Hillarysworld

October 13th, 2009 | Author: Diamond Tiger

Today’s AYFKM? Award has already been given to the flag banning management of Oaks Apartments in Oregon, and because imbecilic events continue to occur throughout the day, I felt the need for another award that is geared more toward sheer “slap Americans in the face” stupidity than the un-freakin’-believable escapades like The Fed “losing” $9 Trillion or Nancy speaking about a value added tax in our future while we have almost 10% unemployment and millions are losing their homes.

Introducing the Monster’s first ever “Idiots In Charge” Award.

Today’s Award is being presented to Michelle Obama (surprise) and Kathleen Sebelius (more surprise).

I suppose you could say that $373 MILLION to improve vending machine food will stimulate a job somewhere, but for the life of me, I’m thinking that maybe that $373 MILLION would have been spent better elsewhere or not at all considering we have $105 TRILLION in unfunded liabilities. (Get used to seeing that debt clock link.)  Many mahalos to Byron York of the Washington Examiner for writing about this story, and my apologies for shamelessly printing it in it’s entirety.

Michelle: $373 million in stimulus money for better vending machine food

First Lady Michelle Obama visited the headquarters of the Department of Health and Human Services in Washington Tuesday. She devoted much of her talk to “the growing threat of obesity, particularly childhood obesity” in the United States, and she touted HHS’s recently-announced plan to spend $373 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act on plans to, among other things, improve the healthfulness of foods in vending machines.

The first lady did not discuss how such work might stimulate the economy or speed economic recovery. But she had glowing praise for the stimulus’ role in fighting obesity. “Congress and the president included $1 billion for prevention and wellness programs in the Recovery Act,” she told the crowd of cheering DHS workers, “and that includes funding for initiatives that will give communities the resources they need to address the obesity epidemic in their communities. This includes $373 million announced last month that would be available for communities that put together comprehensive plans to reduce obesity –- $373 million — and that would include everything from incentivizing grocery stores to locate in underserved areas; it could include improving meals at school; to getting more healthy, affordable foods into vending machines; to creating more safe, accessible places for people to exercise and play; and a whole lot more.”

Last month HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced that the $373 million in stimulus money will be the “cornerstone funding” of the Recovery Act Community Prevention and Wellness Initiative. The announcement was an invitation to groups around the country to apply for grants under the program, which will be called Communities Putting Prevention to Work. “Funded projects will emphasize high-impact, broad-reaching policy, environmental, and systems changes in schools (K-12) and communities,” the HHS announcement said. “For example, communities will work to make high-fat snack foods and sugar-sweetened beverages less available in schools and other community sites and to use media to promote healthy choices. In addition, funded communities will be encouraged to provide quality physical education in the nation’s schools and enact comprehensive smoking bans.”

This week, HHS announced another $120 million in stimulus funds will be made available for similar purposes.

This is one of those moments when one truly realizes how far out in left field this group of fat, happy, and sassy insiders are.

Michelle? Kathleen?  Are you out-of-your-freakin’-minds? I would be so embarrassed to be part of a push to change vending machine food using taxpayer dollars  when there are so many more bigger issues to be concerned with.

I can almost feel a “Let Them Eat Cake” moment coming.  Probably tomorrow.