Farm bill shouldn’t punish hungry children

Could they be more cruel? That is the best description I can think of for a debate in Washington about curtailing the federal food stamp program. Congress is considering, as part of the Federal Farm Bill, curtailing who is eligible to receive federal help to put food on the table. Under the plan, some 76,000 people in Wisconsin would no longer be eligible for food stamps. That includes more than 23,000 children. And, if their parents no longer receive food stamps, their children would no longer be eligible for free and reduced lunch at school. That means a lot of hungry kids. Kids who would likely see their grades suffer. After all, it is hard to concentrate on math and science when your stomach is rumbling from hunger. As a nation, we have a responsibility to ensure the least fortunate among us are taken care of. We can be mad at the parents because we think they are lazy, content to line up at the public trough. But we shouldn’t punish the children. Even if that is true, it is not the kid’s fault. This proposal unfairly, unwisely and cruelly punishes children who have done nothing wrong. Instead, we should do our best to make sure our children have access to those programs that helps them become healthy and productive members of our society.