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God's will be done and may He have mercy upon us all.

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A Catholic who follows Rome & the Magisterium. I'm against gay "marriage", abortion, embryonic stem cell research, euthanasia, human cloning. Altar girls, Communion in the hand, Eucharistic Ministers and "Protestant" music in the Church doesn't bother me at all. A proud American retired submarine sailor. Our borders should be secured with a 10 ft. high fence topped by concertina wire with minefields out to 20 yards on both sides and an additional 10 yards filled with warning signs outside of that Let's get energy independent NOW! Back Israel to the max, stop appeasing followers of the Pedophile Prophet. Pro 2nd Amendment, pro death penalty, Repeal all hate crime legislation. Back the police unless you'd rather call a hippie when everything hits the fan. Get government out of dealing with education, childhood obesity and the enviornment. Stop using the military for sociological experiments and if we're in a war don't micromanage their every move. Kill your television, limit time on the computer and pick up a book. God's will be done and may He have mercy upon us all.

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Your fat kid ain't yours no more...

The Nanny State advances here in Texas: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/moms/7650292.html

Yes, there are parents who should get japslapped upside the head for their kids being so fat. As am example: My oldest son was extremely obese during his preteen years, "Mom" did zippo to control his weight (we were divorced way before his weight zoomed upwards). I held my tongue because that was all I could do. That and attempt to feed him something besides junk on the weekends he was with me. It's a long story and thankfully it happened a very long time ago. Last thing I knew, he was 26 and no longer outlandishly obese (have you ever seen someone run and when they came to a halt it took almost a minute for them to stop jiggling?).

But getting the state involved is just trying to have two wrongs make a right. It doesn't serve the kid any good to take him from his parents under these circumstances. None at all.

As with other problems, it's all about our cultural mindset. Take away the habit of eating at restaurants, encourage more physical activity and this problem will diminish in size.

But if we routinely allow the nannystate to get involved then we'll see the same scenario that often played out in the military some years back when they tried having more sailors slim down to a reasonable size. The methods used were prone to error, the height-to-weight standards being the prime example. You could have an athletic weight lifter who weighed well over the norm for his height, yet was slim and trim. Didn't matter, it would be entered in his record that he wasn't meeting the standards. That could affect getting promoted, consideration for certain types of duty, etc. I was fortunate, I always exceeded those standards but the commands I was at didn't give a rip. I just had to do my job.

Anyway, my point is if we let the nannystaters start dictating how much a kid should weigh under penalty of his removal from the family, we'll see a slew of abuses with the system.

Whats the solution? I dunno, but I know this isn't it.

7 comments:

Jessica said...

The solution? Stop welfare. I'm being serious. Too many people have grown up expecting that if there's a problem (no money, no food, and no boss) that it's the state's job to fix it. It isn't!

But, welfare is a sacred cow in this country. Too many people are against it in theory, but if they need it, it's for a legitimate reason. (Kinda like how some people view abortion.)

Stacy Trasancos said...

We have mandatory BMI reporting here. It's ridiculous. And expensive. Last year was the first year and it was frustrating. I forget where I heard this, but it is so true. "No child's behind left alone."

Adrienne said...

I'm with you on the issue. But it is worrisome when a kid is 10 years old and weighs 400+ pounds. I understand why the "state" could consider that child abuse. What to do? I have no idea...

Subvet said...

Ranter, looking at the ethnic groups with the highest rates of obesity justifies your suggestion. But as you say, welfare is a sacred cow.

Subvet said...

Stacy, LOL! It would be even funnier if it wasn't so true.

Subvet said...

Adrienne, it's a problem needing a solution alright. But not the solution proposed.

PattyinCT said...

I would say Ranter is right. Stop welfare. For a different reason than just government dependence: Welfare recipients do not make healthy food choices. At least with WIC they have to buy certain foods and those foods tend to be healthier than the foods from food stamps.

And unhealthy diets lead to obesity....

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