Free Republic

I’m pretty critical of Senator John Hoeven at times, but he deserves credit for going to bat against federal overreach on school lunches. New federal guidelines that, among others things, limited calories in school lunches rankled parents and school administrators across the nation. It was a one-size-fits-all policy for a nation full of students who have very different nutritional needs.Now, thanks to the work of Senator Hoeven (who teamed up with Arkansas Democrat Mark Pryor), the calorie restriction is no more, though just for the 2012-2013 school year. So it’s a temporary reprieve, for now. From a press release sent...

Doyle urges legislation requiring schools to offer breakfast The Associated Press Published October 17, 2003 MONONA, Wis. - Gov. Jim Doyle urged lawmakers Friday to approve legislation that would require all Wisconsin schools to participate in the federal school breakfast program. Wisconsin ranks last in the nation in school breakfast participation. The federal program reimburses schools that offer free and reduced priced meals for students. Doyle said the legislation is needed because only 44 percent of Wisconsin's 2,471 public and private schools and residential childcare facilities with lunch programs also have breakfast programs. "We are failing our kids and failing...

February 27, 2003 9:10 a.m.Poor and FatA special problem in America. From the February 10, 2003, issue of National Review. When Bush budget officials recently reviewed the federal government's spending habits, they realized they weren't the only ones looking to trim some fat. Federal agencies, concerned with our eating habits, were proposing a host of initiatives aimed at fighting obesity; clearly, it isn't just the federal budget that needs a diet. About 60 percent of Americans are overweight, to such an extent that they risk health problems; 20 percent of us are obese; and 5 million Americans meet the criteria...