Traffic report for October 16

Courthouse lift for disabled is broken

First Posted: 8/18/2014 As a new school year nears, chew on this: The government aims to keep unhealthy foods out of children&#8217;s reach not only in the lunch line, but also at school vending machines, school stores and grab-and-go counters that sell a la carte items instead of full meals.
Known as &#8220;Smart Snacks in School,&#8221; the nutrition standards that became effective July 1 call for less fat, sugar and sodium in beverages and treats sold on school property. It&#8217;s the latest phase of well-intentioned, but potentially overreaching, updates to the National School Lunch Program.
Rather than salty potato chips, think low-fat tortilla chips or light popcorn. Sugary sodas are out; flavored water in.
The guidelines already are giving headaches to certain school administrators and members of parent-teacher groups trying to follow the letter of the law, deciphering, for instance, whether it&#8217;s OK to hold a bake sale in which the tables are loaded with chocolate chip cookies and sweet cakes. Near as we can tell, the answer is yes. Or, maybe, as long as the state government doesn&#8217;t adopt a more restrictive rule than the U.S. Department of Agriculture. (What would Monroe and Madison think of the states&#8217; rights debate extending to macaroons?)
The Smart Snacks guidelines apply only to foods sold, not goodies freely distributed. So parents still are permitted to celebrate a child&#8217;s birthday by passing out to his or her classmates all the icing-covered cupcakes they can stomach, provided the individual school doesn&#8217;t have rules restricting those treats. And, we assume in the current climate, as long as the parent can live with the shame of shoving fatty foods into the hands of youngsters considered destined to die prematurely from obesity-related diseases. (One can almost hear Michelle Obama whispering to that parent: &#8220;C&#8217;mon, forego those birthday cupcakes and substitute in some granola bars. Or, at the very least, make it a carrot cake.&#8221;)
We fully understand the troubles posed by the typical American diet, and we applaud changes made to the school lunch program.
But dictating whether a Kit Kat can be stocked in the school vending machine smacks of Nanny state. From here, it&#8217;s not hard to imagine the federal government requiring those pizza concession stands at high school football stadiums to convert to juice bars.
For the record, the Smart Snacks guidelines don&#8217;t apply to treats sold beyond school property or on school grounds 30 minutes after the traditional school day ends.
Savor those cheese-smothered nachos and gummy worms &#8211; while you can.

OUR OPINION: KIDS’ HEALTH Snack rules at schools too crumby?