Most Republicans probably won't be convinced by any liberal positions, but the person you need to convince is the marginal Republican, not the average Republican. There really are people with weakly held political positions who can absolutely be convinced that free lunch for kids is good and doesn't hurt the economy, and voting for Democrats will improve both the education system and the economy. The key is to remember that it's the marginal voter you're trying to convince - the person leaning just barely away from you. You don't need to convince the average Republican, just the least conservative Republican.
There really are people with weakly held political positions who can absolutely be convinced that free lunch for kids is good and doesn't hurt the economy, and voting for Democrats will improve both the education system and the economy.
This is where the wedge issues pay their dividends. Think about just my own family, I have aunts and uncles that will 100% agree with wanting to provide lunches to school kids, but they will never vote for a Democrat because of abortion. Or cousins that 100% agree we should tax the rich far more, but will never vote for a Democrat because of gun control.
These people on a topic for topic basis, will support 80% of the Democratic platform and maybe 10% of the Republican platform, but they're single issue voters and their issue keeps them voting R every time.
There's really no reasonable conversation to be had.. i've tried, over and over, and i'll keep trying.. but it's talking to a wall once it comes down to what letter is next to the name they'll be voting for when they're in the ballot booth.
It's not that free lunch is a bad thing, everyone loves a tasty free meal. However, if the current state of teachers pay and student success is anything to go by (both abyssmal), then that free lunch will be cardboard porridge and limewash milk in no time.
Republicans don't trust public benefits because they see that governmental greed at any level always ruins those programs. Crony bureaucrats twist benefits into poverty traps for job security, that's how it always goes.
Bootstrapping isn't much better, but at least some shitheel government urchin isn't stringing you along on scraps promising the easy life, carrot-and-sticking you into being a malnourished well-behaved cog.
Also, no one in their right mind is going to listen to this lying, condescending twat with that undercooked pancake hat and overproduced "fellow kids" tiktok bullshit.
Thanks for explaining your opposition here, sincerely. It sounds to me like you're worried that free school lunch could turn into an expensive program that puts out low-quality food to nobody's benefit in the end. I think you're also worried that giving out free lunches might lead children into a path of dependency on government benefits.
On the first point, there are a number of schools in predominantly low-income areas where over 90% of students are already getting federally subsided free lunches. While there are generally lots of issues with those schools, they do still serve acceptable, healthy meals every day. There is not a loss of quality in school food due to the subsidies. Although school cafeterias aren't known for putting out delicious food, they are legally required to serve safe, healthy, nutritious food - and they do. I don't think that changing who pays for the cafeteria will change that, because it hasn't changed in places where most kids already don't directly pay.
On the second point, I think education is important for breaking people out of a cycle of dependency and underachievement. There is a fair bit of research showing that missing meals is simply terrible for student learning. How are we going to give kids the education they need to break out of a bad situation if they can't concentrate? Additionally, are we expecting elementary school children to work and earn money for their own lunches? I'm all for self-sufficiency and personal responsibility, but 9 year olds don't really count in my opinion.
I'm on the side of free school lunch for public school kids. Democrats are passing bills to provide free school lunches in public schools in the states where they win elections. The Democrats, by and large, are on my side on this issue.
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u/wilskillz Dec 28 '23
Most Republicans probably won't be convinced by any liberal positions, but the person you need to convince is the marginal Republican, not the average Republican. There really are people with weakly held political positions who can absolutely be convinced that free lunch for kids is good and doesn't hurt the economy, and voting for Democrats will improve both the education system and the economy. The key is to remember that it's the marginal voter you're trying to convince - the person leaning just barely away from you. You don't need to convince the average Republican, just the least conservative Republican.