FOOD POLICE INVADE MISSISSIPPI
This morning Fox News reported a story concerning three lawmakers in the great State of Mississippi attempting to pass legislation that would ban restaurants from serving obese people. As I understand the legislation, it would use the body mass index (BMI) to measure who could be served and who would be turned away. The story also reported that using the standards in the proposed Mississippi legislation, Tom Brady and Eli Manning would both flunk the test, and go away hungry. I also would flunk the test, but I am definitely in the obese category.
For those of you new to my ranting, I have written several times over the past two and half years about freedom loss creep. It comes in baby steps, as we grow accustomed to a new governmental intrusions in our lives. And it is usually veiled in something that sounds perfectly logical at the time.
On a panel subsequently discussing the Mississippi food police story, the commentators made it clear that the law has no chance of passing. The healthy food activists just wanted to bring to the forefront a “discussion” of the problems of obesity in Mississippi. That is well and good, and it should be discussed. But in light of the health care issues that will be center to this year’s political debate, it’s not so funny.
If Americans are so obese, and obesity is such a health problem, why is the life expectancy of Americans getting longer? No one ever addresses this issue. I know plenty of large people who have lived into their 80’s, and plenty of thin people who have keeled over in their 40’s. It is my position that it isn’t a health issue, it is a money issue. And if it is a money issue, run for cover.
I believe that at the end of the day, obesity may contribute to someone dying earlier relative to someone else, but in line with the increased life expectancy. Maybe the obese person will die at 80 while the healthy person dies at 83. The issue is the overall health of the obese individual during the lifespan. The obese person may cost the health care system more in terms of life maintenance, such as diabetes issues, or artery issues, or skeletal issues. All of these can be addressed by modern medicine, but at a cost. The cost is the perceived problem.
This is a political issue made in heaven. While the health care insurance carriers are screaming about the costs, it gives those who know what is best for you and want to control your lives something to shout about.
Here is where it gets dangerous. If the government becomes the ultimate health care provider through any kind of a single payer system, or begins to institute “guidelines” in the process of forcing private companies to issue health insurance, the government will start to tell you what you have to weigh, how much you have to exercise, what you can eat, what your cholesterol levels should be, and force you to be tested annually, all in the name of “the public good”.
I will guarantee you people who weigh over 180 pounds will be penalized, with the government leading the charge. Excess weight will be taxed. Any food other than lettuce will be taxed, and if the lettuce is non-organic, it will be taxed also. Overweight folks will be denied employment unless they meet weight standards. You will be denied certain surgical procedures if you are in government overweight category. I will guarantee you that within 20 years; you will see the government move to remove overweight children from households. If you don’t think it can happen, just look at the results of the smoking debate. That is the template. THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE. As a point of information, in Great Britain they are already trying to remove children from households on the basis of weight. If you smoke in Great Britain, you are denied surgical procedure options.
Scary? You bet. So when you go to cast your vote in the fall election, be careful of those who know what is best for you. There is no free lunch, pardon the pun, for a gift wrapped national health care policy from either the Democrats or the Republicans. “Thems that pays the piper picks the tune.” And cost will be much more than money.
For those of you new to my ranting, I have written several times over the past two and half years about freedom loss creep. It comes in baby steps, as we grow accustomed to a new governmental intrusions in our lives. And it is usually veiled in something that sounds perfectly logical at the time.
On a panel subsequently discussing the Mississippi food police story, the commentators made it clear that the law has no chance of passing. The healthy food activists just wanted to bring to the forefront a “discussion” of the problems of obesity in Mississippi. That is well and good, and it should be discussed. But in light of the health care issues that will be center to this year’s political debate, it’s not so funny.
If Americans are so obese, and obesity is such a health problem, why is the life expectancy of Americans getting longer? No one ever addresses this issue. I know plenty of large people who have lived into their 80’s, and plenty of thin people who have keeled over in their 40’s. It is my position that it isn’t a health issue, it is a money issue. And if it is a money issue, run for cover.
I believe that at the end of the day, obesity may contribute to someone dying earlier relative to someone else, but in line with the increased life expectancy. Maybe the obese person will die at 80 while the healthy person dies at 83. The issue is the overall health of the obese individual during the lifespan. The obese person may cost the health care system more in terms of life maintenance, such as diabetes issues, or artery issues, or skeletal issues. All of these can be addressed by modern medicine, but at a cost. The cost is the perceived problem.
This is a political issue made in heaven. While the health care insurance carriers are screaming about the costs, it gives those who know what is best for you and want to control your lives something to shout about.
Here is where it gets dangerous. If the government becomes the ultimate health care provider through any kind of a single payer system, or begins to institute “guidelines” in the process of forcing private companies to issue health insurance, the government will start to tell you what you have to weigh, how much you have to exercise, what you can eat, what your cholesterol levels should be, and force you to be tested annually, all in the name of “the public good”.
I will guarantee you people who weigh over 180 pounds will be penalized, with the government leading the charge. Excess weight will be taxed. Any food other than lettuce will be taxed, and if the lettuce is non-organic, it will be taxed also. Overweight folks will be denied employment unless they meet weight standards. You will be denied certain surgical procedures if you are in government overweight category. I will guarantee you that within 20 years; you will see the government move to remove overweight children from households. If you don’t think it can happen, just look at the results of the smoking debate. That is the template. THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE. As a point of information, in Great Britain they are already trying to remove children from households on the basis of weight. If you smoke in Great Britain, you are denied surgical procedure options.
Scary? You bet. So when you go to cast your vote in the fall election, be careful of those who know what is best for you. There is no free lunch, pardon the pun, for a gift wrapped national health care policy from either the Democrats or the Republicans. “Thems that pays the piper picks the tune.” And cost will be much more than money.
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