Wednesday 29 May 2013

Breakfast in bed. Almost.

We used to say that New Zealanders imbibed statism with their mother’s milk.  Prime Minister John Key confirmed yesterday that the state will now become the nation’s mother.

Key has signed off on a programme in which the state, in the guise of provider, will hand out milk and cereal provided by others. Breakfast on the taxpayer, with Uncle John as host.

Key dismisses criticism saying,

"...if the child is not fed ... we know they don't learn...

Really? We know? But as Lindsay Mitchell writes,

“an Auckland University study undertaken across 14 low socio-economic schools where children received free school breakfasts organised through Red Cross or the private sector concluded ‘A free school breakfast did not have a significant effect on New Zealand children's school attendance, academic achievement, self-reported grades, sense of belonging at school, behaviour or food security’…”

So apparently Key knows what no-one else knows. On Planet Key, "...if the child is not fed ... we know they don't learn [and] in the end they are a victim.” A victim yet.

It might be argued by Key supporters that this is just a calculated political move, with no further ramifications. In which case, Key has transformed every child from a notional victim to a political pawn.

It’s Madness.

2 comments:

Kiwiwit said...

They are victims, not of the poor taxpayers who have to pay, but of their own negligent parents. How can anyone justify psying these parents welfare benefits (including supplements targeted at the care of the child) while at the same time relieving them of the responsibility of feeding their children?

It will just lead to more negligence and leave irresponsible parents with more money and the moral sanction to spend it on pokies and drugs.

cheesefunnel said...

I concur. Nobody wants to see children not being fed, but this is not the states responsibility. What's next lunch, a morning shower? Any parent that was finding it hard to get motivated to feed their child has now surly lost all motivation.

Even more disturbing is the reaction of 'left wing' politicians, the cries of 'not enough' really do expose them as the vampires of freedom for whom no amount of state intervention is enough.