Children's Fitness And The Military
We were pleased to read that the Minnesota Department of Transportation provided schools with $250,000 to support walking and biking through its Safe Routes to School program (“More than 100 Minnesota schools get grants to support biking and walking,” Feb. 11). As retired generals, we can tell you that this is good news, because nearly one in three young Americans is too physically unfit to join the military, and we need to do more to encourage an active, healthy lifestyle.
The bad news is that MnDOT was able to fund only half of the dollars requested for school-based walking and biking efforts due to a limited availability of funds under the program. As the Legislature and the governor consider transportation funding this session, they need to include sufficient dollars to support walking and biking, especially among Minnesota’s youths. Doing so will not only improve our children’s health, it will also strengthen our national security.
