The fat police

A group I’ve never heard of before issued a report today:

More than a quarter of Ohio adults are obese, and nearly as many say they never exercise, according to figures released Monday by a group tracking America’s climbing obesity rates.

Obesity rates are on the rise in 31 states, including Ohio, according to a report from the Trust for America’s Health, a research group that focuses on disease prevention. No state showed a decline.

Well at least this group has no agenda and are just releasing this info so that we’re all better informed. (Yeah, right.)

Federal and local governments should play a larger role in preventing obesity, said officials at the Trust for America’s Health. People who are overweight are at an increased risk for diabetes, heart problems and other chronic diseases that contribute to greater health care costs.

That health care cost argument is the gateway to much government control of our lives. From the group’s site:

TFAH recommends a comprehensive approach for helping individuals make healthy choices including support from families, communities, schools, employers, the food and beverage industries, health professionals, and government at all levels. Some key recommendations include:

* Think big. The federal government should develop and implement a National Strategy to Combat Obesity. This plan should involve every federal government agency, define clear roles and responsibilities for states and localities, and engage private industry and community groups.

Hmm. Not too invasive.

Trackback | Posted by Brian | Aug 27, 2007 1:14 pm | Permalink | Bookmark
Categories: National, Ohio, Politics, News

Posted by Matt N. | Aug 27, 2007 4:20 pm

What a bunch of nanny-staters.

Its amazing that these groups just pop up out of nowhere- I’m convinced that there are a bunch of liberals and EXPERTS who just form these groups to give quotes to papers about how outraged they are, or quotes about how many more freedoms the government should restrict for our own good.

Tired of being fat? Then the answer is stop eating so damn much. Should the government spend money to tell me that?

Posted by janit | Aug 27, 2007 7:37 pm

oh great!! the cigarette nazis are after the fat people now!!! need the government to regulate what is eaten. More people are fat because they stopped smoking!!! ha!

Posted by Dan S | Aug 27, 2007 9:12 pm

Obesity is not a federal, state, or local issue.

Obesity is a personal choice - a self inflicted wound. People are not fat because they stopped smoking. They are fat because they choose to eat too much.

I am the only person responsible for what I put in my mouth. If someone wants to be fat, dumb, an happy then so be it. However, with this self abuse comes responsibility.

The obese should at least be charged a fat-tax in the form higher health insurance premiums and pay more for an airline seat.

We can all help by telling the next loved-one that asks ‘Do I look fat in these jeans?’ a resounding hell-yes! And then ask what are you going to do about it?

Posted by Tom | Aug 28, 2007 12:20 am

Government and employers should not be encouraged to play the role of surrogate parent and be held responsible for fixing every cultural obsession in which the public chooses to indulge. Whether it’s smoking, alcohol, eating, or other obsession. Government should be providing the legal and regulatory frameworks that ensure our food supply and food service industries are structured and operate in a way that provides a healthy, affordable source of food to the nation for everyone. For example, it should be mandatory for every restaurant menu to conspicuously provide information about each item on the menu (something akin to a food label .. calories from carbs, protein, and fat). It should be mandatory to provide the percentage of calories that a meal contributes toward the total daily recommended calorie intake. Supersizing meals should be banned. It’s an unhealthy practice to which this country is now witness and creates a public health problem that has healthcare ramifications, creates a dangerous new standard in food consumption and changes the public perception of what a “normal” portion size truly should be. Schools should be required (not just restricted) to remove all junk food from their campuses. Schools should be required to reinstitute the “home economics” courses that were once taught in schools to teach children about nutrition, meal planning, cooking skills, home management, and other related topics. Americans can educate themselves better in the “home economics” skills and exercise programs while government provides tax incentives for education and participation in exercise programs or activities. Organizations, new or old, can be leveraged to make opportunities for exercise, competition, and reward programs. These are just a few rough ideas toward generating a constructive dialogue about the problem. Hope others can offer their thoughts about possible solutions.

Posted by Columbuser.com » Hard-drinkin’ Ohio | Aug 28, 2007 11:55 am

[…] and of course you should live your life according to media releases- Ohioans are a bunch of fat drunks. Trackback | Posted by Brian | Aug 28, 2007 11:55 am | Permalink | Bookmark Categories: […]

Posted by jcs1 | Aug 28, 2007 6:38 pm

I saw this report today. Someone on this commentary summed it up already - it’s not any governmental
agency’s responsibility to help people from being obese. It’s a personal, and parental responsibility.

You want to introduce Health Care premiums into this as a solution? Then make people submit a physical
at the time they get health care coverage. THis should be included as a covered expense in employer grop
health plans. This will at least give a clear link between lost hours vs. who’s responsible.

Also, the schools are not to blame. I’ve seen my children’s elementary school lunches and they are
well balanced meals. Plus, this is one meal a day from the school, served 5 days a week. There will be
be some 12 - 15 other meals per week served, along with snacks and such, that come from the home.

As for your daily life, if you think your a ‘victim’ of obesity, think again. The report on CNN.com gave a
ridiculous factor: grocery stores not readily accessible for some. How do you shop for food then? On the
contrary, I can somewhat agree with neighborhoods that are unsafe and/or do not offer adequate outlets
for physical activity (playgrounds, tennis courts, rec centers, etc). That’s nobody’s fault but the
obese persons - they choose to live where they do, and it’s up to them to exercise their fat brains on how
to get creative and find something that provides physical fitness. If you can’t even go for a brisk
walk in your own neighborhood because it’s unsafe, why the hell are you living there? It’s pretty obvious that
there are people in this world who choose to not take care of themselves and blame everything else for
their problems. Get off your As* and do something - I’m sick and tired of paying high health care premiums
because you live your lame lifestyle, and continue breeding children under your lazy directions.

One other note - I’ve heard there’s some study that links obesity to the social environment that people
put themselves in. Riiight. Got fat friends that like to drink beer and eat chicken wings all the time?

Stop hanging out with them. Or better yet, get a spine and suggest you all do something else that burns calories,
instead of ingesting them. Bottom line is obesity, in it’s simple form of root cause, is due to a lack
of control by the individual (and moreover, by the parent of an obese child).

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