PREVENTIVE VS: REMEDIAL HEALTH CARE

Dave: That right there is why I hate socialism, because the socialists thinks they can force me to live according to how THEY think I should live.

Yes, well when you think you can drive at 130mph because it is your “God given right”, then when you have an accident maybe a judge will correct your ingrained stupidity by placing you in jail for manslaughter?

The world has speed limits because speed kills. Is that to difficult a concept for you to assimilate? True enough, the Rabid Right has profound problems accepting such rules.

All I am saying is that we live in a world where the absolutism of “Freedom of Whatever” is not absolute. Whatever we do it impacts in some small way the larger collective (community) in which we live harmoniously.

So get it right because you’ve got it wrong: Socialism does propose Social Justice by which the benefit of the whole is far, far more important than the benefit of the individual.

If you want to equate that with Hair-brained Communist Dictatorship, then you are in error.

ANOTHER WAY OF DOING THINGS

I live in France with one of the finest Public Health Care options in the world. Yes, France has an obesity problem. But its HC-system tries to address it by means of Preventive Care - meaning the obese person is taken in hand and counseled towards a remedy.

I further propose that their HC insurance be a function of their BMI in order for the individual to understand that this sickness is indeed their doing because of their unwillingness to adopt eating limits. Which is a psychological problem that can be attended to - since Weight Watchers has been doing it for decades.

So, pray tell, what is wrong with Health Insurance that will pay for sessions at Weight Watchers for the seriously obese?

If they want obstinately to be obese, they are not refused Remedial Medical Care. But they must pay for their own funeral ...

MY POINT

Meaning what? As regards the Obesity Pandemic, we should be offering Preventive Care to avoid the far higher cost of Remedial Care.

APPROPRIATE DICTUM

An ounce of prevention is worth a ton of cure.

maybe in your next piece you can correlate the mouth size of the male examples you reference with their girth.

Hello Diamond Jim Brady and other portly men of days gone by.

As for the “obesity” problem. Doctors have set women up for over 50 years with the eat less, do more physical activity thing and it has finally been proven that this advice actually leads to higher obesity, especially in women.If you eat less and do more, your body begins to think that food is scarce, then it ups all those nasty fat cells, which is actually energy your body is storing as it thinks food is scarce. Women because they are women and are the child bearers store up enough extra energy, otherwise called fat, for the survival of a mother and a child for 1 years time. Nice of our ancestors to have donated this trait upon us.

Ever notice that the skinniest people eat the most amount of food? Coming from a medical background,I have seen this countless times that those who eat the most and do the least physically, are the skinniest people.Especially men. And some of those winners of food eating contests are the tiniest women and men who can eat more food in a 5 minute or less time period than some of their much larger humans eat in a week and they also do more physical work that their skinny counterparts do too.

As for the diet of Americans, many people believe that all the chemicals and preservatives added to commercial food are a large part of the problem. But eating a healthy, all home cooked/grown low calorie diet is no guarantee that a person will be skinny. Most of the skinny people I have seen medically also eat the worst diets with include, fried foods, butter,lots of meat and excessively large portions and yet remain underweight and unhealthy looking for many people.

Men have ridden the larger than life role in movies, politics and some sports, but what we are seeing today has gotten out of control. And as for Chris Christy and Rush the slush slimeball, they are bullies and slobs and Chris would make a rotten president.

James Gandolfini played the role of a sociopath, a murderer, a mafia boss. The day he appears on the cover of Sports Illustrated in a thong is the day we’ll have equality for all. 

Some of those obese football players—say some guy who is five eleven and weighs 240 pounds—run the 40 yard dash in about 4.6 seconds.  The day I see him in a porn movie slamming Rush Limbaugh over the arm of a couch is the day we’ll have equality for all.

By Lafayette, May 1 at 8:27 am

“Have we not taken the mindless concept of unlimited
individual freedom too far? People do not seem to
know, in America, how to handle the safeguard stops
that are placed. So they should be enforced for the
individuals own sake.”

——————————————————————————-

That right there is why I hate socialism, because the
socialists thinks they can force me to live according
to how THEY think I should live.

I would rather live 50 years a free man than live 100
years in bondage to someone else’s ideals.

Both through evolutionary ancestry with primates and through our male dominated society, males are more successful when they are big and strong, giving the impression of protection and virility - something females are attracted to. Females want to look the most attractive (read: healthy) in order to mate with these virile protective males thus women put more emphasis on their looks in order to attract them. That’s what’s really happening here - it’s part of us.

DISINCENTIVES

But the morbidly obese should pay more for health insurance.  Like smokers before them, they are a drain on our heath care, and make the rest of us have to pay more.

There is some sense to this. For the moment, there is little incentive either not to smoke or not to overeat - except the fact that both lead to quicker deaths. That ominous threat seems to persuade no one to change their habits.

So, an obliged annual medical check-up could be employed to give some discipline.

OTOH, I can see it now. Numerous cases before the Supreme Court insisting that the Constitution govenment cannot “force people to do anything”. Which is the current battle-hymn of those against the BO Health Plan.

Have we not taken the mindless concept of unlimited individual freedom too far? People do not seem to know, in America, how to handle the safeguard stops that are placed. So they should be enforced for the individuals own sake. 

Road speed kills, which is why there are speed limits. Food and smoking kill, which is why their should be disincentives.

POST SCRIPTUM

Anyone reading the decline and fall of the Roman Empire will get shivers at the parallel between America’s history and Rome.

Apparently, when hubris becomes ingrained as a societal attribute it leads to first decadence and then eventual extinction.

Jimnp72, thank you for writing:
“it is because so many are empty inside that their only pleasure is eating”
Is there no compassion, no understanding, no tolerance of other human beings left in us? A talented and informed columnist like Sirota writes about obese people when politicians are gorging on greenbacks and Obama is drooling over the power he fraudulently obtained with his campaign lies. I guess this shows that Sirota must like to feel a little superior every now and then. He does it at the expense of others’ feelings.
Tolerance is much more impressive than a svelte physique.

Queenie, I was about to comment on how the young, trim and handsome Sirota at least isn’t throwing stones from a glass house, as so often he does.

Then I read your Shakespearean comment—ouch!
Yeah, don’t trust those skinny guys!  Think I’ll have another cinnamon roll this morning, thanks Queenie.

Sirota calls Rush Limbaugh “morbidly obese,” But Rush and Jennifer Hudson are quite a bit slimmer now than, say, 3 years ago—looking good, check ‘em out.  Examples that people can address their overweight condition and change.

Important to realize, though, this column isn’t about obesity, it’s about sexism.  As usual, Sirota has a valid argument but “overcooks” it.

Sirota writes:
“From John Goodman to James Gandolfini, male girth is seen as either innocuous or beneficial. But how many major female comediennes or actresses get the same treatment? Very few.”

Conchata Ferrell, Kathy Bates, Rosanne Barr, Rosie O’Donnell, Margaret Cho, Queen Latifa (especially), Delta Burke, Ricki Lake, Kirstie Alley, Camryn Manheim, Mindy Kohn

Politics?  Well, Hillary’s put on a few in her recent travels.  And Madeline Albright does she count? 

how many can you add?

OBESITY BETWEEN THE SEXES

... this industry hasn’t seen males as a viable business. How can that be?

Hmmn, I wouldn’t jump to conclusions. See these study results here.

The Body Mass Index, the study shows, indicates higher levels of obesity by class (BMI 1 and BMI 2) in females than males. Meaning that “overall obesity” (all levels considered) is about the same.

Perhaps the prevalence amongst men, cited in this above article, relates only to the highest level of obesity, which is clearly higher amongst men?

This study was performed by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) as recently as 2007/8 - so let’s presume that it is factual.

I propose that women are more prone to do something about their obesity may be due to these factors:
1) They are more conscious of their health than men?
2) In the process of social interaction the are passive and men are active, thus women are more concerned with their power to attract the other sex?
3) The “female rationale” finds non-obese men more adequate partners than obese men and therefore they are more prone themselves to react against obesity in order to attract a non-obese partner?

Until more studies are undertaken, it is difficult to understand the difference regarding the question of obesity. It is of national importance,however, since the malady has been proclaimed by the CDC as a Pandemic and not an Epidemic in America.

Which means it will have a sizable impact upon on our National Health System in terms of Remedial Care but also quite possibly upon the productivity of the American economy.

And that process has likely already begun. So, what can be done about it?

It would seem that a higher sales tax on foods would appear necessary. Higher taxes on cigarettes has, after all, led to lesser smoking. So perhaps higher taxes on foods will lead to less eating?

Besides, America must change its eating habits. We have known that for quite some time but nothing changes.

Americans want to eat themselves into debilitating illness, like lemmings rushing off a cliff? Seems so ...

I loved (and still do) John Candy. He was like a big cuddly-wuddly bear. A sweetheart.

And Michael Moore. A hero in my book, for sure. Way to go, guy!

As the Bard said, “Let me have men about me that are fat, sleek-headed men that sleep o’night. Yon Cassius has a lean and hungry look. Such men are dangerous.”

Slow news day, Mr. Sirota?

Sirota is right about a lot of things in his article.. but his assumptions that some changes are forthcoming regarding obesity and the incidence of obesity in America are hopeful at best.

Every serious look at the issue of excess weight in Americans predicts an increase in the condition, not otherwise. And Madison Avenue knows this is so.. the market is really growing!

We likely won’t see any popular uprising against women with fabulous fantasy figures! .. But some gender-obesity equality is coming.. we will see more heavy girls in movies and on TV and in advertisements.. ‘Big and Tall’ for women stores and products will be preferred stock picks!  And more talk of men needing to diet too..

Of course the makers of Prozac and similar drugs will fight back at any effort to ‘normalize’ the Big look in women.. or accept anything other than the prototype cheerleader form.. That ideal is a main cause of depression in women..

It’s all good business!

Is this supposed to be news? it’s not just fat that is unacceptable in women but wrinkles, gray hair, crooked teeth, bald heads, hairy armpits or many other physical traits that are overlooked in men.

The only solution is for women to stop accepting these same traits in men or we all just get over some ideal physical beauty standards and value what really matters in people no matter what your gender.

Let people eat all they want and have whatever lifestyle they choose.  But the
morbidly obese should pay more for health insurance.  Like smokers before them,
they are a drain on our heath care, and make the rest of us have to pay more.

eat like a damn pig and gobble down your meat and your cake and ice cream. sit on the coach and do jack.

it is because so many are empty inside that their only pleasure is eating

Chris Christie is a reactionary neo-fascist bully who would be a lousy president, his also being a fat slob not withstanding! Cmon, do ya think anybody really took Hermann Goering seriously?

Chris Farley wasn’t “husky”, he was grossly overweight and that propably had more to do with his suicide than any other factor. He was laughed at because he made a joke of himself and all other seriously overweight individuals.

“The Government” should step in and take control over “the People’s diet”, after all thanks to “prohibition” we no longer have a problem with drunkeness.

And lest we forget… we’ve just the kind of social workers needed for a big task like this occupying the White House presently.

Go Government!

Now we gotta work on that other gender-bias problem, growing hair on bald men.

Whatsa difference whether it’s the guys or the gals who are obesely fat? What’s important is that one or the other stays fat. Fat folks have a lot of trouble copulating. So they should reproduce less than normal folks. So the way to get rid of the obesity problem is obvious. Let either men or women stay fat, in fact, pass a law that makes one or the other stay fat. And in a few generations, they should die out.
I know this theory doesn’t hold with the facts, there are an enormous number of fat kids around, which proves the theory is false. But do it anyway, pass the ‘Fat’ law, pretend I’m a republican.