Thread: School Bans Lunches Brought From Home for Health & Profit — Mostly Profit

I once read that women who have morning sickness (although I'd like it to be renamed "pregnancy nausea" because it isn't just in the morning) in the first trimester go on to have healthier babies (possibly less type2 diabetes). When you're feeling nauseated mostly what you can deal with eating are crackers and such (carb-rich foods). When read in conjunction with this article it brings up intriguing possibilities.

LMAO - The person needs to stop reading & believing everything they read. That is not true at all.

The more you read the ridiculous crap the more you wonder, "Are people this damn ignorant or is it a special day?!?" ... Now, lets blame it all on the mother....What's next? To be sure they can't get anymore ridiculous.

Schools may ban chocolate milk over added sugar
Christina Hoag, Associated Press – Mon May 9, 3:18 am ET

LOS ANGELES – Chocolate milk has long been seen as the spoonful of sugar that makes the medicine go down, but the nation's childhood obesity epidemic has a growing number of people wondering whether that's wise. With schools under increasing pressure to offer healthier food, the staple on children's cafeteria trays has come under attack over the very ingredient that made it so popular — sugar.

Some school districts have gone as far as prohibiting flavored milk, and Florida considered a statewide ban in schools. Other districts have sought a middle ground by replacing flavored milks containing high-fructose corn syrup with versions containing sugar, which some see as a more natural sweetener.

Los Angeles Unified, the nation's second-largest school district, is the latest district to tackle the issue. Superintendent John Deasy recently announced he would push this summer to remove chocolate and strawberry milk from school menus. But nutritionists — and parents — are split over whether bans make sense, especially when about 70 percent of milk consumed in schools is flavored, mostly chocolate, according to the industry-backed Milk Processors Education Program.

Many, including the School Nutrition Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Dietetic Association, American Heart Association, and National Medical Association, argue that the nutritional value of flavored low-fat or skim milk outweighs the harm of added sugar. Milk contains nine essential nutrients including calcium, vitamin D and protein.

A joint statement from those groups points to studies that show kids who drink fat-free, flavored milk meet more of their nutrient needs and are not heavier than non-milk drinkers. "Chocolate milk has been unfairly pegged as one of the causes of obesity," said Julie Buric, vice president of marketing for the Milk Processors Education Program.

Others note the nation's child obesity epidemic and say flavored milk simply needs to go. Eight ounces of white milk served in Los Angeles public schools contains 14 grams of natural sugar or lactose; fat-free chocolate milk has an extra six grams of sugar for a total of 20 grams, while fat-free strawberry milk has a total of 27 grams — the same as eight ounces of Coca-Cola. "Chocolate milk is soda in drag," said Ann Cooper, director of nutrition services for the Boulder Valley School District in Louisville, Colo., which has banned flavored milk. "It works as a treat in homes, but it doesn't belong in schools."

Flavored milk is also a target of British TV chef Jamie Oliver, who has made revamping school food a signature cause. For a segment to be aired on his "Food Revolution" TV show, he recently filled a school bus with white sand to represent the amount of sugar Los Angeles Unified school children consume weekly in flavored milk. "If you have flavored milk, that's candy," he told The Associated Press.

Oliver cheered Deasy's proposal to remove flavored milk from schools during a recent joint appearance on the "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" show.

If the school board adopts the ban, Los Angeles Unified would join districts including Washington and Berkeley, Calif. But efforts by some other districts turned sour after children drank less milk. Milk consumption drops by 35 percent when flavored milks are removed, according to the Milk Processors Education Program.

Cabell County, W.Va., schools brought chocolate milk back at the recommendation of state officials, and Fairfax County, Va., did the same after its dairy provider came up with a version sweetened with beet sugar rather than high-fructose corn syrup. The Florida Board of Education also backed away from its proposed ban on chocolate milk after the state agricultural commissioner urged the board to look at all sugary food and beverages served in schools.

The Los Angeles district has worked with its dairy supplier on flavored versions using the sweetener Truvia and chicory, district spokesman Robert Alaniz said. Cooper and others argued children will drink plain milk if that's what's offered. "We've taught them to drink chocolate milk, so we can unteach them that," Cooper said. "Our kids line up for milk."

Boulder Valley hasn't been barraged with complaints since removing chocolate milk two years ago, but it hasn't tracked whether milk consumption has dropped, she said.

Parents line up on both sides of the issue.

Deborah Bellholt, a South Los Angeles mother, said none of her six children ranging from pre-school to high school age will drink plain milk. "By allowing kids flavored milk, they still get the calcium they need," she said. "If not, they'd bypass it."

But Mimi Bonetti, a suburban Los Angeles mother with two elementary school-age children who drink plain milk, said she gets angry that chocolate milk is portrayed as nutritious. Children can get calcium and other nutrients from other foods, she said. "If you offer them the choice of chocolate or plain, of course they're going to choose chocolate," Bonetti said. "When you're telling kids that drinking chocolate milk is a healthy choice, it's sending the wrong message."

Ask kids, and most vote for chocolate. Suburban Los Angeles seventh-grader Nacole Johnson said plain milk tastes yucky. If there were no chocolate milk, "I wouldn't drink it," she said.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110509/...chocolate_milk


The parents are the first line of defense against child obesity
What should happen is to take those fat kids outside and let them play. Here in the United States school ‘s are cutting Physical education classes to save money and it hurting are children you can cut all the food in the world and it will not stop kids from being obesity . Because it is easier for parent to throw their children in front of a TV and games systems this country will never stop child obesity as long as the government is leading the fight and not the parents.

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The cause of obesity in this country is not Chocolate Milk or any of the other food. The cause is a generation (or two) of kids raised in front of the TV, whose concept of games is limited to a computer console, and who don't get anywhere near the physical activity their bodies need. Can't let the little imps climb trees, dig in the dirt, or tear around the neighborhood on bikes or skateboards they might get a boo-boo or get dirty.

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First of all, I agree with Jennifer --- this is not something government should be involved in, at all.

Second --- to ban chocolate milk might just have an unexpected rebound effect for some at-risk kids.
I know kids who are not offered milk at home, chocolate or otherwise, nor other calcium-rich consumables. The ONLY milk they will drink is the chocolate milk served at school. Take that away, and they have an inadequate amount of calcium in their diets to allow them to develop a strong skeleton.

Is this really what we want to see, people in their thirties developing skeletal weaknesses that used to be the realm of people twice that age, and all because we ban chocolate milk in school?

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50 years ago when I was in school there wasn't a overweight kid in my class, in my school, because we worked at home and exercised at school, we didn't sit around watching TV or playing computer games all day long. And we drank plenty of chocolate milk. It's not what you eat; it's what you do.

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When chocolate milk is outlawed, only outlaws will have chocolate milk.

While I believe that schools should serve healthy meals (and I don't think chocolate milk is unhealthy) the real problem is what the children eat and do at home. That's why they are obese, not from 8oz of chocolate milk once a day at school/5 of 7 days a week with "summers off".

I think it is important that children drink milk and if taking away their willingness to drink milk, then I am totally against it. I believe in children eating healthy but it's not the milk that is getting them obese. They spend too much time sitting on their butts playing video games, watching tv, sitting at the computer. Get them outside and moving where they can burn more calories than they take in by drinking a glass of flavored milk. Also the school cafeterias do not do the cooking. They use processed foods that can be reheated in the oven or zapped. This is not preparation using fresh unprocessed foods.

My kids were always actives in sports (which tired me out!) Depending on the season there was soccer, little league, basketball, hockey, and basketball. When their friends came over they did not sit inside the house. They were always outside running around, getting filthy and only came inside when they were thirsty or hungry. They were so active that before dinner I made them shower before they could come to the table to eat.

Originally Posted by jasmine

Maybe they should put recess back in schools, and P.E.

Here - it is gone by 6th grade.

Banning chocolate milk? That's ridiculous to me. There are kids that don't touch regular milk, that will drink chocolate. They could use 2% or skim chocolate milk.

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In Texas schools, a picture's worth 1,000 calories
Paul J. Weber, Associated Press – 1 hr 7 mins ago

SAN ANTONIO – Smile, schoolchildren. You're on calorie camera.

Health officials trying to reduce obesity and improve eating habits at five San Antonio elementary schools unveiled a $2 million research project Wednesday that will photograph students' lunch trays before they sit down to eat and later take a snapshot of the leftovers.

A computer program then analyzes the photos to identify every piece of food on the plate — right down to how many ounces are left in that lump of mashed potatoes — and calculates the number of calories each student scarfed down.

The project, funded by a U.S. Department of Agriculture grant, is the first of its kind in the nation. The cameras, about the size of pocket flashlights, point only toward the trays and don't photograph the students. Researchers say about 90 percent of parents gave permission to record every morsel of food their child eats. "We're trying to be as passive as possible. The kids know they're being monitored," said Dr. Roger Echon, who works for the San Antonio-based Social & Health Research Center, and who is building the food-recognition program.

Here's how it works: Each lunch tray gets a bar code sticker to identify a student. After the children load up their plates down the line — cole slaw or green beans? french fries or fruit? — a camera above the cashier takes a picture of each tray.

When lunch is over and the plates are returned to the kitchen, another camera takes a snapshot of what's left. Echon's program then analyzes the before and after photos to calculate calories consumed and the values of 128 other nutrients. It identifies foods by measuring size, shape, color and density. Parents will receive the data for their children, and researchers hope eating habits at home will change once moms and dads see what their kids are choosing in school. The data also will be used to study what foods children are likely to choose and how much they're eating.

Nine-year-old Aaliyah Haley went through the lunch line at W.W. White Elementary with cheesy enchiladas, Spanish rice, fat-free chocolate milk and an apple. Two cameras, one pointed directly down and another about tray-level, photographed her food before she sat down to eat. "I liked it. It's good food that was good for me," Haley said.

Just how healthy it was researchers don't know yet. Echon is still developing the program and expects to spend the first year of the four-year grant fine-tuning the equipment. By the 2012-13 school year, the Social Health & Research Center plans to have a prototype in place. Echon has already made some changes to the project. Echon learned that mashed potatoes served on some campuses are lumpier than those served on others. The program now accounts for consistencies and texture.

The database already includes about 7,500 different varieties of food. Echon said he started from scratch because there was no other food-recognition software to build upon. He insisted on creating technology to record meals because asking 8-year-olds to remember what they ate and write it down is seldom accurate.

Researches selected poor, minority campuses where obesity rates and diabetes risk are higher. Among those is White Elementary, which is just off a busy interstate highway on the city's poor east side, on a street dotted with fast-food restaurants and taquerias. In Bexar County, where the five pilot schools are located, 33 percent of children living in poverty are obese.

Researchers warn that obesity is not always the result of children eating too many calories. A previous study by the nonprofit center reported that 44 percent of children studied consumed calories below daily minimum requirements, but nearly one-third were still obese. Seven percent screened positive for type 2 diabetes.

Mark Davis, the school's principal, said getting consent from parents hasn't been a problem. He suspects the small number of parents who withhold consent don't understand the project, perhaps thinking it limits what their child can eat at school. "Nothing in the program says they can't have something," Davis said. "It just says we're tracking what it is."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110512/...calorie_camera

Fight fat even in toddlers, preschoolers
Lauran Neergaard, Ap Medical Writer – 2 hrs 23 mins ago

WASHINGTON – A food pyramid just for the under-2 set? Contrary to popular belief, children don't usually outgrow their baby fat — and a new report urges steps to help prevent babies, toddlers and preschoolers from getting too pudgy too soon.

That's a growing problem: Already, one in five preschoolers — 2- to 5-year-olds — is overweight or obese.

Topping the list of proposed changes: better guidelines to help parents and caregivers know just how much toddlers should eat as they move from baby food to bigger-kid fare. And making sure preschoolers get at least 15 minutes of physical activity for every hour they spend in child care.

Thursday's recommendations, from the Institute of Medicine, aren't about putting the very young on diets. But those early pounds can lead to lasting bad effects on their health as children grow, says the report.

"It's a huge opportunity to instill good habits at a time when you don't have to change old ones," said Leann Birch, director of Pennsylvania State University's Center for Childhood Obesity Research, who chaired the IOM panel.

Consider: Babies drink milk until they're full and then turn away. But children as young as 2 or 3 are sensitive to portion size, important in not inadvertently training them to overeat.

"If you give them larger portions, they eat more," Birch explained.

Pediatricians generally give pretty explicit directions on how to feed babies. And the nation's dietary guidelines include a special section for preschoolers, including information that a portion size generally is about 1 tablespoon of each food type per year of age.

But overall, those national guidelines are aimed at ages 2 and older — though surveys show even very young children eat too few of the fruits and vegetables they need. So the institute called on the government to create consumer-friendly dietary guidelines for birth to age 2.

That would capture the "dramatic dietary transition that occurs, from consuming one single food to, by the time they're 2, ordering up things from McDonald's and, we hope, having also learned to eat a lot of healthy foods," Birch said.

That will be part of the discussion during the next dietary guidelines update in 2015, said Robert Post, deputy director of the Agriculture Department's Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, which oversees that process. But developing guidelines for these younger children is complex because their nutrition needs are based in part on developmental stage, he cautioned.

Of course, parents have the biggest influence over whether healthy eating and being active become a child's norm.

But the report makes the case that children's habits are influenced by far more than their parents — and thus it's time to expand obesity prevention to more of the other places youngsters spend time. For example, nearly three-fourths of children ages 2 to 5 spend at least part of their day in some form of child care.

Among the recommendations:

_ Day care and preschool operators should be trained in proper physical activity for young children, provide at least 15 minutes of it per hour, and avoid withholding physical activity as a punishment.

_ Child care regulations should limit how long toddlers and preschoolers sit or stand still to no more than 30 minutes at a time — and limit holding babies in swings, bouncy seats or other equipment while they're awake.

_ Day care and preschools should practice what's called responsive feeding: providing age-appropriate portion sizes, teaching children to serve themselves properly, requiring adults to sit with and eat the same foods as the children and following babies' cues as to when they've had enough.

_ Breastfed infants are less likely to become obese later in childhood, so doctors and hospitals should encourage breastfeeding and limit formula samples aimed at new moms.

_ At checkups, doctors should consider the parents' weight in assessing which children are at risk of later obesity, and then alert parents early that preventive steps are needed. About 10 percent of infants and toddlers already weigh too much for their length.

_ To increase healthful eating among the poorest children, the government should take steps to get more families who are eligible for federal nutrition-assistance programs to sign up.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110623/...ungest_obesity

comments

preschool through hs insist that kids constantly eat. when my kiddo began kindergarten the teacher demanded i send him a snack for recess. i had never heard of "snack" and thought it odd as he just ate breakfast and would soon eat lunch. to placate the crazed teacher i sent in food he hated and wouldn't eat. when volunteering i was disgusted by the supersized snacks and man-sized lunches the kids shoved in their faces (they also had snack afterschool and of course after sports). over the years i've looked into many school rooms rich and poor and its the same everywhere. the rich kids are less likely to be fat as the kids throw away the vegetables their helicopter parents send in while the poor gorge on expensive junk food. no amount of exercise will counteract a 3000 calorie diet in a kindergartner.

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Who writes this crap.. I had 5 children , some thin and some with baby fat.. the thin ones grew a little constantly the chubby ones had growth spurtes where they would grow inches and then stop and do it again . these people who did this study probably don't have kids at all. had a sister in law that didn't want her kid to get chubby so fed her only small amounts , but the child was a closet eater because she was hungrey all the time. My grandson was short and chubby but them in Middle school he started to grow and grow but never gained any weight and now at 19 is very tall and thin... So they don't know what they are talking about

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This is true about the additives in foods. High fructose corn syrup which was added in the 1980's to foods and drinks is causing the obesity epidemic. You never saw all the fat people before that. Now every other person you see has a big gut and a big bottom. Manufacturers of food and drink must stop being rewarded by using corn syrup. It is causing high cholesterol and diabetes and it is damaging to the liver because of the way in which the body processes it. Until these changes are made to our food and drink supply nothing will change.

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They can do all the studies they want to, scream all they want to and it's not going to do one stinking bit of good. There is one simple fact that cannot be overlooked.

The additives in our food and the quality of the food is what's making people fat. You can diet all you want, but as long as you are eating food with garbage in it.

Before you do a thumb's down, think about this. Prior to the 1970's the food that was considered "fast" food, burgers and such, were still real food, aftre that, the additives began creeping in. Also, people were much more active, there was nothing to sit inside for, there were maybe, what, 3 tv channels with not too great programs. Once America developed that taste and craving for fast foods, and the quality of those foods went downhill the weight began to creep up. Aftre fast foods came "convience" foods, pre-packaged replaced home cooked. Some ads over the years really tried to convience people that home cooked was not good for you.

About the only way the American people are going to get in decent shape again is 1.) no fast food at all, 2.) cut sugar consumption by half,
3.) Increase exercise for everyone, 4.) limit tv and computer time to 1/4 of what people do now, 5.) No chemicals or pesticides sprayed or added to crops, 6.) no chemicals added to foods period Yeah, like that's really going to fly. Sadly, most people don't have the will power to stay away form junk/fast foods. Until that happens, weight issues will be around...........

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without a study - they'll also find that most fat kids have fat parents. Let's ban fat parents from having kids. How far do people want goverment in their lives? And cut the food stamp program. only offer these parasites coupons for free lettuce, vegatables and fruit, and once week a month for red meat.
Seeing all the fat people in the welfare offices - it's apparent we're hurting our own heathcare system by over feeding the poor - obviously they cannot take care of themselves so we need to tell them what they can and cannot eat/drink. Also remove their televions and computers - parasites don't need more things to distract them from getting a job - not that it's their goal but it should be the country's

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Much of the fat epidemic is lazy parents raising lazy children.

Potato chips are piling on the pounds, study finds
Alicia Chang, Ap Science Writer – Wed Jun 22, 6:33 pm ET

LOS ANGELES – Blame the potato chip. It's the biggest demon behind that pound-a-year weight creep that plagues many of us, a major diet study found. Bigger than soda, candy and ice cream.

And the reason is partly that old advertising cliche: You can't eat just one. "They're very tasty and they have a very good texture. People generally don't take one or two chips. They have a whole bag," said obesity expert Dr. F. Xavier Pi-Sunyer of the St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center in New York.

What we eat and how much of it we consume has far more impact than exercise and most other habits do on long-term weight gain, according to the study by Harvard University scientists. It's the most comprehensive look yet at the effect of individual foods and lifestyle choices like sleep time and quitting smoking.

The results are in Thursday's New England Journal of Medicine.

Weight problems are epidemic. Two-thirds of American adults are overweight or obese. Childhood obesity has tripled in the past three decades. Pounds often are packed on gradually over decades, and many people struggle to limit weight gain without realizing what's causing it.

The new study finds food choices are key. The message: Eat more fruits, vegetables, whole grains and nuts. Cut back on potatoes, red meat, sweets and soda. "There is no magic bullet for weight control," said one study leader, Dr. Frank Hu. "Diet and exercise are important for preventing weight gain, but diet clearly plays a bigger role."

Doctors analyzed changes in diet and lifestyle habits of 120,877 people from three long-running medical studies. All were health professionals and not obese at the start. Their weight was measured every four years for up to two decades, and they detailed their diet on questionnaires.

On average, participants gained nearly 17 pounds over the 20-year period.

For each four-year period, food choices contributed nearly 4 pounds. Exercise, for those who did it, cut less than 2 pounds.

Potato chips were the biggest dietary offender. Each daily serving containing 1 ounce (about 15 chips and 160 calories) led to a 1.69-pound uptick over four years. That's compared to sweets and desserts, which added 0.41 pound.

For starchy potatoes other than chips, the gain was 1.28 pounds. Within the spud group, french fries were worse for the waist than boiled, baked or mashed potatoes. That's because a serving of large fries contains between 500 to 600 calories compared with a serving of a large baked potato at 280 calories.

Soda added a pound over four years. Eating more fruits and vegetables and other unprocessed foods led to less weight gain, probably because they are fiber-rich and make people feel fuller.

For each four-year period, these factors had these effects on weight:

• An alcoholic drink a day, 0.41-pound increase.

• Watching an hour of TV a day, 0.31-pound increase.

• Recently quitting smoking, 5-pound increase.

People who slept more or less than six to eight hours a night gained more weight.

The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health and a foundation. Several researchers reported receiving fees from drug and nutrition companies.

"Humans naturally like fat and sweet," said Dr. David Heber, director of the UCLA Center for Human Nutrition, who had no role in the study. "That's why we always tell people to eat their fruits and vegetables."

Pi-Sunyer, who also wasn't involved in the research, said the study gives useful advice.

"It's hard to lose weight once you gain it," he said. "Anything that will give people a clue about what might prevent weight gain if they follow through with it is helpful."

The federal government earlier this year issued new dietary guidelines advising people to eat smarter. This month, it ditched the food pyramid — the longtime symbol of healthy eating — in favor of a dinner plate divided into four sections containing fruits, vegetables, protein and grains.

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Online: New England Journal of Medicine: http://www.nejm.org

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110622/...et_weight_gain

Study: School bans don’t stop soda consumption
Nov 08, 2011 8:19 AM CST

(CNN) - According to a study by researcher at the University of Illinois at Chicago, taking soda machines out of schools hasn't curbed childhood obesity rates. They found kids just get their fixes somewhere else or switch to drinking more sugary fruit juices and high-calorie sports drinks instead.

The study looked at thousands of students in 40 states. It included schools that banned only sodas, schools that banned all sugary drinks and schools that allowed any drink to be sold. Researchers found that in all three types of schools, the rate of obesity was about the same - 22-percent.

http://www.wafb.com/story/15985625/s...da-consumption

They found kids just get their fixes somewhere else or switch to drinking more sugary fruit juices and high-calorie sports drinks instead.

Shocking !

Michelle Obama’s Unsavory School Lunch Flop
by Michelle Malkin December 21, 2011

The road to gastric hell is paved with first lady Michelle Obama’s Nanny State intentions. Don’t take my word for it. School kids in Los Angeles have blown the whistle on the east wing chef-in-chief’s healthy lunch diktats. Get your Pepto Bismol ready. The taste of government waste is indigestion-inducing.

According to a weekend report by the Los Angeles Times, the city’s “trailblazing introduction of healthful school lunches has been a flop.” In response to the public hectoring and financial inducement of Mrs. Obama’s federally subsidized anti-obesity campaign, the district dropped chicken nuggets, corn dogs and flavored milk from the menu for “beef jambalaya, vegetable curry, pad Thai, lentil and brown rice cutlets, and quinoa and black-eyed pea salads.”

Sounds delectable in theory. But in practice, the initiative has been what L.A. Unified’s food services director Dennis Barrett plainly concludes is a “disaster.” While the Obama administration has showered the nation’s second-largest school district with nutrition awards, thousands of students voted with their upset tummies and abandoned the program. A forbidden-food black market — stoked not just by students, but also by teachers — is now thriving. Moreover, “(p)rincipals report massive waste, with unopened milk cartons and uneaten entrees being thrown away.”

This despite a massive increase in spending on nutritional improvements — from $2 million to $20 million alone in the last five years on fresh produce. This despite a nearly half-billion-dollar budget shortfall and 3,000 layoffs earlier this year.

Earlier this spring, L.A. school officials acknowledged that the sprawling district is left with a whopping 21,000 uneaten meals a day, in part because the federal school lunch program “sometimes requires more food to be served than a child wants to eat.” The leftovers will now be donated to nonprofit agencies. But after the recipients hear about students’ reports of moldy noodles, undercooked meat and hard rice, one wonders how much of the “free” food will go down the hatch — or down the drain. Ahhh, savor the flavor of one-size-fits-all mandates.

There’s nothing wrong with encouraging our children to eat healthier, of course. There’s nothing wrong with well-run, locally based and parent-driven efforts. But as I’ve noted before, the federal foodie cops care much less about students’ waistlines than they do about boosting government and public union payrolls. In a little-noticed announcement several months ago, Obama health officials declared their intention to use school lunch applications to boost government health care rolls. Never mind the privacy concerns of parents.

Big Government programs “for the children” are never about the children. If they were, you wouldn’t see Chicago public school officials banning students from bringing home-packed meals made by their own parents. In April, The Chicago Tribune reported that “unless they have a medical excuse, they must eat the food served in the cafeteria.” The bottom line? Banning homemade lunches means a fatter payday for the school and its food provider.

Remember: The unwritten mantra driving Mrs. Obama’s federal school lunch meddling and expansion is: “Cede the children, feed the state.” And the biggest beneficiaries of her efforts over the past three years have been her husband’s deep-pocketed pals at the Service Employees International Union. There are 400,000 workers who prepare and serve lunch to American schoolchildren. SEIU represents tens of thousands of those workers and is trying to unionize many more at all costs.

In L.A., the district’s cafeteria fund is $20 million in the hole thanks to political finagling by SEIU Local 99. The union’s left-wing allies on the school board and in the mayor’s office pressured the district to adopt reckless fiscal policies awarding gold-plated health benefits to part-time cafeteria workers in the name of “social justice.” As one school board member who opposed the budget-busting entitlements said: “Everyone in this country deserves health benefits. But it was a very expensive proposal. And it wasn’t done at the bargaining table, which is where health benefits are usually negotiated. And no one had any idea where the money was going to come from.”

Early next year, Mrs. Obama will use the “success” of her child nutrition campaign to hawk a new tome and lobby for more money and power in concert with her husband’s re-election campaign. It’s a recipe for more half-baked progressivism served with a side order of bitter arugula.

http://michellemalkin.com/2011/12/21...flop/#comments