LETTER: Entitlements: Enough already

To the Telegram:

I know I don’t have the power to change the world, United States, state of Wisconsin, or even Superior, but I have the power to voice my opinion thanks to many brave men and women that fought for us to give us that power.

At some point citizens must learn to take responsibility and get over the mentality of “I’m entitled.” Hot school dinner? In my opinion, this is just plain crap. I would be embarrassed to tell people that my children ate three free meals a day at the local public school. Parents have a responsibility to provide for their children and I don’t know how to tie in the fact it takes a village.

I don’t believe that times are different; I believe that people are different. Talk with a person that works in the public school kitchen and educate yourself to the amount of waste. For some of you older Superior East High School students, you will likely remember the dean of boys, Mr. Jules, encouraging kids to not throw away their lunches and would take perfectly good fruit out of the garbage and giving it to someone who wanted it and needed it. Maybe in hindsight he was the village leader.

I’m not looking for a pat on the back but when my children were in grade school I was a single mom with a beat up Chevy Vega making $3.50 an hour and paying for day care as well.

I didn’t qualify for assistance because I was making too much money. My children didn’t eat their meals at school because I packed their lunches in a brown bag.

Enough of this entitlement: Should our tax dollars go for meals to children whose parents can well afford to pack a sandwich, some fruit, and maybe some chips to get their kids through the afternoon munchies time? Let’s carry that another step — why is it that a high school student can’t be responsible for doing this on their own?

Is it time to lobby against this program?

Carol Gabrys Madden,

Superior

Tags: opinion, letters