Hint: the short answer is NO.
Earlier this week I scanned this opinion piece by Oklahoma Voice editor, Janelle Stecklein, Stitt shouldn’t have opted out of USDA program that feeds hungry youth. In fact, I admit I didn’t spend too much time reading it because I know the bottom line – children are starving and it’s government’s job to force dollars from the hands of its citizens to feed them.
NOPE.
First of all, THIS IS A NEW PROGRAM. It is not the Title 1 government funding for nutrition programs that NO Oklahoma governor has ever refused – ever.
Secondly, the government has no money other than what it takes by force from its citizens. Government’s jobs are to be few and those don’t include feeding people. Churches and non-profits offer the opportunity for individuals to help the poor and hungry.
Thirdly, the government is trillions and trillions of dollars in debt. IT HAS NO MONEY PERIOD. The more it prints, the higher inflation rises and the less money our children are going to have to set up and run their own households and raise their own children. Americans are already living on borrowed money and when the bottom falls out, most ALL of us will suffer the consequences of hunger and scarcity.
But charity giving is down. Ok. Let’s get the government to quit usurping the jobs of the private sector and force that to return.
But kids are starving. Then how do we explain the explosion in childhood obesity rates?
But kids can’t learn when they’re hungry. That’s what Title 1 funds are for and the government feeds children breakfast and lunch 5 – and sometimes more – days a week in our tax dollars. Yet, I’ve even advocated turning that job over to non-profits and removing Oklahoma from the federal government teat. Do you know how often Oklahoma is forced to create rules and laws to get those funds? Rules and laws that separate citizens further from their government and trade individual liberty for group comfort?
Sadly, the author has one really good point – we’re shelling out millions of taxpayer dollars to make sure people get subsidies for sending their kids to private schools, but we won’t take more money from taxpayers to feed kids. Interesting. But then again, there aren’t tons of “nutrition choice” PACS out there giving money to every legislator on God’s green earth to subsidize private organizations through the state to provide every parent their choice of nutrition for their children either…
So, my solution is this; GOVERNMENT, STOP SUBSIDIZING PRIVATE FAMILIES AND BUSINESSES. Get out of the non-profit lane and let non-profits take it back. Frankly, it may be too late at this point, but if we don’t start doing it now, our highly subsidized economy will crash – and it will take us all out – not just the 4 kids falling through the cracks of the multiple government programs already set up to subsidize their care.
PS: Here’s an opinion piece in the Oklahoman by OU Professor David Demming that says nearly exactly the same thing!
