North Dakota legislators fund food - for themselves, not for students
Those fancy steak dinners don't buy themselves, y'know.
Don’t let anyone tell you that North Dakota legislators don’t understand the importance of proper nutrition. It’s so important to them that they passed legislation to ensure state taxpayers pick up the tab to make sure that the most important of us can get three squares a day.
For themselves, that is. Public school kids? Not so much.
After rejecting a bill that would have provided free meals for low-income K-12 students in the state, the North Dakota Senate buttered the bread on a bill that will increase the amount of money they and other state employees receive for their meals.
Recently, the hungry, hungry hypocrites approved SB2124, which raised the amount of per diem 29 percent, from $35 to $45 per day. If passed by the House and signed by the governor, that will cost taxpayers $1 million over the next two years.
The Senate decided this is a better use of taxpayer money than the $6 million it would have taken to cover the cost of feeding school kids from low-income families. Last month, the Senate voted down HB1491 which would have provided free meals for kids in families below double the federal poverty level -- $60,000 per year in a family of four.
The federal government already provides free meals for kids at 130 percent of the poverty level and below. The state legislation would have covered the gap from 130 percent to 200 percent.
Sen. Mike Wobbema, R-Valley City, had a proper “let them eat cake” response.
“I can understand kids going hungry, but is that really the problem of the school district? Is that the problem of the state of North Dakota,” he said. “It’s really the problem of parents being negligent with their kids.”
Yes. He said that. But in all fairness, maybe he was hungry at the time. Being hungry can cause one to make irrational, insensitive statements.
Say what you will about the financial status of our state lawmakers – if they can afford to run for office, shouldn’t they be able to feed themselves off the taxpayers’ dime?
Sadly, it seems there is no federal program to feed state legislators.
Assistant Senate Majority Leader Jerry Klein, R-Fessenden, says the bump-up for legislators is necessary because food is pricier these days. He was joined by 13 other Republican senators who voted against the school lunch bill while voting to increase their own per diem.
For some low-income kids, school breakfast and lunch are the primary source of daily nutrition. These kids come from families that must prioritize other daily and monthly expenses: rent, utilities, transportation, and the like.
It seems unfair to ask them to tighten their belts since Bismarck steakhouses and other fine dining establishments have inconvenienced lawmakers by raising their prices.
Good to have you back, Bill.