VICTOR JOECKS: Democrats rob taxpayers to feed the rich

If Nevada Democrats had lived during the days of Robin Hood, they would have stolen from the poor to give to the wealthy. Just look at the controversy over school lunches.

For months, Nevada Democrats have attacked Gov. Joe Lombardo for vetoing a bill that would have funded universal school breakfast and lunch through this school year.

“For the first time in four years, parents will be asked to pay for the meals their children receive at school,” Assemblywoman Selena La Rue Hatch wrote this month. “If they can’t pay, which is the reality for many, kids will go hungry.”

She continued, “One in 5 children in Nevada face hunger on a daily basis. Sadly, for many kids, the two meals provided at school are the only meals they’ll have all day.”

Assume her statistics are correct. See if you can spot the obvious disconnect.

Twenty percent of kids don’t have enough to eat. They may not be getting dinner. To solve that, Democrats want to give breakfast and lunch to 100 percent of the kids. That doesn’t follow. You should be laser focused on helping those who are actually in need.

But then Democrats couldn’t accuse Lombardo and Republicans of wanting children to go hungry. They aren’t interested in letting the facts get in the way of a political attack.

Lombardo put out a letter Wednesday addressing the criticism. He noted that 80 percent of Nevada students are already eligible for free breakfast and lunch through a separate federal provision. That includes every student in Clark County. In addition, any family participating in a federal program such as SNAP or Medicaid is automatically eligible for free lunch. Others in need can fill out an application.

Think about what this means. Democrats want to spend your tax money to subsidize middle-class and rich families. King John would approve.

It gets worse. Last legislative session, Lombardo proposed a modest increase in tax credits for the Opportunity Scholarship program. It allows low- and middle-income families to escape failing public schools by tapping funds to pay for private school tuition. It has helped thousands of students, including those bullied, disengaged and struggling in public schools. It costs less per-pupil than public schools spend.

But Democrats who preen about wanting to help students refused to support that modest expansion.

Take a step back and look at the big picture. Parents providing food for their children or paying for school meals is a positive thing. That’s a basic parental responsibility, not the job of government.

Government-provided meals for those who don’t need them send a terrible message to parents. If they can’t be trusted to feed their own children, how can they be trusted to help with school work? Or to exercise parental authority? Feeding your child is a daily connection and reminder that parents are providers. Outside of children facing hunger, the government shouldn’t intervene.

Democrats want the government to pay for meals for the rich. Republicans want scholarships for poor students so one day they can be rich enough to pay for meals for their own kids. Robin Hood, Little John and the Merry Men would be fighting for the latter option.

Victor Joecks’ column appears in the Opinion section each Sunday, Wednesday and Friday. Contact him at vjoecks@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4698. Follow @victorjoecks on X.