A Congressional Case of 'Fluff'

There are times when I wonder how exactly my tax dollars are being spent. Usually these feelings come to the forefront whenever April 15th rolls around. Now I have been paying taxes since around the age of 14 since I have been working full time jobs since then. So I've had a great deal of time to ponder. At first it seemed like a ridiculous thing my having to pay for the running of the country; after all, I was only a kid right? But as time passed I learned more and more on the running of our country and I came to appreciate how it was that our tax dollars are used and I felt so much better. My tax dollars were being used to pave new roads, open new schools, keep the Smithsonian Institutions free and so many other wonderful things that helped define our country. Still, there are times when I feel a bit frustrated at how our congressional representatives choose to use their positions. Take for example the current stink going on in Massachusetts over the 'fluffernutter' sandwich.

What is a fluffernutter sandwich and why is there a congressional case on it? Well, put simply, back in the early 20th century in Massachusetts, H. Allen Durkee and Fred L. Mower came up with the idea of Fluff which was basically a marshmellow-esque substance which when paired with peanut butter on white bread with a glass of milk, became the staple food of New England kids for generations. Even today, nearly 80 years on this tradition continues. In schools around New England, this sandwich is served as one of the choices on the menu. Enter the stink!

Senator Jarrett Barrios is apparently peeved that his third-grader son was given a fluffernutter sandwich at school. He is in fact so incensed that he plans to now file legislation that would ban schools from offering the sandwich more than once a week. Why you ask? Well, the reason being touted is that school nutrition is 'serious business' and that a fluffernutter sandwich is a detriment to the efforts being taken to maintain school nutrition. Now I went to public school for 12 years and had the opportunity to have school lunches on a fairly regular basis. Despite the best efforts of many nutritionists and chefs, the taste and variety of foods has not improved. And in any case, can you honestly tell me how many kids would choose a tofu or veggie burger versus a slice of pizza?

It's bad enough that some kids are picky when it comes to eating and apparently in New England, the fluffernutter sandwich is one of the only things that some kids eat. The main thing is that they eat! Okay, I will agree that it is probably not the healthiest food choice to make, but have any of these congressional leaders actually eaten school lunches? Eat a slice of 'pizza' and then you tell me if that's healthier. Are they worried that this is only going to add to the obesity problem in America? If so, push legislation that will push for more physical fitness programs in schools. Provide just as much funding to these programs as you would to any of the other educational programs out there. Make it interesting enough that kids will want to get physically active. This is the kind of legislation I would get behind and I would gladly support by my tax dollars. To see it being spent to debate whether a fluffernutter sandwich should be served more than once a week in schools..... well... to me that's a true load of fluff.