Should the government take an active role in controlling the obesity problem in America?

[Anonymous]

For Yes: The government should be allowed to fund more parks, P. E. times, and rid schools of sodas and institute healthy lunch programs for kids. For adults to offer up programming to test for things like diabetes and high blood pressure and to offer up programming for adults to get/eat healthy, especially to those who cannot afford it.

For No: The government should not institute any of the above. It is the role of the parents alone, or the adult to tackle obesity problems in this country. No one needs an institution telling them 'how to eat a salad,' or to take their blood pressure for them. We all need to help ourselves on our own.

Yes!

No!

[BuchitaBuchys]

Yes for the children especially. For adults? Yes too but mostly for those in poverty.
Also, the US needs to stop providing subsidies to so much unhealthy food. They are decreasing the price of it and making it more affordable to poor people, it's no wonder why poor people obesity rates are skyrocketing. Provide more subsidies to fresh fruit and vegetables (not just corn and corn syrup), less subsidies to meat and dairy (I didn't say none to them, just that it's ridiculous that a pound of meat be as cheap as a pound of veggies when it costs much more in reality to grow meat vs produce).

And food desserts in the US. There are many places where there is no fresh produce market at all. So they're left with buying canned corn or whatever at their convenience store. Especially because they're in poverty, they perhaps don't have the transportation to get to a store with fresh food.

[Asker]

I could go on forever on this topic and I have. Thankfully in my city, they've taken on this project for poverty stricken immigrants to grow fresh food in city owned land which wasn't doing much but collect dust, and they are allowed to keep half for themselves and their families and they sell the other half to their local communities. We need more gardens if not stores that sell fresh natural foods not at Whole Foods Market prices. Big market stores will not set up shop in poverty stricken or known gang neighborhoods because insurance won't cover the risk and they don't see a way to make a profit. Sad, but its killing our future generations.

[LaVilaine]

None of those options really remove personal agency. It just makes resources more accessible, which is always a good thing.

[cth96190]

No!
If you want the government to micromanage the lives of its citizens, you should move to North Korea.
As for government mandated healthy lunch programmes. . . we saw what happened when Michelle Obama decided to inflict her idiotic and dangerous ideas about diet upon the children of the USA.
See:
www.infowars.com/.../
and:
www.infowars.com/.../
and:
www.infowars.com/.../
and:
www.infowars.com/.../

[jacquesvol]

Alex Jones isn't exactly the most trustworthy source in the US :D

[cth96190]

I think that Infowars is probably the best news source.
Infowars, Drudge and Britebart can be trusted.
The dinosaur media is owned by the globalist conspirators. It ignores the truth and lies 24/7.
Lugenpresse.

[jacquesvol]

Infowars, DrudgeReport and Breitbart... I know them.
I've read enough from these, to not trust them any more than I trust the Pravda or the Izvestia. (or the Osservatore Romano, to name one more) LOL.

[genuinlysensitive]

Yes! Who the Hell else is? Big Business, they are making billions of dollars a year off the obesity epidemic. With processed, high sugar, high fat, high salt foods! The best way to solve the epidemic is a return to a mostly whole foods diet, and since big business won't do it, and "helping ourselves" isn't working, the government needs to step in, and god forbid do something other than rubber stamp more big business bullshit!

[Asker]

This is so spot on.

[ak666]

I want to put "yes" but I'm inclined to suggest a different course of action through the education system. I went to schools in various countries and a lot of the schools I attended emphasized a physical regiment for kids.

For example, when I was a child in Japan, we had to do jumping jacks, push-ups, pull-ups, lunges, stretches, etc. It was almost like military training, though not quite as tough, but still tough enough where the teachers were harsh on kids who were being lax.

I really felt like this training was beneficial in so many ways and gave me a physical edge. It's not comparable to physical education in the U. S. -- it's a lot, lot tougher with very low tolerance for kids being lazy -- no whining allowed, or else you'll be punished with more physical activities (ex: holding buckets of water with your arms outstretched). Giving this kind of training to both boys and girls might help a lot, and also breed tougher kids instead of spoiled and entitled kinds of kids.

[genuinlysensitive]

Education is government controlled. But yes, we need to educate people, especially to realize that the products being marketed to them, are in large part causing the obesity epidemic.

[ak666]

@genuinlysensitive Agreed -- main part where I differ is maybe just a bit more emphasize on exercise in education over diet. I might be a bit biased since I ate a lot of junk as a child, but knowing it was junk. It was mainly the daily sprinting and climbing and jumping and so forth that I felt helped me stay fit.

I'm generally worried that we have too many sedentary distractions these days. There's a lot of junkie food out there, but we also have the most elaborate video games these days, teenagers text on their mobile phones all day long, etc. It's a bit different from when I was growing up when we spent more time outdoors, climbing, jumping, hiking, racing each other, etc. It's hard to get kids to do that on a daily basis outside school, so I really feel like the biggest benefit is going to subject kids through an exercise routine on a daily basis all throughout from kindergarten up to high school graduation.

[ak666]

@genuinlysensitive That's not to exclude education about nutrition and diet of course, and also changing what's served in cafeterias. I just feel like requiring that rigorous physical regiment on a daily basis all throughout a child's life might have the biggest impact.

[genuinlysensitive]

Not only education about exercise, and diet, but there needs to be education about marketing manipulation. The cartoons the theme songs, all targeted at children, to get them addicted to highly processed, high sugar, "junk" foods, and the realization that this is by design because like cigarettes, the addictiveness of the products are making companies a shit load of money at the expense of people's health.

Why do you think Big Tobacco has branched out from tobacco to processed sugar, like Oreos, Nilla Waffers, Honecomb cereal, and many others? Much like tobacco they know its addictive, they can get kids hooked early on, they also know its dangerous to public health, they don't care, its their business model.

[Phoenix98]

No the goverment should stay out of it, it's not their concern it's a family and personal matter. Last thing we need is more goverment control which will lead to more stress which will lead to more eating. The best thing you can do is help people like personal training and gyms to be able to get more people into the gym and keep people inspired to train and eat healthy, forcing them won't do anything.

Besides Australia's goverment has been trying to do a similar thing in their own country and take a more active role in the health of their citizens for years and it failed pretty badly.

And I as a citizen will speak frankly and say I don't want the goverment micromanaging my life or the lives of anyone else.

[orphan]

I recall a smalle fairy sinking despite being under maximum capacity of occupants. the fairy was built in the 20s... back when the average weight was less... obesity causing a fairy to sink is a civil and infrastructure problem. it affects someone's life in everything they do and use.

[Asker]

Phoenix98... how are you going to "help people like personal training and gyms," if they are claiming like they do now whether true or not, they have neither the time nor money to get to the gym? And as for your "solution," people aren't doing that now... they aren't going to gyms and training, but what a lot of these programs do is make it really simple for people b/c they come to your job or your kids school and get them into programing there and offer it for free.

[Gommers]

Parents should have the ability to lose their children if obesity occurs in the child. Single parents and obese parents should be held to a standard higher than two parent homes and have government intervention sooner.

Create military style schools funded by taxes and raise the kids to be upstanding self respecting people. Parents would be able to earn visitation and even vacation time by bettering themselves and even earn compensable for actively attempting to stay a major part of the child's life.

Yeah, I do actually believe in this.

[fuqthegovt]

Simple policy: if you collect food stamps and taxpayer-funded healthcare then you get to eat the gov't-approved diet and nothing else. There should be a law to where if you are fat or want to eat how ever much sugar and lard you want, drink all the booze you want, or smoke all the cigarettes and dope you want then you don't get taxpayer-funded health coverage nor should hospitals be forced to care for you if you don't have the cash to fix it yourself. Why force everyone else to pay for your bad decisions? End that crap already before the country is bankrupt. Quit subsidizing peoples' bad decisions and then paying for the results of those bad decisions.

[chrisbigman]

NO!!! People need to take responsibility for their own actions. They need to eat right and exercise right. People don't do that. They continually go to fast foods or eat processed foods and they don't move around enough (if at all). I stopped going to fast foods a while ago. Granted, I'm still gaining weight, but at a LOT slower of a pace than before. If only I can get myself to exercise, chances are I will be losing weight. The government shouldn't need to get involved in every little thing. Too much government involvement is bad. Very, VERY bad.

[Asker]

Proud of you for doing what you're doing but the obesity epidemic isn't just as cut and dry as oh go to the gym and eat right and all your problems are solved because you've got schools that have zero requirements to have P. E., schools serving unhealthy foods to kids whom about 78% eat school lunches, you have neighborhoods to unsafe to go for walks in, you've got Big brands preying on both adults, but especially young children, with their marketing campaigns for unhealthy foods, and then you have overweight parents with no clue how to manage their own health let alone their kids, and the solution is let them be? That's not working and its not cool anymore because the next generation is dying or going to die way too early with nearly 1 in 3 kids overweight or obese these days. I'm all for telling the govt. to piss off, but there has to be something else in place other than do nothing.

[chrisbigman]

I agree. No one person can do it alone. It's a team effort.

[jacquesvol]

In Belgium, the last 3 years salt and fat in prepared foods, even in bread and spaghettihave been diminished. Gradually and silently, without communication about it. I had tasted it but had not read anything about it until the secretary of state for health gloriously communicated about it last week.

In Denmark they levied extra taxes on certain unhealthy foods. It didn't work out: people just paid more for unhealthy food thus manufacturers and shops had no incentive to propose healthier things.

[Miezko]

I think so, obesity is one of the biggest drivers of preventable chronic diseases and healthcare costs in the United States. Currently, estimates for these costs range from $147 billion to nearly $210 billion per year.
I support a tax (like 25 to 50 cents) on unhealthy foods (sugary drinks, fried foods, sugary snacks, fast food restaurants, etc), and the money from that tax should go to healthcare.
I also support taxing people's pay checks, like social security, that money would also go to healthcare costs. However, with this one, when you do your income taxes if you can provide a doctor's statement saying you're in good physical health for your age you'd get it back.
The third measure, would be to tax companies whose sales are from unhealthy foods.
I believe this would not only significantly reduce are obesity problem but also go a long way to making healthcare affordable.

Miezko approves this message.

[Rissyanne]

There is nothing wrong with offering people options for healthy foods. But you can't force it. My mother is in a nursing home and she is a diabetic. They still have to give the offer a reg dessert and a diabetic one. of course she always chooses the reg dessert. We can't make her either.

[Asker]

Well, the government can't exactly force it either, but for example if they change the kids school lunches from pizzas, fries, and burgers, to salads, baked chicken, and water, just like they do 'now,' they would have no choice but to eat what was there unless their parents packed their lunches which only about 35% do. The same thing with P. E. I was "forced" to go 3-4 times a week. Exercise is good for every body. Now there is no school regulated required to have gym time. And we can extent the same principal to you at work if you have a cafe, if they at least offer a healthier option vs. just fast food, it is there.

[Rissyanne]

I know if I don't hit the gym at least 3 times a week... I hurt all over.

[GingerGuy]

I didn't vote because while I don't necessarily think they "should", it also can't hurt. In Canada, they are already doing some of these things and I think it's good in some ways, but if people want to eat crap, they are going to eat crap, kids or adults. So, if the gov decided not to bother spending the resources on these things, I couldn't really blame them for that decision.

[Miezko]

Since you didn't vote and can't see the results, if figured I'd post them.
Women 83%, men 61% say yes.
Women 17%, men 39% say no.

[Asker]

Well, it's not so simple as "letting them eat crap." We've been doing that as nations since the 80s when obesity rates started to climb. You can continue to ignore the problem b/c, you know, people are dealing with their own obesity, but we're at a turning point where in a few decades time we won't have a work force to speak of or it will be crippled quite literally by the absolutely devastating numbers of people who are morbidly obese/obese, with Type II Diabetes, High Blood Pressure, fatty livers, and the list goes on. Its to the point where even if you are healthy, what about others in families. Too many are dying young of preventable diseases. I think more on a government end should be done or we're asking for the slow destruction of our futures.

[GingerGuy]

@Miezko Thanks!

[genuinlysensitive]

The reason many people "eat crap" is the same reason many people used to smoke. They see the marketing on TV, figure its healthy, or at least won't hurt them, so they buy it, not realizing how hazardous it is to their health, or how addictive it is. Sure some people will still eat crap just like some people still smoke (read idiots), but if you are going to argue for "free choice" you must make sure people are educated about the choices, by unbiased sources, as opposed to just the marketing put forth by the people making money off of it.

[posted]

I didn't vote because this isn't a simple yes or no.
Should the government take an active role in creating healthier food? Yes.
There are things they can restrict, like the amount of ___ in ___. Some countries have healthier versions of soda than North America which doesn't seem to make a whole lot of sense. Also many countries banned certain ingredients in food, North America didn't care it was dangerous.

[MoonlitSonata]

The problem with obesity isn't a problem with people so much as it is food corps being allowed to engineer their foods to be addictive.

[anonman32]

i think that people need to be educated about the body's nutritional needs and about general fitness. through education people can learn that these fast foods that lead to obesity in combination with lack of exercise i think it would be possible for the government to make people less fat and more fit through education.

[LordBlakeh]

I think public schools need more recesses, physical activities, they've been really slacking on that stuff.

[ginny_weasley]

The whole point of this country is that you have a choice to eat healthy and live a long life or eat unhealthy, balloon up to six hundred pounds, and die of a heart attack when you're 30. I think that's beautiful.

[Oram52]

Not really, its personal responsibility. That money could be used somewhere more productive. People will still keep doing what they're doing wouln't have big impact.

[Asker]

how would be know if we've never fully tried to attack the problem from all ends. When there is a problem, if the supposed solution is just let it be, that problem isn't going to solve itself, so I think before slamming the door on government interventions, we owe it to our future generation to actually get off our butts and try something, anything, to try and curb this escalating problem.

[Oram52]

One people don't want government intervention. Second like I mentioned not enough money, we're in Austerity. Look at how school lunches went in America, in UK mothers were handing their kids junk food through school agtes because kids didn't want to eat healthy. There are plenty of parks. None of that is going to work unless.

It has to be personal responsibility. Its parents responsibility to endure their kids eat healthy, yeth kids eat junk food at home, mother's can't even cook. A lot of information is already available if people want help, that's the thing people don't want to.

You are right spending some money on preventing obesity can save a lot more in the future. If enough money was available we could try, but without personal responsibility it wouln't work. I am not against trial runs anyway. See how'd it goes but I wouln't hold my breath.

[dudeman]

no the government is too big already. there needs to be less government and taxes not more of it. whats needs to happen is women need to start cooking for their kids again. get back to the kitchen you're creating a nation of fat fucks.

[ZenithDawn]

i think the government is using obesity as a way to get people fat and dependent on thing so they can control them easily

[Asker]

dependent on thing? What does that mean?

[ZenithDawn]

things* such as fat people are dependent on a lot actually they gain an addiction to foods that normally are banned in the EU such as very sugary foods or the cancerous foods from a lot of fast food places our Government allows a lot of bad thins such as Mountain Dew to put pesticide in their drinks meanwhile DewShine or Mexican Mountain dew is made without the stuff.

[Dtegesd123]

Yes they should tax the hell out of junk food. There is no reason for it to exist other than to make a profit for companies and stimulate the economy.

[BellePepper]

As in yes the FDA should stop letting food companies poison us? Sounds right to me.

[Katy16]

No, I don't think the government should try and control how we eat.

[genuinlysensitive]

But big business largely controls how we eat now. Look how that is working...

[Katy16]

@genuinlysensitive how so?

[Asker]

Katy16 you should watch HBO's docu-series, the health of the nation. Advertisers have been peddling their junk food to kids literally like drug dealers. The National Institute of Health and others went up against these brand giants asking them only to market healthier foods to kids. They agreed for all of about five seconds before slapping for example, "fiber rich" on cereal boxes for kids... but they contain an elephants worth of sugar. When they went to Congress to discuss this, big brand essentially said we run this town, the government agreed, and nothing has been done since to stop this level of toxic marketing. There is a reason 4 year olds know the songs and slogans of every brand on their table. They see this being advertised to them every single morning, adults/parents as well, and if you're the adult, you see "fiber rich" and you think, this is great for my kid, but you've fallen into the trap too. When is the last time you saw and ad for eating your vegetables?

[Katy16]

Well its the parents job to tell there kids what they can and can't eat, companies are obviously gonna try and sell there product, but you don't have to buy it.

[genuinlysensitive]

Half the time the parents are uninformed, or are both working full time jobs. This is also by design, as it makes it hard to properly raise children, and the current morons we have running the government as the asker said, don't have the balls to stand up to big business. This is not meant to scare, but to inform people about what is going on in society.

[Katy16]

@genuinlysensitive That doesn't change who's job it is to raise your kids though, you just have to make it work. And if the government wants to inform people it's fine, just not try snd control them.