Does that mean we all get free liposuction like Nadler did?
He's the
Posted on 01/03/2004 4:29:09 AM PST by Cincinatus' Wife
Margo Wootan, of the Washington, D.C.-based Center for Science in the Public Interest, says that at the end of a decade in which obesity rates have risen 50%, the time has come for government activism in the fight against fat. Excess weight and obesity contribute to the premature deaths of 300,000 Americans annually — not far behind tobacco's yearly death toll of 430,000.
Fat is the fastest-growing cause of disease and death in the United States today, and that has set off alarms bells in every quarter of government, Wootan says.
"We'll see more," she predicts — more litigation, more debate and more lawmaking, from Washington on down to local school boards. Americans, she contends, will welcome the help. "Most people want to eat better, but they find it difficult."
Your new fat-fighting allies plan to wield a few sticks — carrot or otherwise — as well. After all, if fat is the new Public Enemy No. 1, then those who do not join the fight (and who cost the country $117 billion per year in additional health-care costs) may need more inducement to get on board.
In the brave new world that public health activists hope to create, you would pay a special tax on Ho Hos, Big Macs and other foods high in fats or sugar. An obese person would pay more for health insurance than someone of appropriate weight and would have no legal recourse if passed over for a job because of their weight. And your favorite junk food would return to the test kitchen to have its fat removed because its manufacturer would be worried about being sued.
And everywhere you would turn for a bite, whether at restaurants or at home, you would see fat and calorie counts and consumer warnings. Imagine, in small type, something like, "The surgeon general has warned that excessive consumption of foods high in fat and calories will lead to obesity, which is associated with increased risk of diabetes, heart disease and certain kinds of cancers."
If the warning sounds familiar, it's no coincidence. Lawyers, lawmakers and activists determined to reduce obesity have modeled their campaign on the nation's anti-tobacco crusade — a nearly 40-year effort that has helped drive down smoking among American adults from about 42% in 1965 to about 25% today.
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
Sorry, it's been biopsied and it's malignant.
They'll have to pry my Ho Hos from my cold, dead fingers.
With the fattening of society, if the obese, not wanting to pay for two tickets just because they overlap the purposely shrunken airline seats, are kicked off flights, there will be less people flying, which will result in higher fares.
I don't mind being crammed in. Most obese people can fit in an airline seat. The ones that can't are extremely obese. I don't remember the exact figures, but people in that class are just a few percentage points of the population. It won't make that much difference to ticket prices.
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