Utah School Fined $15,000 [by Obama] for Accidentally Selling Soda During Lunch

theblaze.com ^ | May 17, 2012 | Jonathon M. Seidl

[grundle]

A Utah high school is learning the hard way that the government is serious about nudging students away from food it doesn’t want them to consume. Davis High School in the Salt Lake City area is having to fork over a whopping $15,000 in fines to the Feds because it accidentally sold soda through a vending machine during lunch.

Federal law requires the school to turn off its soda machines during the lunch period, which is 47 minutes a day. And Davis High school did turn off the machines in the lunch room. However, the school didn‘t realize that there was another machine in the school bookstore that wasn’t being turned off. And when the food police realized it, the school was hit with a $0.75 fine per student for the duration of the offense.

Now the school is going to have to cut money to fine arts programs to make up the cost.

But here’s where things really get nutty, so to speak. Davis High School Principal Dee Burton said that the law is disingenuous. For example, while students can’t buy soda, they can buy sugar-loaded sports drinks and even Snickers bars because they contain, you guessed it, nuts. In addition, students can buy soda earlier in the day before the machines get turned off and drink it during lunch.

And simple economics is at play, too. The ban isn’t forcing students to stop drinking or eating the sugar-laced food and drink. It’s just driving them to places where they can get it.

“The misconception is if we don’t let kids buy candy and pop, we drive them to the cafeteria, it doesn’t drive them to the cafeteria it drives them off campus,” Burton told KUTV.

One commenter on the KUTV website picked up on that.

“The principal is right, the kids will leave campus. What are you going to do? Close Walmart and Quick Trip for 47 minutes every day?” the commenter wrote.

Don’t give them any ideas.

[Lurker]

Just refuse to pay their stupid fine. Tell ‘em to stuff it.

[sunny48]

If the school is a federally run institution, then you have the government sueing itself. So instead of sending the money to the school they can just keep it and it goes into whose pocket.
Somebody pissed somebody off.

[NU Huskie In ME]

$15,000 fine will force cut in Fine Arts program??? Why not cut it from the administrators budget since they were responsible to shut off the machines.

That’s right, there is no way to cut their budget or teachers union budgets.(Sarcasm On)

The fine is ridiculous but at least punish those responsible. I don’t think the Band or Choir is responsible to unplug soda machines.

[Carriage Hill]

“It’s going to take a lot of time and patience to fix what the last 3 plus years of Obama and cronies have done!!”

If they get another 4yrs, the damage will be complete and irreversible. America is gone, for good.

[Doomonyou]

And when the food police realized it, the school was hit with a $0.75 fine per student for the duration of the offense.

$15,000.00 Fine. 20,000 Students?

[wbill]

driving them off campus to eat

When I was in HS, the powers that be just removed the soda machines.

So, we used to cut class and walk over to the local quickie mart for a soda.

More often than not, we'd pick up a pack of butts (QM's motto? "Not 18? meh. If your money is green, you can buy this") and have a smoke or two on the way back, as well.

So, instead of having an evil, sugar laden Coca-Cola during lunch (when, most normal people would have one).... we skipped school and smoked.

The dichotomy between Liberal Legislation, and the law of unintended consequences, is endlessly fascinating to me.

[JustSayNoToNannies]

Sounds like how the War On Drugs works (i.e., less than not at all).

[Wurlitzer]

What law or regulation and which unconstitutional department is demanding this and or enforcing it?

Seems like a great target for immediate elimination along with every pencil neck government stooge employed therein.

[GeronL]

These are the same people who think these kids are mature enough for sex.

[tpanther]

good point.

And I’m surprised with peanut allergies they haven’t banned the snickers and other candy with peanuts.

[tpanther]

The carnage is irreversible from the Clintoon debacle.

We’re presiding over the fall of western civilization, I’m sad to say!

[grundle]

I think the fine is cumulative over each day the vending machine is turned on, in addition to being based on the number of students.

[ExCTCitizen]

“The principal is right, the kids will leave campus. What are you going to do? Close Walmart and Quick Trip for 47 minutes every day?” the commenter wrote.

We need to close the FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, not Wal-Mart and Quick Trip!!

Don’t give them any ideas.

Hey Chuck and Bob Casey....here's your next bill after the Saverin bill gets passed....'the Wal-Mart and QuickTrip 47 minutes School Lunch Closure Bill of 2012.'

[IronJack]

the food police

And who are they? Does someone come around inspecting schools to make sure vending machines are turned off every lunch period? We're actually paying someone for something so stupid?

[boop]

Heh, we had open lunch in the 80's and all the kids knew that there was a store a block from the HS that sold smokes to minors. No questions asked. In fact I'd wager they even let a couple of malt liquors "slide" as well.

I went back recently and the store is still there.

[ex91B10]

"Just say no - “Not paying it.”"

Bingo. That is the key.

Do not pay your property taxes, income taxes, fines and 'costs', the tax portion of your phone and utility bill[s], "user fees"...the list is endless. The system would be overwhelmed and grind to a halt. If threatened with jail, GO! Do not accept plea bargains; make them spend the dough. When some lazy assed govt. worker tells you "It's the law" or "It's our policy", make them show it to you. As I stated, the possibilities are endless.

Oh, but you might lose your credit rating and your home and your car and your job and your family you say? Our founders lost all that, while some lost their lives to implement this grand experiment.

Shy of using the 4th Box [see tag line], I think this is the quickest and cheapest method of crippling government at all levels.

[And yes, I practice what I preach]

[x]

Federal law requires the school to turn off its soda machines during the lunch period, which is 47 minutes a day.

Who's the Solon or Lycurgus responsible for this legislative masterwork?

[Ken H]

"the school didn‘t realize that there was another machine in the school bookstore that wasn’t being turned off"

How was a drink machine sneaked into the school bookstore (school bookstore?) without the knowledge of any relevant school officials?

Reread what you quoted. They knew the machine was there. They didn't know that it was not being shut down when it was supposed to be.

[tbw2]

My kids’ school set up a sign on the vending machine that said it cannot be used by students during school hours. Before school is hard to stop, during the day it is used by teachers, after school it is used by everyone. All the school loses is revenue from the sales to students.

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

So these federal NUMBSKULLS think that forcing a school to reduce music and art classes is infinitely preferable to a coke machine being left on in a school store???

Nanny State PING!