The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Busybody Act of 2010

There ain't no such thing.

Are you familiar with the "Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010"? It has apparently passed the House today as a part of the Lame Duck Agenda and goes to Obama for his signature.

A sampling of some of the "goodies" inside.

This new option will allow schools in high-poverty areas to offer free meals to all students without collecting paper applications, which will expand access to more children and reduce administrative burdens on schools.

This is the "don't ask, don't tell" provision of HHFK. Rather than having to document the eligibility for any given student, the school can just count noses to qualify for more federal funds (and more federal control)

Provides mandatory funding to test pilot projects to improve the way we feed hungry children, including during out-of- school times.

Gee. We're borrowing money from overseas and from our grandkids, but it's mandatory that we fund unproven projects to feed kids when they're not in school? Yeah. The feds have money for that. What other mandates are in the bill?

Provides mandatory funding for schools to establish school gardens and to source local foods into school cafeterias.

School gardens??? Because people who teach math, science and English are all expert gardeners! There's no guarantee that the food grown in a school garden will be any healthier for the students and undoubtedly will not be as efficient in feeding large numbers of students, using limited funds. But, gosh! If it makes The First Lady feel better about herself, how can it be a colossal waste of money?

This section would provide the Secretary of Agriculture with the authority to establish national nutrition standards for all foods sold on school campus throughout the school day.

National nutrition standards? Aside from the Nanny State desire to control every aspect of your life from Washington, D.C., I was thinking about what national nutrition standards might have to do with the sales of band candy? How many school organizations sell candy to raise money for field trips, etc.? But, but, but...candy's not good for you! So, maybe the Feds will have schools sell Broccoli instead? Yeah. That'll work!

Sounds like it's too late to inject any common sense into this bill, but the idea of devolving power back to the states, particularly in education, is a good one, whose time has not yet come.