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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Emergency services Medford man arrested after allegedly fleeing, striking officer with car door Bear cub captured in Ashland pharmacy Eagle Point might get on the bus Central Point police arrest man in alleged September vehicle assault Crime, Courts and Emergency Services Emergency services Medford man arrested after allegedly fleeing, striking officer with car door Central Point police arrest man in alleged September vehicle assault Medford police investigate gunfire report Man who fought police has punctured lung Politics and Elections Eagle Point might get on the bus Richardson accuses Kitzhaber of 'corruption' in final debate Green Party won't back its own candidate Jobs at core of Oregon House race Kitzhaber embattled as he seeks fourth term Education SOU student says free speech issue overblown SOU interim president leads in a different direction Medford school officials consider costs of full-day kindergarten Foundation kicks off ambitious 'Count Me In' fundraising campaign 100 hours and counting Environment Bear cub captured in Ashland pharmacy Work begins on Southern Oregon's first dedicated mountain bike trail Applegate Dam hydroelectric project dead in water Fear of orphaned cubs nixes new spring bear hunt Josephine County ballot measure would ban commercial and government pesticide use State news Nation - World Obituaries Robert Sherman Hathaway Sally Anne Musser Bob Owen Death Notices Marylen Agrell Kocks Weather Photo Galleries Since You Asked Videos Web Cams Mail Tribune 100 Sports Latest Stories Pistorius gets five years in prison Cowboys release Sam from practice squad Top teams in regular season still in Chase hunt Shaw shoulders blame for Stanford's slide Blazers look to build on solid foundation Varsity 541 College Sports Shaw shoulders blame for Stanford's slide As SEC rules rankings, calls of #SECBias rise Oregon inches way back into playoff race UO’s Dargan sets the tone for improving defense Mariota keeps touchdown streak alive Pro Sports Cowboys release Sam from practice squad Top teams in regular season still in Chase hunt Blazers look to build on solid foundation Steelers rally past stunned Texans 30-23 White Sox’s Abreu lands AL rookie honor Community Sports LOCAL EVENTS LOCAL RESULTS Business Latest Stories County OKs two-headed economic recruitment effort People's Bank sees 64% net earnings gain New I-5 interchange puts south Medford on fast lane to fast food County's jobless rate unchanged in September SOU interim president leads in a different direction Real Estate News New I-5 interchange puts south Medford on fast lane to fast food Lithia buys Clovis dealership Rental vacancies increase Jackson County real estate sales, prices continue rebound Pallet Wine Co. expands in downtown Medford People In Business People in Business Transportation Frontier Airlines to end Eugene-Denver service Business Resource Fair has answers Erickson's Navy contract extended Lithia buys Clovis dealership Agriculture Hundreds look for work at Harry & David hiring fair Umpqua Holdings more than doubles net earnings Harry & David will hold hiring fair Thursday Ranchers offer livestock exchange 1-800-Flowers CEO: Labor shortage an issue for Harry & David Opinion Latest Merkley-Wehby race leaves us unconvinced Letters to the Editor, Oct. 21 Our View: Falls for sheriff, our picks for state House Granlund cartoon: Keene NH rioting Letters to the Editor, Oct. 20 Editorials Merkley-Wehby race leaves us unconvinced Our View: Falls for sheriff, our picks for state House Our view: Endorsements include Bates, Talbert, Hoppe Reversing course: Hoppe for judge Our view: With respect, our support goes to Bates Letters to the Editor Letters to the Editor, Oct. 21 Letters to the Editor, Oct. 20 Letters to the Editor, Oct. 19 Letters to the Editor, Oct. 18 Letters to the Editor, Oct. 17 Guest Opinions Don't overlook importance of Jackson County commissioners race Measure 92 misleads rather than enlightens Oregonians have a right to know what's in their food Infill is the answer to growth issues Guest Opinion: Who’s really to blame for 2014 wildfires? 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Bear cub captured in Ashland pharmacy ... County OKs two-headed economic recruitment effort ... Medford man arrested after allegedly fleeing, striking officer with car door ... Bear cub captured in Ashland pharmacy ... County OKs two-headed economic recruitment effort ... Critics, not kids, are eating Michelle's lunch To hear tell, the mean ol' GOP is waging war on Michelle Obama and, brace yourself, America's children. MailTribune.com Writer Posted Jun. 2, 2014 @ 12:01 am Updated Jun 2, 2014 at 2:10 AM Posted Jun. 2, 2014 @ 12:01 am Updated Jun 2, 2014 at 2:10 AM » Social News To hear tell, the mean ol' GOP is waging war on Michelle Obama and, brace yourself, America's children. Got it? The newest war on women/children relates to the first lady's well-intentioned but disastrous school nutrition program, otherwise known as the Dumpster Derby. First to good intentions: Kudos to Obama for recognizing and trying to address childhood obesity. If you think health care is expensive now, wait until these little human pillows reach adulthood and then, assuming their hearts hold out, advanced age. Assuming, too, that our bottom-line bureaucrats haven't begun recycling high-maintenance humans by then. Might want to keep an eye on the Soylent Green market. No, I'm not suggesting death panels. I'm employing hyperbole in the service of a point, the necessary clarification of which highlights our mind-numbing politics and our nation's diminishing sentience. The first lady's "Let's Move!" program and her focus on whole foods (as opposed to fast) and water instead of sodas have been welcome developments. Who better to bring needed attention to such issues? Obama is merely expanding her maternal focus to include all those public school kids whose mothers apparently have forgotten how to make a sandwich. Or whose fathers have forgotten to say, "Get those plugs out of your ears and make friends with the lawn mower" — or whatever is its urban counterpart. But, as is often the case with mammoth federal programs, one size does not fit all. Many school districts have inadequate funding to meet the new nutrition standards and have had to borrow from educational programs, in some cases shutting them down. Moreover, the kids detest the food and are tossing their lunches, so to speak, into the Dumpster. Some school districts report having to purchase or lease more dumpsters to accommodate the extra garbage, increasing their waste-collection costs as well. These are but a few of the stories I heard recently when I spoke to about 1,000 members of the national School Nutrition Association. There isn't a more dedicated, decent, heroic group of people in the association encyclopedia. Not only are they burdened with meeting unfunded federal mandates, but they have to hear the gripes of America's hungry darlings. The association, which initially supported the new standards, has been lobbying for just the sort of bill Republicans have produced. This doesn't mean that the first lady's program is "gastro-fascism," as one writer put it, though I rather like the term. Nor is this a Republican war on the first lady or the children who refuse to eat food they don't like. I am not blind to the brat factor here, but nutritious food needn't be inedible. Also at play are cultural differences. Apparently, children in the Southwest don't like whole-wheat tortillas and Southern kids prefer their chicken fried. I'm with the first lady all the way on making modifications to lunches swimming in grease and over-seasoned with sugar and salt. But perhaps there's a middle ground that allows a little local wiggle room. Surely school nutritionists are capable of coming up with healthier meals that also taste good. Alternatively — and this is where I wish this debate were heading — Mrs. Obama could suggest that parents prepare their children's meals. What?! You've got to be kidding! We're too busy!! Since when were we too busy to scramble an egg or toast a slice of bread? Since the national narrative of women's liberation concentrated on the kitchen as metaphor for home-bound drudgery and oppression, that's when. On the upside, more men are learning to cook, if my home is an example. When it comes to home food preparation, the very poor need extra help, obviously, but quality nutrition, as most important things, begins at home. And for a majority of people, the cost is not prohibitive. Using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, a piece of toast spread with peanut butter and topped with sliced banana — a filling breakfast loaded with protein, carbohydrates and potassium among other nutrients — costs on average about 50 cents. We can't all have a chef or send our children to private schools with meatier lunches, as the Obamas do. But we can feed our children for less trouble and money than some think. Maybe the first lady can modify her message along with our menus: Cook for your kids and they'll grow smart and strong. Not to get too carried away, but food, you know, is love. Kathleen Parker, winner of the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for commentary, is a syndicated columnist for the Washington Post Writer's Group. Email her at [email protected]. MailTribune.com Writer Posted Jun. 2, 2014 @ 12:01 am Updated Jun 2, 2014 at 2:10 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2014 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 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