| Iteachextra June 02 2012 10:02. Posts 46 | Profile # |
If there wasent a more obvious example of prohibition not working in modern times, hear it is:
As part of the federal government’s war on fat kids, they’ve put restrictions on when vending machines selling sodas and sugary snacks can be used. Specifically, those vending machines can’t be operational in areas where students eat lunch during lunch time.
The students at Davis High School in Salt Lake City, Utah weren’t going to take this sort of nanny statism lying down, so they began selling sodas during lunch time by way of the student store. Unfortunately, when the federal government got wind (because that’s what we pay federal tax dollars for these days, for bureaucrats to police school lunch rooms) they smacked the school with a big fine.
In order to remain eligible for federal subsidies for school lunches, officials at Davis High School in Salt Lake City, Utah, knew they weren’t allowed to have active vending machines selling soda and candy in the school lunchroom during the 47-minute lunch period.
But rules designed to keep kids from washing down their lunches with something fizzy can be tricky. That lesson was driven home when the state Office of Education’s Child Nutrition Program hit the school with a $15,862 fine—75 cents per violation over the period of many months that it turns out students had been illicitly selling soda in the school store.
Fearing more fines, the school has pulled the plug on all of its vending until it can figure out what the rules require. Because students eat lunch in the hallways, vending may actually be banned throughout the school.
That our federal government is policing the nation’s lunch rooms this closely is absurd, and indicative of a national government that is out of control. School lunch rooms ought to be a local issue.
But this is also yet another example of how prohibitionist policies don’t work. Where there is demand, there will be supply. As long as kids want candy and chips and soda they’ll find a way to get them. To the extent that there is an obesity problem – and I think the “epidemic” is more than a little overblown – you don’t solve it by removing choices. You solve it by encouraging the kids to make better choices.
Source: http://sayanythingblog.com/entry/students-react-to-federal-prohibition-on-sodas-during-lunch-time-by-creating-black-market/
I have never understood the prohibition of anything. How do people expect to control something that has so many loyal/addicted customers?
Last edit: 2012-06-02 10:03:07 |
|
|
| 1Eris1 United States. June 02 2012 10:05. Posts 5797 | Profile # |
| Banning things like food/alcohol/drugs/etc almost never works. It just encourages people to rebel and use them anyways, often more then they normally would. Your best bet is just slapping a sin tax on things like that and trying to educate people as to why it's bad. |
| | Known Aliases: Tyragon, Valeric ~MSL Forever, SKT is truly the Superior KT! |
|
|
| Maxd11 United States. June 02 2012 10:05. Posts 610 | Profile # |
| Soda isn't available in my school during the day. Not sure if it's for legal reasons or what but it's bs. Not that I care since I don't drink soda on a regular basis but still. |
| | ‹› sLFractaL.778 Add me for team/custom/1v1 practice games! I looked in the mirror and saw : biupilm69t |
|
|
| Cel.erity United States. June 02 2012 10:07. Posts 3595 | Profile Blog # |
| I actually don't mind the initiative, kind of wish I hadn't gotten hooked on soda as a kid as well. However, I totally agree that it ought to be a local issue, for the schools to enforce as they see fit. For the federal government to fine a school that no doubt desperately needs funding is downright criminal. That's money taken away from teacher salaries and new textbooks which will now be applied to some wasteful federal expenditure, and for what? Kids drinking soda? Pathetic. |
| | We found Dove in a soapless place. |
|
|
| Chargelot June 02 2012 10:10. Posts 2274 | Profile Blog # |
Federal dollars, federal issue. If the schools want to police themselves, they can fund themselves too.
Next. |
| | if (post == "stupid") { document.getElementById('post').style.display = 'none'; } |
|
|
| Carkis Canada. June 02 2012 10:10. Posts 297 | Profile # |
| i dont think the obesity epidemic is overblown and if it is its for a good reason... dont agree with the soda prohibition though there are better ways about it.. its hard to do but i think parents need to be educated more then children |
|
|
| divito Canada. June 02 2012 10:14. Posts 1135 | Profile Blog # |
This is the same thing that most anti-piracy advocates aren't understanding in the world of economics; market corrections will always exist in some form, regardless of restrictions. The point is finding the middle ground, or risk more problems in the future.
|
| |
|
| Severedevil United States. June 02 2012 10:15. Posts 4498 | Profile Blog # |
| Why are vending machines in schools...? |
| | My strategy is to fork people. |
|
|
| Balfazar Australia. June 02 2012 10:16. Posts 470 | Profile # |
On June 02 2012 10:02 Iteachextra wrote:
That our federal government is policing the nation’s lunch rooms this closely is absurd, and indicative of a national government that is out of control. School lunch rooms ought to be a local issue.
So pass on the responsibility to someone who doesn't have the resources to police it? That would be why it is staying at federal level.
On June 02 2012 10:02 Iteachextra wrote:
But this is also yet another example of how prohibitionist policies don’t work. Where there is demand, there will be supply.
From what you've posted here, it is working, due to diligent policing.
|
|
|
| Xcobidoo Sweden. June 02 2012 10:18. Posts 1871 | Profile # |
| If high schoolers are that desperate for a coke that they'll go that extra mile to get it then it's just plain pathetic more than anything else. |
| | Supreme Intergalactic Commander |
|
|
| Aerisky United States. June 02 2012 10:19. Posts 9213 | Profile Blog # |
On June 02 2012 10:15 Severedevil wrote:
Why are vending machines in schools...?
Why not? :o There are vending machines in a lot of places!
And yeah, prohibition of these things almost never works...the final output won't necessarily be higher than the volume of goods available before the prohibition, but the regulation only encourages secretive distribution and whatnot of the goods :S Honestly prohibiting the sale of soda in schools will do little to nothing for obesity, which could be a reason for the rule, and it's really sort of silly...Last edit: 2012-06-02 10:21:44 |
| |
|
| Bulldog654 United States. June 02 2012 10:20. Posts 78 | Profile # |
If the federal government can't protect us from soda, who can? Is there any hope for us now? We have to find a way to keep people from making their own choices!! Think of the childrennnnnnnn!!!!!
What a disgusting joke. The problem is government, period. Why the government thinks they have a say in people's waistlines is beyond my ability to comprehend. My hat is off to the enterprising students, I get an incredible feeling of fuzziness anytime i see people disregarding foolish laws and regulations. |
|
|
| Xenocryst United States. June 02 2012 10:21. Posts 519 | Profile # |
| I support this completely, if you're getting funding from the government they can require that you not kill your students |
| |
|
| FuRong New Zealand. June 02 2012 10:22. Posts 2678 | Profile # |
| Prohibition is like tougher sentences for crimes...both are relatively easy to apply, sound good politically, and make bureacrats feel good about "taking action", even though they do absolutely nothing to solve the root cause of the problem. Last edit: 2012-06-02 10:23:18 |
| | Don't hate the player, hate the game |
|
|
| Probe1 United States. June 02 2012 10:23. Posts 16445 | Profile Blog # |
That's a pretty funny tone you wrote that in OP. While I agree with the school not selling sodas, I think banning it is extreme. However the fine is justified for unrelated reasons.
If the students find it that easy to sell fucking SODA then imagine how much weed must be getting pushed through the school without anyone the wiser. |
| | 우정호 KT_VIOLET 1988 - 2012 While we are postponing, life speeds by | |
|
|
| Eggm United States. June 02 2012 10:27. Posts 152 | Profile # | |
|
|
| UmiNotsuki United States. June 02 2012 10:27. Posts 633 | Profile Blog # |
Sad, sad solution. This is naive and frankly stupid.
Let's say you have a legislative goal: Improve health in your nation.
Two solutions are possible: provide encouragement for people to make healthy choices through subsidy and ad campaigns, OR, ban things that are bad for people. The correct solution is OBVIOUS, but people who want to exert power over others (i.e., the government) don't see this.
I hate politics with such passion...
On June 02 2012 10:15 Severedevil wrote:
Why are vending machines in schools...?
To provide food and snacks to kids in a way that funds the school. Hungry students buy snacks at school, school uses money to buy text books. Everybody wins.
I remember at my high school, my sophomore year, unhealthy snacks were banned from school vending machines. Administrators thought they were enabling students to be unhealthy. What happened is that it simply caused kids to go off campus to buy food, so they were still making the exact same choices, except the money wasn't going to the school any more. Near-sighted, terrible decision.Last edit: 2012-06-02 10:30:18 |
| | UmiNotsuki.111 (NA), UNTReborn.932 (EU), UmiNotsuki (iCCup) -- You see that text I wrote above this? I'll betcha $5 that you disagree :D |
|
|
| wswordsmen United States. June 02 2012 10:27. Posts 976 | Profile # |
On June 02 2012 10:10 Chargelot wrote:
Federal dollars, federal issue. If the schools want to police themselves, they can fund themselves too.
Next.
While you are right the goverment has the right to do this. You failed to ask the question "is it productive to do this?" or "will this work?" In your defense the federal goverment probably didn't ask those questions either, but that is no excuse to not do it yourself.Last edit: 2012-06-02 10:28:12 |
|
|
| fofa2000 Canada. June 02 2012 10:28. Posts 511 | Profile # |
| Yes indeed, money from the government can be conditional. What are sodas doing in school anyway? |
| | -smells likes tasty soup, what's the menu?-fresh jaedong style marine stew served with a glass of dragoon slush!-The food's any good?Quite unusual names, never heard-all my food's good, the kitchen's this way-btw whatu terarn doing alone in a zerg colony? |
|
|
| Alabasern United States. June 02 2012 10:29. Posts 2832 | Profile Blog # | |
| |
|
| 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Next All |
|
Store
