Deven Mantz, Minot

Here we are again, the rush of yet another ND legislative session, and the critical issue of providing meals for children in school is back. Many of us believed this matter had been resolved. Was there not legislation that provided meals in the last session? Yes, there was. Unfortunately, the meals bill was to increase their (legislators) own daily meal per diem, paid for by the taxpayers while at the same time denying the same funds be used for school meals to our children. How can this be?

This is not the “North Dakota Nice” we pride ourselves on. Our state consistently provides substantial tax breaks to corporations and out of state interests, yet we hesitate to provide North Dakota working-class families with what would essentially be a small, real time family tax credit in the form of school meals.

We have just 80 days to make the difference. It’s time for us to do something about it! Let’s put down the paper and pick up the phone. Call your local legislators and demand they prioritize feeding our kids. Together, we can make sure that every child has access to nutritious meals and uphold our values we pride ourselves on.