Haha.
Limbaugh's cruelty doesn't change the fact that millions of kids are indeed spending this summer without enough nutritious food to eat.
We don't believe conservative members of Congress share this sick sense of humor; they didn't denounce it either. But politically motivated obstructionism has reduced the nation's efforts to help hungry kids just the same.
Example: Passage of a law that would reauthorize and increase child-nutrition programs - among them, the very same free lunches and breakfasts - has been delayed for months in the U.S. Senate, even though it has bipartisan support. It's hard to miss their lack of urgency.
We urge the Senate, before it recesses tomorrow, to pass the bill. We hope the final version includes re-authorization for Philadelphia's longstanding Universal Feeding program, which had been threatened with cancellation. The program allows Philadelphia public-school students to get free lunches without their parents having to fill out applications - thereby increasing the number of eligible kids who participate.
Senate supporters praise the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act - which would increase child-nutrition programs by $4.5 billion over 10 years, including new standards on food served in schools - as "the largest investment ever in federal child-nutrition programs." That may be true, but that too reflects a grim reality: The investment is larger because the problem is bigger, much bigger.
The Department of Agriculture estimates that 16 million children are experiencing "food insecurity" - that is, they are not getting enough nutritious food to eat.
And yes, Rush, that could very well translate into obesity, with their parents forced to make do with high-fat, high-calorie, low-nutrition foods that are filling and cheaper than fresh fruits and vegetables.
