More families use lunch program as economy takes bite from budgets
February 4, 2012 at 6:00 pm in Duluth News Tribune
Amy Brooks is among the more than 44 percent of Duluth school district families that take part in the federal and state-run free and reduced-price lunch program, a number that has grown steadily from 36 percent five years ago. Continue Reading
And still Mit Romney thinks it’s okay to say, “I don’t care about poor people.” Wow!!! Just another reason to vote Democrat in 2012….
Hot debate. What do you think?
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I’m not a Romney supporter. In fact the only person in the GOP race that I could even possibly vote for right now is Ron Paul.
But, I do believe in being fair and honest. To take just a small part of someone’s sentence to prove a point is disingenuous.
The full statement was ” “I’m not concerned about the very poor. We have a safety net there. If it needs repair, I’ll fix it.”
And in that, he was correct. For the very poor, we have rent assistance, food assistance, medical assistance and even cash assistance in some cases (even though the GOP is trying to chop away at all of it)
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Another education and experience opinion..?
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Well, I agree and disagree. All the programs I mentioned ARE available to the poor But, I should have specified poor FAMILIES.
If you have children, all of the above are available, provided you are willing to work within the program rules and guidlines. If you are an adult with no children, then your statement would be correct. There is very little government assistance/safety net available to childless adults.
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Wow – cribmaster – did you read the article? This article featured a divorced mom who is working TWO JOBS, going to school and raising two children. How can you negatively comment on that? Obviously she is working her tail off to make ends meet and better herself for her family. I found the article interesting to see all the help out there for families up to ? 41,000 per year I think? Sometimes it is frustrating to see all the help for the just the poorest of families – middle class families often fall through the cracks on any kind of temporary help, and are struggling right now too with skyrocketing costs at the grocery store, utility costs, taxes, school costs etc. so it is good to see there is some help for families that might typically fall between the cracks because they are over the poverty line but still struggling. It was interesting also to see the percentage of kids in the different schools that qualified for free & reduced lunch – 84% Nettleton, 78% MacArthur on down to 24% at East. 25% at Congdon. May as well have just drawn a dotted line down 10th avenue east with the way the School District has split this city in two.
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Marriage, babies, divorce, poverty all too often. Sad we have so much disregard for our youth.
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“More families use lunch program as economy takes bite from budgets”
I read the article to see how the economy was impacting my neighbors. Was instead given an example whose own choices put them in the position they are in. IMO, a robust economy would not improve this family’s situation. A tanking economy likely helps their situation by keeping rents low. She isn’t in the job market, as she is a full time student.
I live daily with the consequences of the choices I have made. Evidently she has to live with her choices too. Hopefully the job market will rebound by the time she finishes her education/training, and is available for full time work. She will probably find it easier to support her family then.
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c said:
“I read the article to see how the economy was impacting my neighbors. Was instead given an example whose own choices put them in the position they are in. IMO, a robust economy would not improve this family’s situation.”
I’m kind of surprised that that is all you came away with from the story, since so little of the story was actually about that family.
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“The number of families taking advantage of the subsidized lunch program is rising, experts say, because of the nationwide loss of middle-class jobs.”
Is this the meat of the article I am supposed to digest? Unnamed “experts” spouting causation without facts?
That isn’t all I gleaned from the article. I read quite a lot about folks who cannot afford things that they want. Call me heartless, flame away, but prom dresses and snacks on trips are not necessities.
I do wish that all folks could live comfortably, especially children, as they rarely chose the circumstances they find themselves in. Again, I read the headline about the economy taking bites from budgets, but the only budget they discussed directly was of a person that isn’t in the job market. Her situation isn’t uncommon, but it has nothing to do with the economy.
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I am curious about something. Is it true, as I have heard, that anyone can get a free breakfast in the schools, no matter the family income? Because if it is (I recall hearing it someplace), then I really have a problem with it. I can barely feed myself and keep a roof over my head; the last thing I want to do is give breakfast to a kid whose family can afford it (but is perhaps just not getting up early enough to provide it). But like I indicated, I am not sure if that is the case.
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I’m not sure if all areas offer this free breakfast, of if it’s just a local deal.
But, since there are so many families out there where both mom and dad work, maybe it’s possible that the parents just can’t make the time? Especially in the homes where the parents both have to be at work by six or seven am, or even earlier, due to overtime?
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