Obesity Editorial

In the article The obesity epidemic isn't just about willpower by Bernadine Healy, M.D., her basic argument is that the politians cannot make obese Americans lose weight. I agree with her completely, especially after hearing all of her facts. Capotal Hill is trying to pass a 'sin tax' on sugary sodas and sweet treats that may help to reduce the consumers impulse to buy them. While we have been putting obese people in the same group as people who smoke and are drug addicts because of their 'moral weakness and lack of willpower'. This is not nessarily true, however. While for some Americans it is just the fact that they eat too much, the same does not apply to them all. People all have different body types and DNA structures. While there are some people who seem to eat hardly anything, and what they do eat is healthy, people like that sometimes have weight issues, while there are some thin people who seem to eat everything they can find and never gain a pound. This bill, like Dr. Healy stated, bound to fail because sweets are not the only reason for obesity, they do contribute, but I do not think that diets are the only issue in the obesity epidemic.

Some people would argue that the increase in the obesity rate is not an epidemic, I disagree. I consider it an epidemic because over 65% of the population is either overwieght or obese, more than double the amount of what the percent was in the 1980's. An epidemic is where alot of people in one area have something resembling a disease at the same time(thank you definr ). Being overweight or obese may not be catorgorized with diseases, but being overweight definatly makes people more susceptible to health risk that I listed above.

I do not think that the tax should be made, not only for those, but because there are actually people that have the exact opposite problem, they do not weigh enough. How does that help them?