Idaho Republican floats making school kids work for food

An Idaho Republican state lawmaker thinks today's children need to learn the value of good, honest work if they want to enjoy a hot meal during lunch.

As reported by The Daily Beast, Idaho State Rep. Ron Mendive this week pitched solving local schools' budget problems by putting students to work in exchange for food.

"If we could find a way for the students to work to earn credits for their school lunch, I don’t think we’d see any of the waste we do in that program because it doesn’t mean much," he said during a meeting on Tuesday.

Mendive did not elaborate on what kind of labor he wants school children to perform in exchange for basic nutrition, but The Daily Beast's report notes that Idaho does have laws against non-agricultural child labor that could throw a wrench into the Republican's plans to put the students to work.

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The report goes on to document Mendive's other controversial stances, such as his promotion of ineffective COVID-19 treatment hydroxychloroquine, his belief that being a prostitute is just as much of a "choice" for women as getting an abortion, and his desire to strip school curriculums or any reference to climate change.