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I decided to pay off a school’s lunch debt

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Re: I decided to pay off a school’s lunch debt

#321

Post by analog31 »

ThomW wrote: post #314

It absolutely floors me that children are forced by law to attend school and they don't automatically get a hot meal. That's irresponsible.

A weird aspect of my childhood: I brought a sandwich to lunch every day when I was in school. At first, my mom made it, but very quickly it became my own job, not that it was particularly difficult.

The school had subsidized lunches and milk. I always brought a nickel for milk. The teacher collected everybody's lunch money at the start of the day. That way, it was utterly opaque who was getting it for free. A simple system, appropriate for the times.

But I remember that my lunch was always better than the grim school lunch, and I always wondered: Why can't they ditch the hot lunch, and just give everybody a nice sandwich, and a piece of fruit, which is better?

I'm sure there are good arguments for the hot lunch, but still it's counterintuitive to me. And 55 years later, I still bring a sandwich, or leftovers, for lunch, and skip the hot meal at the company cafeteria.

Re: I decided to pay off a school’s lunch debt

#323

Post by guywithahat »

This whole fight feels nonsensical. This isn't a money issue, it's just a convenience issue. It was the same way with my parents when I was in school; they made plenty of money, but it was a pain trying to fill a lunch card or give my cash to buy lunches.

There are a million programs for kids who are legitimately too poor to pay for lunches, not to mention bringing a lunch which is significantly cheaper and probably better for the kid. This guy just paid for lazy parents

Re: I decided to pay off a school’s lunch debt

#325

Post by throwaway2037 »

chasd00 wrote: post #217

DISD ( Dallas Independent School District ) has had free lunch for as long as i can remember. Free breakfast too. On school holidays you can still goto school and get a meal. I want to say they do this on weekends too. Granted, MREs from an Army surplus store are better than school lunch but it is free. I don't think my kids have ever eaten a school lunch. During COVID my wife and I got a EBT (food stamps) card in th…

    > I don't think my kids have ever eaten a school lunch.
I am confused why it was important to include this sentence in your post. Overall: Excellent. This sentence: Not required. Is this a flex?

Re: I decided to pay off a school’s lunch debt

#326

Post by monero-xmr »

kerkeslager wrote: post #290
camdenreslink wrote: post #259

New York State just passed universal free lunch and breakfast for public school students. Of all the things that we spend our tax dollars on, this feels like a no brainer. Making sure children are fed should be at the top of the list.

Stuff like this seems like such a dividing line to me. Like, in theory when people believe things that are morally wrong, I want to reach out to them with compassion and respect and try to gently persuade them to my side because we're all, in theory, on the same side. But if you don't want kids to be fed, I really am not sure we're actually on the same side any more and I really am not sure what to do with that.

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Re: I decided to pay off a school’s lunch debt

#327

Post by throwaway2037 »

kerkeslager wrote: post #299
bombcar wrote: post #105

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One of the "don't say the quiet part out loud" with transit fares (which would NOT apply to school lunches) is that transit fares are a convenient way to remove unwanted transit enjoyers. It is somewhat hard to define "being disruptive on the subway" but it's easy to define "doesn't have a ticket".

I've not been in a place with a functional transit system where fares were high enough to prevent disruptive people from boarding. I've seen rich people get onto Acela trains obnoxiously drunk. I have, on the other hand, seen transit operators (bus drivers, mainly) kick people who had paid fares off for being disruptive. The definition of "being disruptive on the subway" does not seem to be the barrier you think it i…

    > I've seen rich people get onto Acela trains obnoxiously drunk.
Were they disruptive?

Re: I decided to pay off a school’s lunch debt

#328

Post by rsingel »

rufus_foreman wrote: post #289
delfinom wrote: post #272

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I will blow your fucking mind. The entire economic future of you and all the taxpayers depends on those kids growing up. Our entire economic structure is a ponzi scheme at global scale. It depends on kids growing up and cashing into the stock market so people can cash out of their 401ks. So why not ensure those little gremlins and nice and plump when they grow up so we can retire more easily.

That's your argument? I have to finance other people's kids because otherwise the ponzi scheme collapses? Let it fall. No more ponzi schemes.

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Re: I decided to pay off a school’s lunch debt

#329

Post by gigatexal »

Bravo to this guy. I’m donating. I hope he continues to help kids but then helps get the legislation changed such that school lunches are free. It’s an investment in the kids. With food in their bellies they can better focus on learning.

Why the f should a child have to pay for their food at school the purpose is to learn not be faced with the realization their families are poor every single day.

Re: I decided to pay off a school’s lunch debt

#330

Post by elcritch »

ChrisMarshallNY wrote: post #222
brundolf wrote: post #196

Many people, especially in our subculture, tend to feel like if they can't solve an entire problem forever, if they can't Change The World, what they're doing is futile and pointless But most people can't change the world. Most individuals shouldn't have the power to change the world. What we can do is be a force for good in the lives that are proximal to us. If we can make a few people's lives better, we should rest…

One of my favorite quotes: > "I was in the Air Force a while, and they had what they call 'policing the area,' and I think that’s a pretty good thing to go by. If everyone just takes care of their own area, then we won’t have any problems. Be here. Be present. Wherever you are, be there. And look around you, and see what needs to be changed." -Willie Nelson

Reminds me of another one:

> To put the world in order, we must first put the nation in order; to put the nation in order, we must first put the family in order; to put the family in order; we must first cultivate our personal life; we must first set our hearts right.

Confucius, The Great Learning

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