Ve Have Vays Of Making You Trim

Kathy e-mails to point out a telling quote from an article in Tuesday's WSJ that reports that the Cost of Treating Obesity Has Soared (sub req):

The numbers underscore the urgent need for deeper interventions in society and the environment that will make it easier for people to maintain normal weight, Thomas Frieden, the CDC's new director, told conference attendees.

When you hear a government official talking about the "urgent need for deeper interventions in society and the environment," you should be afraid. Very afraid. Onward.

While obesity rates among some population groups have shown signs of leveling off, that is of little comfort, he said: The average American is about 23 pounds overweight. Obesity is causing disabilities and exacerbating health disparities, he said. The average American consumes about 250 calories more a day now than two or three decades ago.

"Obesity and with it diabetes are the only major health problems that are getting worse in this country, and they're getting worse rapidly," he said.

Considering the terrible state that our health care system is supposedly in, you would have thought that ALL of our major health problems were worsening. Maybe things really aren't that bad after all...

Here's the payoff:

Change is needed on many fronts, he added. "Reversing obesity is not going to be done successfully with individual effort."

There you have it folks. Excess weight gain--which generally occurs as a result of a person taking in more calories than they use--is no longer something that individual Americans will be able to control on their own. No, now the benevolent state will help us ALL maintain our ideal weight as determined by government charts and tables. You may rashly think that you can manage to find the right combination of eating and exercise just fine by yourself, but those choices will no longer be yours alone to make. Nanny knows what's good for you. Nanny knows best.