Democratic Vice Presidential nominee Tim Walz and his fellow Democrats ratified ample changes during the two years they’ve had control of the Minnesota Legislature, from expansions of abortion and LGBTQIA rights to tax credits and other forward initiatives aimed at making life easier for families.
Walz has been an activist governor of Minnesota with a strong progressive agenda. And I’d like to focus on one key element of that agenda: requiring public and charter schools to provide free breakfasts and lunches to all students. Walz was literally embraced by elementary students when he signed the bill into law in 2023. Interestingly, child care has long been a defining issue for Kamala Harris, and Walz’s conscientious policies may very well have played a role in selecting him as her running mate.
Initiatives like free meals for school-aged children have encountered hostile opposition from Republican lawmakers, who question why the government should help feed kids. The fact there is such a stark division between the two parties over this humane policy highlights the distinction between the humanitarian populism of the Democrats and the more Darwinist, jingoistic populism of the conservative Republican right. The National School Lunch Program dates back to 1946, passed into law with bipartisan support.
A major reason for........