Silly Government,

Decisions are for citizens. We are getting fat. No denying it. How should we fix the problem? ... Oh, I know, we should have the government limit our ability to make decisions regarding our own health and habbits! After we eliminate junk food from schools, we can outlaw fast food restaurants. Then we can implement manditory exercise. At least one half hour per day of cardio, and probably some calisthenics as well. (light sarcasm, and by light I mean heavy)

Look, I don't eat a lot of junk food--mostly because I think it's a waste of money, of which I don't have much--but I sure liked it when I was in elementary through high school and didn't need to spend my little allowance on things like rent, dog food, and electricity (or real food, I suppose). Of course I also liked running around, playing soccer, basketball, and, in high school, track and field. I didn't need legislation to keep from becoming a Hut (as in Jabba) because I had parents who didn't provide tons of junk. I learned to make cookies in grade school because that was about the only way for me to get cookies. There was plenty of junk in our cafeteria and vending machines, but I never had money enough to buy it (and I would have if I had).

Today, I am definately a touch overweight (by BMI, I think I'm obeise, but BMI is very flawed for those with higher muscle mass), but that is primarally due to college: lots of beer, pizza and video games with little activity to offset--intramural sports can't even begin to compare with varsity high school sports in terms of practice and hard work. I think that this country is getting fatter, but, oddly enough, I also think that it is getting thinner. I think the latter is part of the problem. For decades women's lib groups have brought up the fact that women in public view (typically celebrities from TV, movies, modeling) present a rediculously skinny image, and that impressionable girls try and emulate this, often can't, and either end up anorexic or depressed and fat. Generalizations aside this is not too far off and has, more recently, been extended to men's images. Actually, this rant could go on for a while so I'm going to end it here with the note that obsession about something rarely helps, and this nation is obsessed with fat. ...Also, America, get off you ass and move.