Six Ways Government Promotes Obesity

 & What To Do About It

 

Sean Faircloth

Maine State Representative

John Kennedy gave a historic speech over forty years ago calling for the Civil Rights Act.  What if, instead, he had called for America to become the most overweight, out-of-shape nation in history? No more effective plan could have been offered than what government actually did:

1)      Subsidize oil companies and cars to the detriment of the trails and sidewalks so prevalent in other nations;

2)      Make it impractical for busy Americans to get basic information about their food in chain restaurants;

3)      Give large corporations free reign to advertise to our children, so that four out of five child-advertising dollars promote high calorie products;

4)      Turn taxpayer-funded schools into marketing free-fire zones and advertising tools of the soda and snack food industries;

5)      Direct billions in subsidies toward processed foods (e.g. high fructose corn syrup) while neglecting fresh produce;

6)      Promote high calorie foods in programs for poor people (e.g. food stamps).

In response to these ill-considered obesity promotion policies, we must embrace Freedoms of Health:

 1)      Freedom of Transportation Choice. Dedicate five percent of gas taxes to human-powered transportation so that all citizens (not just those who can afford treadmills and gyms) enjoy healthy options such as well-maintained trails and sidewalks;

2)      Freedom of Caloric Information. Guarantee every citizen freedom of information to see calories listed on major chain restaurant menus (costing big chains nothing as they already have this info) and empowering citizens to take personal responsibility for themselves and their children;

3)      Freedom from Commercialization of Public Schools. Offering healthy choices in vending machines. (Schools libraries promote education -- not the Sports Illustrated Swim Suit issue. If you want to buy soda or the Swim Suit issue, kid, it’s a free country: take your allowance to the store!).

4)      Freedom of Child Health Information.  As with any other health concern, parents should have notice of BMI data regarding their children provided with sensitivity and confidentiality. 

State Representative Sean Faircloth, (D-Bangor, Maine) (sfaircloth@gwi.net) has been called the first legislator to take a comprehensive approach to the obesity question in the Los Angeles Times and New York Times.  He was prime sponsor of the bill creating Maine’s commission on public health and obesity and has spoken around the nation regarding his new approach to the issue of obesity.