Veggie Pizza

I'm somewhat interested in politics.  Once in a while, I'm even passionate about certain things political.  I usually don't write about these things because I don't want to offend anyone and because I just don't see the need to do it--there are enough people commenting on stuff like that.

But something happened in Congress the other day that amazes me, frustrates me and just plain ticks me off.

Eat your veggies!

The Obama administration put forth potential regulations with the goal to make school lunches healthier.  Now, no matter what you think of government regulations, you have to admit that helping kids eat healthier is a good thing, right? 

The administration's proposals for school lunches worked to reduce the amount of potatoes (french fries) served, lower the amount of sodium used in prepared foods, increase the amounts of whole grains that are used and eliminates silly things like counting tomato paste as a vegetable when used on pizza. 

Well, Congress has said that they don't think that these ideas are all that good.  They released a spending bill that effectively kills the Obama proposals.  It prevents the reduction in fries, delays the limits on sodium and the increase in whole grains.  And it continues to view tomato paste as a vegetable. 

Now, why would Congress do this?  Well, for some, anything the the president does calls for some sort of opposition--no matter what it is.  But the ones really pulling the strings in this case are those who called for fighting these regulations: the potato industry, the frozen pizza industry, the salt industry.  Don't want those profits to drop!  Because you know how outside of schools, french fries, salt and frozen pizzas are rarely eaten.  (Yes, that's sarcasm.)

Some, including some schools, say that the regulations proposed by the administration are too stringent.  Some say that the government should not tell us or our kids what to eat.  But isn't it the responsibility of a government to protect the welfare of the citizens?  You can't ignore the fact that kids are less healthy and more obese than ever.  Yes, parents have a responsibility to feed their kids healthy food.  But a kid is going to eat what's offered in the lunch line--so why not offer healthier options?  Unhealthy kids turn into unhealthy adults, which affects all of us in many ways--not the least of which is increased healthcare costs. 

Sorry.  Stuff like this frustrates me.  You can read an AP article about these proposals here.