Jimspeak

I'll blog more on this later when I have time, but for now a few comments. Obesity is definitely a problem in this country, and according to a new study obesity is about to surpass smoking as the leading avoidable cause of death in the US. Here is a quote from a critic of the government's efforts to help reduce the overabundance of obese people:

"The government should have been much more aggressive about this much earlier," said Kelly Brownell, director of Yale University's Center for Eating and Weight Disorders. "Even now, the administration defaults to explaining the problem away by individual responsibility and lack of physical activity rather than focusing on the toxic food environment."

Wow. Of course it's the individual's fault!! People choose to eat what they eat and to not exercise!! Unhealthy food has always been around! Suck it up and blame your damn self. God forbid anyone take some individual responsibility for their state of health. Sure, bad foods are heavily marketed. But no one is forced to eat this food. It's an individual's choice to eat at McD's everyday instead of bringing their own, healthier food to work. It's an individual's choice to take an elevator up one floor instead of taking the stairs, to drive a block to work instead of walking, to watch tv at night instead of going for a walk. What a bunch of garbage to blame the government instead of the individual. A total cop-out. And all too typical of the mindset in this country.

Ok, now I'm fired up (how can I channel this energy into productivity that is work related?). More on this later