New York's cupcake ban
Will outlawing bake sales in schools help in the fight against obesity?
There's a new rule in New York City schools, said Jennifer Medina in The New York Times. "There shall be no cupcakes." The city's Education Department has outlawed baked goods on campus under a new wellness policy seeking to "limit how much sugar and fat students put in their bellies at school."
"Yes, it is for the children," said Don Surber in the Charleston, W.V., Daily Mail. "It is always for the children. Guns are bad for kids. Old books with lead paint are bad for kids. Cupcakes are bad for kids. You know what is really bad for kids? The Nanny State."
Fighting "skyrocketing obesity" in our children is a worthy goal, said Maureen Downey in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, but turning schools into "no cupcake zones" isn't the answer. All that does is eliminate bake sales—which are a proven way for clubs and athletic teams to raise quick cash. What good will that do "in high schools where kids can leave school and get their own fries?"
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