Your Opinion on Obesity

[How can we reduce Obesity in the U.S.]

How can we reduce Obesity in the U.S.

Reduce tax credits to parents with fat children

 4 (12.5%)

Presidential Physical Fitness Programs

 2 (6.3%)

Increase funding for youth sports

 9 (28.1%)

Allow teachers to make fun of fat children

 11 (34.4%)

Tax Junk Food

 6 (18.8%)

Total Members Voted: 32

[jack24]

A new study claims that by 2020 half of all adolescents will be obese. (BMI greater than 30)

Senator Obama claims that if we could reduce obesity levels to where they were in the 1980's it would save the country over 1 trillion dollars.

So what can the government do about it?

Discuss.

[Gitmo Jones]

The government should not do anything about that is not there place, I am tired of them interfering in my life enough, Obama loses all credibility when he listens to Wrights filth for 20 years

[dekocards]

The question is the problem.  What should the Government do?  You assume the Gov't should or can do anything to alter what people eat.   Do people really lack the self-respect and responsibility to manage the minutia of their lives?  There’s a growing portion of this country who want to shield themselves from reality by passing the tough choices economically and morally on to the G-men.  Just stop.

[pulvillus]

Here's my 10 step proposal, enjoy:

1) Shut down all drive-thrus
2) Tear down malls and shopping plazas and spread out the shops (without convenient parking in between)
3) Force everybody by presidential order to attend a course on how to cook simple meals with fresh and local ingredients (also helps the global warming problem)
4) Teach people how to drive, so walking/riding a bike isn't suicidal anymore
5) Do something about school lunches (by far the worst $h!t I've ever come into contact with)
6) Educate the public on how to dress well, thereby increasing the incentive to have the right figure to go into non-ill-fitting clothes
7) Reprogram all elevators to where they won't travel less than 3 stories at a time, forcing people to take the stairs more often
8.) Make sports, gym memberships, etc. more affordable (except for football, where obesity may actually be of advantage)
9) Teach common sense (a double whopper with large fries and a diet coke won't help you keep the wight off)
10)Expand the Wii concept to include a controller for every major body part (that gives jump 'n run games a whole new meaning)

[jack24]

The question is the problem.  What should the Government do?  You assume the Gov't should or can do anything to alter what people eat.   Do people really lack the self-respect and responsibility to manage the minutia of their lives?  There’s a growing portion of this country who want to shield themselves from reality by passing the tough choices economically and morally on to the G-men.  Just stop.

I'm all about personal responsibility, but the consequences of obesity are not immediate, so many people procrastinate.

And apparently people do "really lack the self-respect and responsibility" to stop getting fat.  Why is america getting fatter?  What's causing the problem?
Is it inactivity, or the lack of motivation?  Or something else entirely?

[dekocards]

The question is the problem.  What should the Government do?  You assume the Gov't should or can do anything to alter what people eat.   Do people really lack the self-respect and responsibility to manage the minutia of their lives?  There’s a growing portion of this country who want to shield themselves from reality by passing the tough choices economically and morally on to the G-men.  Just stop.

I'm all about personal responsibility, but the consequences of obesity are not immediate, so many people procrastinate.

And apparently people do "really lack the self-respect and responsibility" to stop getting fat.  Why is america getting fatter?  What's causing the problem?
Is it inactivity, or the lack of motivation?  Or something else entirely?

Distant consequences are a part of life.  Take away choice in all of these situations and what is it that we have left?  You presume to know better for people than they know for themselves, i.e. you should make their choices for them.  The thing is that choice is the only thing that really makes life worth living.  You take that away and I don't care how skinny people are, they won’t be happy.  I'm against coercion where it is not necessary to maintain the peaceful and just order of things.  If you are for coercion simply to make people lead what you consider to be “better” lives, then that’s a fine position.  It just doesn’t belong in a free society.

[jack24]

Maybe you should look up coercion in the dictionary.

Are you a liberatarian?  Do you believe smoking should carry the same tax rate as all other goods?
None of the options I put on the poll include any "coercion"

Increasing funding for youth sports programs isn't threatening, it's an INCENTIVE.
What if we mandated that students who go to government funded public schools have to exercise every morning?  What freedom would that take away?  We mandate that they have to take ART classes.

[Gitmo Jones]

I hate fat people

[dekocards]

Maybe you should look up coercion in the dictionary.

Are you a liberatarian?  Do you believe smoking should carry the same tax rate as all other goods?
None of the options I put on the poll include any "coercion"

Increasing funding for youth sports programs isn't threatening, it's an INCENTIVE.
What if we mandated that students who go to government funded public schools have to exercise every morning?  What freedom would that take away?  We mandate that they have to take ART classes.

Wow great argument, "You don't know what coercion means!"  Ya kidding me?  The government monopolizes violence within its political boundaries yes?  It requires you to pay taxes on your earnings and consumption, yes?  These are not coercive?  Please explain to me how the government runs ANY program without coercion.  What difference does a party affiliation make in this, you haven't brought a single decent argument to the table.  Of course there shouldn't be more taxes on cigarettes.  Why should the government decide for me whether I should smoke? Do you have a good reason besides, "It's bad for you?"  Or do you just follow the popular opinion of the day in making your decisions on what the government should force people to do?

We already force children to go to schoool (coercion) we force them to take gym classes (coercion).  Your great idea is to force more tax money to go to sports programs (still coercion, even if indirectly)? That will change a whole lot!  Congratulations, you both know the definition of coercion and how to use it completely ineffectively!

[jack24]

Wow great argument, "You don't know what coercion means!"  Ya kidding me?  The government monopolizes violence within its political boundaries yes?  It requires you to pay taxes on your earnings and consumption, yes?  These are not coercive?  Please explain to me how the government runs ANY program without coercion.  What difference does a party affiliation make in this, you haven't brought a single decent argument to the table.  Of course there shouldn't be more taxes on cigarettes.  Why should the government decide for me whether I should smoke? Do you have a good reason besides, "It's bad for you?"  Or do you just follow the popular opinion of the day in making your decisions on what the government should force people to do?

We already force children to go to schoool (coercion) we force them to take gym classes (coercion).  Your great idea is to force more tax money to go to sports programs (still coercion, even if indirectly)? That will change a whole lot!  Congratulations, you both know the definition of coercion and how to use it completely ineffectively!

I'm excited that someone wants to argue.

You are using the term coercion a little loosely.  I guess you could say that the government uses it to get people to pay taxes, but I just don't think it's appropriate.

I'm not coerced to pay taxes, but I would be if I refused to.  I'm willing to pay taxes because I recognize that it is necessary.  I'm also allowed to vote for leaders that promise to lower taxes if I choose to do so.
Taxing junk food isn't coercion because nobody is forcing you to buy junk food.

Don't assume that I believe the government should make us lose weight.  I do believe that if my kids are going to be forced to take PE in grade school then they might as well take advantage of it.

I already said that I believe that individual responsibility is very important.
I don't believe the government should tell me what to do, but WE as a society need to do something about it.  WE are the government.

Do me a favor and answer these questions

Do you support an increase in funding for youth sports programs?
Do you support a tax on junk food?
Do you support creating tax incentives for people who are thin?
Should insurance companies be allowed to discriminate against fat people?
Do you believe that if children get fat, it's their own problem?