The Federal Government Would Like to Inspect Your Child's Lunch-Box

This is simply amazing. It sounds like something out of The Onion. But it's not.

RAEFORD — A preschooler at West Hoke Elementary School ate three chicken nuggets for lunch Jan. 30 because the school told her the lunch her mother packed was not nutritious. 

The girl’s turkey and cheese sandwich, banana, potato chips, and apple juice did not meet U.S. Department of Agriculture guidelines, according to the interpretation of the person who was inspecting all lunch boxes in the More at Four classroom that day. 

The Division of Child Development and Early Education at the Department of Health and Human Services requires all lunches served in pre-kindergarten programs - including in-home day care centers - to meet USDA guidelines. That means lunches must consist of one serving of meat, one serving of milk, one serving of grain, and two servings of fruit or vegetables, even if the lunches are brought from home. 

Ok, so let's address a few things. First, what the hell is the Federal Government doing by inspecting children's lunch-boxes anyway? In the debate about where we can cut some of the Federal Government, these people need to be the first to be given the pink slip. The Federal Government has absolutely no business in inspecting and deciding what is and what is not an acceptable lunch that a parent packs for their child. None.

Also, did the Federal Government solve all of the more important problems, leaving the food in children's lunch-boxes as the important issue of the day?

On the substance of the issue: the Federal Government (in their infinite wisdom of what constitutes a healthy meal) gave the pre-schooler "three chicken nuggets"? On what planet are chicken nuggets a healthy alternative to anything? That's moronic. Chicken nuggets? Really? It sounds like this isn't really about nutrition.

This is getting out of hand. If I was a parent of a child in that school, I would be furious. Teach my children to read, write, and do math. Stop looking in my child's lunchbox. This sounds like something that would take place in Soviet Russia. The insidious nature of this problem is that it's so well-intentioned...but we all know there that goes.

You can have my lunch-box when you pry it from my cold, dead hands.