608. The New York City Council voted to give all public school kids free lunches every day. The bill added only $24 million to the city budget. A council member said, "If all the kids get free lunches, then the poorer kids won't feel stigmatized. They won't feel 'marked' as 'poor and needy.'" The governor of New York objected. He said, "You can't have everything. Isn't it enough that hungry students get a free lunch? Now the council wants a stigma‐free free lunch? What's to complain about? Free food is free food. If we start giving free lunches to all, next the council will demand free food stamps for all. Then free Medicare for all. Where will it all end? Who's going to pay for these stigma‐free freebies?" The mayor signed the bill. The following week, the better‐off kids made a show of dumping their free lunches into the cafeteria trashcans. 4.5