Too Stupid to Be Free?

Do politicians really feel that passing laws to change the SIZES of soft drinks will actually combat the obesity problem faced in the US? British researchers have been arguing that overpopulation discussions shouldn't be limited to head counts but should also factor in the weight of people. America is GUILTY of being a part of the heaviest nations in the country. New York City and now Cambridge, MA is starting the political process of passing laws that demonstrate that we as consumers know less about what's good for us. North America has 6% of the world's population, but guess what? We have 34% of world biomass due to obesity. Obesity equals money and a drain on the entire health system. I believe that corporations could start changing things at work. Since we are a country at work, including a lot of women, we could start changing the menus at cafeterias. We could start changing the menus at fast food restaurants. The problem I have with the idea of government mandating this is the argument that is essential to more or less government. Does government know better than me when it comes to decisions about my health? Does government believe that it can decide for me? This is a loss of freedom, but at the rate things are going, it's obvious that the freedoms Americans have been allowed to enjoy (eating a large fry at McDonald's and a supersize coke, for example) might be taken away in the future.

For example, where I work, there is a salad bar, but the main food is pretty unhealthy. The portion sizes given could easily feed 2-3 people. This is in a hospital. Just upstairs from this cafeteria, cardiac bypasses are being performed to try to correct the very result of the damage caused by genetics and more often our diets. Irony at best. I'm guilty. Believe me, I struggle with my own weight being about 5'7" and around 150 lbs today is a little too much weight for my frame. I know that my IBW is 133 lbs. This means that I am 17 lbs overweight. Seriously. I believe it, too. Yes, I look thin to some, I suppose, but that is because of what I'm compared to. If the majority of Americans are overweight and obese, well there you go.

So basically, if the entire world was as heavy as we are, that would be equivalent to an extra 1,000,000,000 people.

Put less in your mouth. Move. PLEASE. Please before government mandates it. Though, at this point while sitting in Panera and blogging and seeing the people around me -- maybe it's time we lose a little freedom for the common good of people.

Maybe we are too stupid to be free.

I guess