Alliance wants free school meals to give all children a head-start

[Indiana_Jones]

It's not the Goverment's fault FFS.

Stupid Alliance.

Too true. As much as I hate this labour govenment, it's true. They're not to blame. It's just shit people.

-Indy

[MyGSXF:Me]

Too right its the attitude of the parents. Theres only a few things that kids need in their life and its not too expensive... love, respect, food, clothing and shelter.. everything else is just a bonus.

Definatley!!!

[Guitana]

Dont ya just hate all these un-original political parties!! John Key identifies a problem that's been happening in NZ since average joe was getting fucked over by the rich man!! And all of a sudden they're all on the bandwagon what a waste of tax payers money!! This is the reason these kids do crime, theyre hungry and fucken destitute cos their useless parents cant cope with life and are too busy tryin to scrape up enough money to get to the tinny house for a spliff!!!! Thats how crime is born through stupidity and poverty the poor little shits never had a chance!!! If they start in the schools now maybe in twenty years time the crime rate will drop!!! But hey it's just as easy to build a 200 million dollar prison sorry 250 no 300 no 350 oh fuck it 400 million dose'nt matter the taxpayer will foot the bill!!!!!!!

Could've just fed all the kids in NZ for a year!!!

[Beemer]

Children do NOT go hungry because of poverty - it is because parents have other prioirties.
How many "poor" people have a vege garden these days?

I agree 100% - good, basic food does not have to be expensive. So many people who plead poverty (and it's not always those on a benefit who are the culprits) actually aren't poor, they just choose to spend their money on things other than food, power, etc. I bet that most of these kids have parents who spent at least $5-$10 a week on Lotto, more on cigarettes and booze, and probably takeaways as well. Most people who really ARE poor prioritise - they go without certain things but food isn't one of them.

Where does it end if we start providing breakfasts - will the next step be lunch, then free shoes, etc? It just gives the parents even more excuse not to bother providing properly for their children.

[Finn]

Schools are there to educate (they fail at this too), not feed the little shits. As for the bleeding hearts that say their parent(s) don't have any food, well perhaps not, but they'll have plenty of booze, sky, LCD TV, DVD, PlayStation, dope and a bit left over for gambling.

Socialism at it's best.

[ManDownUnder]

Children do NOT go hungry because of poverty - it is because parents have other prioirties.
How many "poor" people have a vege garden these days?

Logic at it's finest... bling for that one!

Here's a thought. We have fruits trees at our place, currently dripping with pears. The birds are loving them, but if anyone wanted to come and pick them for personal consumption (or preserving...) go fo it!

[Lissa]

Schools are there to educate (they fail at this too), not feed the little shits.

I agree... Alot of parents think that schools are there to feed, teach good manners, teach them social skills, how to tie their shoe laces etc etc.. they arent. I want my kids to learn to read, write well, do their maths... Its my job to teach them everything else and feed them.

[Citroenjunkie]

What a pleasure, comments from people who know what they are talking about. I am a teacher and work in one of Auckland's poorest schools. We have heaps of children coming to school hungry, but if you ask they will happily tell you what they watched on sky last night or how to play the latest PS2 game. Their parents often drive flashier cars than I do and always have enough money to party hard on the weekends. None of this is the government's fault, except perhaps in that the benefit system has been open to bludgers for too long, and when they do try to sort it people who are genuinely in need often suffer first.

I grew up in South Africa where if you didn't work and earn you starved. Not many people died, but it did happen. People took looking after their families a lot more seriously, I think, because there was no security blanket.

Somehow, and I am not sure how, we need to engender a sense of responsibility. Teenage pregnancy, hunger, low school achievement etc all need positive parenting not government intervention.

[mstriumph]

..................."Children go hungry because of poverty. Families in New Zealand cannot afford to feed their kids because of rent, school expenses, medical expenses and all the other everyday expenses that low income families have to cover in this country."..................................

Bollocks

Children go hungry - here and in NZ - because the 'welfare' state pays benefits to their parents [or whatever] in money instead of foodstamps and rent/services credits

those parents spend those benefits on themselves

THE PARENTS are guilty for misusing the benefits
THE STATE is guilty for fostering a system that allows it to happen

end of rant - as you were............

[Hitcher]

So we're to have a country where everybody becomes a beneficiary. Fantastic. So much for working hard, scrimping and saving to improve the circumstances for yourself and your family, only to be hammered by punitive and unnecessary taxes so the Government can pay money back to you.

And when it comes to "beneficiaries", why should they get paid in cash to spend on Sky TV, dog food (yes, it is the unalienable right for all needy people to feed tinned pet food to at least one large canine), cigarettes, booze, gas for a Falcon or Commodore, hire-purchase "repayments" (yeah, right) on flat-screen TVs etc, pokie machine and lotto contributions, etc, while their kids starve?

Is it just me, or is there something wrong with this picture?

[The Pastor]

I don't eat breakfast usally - maybe a little pot thing of medow fresh yogert. You only need 1 meal a day to live comfortably off (1 a week to survive off) anything more is a waste....


I eat lots of lunch because I have heaps of moeny to buy my foodz woop