Dealing with obesity

That's the title of my latest HND piece. It was inspired by the "good news" coming from the CDC earlier this year that Americans may have reached their peak level of obesity.

Yes, friends. The obesity rates have leveled off. However, this is hardly anything to write home about as an incredible 34 percent of American adults are obese, as are 17 percent of children. For those keeping score, compared to 30 years ago, that's twice the rate for adults and three times the rate for children.

So, what should we do about it?

Some authorities are invoking the restrictions and penalties that were placed on smoking as a way to proceed. Others talk about education.

One sure way would be to shift some of those ag subsidies onto healthier foods, only don't hold your breath waiting for that to happen. It was already proposed for the 2007 Ag bill, but the politics would not allow it. Just one more example of how much your wonderful federal government actually does care about your welfare.

So, until they start putting their money where their mouth is, all the talk about obesity by the Feds is just "full of sound and fury, signifying nothing." (Apologies to William Shakespeare)

Read the complete article.