Elsewhere Interweb

Me at Facebook:

I think the obesity epidemic is one of the most pressing issues in the US bodypolitic. More than half of all of us are overweight. More than a third of us are obese. As a result, ours is the first generation that has a lower life expectancy than the previous. However, I find taxes on any junk food problematic because junk food is--unlike cigarettes or alcohol--still food, and, if you're poor enough, still necessary to survive.

If we levy a tax on junk, people who can afford to buy healthier food might. I say "might" because I have found that eating healthier food isn't just prevented by cost, but also time. Healthier eating requires more cooking and more planning. Our poorest citizens--the ones who work the most--not only have less money to spend, but less time for anything else. Also, if you're a person who eats fast food twice a day and dines on Hungry Man at night, there's a strong chance you'll save money in subbing healthy sandwiches, stir frys, salads, and fresh fruit. But, again, this requires time, something that our poorest and fattest demographics can't necessarily offer. So a tax may only succeed in making them more poor and unhealthy and may help improve those who could afford to eat better anyway.

I think a better solution would be to call on the surgeon general to produce incentive programs for healthy eating. Junk food needs a warning. People understand that junk food is bad, certainly, but they need cold, hard specifics on the label. THIS TWINKIE CONTAINS TRANS-FATS WHICH, IN A 1992 STUDY, WERE DISCOVERED TO INCREASE CHANCES OF HEART DISEASE BY 35%. How many literate people might put that damn thing down?

Secondly, income-assistance programs need to extol the virtues of healthy eating. When I see people using food coupons or buying WIC, their approved items are hot dogs and Kool-Aid, not Lean Cuisines and ground turkey. No wonder they're fat; they can only afford food that will kill them and send their medical bills through the roof.

Third, we need legal reform on what food is allowed in schools. Like tobacco companies, junk food producers love to hook users young. This is why Coke and Pepsi battle for contracts with middle- and high-schools. If a kid develops a chip and soda habit before graduation, then the junk food producers have them for life. Meanwhile, lets stop serving these kids prison food.

Lastly, we need a healthy eating ad campaign, similar to the feel-good "Pass it on" campaign of yore. We need citizens to be proud of eating healthy because, in doing so, they take better care of themselves and their families. They can also be better contributors to society by driving down health costs, missing less work and, uh, not dying so soon.

Comments

[Big M]

Give it to 'em!

[lich]

Good post!You did a good work,and offer more effective imformation for us!Thank you!www.replicahandbagssite.com