my [my kid's] school lunch as we'd feed him/her/them at home" mentality, the "no nanny state" worldview:
As for Kline, who didn’t offer any alternative in the article, he says the linking to campaign contributions is unfair.
Early on in 2011 comments to the USDA, General Mills weighed in against certain portion size restrictions and asked for a delay in mandatory implementation. The company’s Political Action Committee and employees have donated about $75,000 since 1997 to Kline, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
“I think we need to have a little more confidence and trust in the states and districts,” Kline said.
That’s how we got Mississippi, the fattest, least healthy, least educated state in the nation. In fact, the “freedom to” states tend to be the drain on obesity and health. Check this graphic from the Wall St. Journal.
[link in original] And with that, MPR publishes the charts proving that healthy food means less healthcare cost; and who wants their children to look like they come from Mississippi?
Besides, Kline's statement in the above quote begs the big question, how much "confidence and trust" should we have in John Kline's perspective and judgments?
Yes, it is a hypothetical for me in CD6 and a clear reality for CD2 voters to decide, but from a distance, I would cut the guy little to no slack. He gets money from the food lobby, and his convictions follow; he gets money from the phony-university crowd, and his convictions follow. He has VA socialized medical care available and the Congressional perks are far above average; and he is convinced a closer-to-universal healthcare situation is bad, for you and others and should be repealed or changed around to look like what existed before the admittedly limited reform steps were enacted; i.e., rule by the insurance bureaucrats aiming at enhancement of corporate bottom lines and not at providing the best for the most of our population. Their loss has been our gain, and why would anybody not in the 1% [or there AND fixed up fine as Kline is health-wise] dislike having better nationwide healthcare access available for all Americans?
UPDATE NOTE: Previously, at the beginning of the post just above the dotted and red highlighted text, this WAPO editorial was linked. In as simple and direct a way as possible it states why the program has merit as an improvement over a prior status quo, and why the WAPO editorial board supports it and opposes GOP efforts to water it down, tamper with it, or undermine it. Any reader who did not follow that link previously is urged to follow it now. Kline may be well intentioned in questioning things, and presuming that is the case and he is free of contributor influence, he nonetheless is plain wrong in attacking the plan and should stop.