As if the budget crisis did not hurt public schools enough, a new bill proposed by a Michigan legislator is aimed at getting rid of yet another source of much needed cash - pop vending machines.

The bill, introduced by Sen. Virg Bernero, D-Lansing, proposes to tax pop in Michigan, as well as ban public K-12 schools from vending soft drinks - a move he says is necessary to keep Michigan's schoolchildren healthy.

The Michigan Legislature already is bogged down with propositions to amend the budget crisis. This new bill would waste valuable time on the Legislature floor.

It is estimated that public schools average a 50-cent profit on every can sold in their hallways. This revenue doesn't even include money raised from pop can deposits, which is another 10-cents per empty can. Most schools have boxes next to vending machines where students can throw their empties in to be deposited.

These programs are an important part of school fund-raising and provide classes with funds to take field trips or buy new history books. If schools are no longer able to receive revenue this way, education itself could get shortchanged. More money certainly won't come from our indebted state government, which may face a $1 billion deficit.

The Legislature should not ban the sale of sweetened beverages in schools.

The state Legislature should be fighting larger battles instead of worrying about students having access to too much sugar.

Legislators should give our children more credit. They have the ability to make smart and healthy food choices on their own. And if they don't, they will learn. It didn't take long for many MSU students to realize that the 4 liters of Mountain Dew they drank each day caused their favorite pair of pants to shrink.

Instead of working on taking away additional revenue sources that allow schools to get some fun extras, legislators need to be working on ways to provide more funding for our needy schools.