“You Say Potato, Mrs. Obama. I Say, Please Stop Micromanaging Our Diets and Our Schools.”

Earlier this week, First Lady Michelle Obama took
to the pages of
The New York Times to denounce “anti-science”
Republicans (are there any other kind?) who want to let recipients
of WIC buy potatoes via the program. “The House of Representatives
is considering a bill to override science by mandating that white
potatoes be included on the list of foods that women can purchase
using WIC dollars.” What bastards! 

She also had harsh words for other House members (Republicans,
I’m guessing) who “want to make it optional, not mandatory, for
schools to serve fruits and vegetables to our kids. They also want
to allow more sodium and fewer whole grains than recommended into
school lunches.” Sons of bitches!

In a piece for Time, I suggest that the First Lady’s
attitude should disturb all of us for various reasons. Including
this one:

“As parents, we always put our children’s interests first,” she
writes. “We wake up every morning and go to bed every night
worrying about their well-being and their futures.”

If she really believes that, then why not treat poor people with
the same respect we treat middle- and upper-middle class folks? If
we’re going to supplement their incomes, why not give them a cash
payment and let them figure out how to make the best use of it?

Similarly, if we can’t trust our schools to figure out how best
to fill their students’ stomachs, why the hell are we forcing our
children to attend such institutions in the first place? When is
the last time you heard kids who attend schools of choice—whether
private, religious, or public charters (which enroll
disproportionately high numbers of low-income students)—even
mention food?

Mrs. Obama’s op-ed is predicated upon the notion that the
nutrition and programs she champions have reduced
obesity in Americans. I note that there’s scant evidence for that,
especially given the fact that obesity rates stopped rising
somewhere between six and 10 years before her husband was elected
president.

Read the whole thing.

My Reason colleague Elizabeth Nolan Brown has
been
all over this story like Cheez Whiz on a Steak-umm.