Weaning Them Off Soda/Maine

The Bangor Daily News ^ | 5 July 2002 | who knows!

[SheLion]

A group of dedicated health specialists met again this week to fine-tune its plan to encourage every school in Maine to get rid of sodas, chips and other non-nutritional items.

They have put together an information packet warning against soda and chips as major causes of a current epidemic of obesity and tooth decay throughout the country but especially in Maine. The packet includes research articles and fact sheets designed to persuade students, parents, teachers and school administrators that the campaign is one tangible, practical means of improving health and heading off future disease. The committee has met with vending machine companies and obtained assurances of cooperation.

The next step will be to develop a strategy presentation for individual school districts. Pilot projects in several Maine communities are scheduled to start March 1, 2003, After evaluation of the results, the statewide campaign is slated for the school year starting in September 2004.

One question that arose in this week’s meeting was how best to get the students to realize that it is up to them to control their own diet and escape from the vending-machine monopolies in many schools that promote consumption of the big-name drinks that are heavy on sugar and caffeine.

A nutritionist suggested permitting a choice between healthful and unhealthful items. Others believe that, if given a choice, many students will take the junk.

Another question is how the vending companies may respond to the campaign. Milk and plain water must be carefully defined or some vendor may come up with a pricey new variation. How about Coke-flavored milk?

The committee is preparing for the day when it will seek wider publicity. It is drafting model news stories and news releases. One suggestion, unanimously approved, was that they drop the technical term “dental caries” in their fact sheets and refer simply to plain old “tooth decay.” That was a step in the right direction.

[liberallarry]

You're holding Cuba up as a model for how anything should be run, just about says it all about you, Larry.

No, it says it all about you. The beauty of a democratic, capitalist system is that problems are approached with an eye to finding what works. In totalitarian systems it's ideolgy regnant. Somewhere you got turned around.

If you're really involved in health care and are over a certain age, remember how (relatively) cheap health care was before the gub'mint got involved?

That's the very question I asked our administrator...because, during the '50s, our hospital was profitable and delivered a full range of medical services. Her reply was, "In the old days you didn't have to be a specialist to help deliver anesthetics (or other services) and there were no really expensive machines to deliver accurate diagnoses. No one wants to go back to the old days." My reply was "What good is the new stuff if no one can afford it?" That's where we stand now.

[metesky]

cancer stix hacking morons

Nice generalization there, girlie.

Louis Armstrong
Desi Arnaz
Lucille Ball
"Count" Basie
Humphrey Bogart
Yul Brynner
Nat "King" Cole
Noel Coward
Bette Davis
Sammy Davis Jr.
Walt Disney
T.S. Elliot
Duke Ellington
Albert Einstein
Ian Fleming
Errol Flynn
Sigmund Freud
Clark Gable
Betty Grable
Michael Landon
Steve McQueen
Robert Mitchum
Robert Shaw
Frank Sinatra
Spencer Tracy
Lana Turner

Now some of these people died prematurely, some lived normal life spans and some lived to ripe old age. All smokers and not a moron among them... Well maybe Betty Grable, but she cops a pass 'cause she had a nice butt.

[BUMPA31]

another ploy for new tax money.
they can never get enough of your money.

[kellynla]

oh of course...but the original post was about obese children and I am sure you want the best for children who don't necessarily make the right choices

[JimVT]

Well...we've got do-gooders on both coasts, ain't we?

See the article on "Berkeley bans PC coffee" elsewhere on FR

[liberallarry]

A legitimate point of view. We differ.

[Rebelbase]

Schools should be allowed to have student vending machines that sell condoms, coffee, sodas, twinkies, cigarettes and OTC meds. After all thats the Libertarian way.

[Psycho_Bunny]

OMG...You just posted the best red herring I've ever seen. Good job!

So when did you graduate from "Debating for 1st-Graders 101"?

[kellynla]

All of the people you list didn't have the luxury of knowing what we know about the cancer causing affects of cigarettes. From what we have learned over the past 30 or 40 years about cigarettes, anybody who smokes TODAY is a MORON...and I am not a "girlie" jerkoff...you only wish you had balls as big as mine

[metesky]

The beauty of a democratic, capitalist system is that problems are approached with an eye to finding what works. In totalitarian systems it's ideolgy regnant. Somewhere you got turned around.

Let me see here: I'm all for a capitalist free market system with no gub'mint involvement; you're singing the praises of the biggest totalitarian system in the Western hemisphere and your conclusion is that I'm turned around?

BWAHAHAHAHA!

Nice try, old bean.

My reply was "What good is the new stuff if no one can afford it?"

And yet you believe that Cuba, a country that can't feed its own people, can't supply jobs and has no free market, can afford all this modern technology? You're bullsh!tt!n' yourself, Larry.

[NeoCaveman]

We the great unwashed are just too stupid to make the basic decisions of our daily lives and the educated few must pass laws to protect us from ourselves.

That is exaclty the way the nanny-staters think.

[liberallarry]

I don't feel ashamed at all.

Nor did I hold up the Cuban health care system as something to be emulated....although I might in the future as I find out more about it.

As I said, I think a new approach is called for if we are to provide health care to most people...as we did in the '50s and '60s. I'm doing what I think any reasonable person would do; exploring. I question doctors. Who else would you expect to be informed? Several of them told me of Cuba's system. I'm interested. Why shouldn't I be?

[metesky]

Hey, I'm sorry that I thought Kelly was a woman's name, I'll tell my cousin to change her's right away.

As for your keyboard bravado and namecalling, you're just making a joke out of yourself, sir.

[discostu]

Why is it the anti-smoking people are always so highstrung. You really need to have a butt and a scotch and unwind a litle.

Truthfully if you look at the history of smoking we've known it was bad for you since the q9th century. OK we haven't had the detailed research, but we knew. The punchline is that it's their life and their decision and none of your business. EVER.

[discostu]

Oops 19th century. A little too relaxes couldn't make it to the top of the keyboard.

[Salgak]

I didn't say the Government messed up health, I said they messed up the health care SYSTEM. . . There's a very important difference. . .

[LynnHam]

oh of course...but the original post was about obese children and I am sure you want the best for children who don't necessarily make the right choices

It's is their choice and the choice of their parents not "A group of dedicated health specialists " still freedom of choice.

[liberallarry]

Your original posit was that we have an obesity problem in this country...according to every number published the majority are fine.

We have a dispute on the facts. I don't think you're right about the statistics. But let me point out that we could still have a terrible obesity problem even though the majority was fine. My european friends tell me they see this country as one of extremes - people who look like Gods and others who resemble barnyard animals with not much of a middle.

Your other posit was that our health system is collapsing. Again BS, if we're living longer the health system must be doing OK. Actually if one accepts your first posit when you combine that with the fact that we're living longer it completely disproves your second posit. How could a nation have an obesity problem and be living longer unless the health system kicked ass?

A most interesting argument.

My inclination is to simply reply with the facts: We do have an obesity problem. We do have a health system collapse. We are living longer. You figure out what's wrong with your argument.

But I'll try to do better. To some extent we are living on accumulated capital; As I stated previously longevity is determined by lots of things. We are much less victims of childhood and infectious diseases. Of malnutrition due to poverty. Our health care system is still quite effective and is much better - when you have access to it - than what was available even 40 years ago. Obesity is a relatively recent problem - I believe it didn't become apparant until about 20 years ago (It's hard to remember exactly).

[KantianBurke]

"I don't feel ashamed at all."

Course you don't. Ends justify the means right. Whats the big deal over couple hundred thousand political prisoners, no freedoms whtsoever and brutual dictatorships when this "model" healthcare system is involved! I guess whatever rock of a medical school you graduated out from under no longer requires any sort of ethical seminars huh.

[KantianBurke]

ping