MSNBC.com’s cover story, a few minutes ago, was "Obesity rates climbing in nearly all states."
Here’s the blurb:
The percentage of Americans with bulging waistlines is growing in just about every state, with residents of Alabama joining the obesity ranks the fastest. Only Oregon failed to fatten, according to a report.
The situation is particularly bad in the Southeast, my good ol’ region.
The interesting part is discussion of whether the government should be involved or not. Free-market groups don’t think so. Like it or not, the government is involved in agricultural policy and in many other areas that influence what we eat, from crop subsidies to oversight of school-lunch programs.
I think it’s clear the government should have some role as long as we taxpayers shoulder such a huge burden to provide medical care for the poor and the elderly. The public-health costs of obesity are staggering and not just in sheer dollars.
A companion article, "Farm subsidies not in sync with food pyramid," is also worth reading. Here’s the blurb:
Two-thirds of Americans are overweight, and the government tells them they should eat better. But it doesn’t put its money where their mouths are.
The point is that subsidies for foods we ought to eat more of (fruits, vegetables) would influence (that is, increase) our consumption of those foods. One of the side effects of grain subsidies is the plethora of worthless junk food available. Read the labels and see how many junk foods are produced without corn and soy products. Not many.
Here’s a quote from the story:
“Here we are as a society, talking constantly about obesity and diets,
and yet our farm policies are not structured to encourage the kind of
diet that the food pyramid suggests we should adopt,” said Ralph
Grossi, president of American Farmland Trust, a group that advocates
conservation on the farm.
