I can haz nother cheezburger: Part II

I understand that people aren’t just going to jump up and start eating less and exercising because some wack-job on a little read blog says it’s the right thing to do. I also don’t see many politicians brave enough to “stab the free market in the back” and ban fast food restaurants like recently happened in Los Angeles. However, the government can leave the blessed free market alone and help jumpstart the economy with the old carrot and stick approach.

Consider the plan that Alabama’s State Employee Insurance Board recently approved that will require state employees with a body mass considered overly obese to pay an additional $25 for their health insurance. Surely this is a “stick” approach and as is to be expected, many employees have complained. However, this “stick” could easily be turned into a “carrot” by rewarding employees below the obesity level with a $25 discount.

Another option might be tied to taxes or stimulus payments. With the shape of our economy looking downright anorexic, politicians have been attempting to feed it with stimulus payments and tax breaks. It hasn’t seemed to have helped much but those fighting to be the next president have kept the idea alive and it’s possible Americans will see more money or tax breaks coming down the pipeline. Why not connect a portion of this money/tax breaks to physical fitness in that $100 of it must be used for gym memberships, smoking cessation programs or something similar.

My dream would be for state and local governments to work together to create a system of community centers with gyms, classrooms and athletic fields that could be used for a fee based on a sliding scale of income. Not all of these centers need be brand spanking new facilities. Instead include community colleges, high schools and elementary schools that have the proper facilities and staff them with student trainers overseen by a more experienced certified trainer. Have a nurse and a nutritionist available a few times a week and bring in local farmer’s markets to sell locally grown produce.

Of course this is all a pipedream, but these few ideas I’ve thrown out illustrate that there are many ways to approach America’s obesity epidemic. By offering people easily accessible and cheap options you increase the likelihood that health will begin to take a bigger role in their life thus saving me and the rest of the country money.

Clickity: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdZEtB_x_bg

Guilty dog