Obesity, take responsibility!

Check out this site. This is one more reason why I cannot stand Clinton or the way America has become

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060503/...drinks_schools

It basically says that most if not all soda sales will stop at all public schools. The William J. Clinton Foundation started the whole campaign in an attempt to combat childhood obesity. I know that obesity among children is a problem, but why should businesses suffer for lack of responcibility on the part of the parents? Parents should be controling the intake of soda, not any former government official. Childhood obesity would not be a problem if parents today grew a backbone and said "NO." They do not have to give their kid soda money. There are fountains all over schools. I think that this deal is totally unnecesary. What do you think?

They get money from places!

Soda will be around for a long time!, I think it should be pulled from schools and children, or limit thier intake to small cans!

Kids get money from drugs!

While childhood obesity seems to be propagating and is a considerable issue because of future ramifications, I always have and always will disapprove of this "we're protecting you from yourself" attitude displayed by both federal and state government.

Now, if it was a localized issue, say, a county decision, I wouldn't have a problem with it. It should be up to the school itself or the county that governs it whether or not they should have soft drinks vending on campuses, as it is their money to use. However, because this seems to be a federal deal, it just seems that they're pushing too hard to save people from making the choice of consuming these products that they know good and darn well could be harmful if not taken in moderation.

As for parents trying to keep tags on their kids with lunch money...that can be rather difficult, especially in an urban setting. While I lived in a city, I think I got approximately ten dollars a day (I wasn't living in the States, mind you, so I got the closest estimate of the value) to get to school, buy lunch, and come back. Along the way, sure, I'd stop and pick something up for that lemon-lime crisp taste every now and again, even though soda wasn't and still isn't particularly dominant where I came from.

The majority of public schools all over the nation have unhealthy food and drink distributers. I see nothing wrong with the government trying to curb the problem.

I agree that parents should grow some backbone, but these days it doesn't happen. Kids are spoiled and don't know their place.

Originally Posted by Strong Hammer

Check out this site. This is one more reason why I cannot stand Clinton or the way America has become

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060503/...drinks_schools

It basically says that most if not all soda sales will stop at all public schools. The William J. Clinton Foundation started the whole campaign in an attempt to combat childhood obesity. I know that obesity among children is a problem, but why should businesses suffer for lack of responcibility on the part of the parents? Parents should be controling the intake of soda, not any former government official. Childhood obesity would not be a problem if parents today grew a backbone and said "NO." They do not have to give their kid soda money. There are fountains all over schools. I think that this deal is totally unnecesary. What do you think?

Children really aren't all that great at making desicions, if they have a dollar, they will most likely spend it on some sort of soda pop than milk or a healthy juice.

Again, children like sweet things, soda is cheap and sweet. If buisinesses are contributing to childhood obesity, then stop the buisiness, buisnesses are meant to help human kind, not kill it.

If you value buisiness over the well being of a human then get off the planet.

I'd say... let them get fat. Ones that value their healths should not be suffered from this unfair decision by the federal government or state government. No matter if children cannot make the right choices, it's their parents' responsibilities to ensure that their kids grow up big and healthy. If parents don't care about that, then let the children be fat.

Sometimes it's hard to find a balance between not enough government/institution control and too much. I think, in this case, that perhaps a different method should be used in schools.

Instead of using vending machines or what-have-you, why can't we just have parent-approval slips, or something of that nature? Certain things like sodas and junk food could be sold in schools, but only if their parents/guardian(s) allow their children to be able to access them can they do so. It's just like at home - there are lots of things in the pantry, perhaps, but only what the parent allows the child to actually have will the child have.

And just to tack on an extra note, sodas may help children get fat, but I don't think it will make a kid obese, even if he has one Dr. Pepper every day.

If you are going to type in CAPITAL LETTERS, ESPECIALLY ON YOUR TOPIC TITLE, then take the RESPONSIBILITY to get the spelling right. Come on.

-Rob

(That is to say, spelling fixed and capitalization removed.)

I believe that kids should be exposed to advertising and junk food, and that they should make up their own minds, but there has to be a healthy alternative there in order for them to be able to do that. From my experience, that balance is almost non-existant. In schools, supermarkets and TV advertising you've got all the advertising dollars put into promoting sugary drinks, fried and fatty foods and things like "extreme" chips. And we wonder why we have all these obese kids? Who's responsibility is it to make sure the balance is there? Not the kids.

I myself believe what Lone Wolf said to be entirely true. If a child values his or her own health, then they won't let themselves go. And well, if they do let themselves go, it's the parents' responsibility, not the government's responsibility, to get the kid back into reasonable shape.

At my school, they have taken out all sodas (even such things as Sunny Delight and Lemonade. Sugary they are, but they aren't as bad as soda. Hell, my school still sells friggin' cookies) and replaced it with apple and mango juice and such. Thanks to these campaigns. Last year my school had sodas and slushies and stuff, and, dare I say, there are more obese people in my grade then there are of the "exposed" kids above us.

Originally Posted by D3PyroGS

Instead of using vending machines or what-have-you, why can't we just have parent-approval slips, or something of that nature? Certain things like sodas and junk food could be sold in schools, but only if their parents/guardian(s) allow their children to be able to access them can they do so. It's just like at home - there are lots of things in the pantry, perhaps, but only what the parent allows the child to actually have will the child have.

Parent approval slips certainly is something different, but it isn't really teaching a kid responsibility. And with a quick "Hey mom, can I have a soda at school?" the child could easily have as much as he wanted.

And just to tack on an extra note, sodas may help children get fat, but I don't think it will make a kid obese, even if he has one Dr. Pepper every day.

True, a Dr. Pepper everyday won't make a child truly obese, but it will make them Diabetic in due time.

Pop is actually incredibly bad for you. People who drink a bottle of Coke every day could lose up to 25 pounds in one year if they stopped drinking it... along with quite a bit of money.

Despite that, I do not think that junk food should be banned in schools, or at least not high schools. Students should have a right to decide what they eat. The problem with public schools is that they do not offer a proper meal selection, but rather just chips, pop, pizza, french fries, etc. If there were more healthy choices, such as salads, pastas, etc. available in most school cafeterias, then I know that most students would choose them, because, even though it may not seem like it, students are mostly concious of their health.

Look at the cafeteria food they serve! It's horrible, massproduced hamburgers and curly fries. I can tell you where to start your battle.

Originally Posted by SearanoX

Pop is actually incredibly bad for you. People who drink a bottle of Coke every day could lose up to 25 pounds in one year if they stopped drinking it...

160 x 365= 58,400 divided by 3500= 16.68571429. So actually 16 pounds, not 25.

the Australian government has recently taken similar steps, Although some fast foods will still be available on certain days at the school tucj shop because they have past the requirments. This will however will only send smart kids to corner store to stock up before school or in the case of my former high school make them visit the nearby pie store during lunch. It also doesn't address the lunch boxes of children who bring their own lunch. Although many primary schools have implmented healthy eating programs that award kids based on what they have in their lunch box. Unfourtunately I do think this step is needed in a world where parents take less responsiblities for their children (they blame, video games, junk food, advertising but not themselves).

On the plus side of changing attitudes though. When questioned about the possible regulation of junk food advertising during childrens televison, Australia's Federal health minister, Tony Abbott, replied, "Its not the ads that are making kids fat, its the food." So perhaps one day people will be responsible enough to have junk food back in the school enviroment.

I had to do an article on this for school and I had to read so many articles on it..... I know soda is bad for you and that is why I don't drink it. I only drink soda unless I feel like I am dying of thrist and soda, being as it is, makes me more thristy....... So no soda for me... The health effects it has are bad. I'm glad they got rid of soda. At my school they've banned sodsa for a while though..... >.>

Child obesity doesn't start from pop, but from parents buying too many snacks and fast food. A lot of familes no longer eat together, but instead grab a quick bite to eat where the food is done for them. Taking the pop machines won't stop children from stopping at the gas station before school to grab a pepsi.

Plus, maybe if school lunches were better, kids wouldn't -want- to spend all their money on candy and pop.

I think the real question here is: where does government responsibility end and personal responsibility begin. Its pretty bleak to think that parents are so moronic about their own children that they need the government to step and tell them what they can and can't feed their spawn.
But these days, school is more like daycare. It's a place to send your kids so they won't be on the street. When the base standard for school is that low, important things like diet and don't even matter anymore.

And I agree, kids aren't good at making their own decisions. Most kids spend hours in front of the television, and what do they see there? Coke ads galore. And sadly, advertizing works. Kids buy soda partly because the coke symbol is pounded into their skulls everyday.

But the main point of all this that anymore, parents are irresponsible to the point that someone has to step in and say, "Don't feed your kid that, you moron." It is truly a sad, sad world.