Healthy Irony Update

I received an e-mail from House Minority Leader Christopher Rants, R-Sioux City, giving a broader explanation of Republicans' distaste for the Healthy Kids Act, which is stuck in the House.

Rants contends that the GOP's opposition is rooted in the failure of majority Democrats to, so far, approve other, more meaningful, education bills, including statewide curriculum standards and raising the compulsory education age to 17. Rants also argues that Dems have refused to debate a GOP amendment to an education policy bill that would ban schools from paying teachers' health club benefits and another amendment that would keep student achievement, teacher pay and benefits info on district online sites.

Rants wrote:

Doesn't it strike you as odd that the Ds want to mandate 150 minutes of physical activity but not set standards for math or science????

That's our concern - no academic standards, but retool the school day to work in one more class of pe or recess.

Those bills are a lot more important that mandatory jumping jacks.....

Rants raises vaild points and I understand his frustrations. My point was that it's ironic the Legislature was willing to spend the entire session to ban smoking in bars but now won't spend a few hours to debate childhood obesity, which I would argue is a more serious health issue. I'm not arguing that it's a top education priority. But it's probably worth passing on its own merits.

Also, the bill does not mandate jumping jacks. Funny line, though.