Oh for crying out loud. Hardly any kids know who pays for their lunch. Most of them could not even tell you how much it costs. You have a pretty abstract view of what the perspective of being poor is. As I stated earlier, I grew up quite poor, and though we could have qualified for free or reduced lunches we did not take them, but I can't say I ever felt like a victim. If you want to see a kid with a sense of entitlement, look no further than a child of privilege.
The requirements are 185% of the federal poverty level. That has not changed in God knows how long. For example, if a single mother has 2 kids, then she can earn up to $36,000 to qualify for free or reduced lunches. Now lets do the math:
She works 40 hours a week at 10 dollars an hour. That gets her to 20,000 dollars a year. She then works nights waiting tables which gets up her to say, $35,000 a year. That qualifies her kids for reduced lunches, not free. Just the same, you say, well why not just have her kids pack their lunch. Well, lets do the math again:
She takes home about 2500 dollars a month.
Rent is 1200 dollars a month minimum.
Car payment for an inexpensive vehicle is another 300 dollars a month.
Food, well thats around 600 dollars a month these days. If she applied at that household size and income level she could qualify for 150 dollars in snap benefits or so. So lets put her food budget at 400 dollars a month out of pocket.
Gas money, another 100 dollars a month minimum.
Utilities, even if some are included in rent, its still going to be a minimum of another 100 dollars a month.
Not leaving much left at this point, and we are not even getting into clothes, incidentals, and all the other costs we all face in our day to day lives.
But hey, lets make her kids sweep floors because we want them to learn the value of work. You obviously have no idea what its like to grow up in poverty or to be a single mother trying earn enough to raise your kids, but just like this congressman, you want to tell them what is wrong with them anyway.