When they told me they were working on education reform at the same time as trying to fight obesity in the nation’s youth, I didn’t think they were talking about this.

Davis High School has been fined $15,000 after they were caught selling soda pop during lunch hour, which is a violation of federal law.

The federally mandated law prohibits the sale of carbonated beverages after lunch is served. The program is an effort to help fight childhood obesity and to have young students make better food choices.

The mandate allows for carbonated beverages to be sold before lunch, but restricts students from buying lunch, then purchasing carbonated drinks afterward.

“Before lunch you can come and buy a carbonated beverage. You can take it into the cafeteria and eat your lunch, but you can’t first go buy school lunch then come out in the hallway and buy a drink,” said Davis High Principal Dee Burton.

I only heard about this story from long time Hot Air friend Lady Logician, who seems a bit puzzled by the methods of the nanny state here.

Wait a minute…..it’s OK to by the pop and then go into buy lunch but you can’t leave the lunchroom to go get the pop second? You can buy a Snickers but you can’t buy licorice? You can buy ice cream but not Skittles???? WTF???????

Parents have learned the art of education and give and take. You let them have the junk food (in moderation) and you educate them on the dangers of sex outside of a committed relationship. You tell them about the dangers of overindulging in alcohol and you don’t make it as attractive as if you were to just prohibit it. And at some point, you have to let go of the reins and trust them to make intelligent decisions on their own and be ready to allow them to suffer the consequences of the bad decisions.

Which is something that the Obama Administration can’t do…let the American people make their own decisions and take the consequences of those decisions.

The upshot of the fine levied against the school truly brings the story to the ridiculous conclusion it deserves. The $15K to pay the fine will come from funds normally used for the school’s music program, art department and sports. That should make for some better, more well rounded students, eh? Oh… and how do they plan to avoid being fined again in the future? The principal is looking for a way to move the soda machines into a room which can be locked and guarded starting at lunch time. Presumably that will require somebody with nothing better to do, such as… teaching students.

America. What a country!