What Can Our Government Do For Us?

In reply to: First Lady: Childhood Obesity Threatens National Security | Homeland Security, and the third comment, in particular.
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As to whether the US government has any role to play in the health and welfare of Americans, I think that ship has already sailed. How much of a role has and always will be determined by the politicians we elect to represent us. Now, I want those I vote for to use the power I lent them to speak up about issues like this, just as I would were I elected. Obviously the person who commented above me feels differently.

I'm really not so sure that the issue of obesity is political, in the sense that much of anyone in any political party is in favor of it. At best, it's a question of whether or not one believes that we should empower the people we elect to spend tax dollars or political capital on combatting it, or leave individuals to fend for themselves without the guidance and resources that the government can provide. And there we simply disagree.

All I can say to those who feel that government has no place in this issue is that you needn't avail yourselves of those resources if you don't want to. It would be nice if we could all allocate where we each want our tax dollars to be spent, so that you and I wouldn't have to pay for anything we each don't value or believe our government should be doing, but instead we elect people to do that on our behalf. And right now the people that we elected are willing to put money into helping us stay healthy, which you don't like but I do, as well as some things that you like more than I... That's just the way it goes in a representative democracy...
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Submitted for moderator approval 2/21/2010, 9:06 AM (IM blog time)

Obesity is a Threat to National Security, say folks Left AND RIGHT

In reply to: First Lady: Childhood Obesity Threatens National Security - Rightside News, following a comment that rightly pointed out that member's of the top brass said this a few days earlier, and that the First Lady was repeating their claims.
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Title of comment (You can title your comment at this site):

"And then there was Richard Carmona (Dubya's Surgeon General)"

“Obesity is not just a health issue,” said Richard Carmona, who served as surgeon general in the George W. Bush administration. Carmona is now with the Strategies to Overcome and Prevent Obesity Alliance (STOP), a coalition of consumer, government, labor, business, and health insurers that advocate “innovative and practical strategies” to combat obesity.

Obesity “affects our national and global security,” said Carmona. He said the U.S. has reached a “tipping point,” at which obesity “now impacts every aspect of our society, including the future of our health system.”

Obesity is crippling individuals and hurting American families, the workforce – even work productivity and the nation’s ability to be prepared for natural and manmade disasters: “When we look at one of the top reasons why young men and women fail to be retained on active duty in our uniformed services, obesity again rises to the forefront at a time when we need them more than ever.” - CNSNews.com - Health Experts Call Obesity A Threat to National Security

One can debate whether or not these folks are correct about the heath and societal risks that come with being a nation overweight, but it'd be a big mistake to claim there's some partisan bias involved in who's sounding the alarm on obesity...
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Submitted for approval 2/12/10, 8:50 AM (IM Blog time)