Posted on 10/21/2010 10:31:17 AM PDT by Ebenezer
(English-language translation)
The [Puerto Rico] Senate unanimously approved a bill by Popular Democratic Party (PDP) Senator Cirilo Tirado to ban the sale of junk food from vending machines and cooperatives that operate in the island's public schools.
The measure was presented by Majority Leader Roberto Arango, who called on his colleagues to vote in its favor. "We have to educate children, but we also have to offer them the correct choices to avoid chronic diseases," Arango stated.
For his part, PDP Minority Whip Eduardo Bhatia spoke about the obesity and overweight epidemic among the island's child population. "Nowadays, of all the jurisdictions of the United States, Puerto Rico is the place where children are more obese. Percentage-wise, the fattest children are those from Puerto Rico and, curiously, Puerto Rico is also where the least exercise is done," Bhatia said.
Likewise, he made a contrast between the intention of this bill in favor of the nutritional value of food children eat with the bill House Speaker Jenniffer González is sponsoring in favor of allowing Nutritional Assistance Program beneficiaries to buy food prepared in fast-food restaurants, cafeterias, and bakeries.
Meanwhile, Tirado indicated this is not the first time this bill is submitted. "This time is not the first time we present it. During the last 4-year term, it was pending in the House of Representatives, which did not want to act on it," he stated.
ping
Sooo it’s not about enforcing proper nutrition so they can study...it’s about managing their lives.
Every child is the property of the state.
Fried platanos, and guineos.
“We have to educate children, but we also have to offer them the correct choices to avoid chronic diseases,” Arango stated.
Ah, so by removing the “incorrect choices” we are really just offering the “correct choices”. I guess that makes it easy for the kids to make the correct choice, since there is no other choice available to them.
By the same measure, one could say I’m pro-Choice on abortion. I believe that women should have the freedom to make the choice for themselves, but I just think we should remove the “incorrect choice” (abortion), so that women will be free to choose from the “correct choices”.
And Mofongo.
Yum Yum Grandpa
They didn’t have it when I went to school. I was shocked that you could buy Cokes and candy bars in my son’s elementary school. About all we could get was pencils and pens from vending machines.
WE'RE NUMBER ONE! WE'RE NUMBER ONE! WE'RE NUMBER ONE!
On a serious note, I think it would be interesting to see how many of the overweight kids live in the city, with access to electronic entertainment, and how many live up in the mountains where there is little Internet or electronic time wasters.
When I lived on the Island in the mid to late 70's, we were either snorkeling at the beach, riding our bikes through the sugar cane fields, playing basketball at an outdoor court, or walking through the woods. Nobody was fat.
How did they taste?
Not to mention sorullos, pastelillos, empanadillas, tostones, and chicharrones.
I forget. Are rellenos de papas fried as well?
Ohmygosh! Bacalaítos! Who can forget bacalaítos?
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