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Peregryn

The Solution to Obesity

The problem with obesity and all related problems caused by the increasingly sedentary lifestyle of our post-industrial societies is that it is difficult for a lot of people to find the motivation to do it, and then have the discipline to keep with it.  But what if the government paid everyone to do it?  All the government would have to do is throw up/purchase a number of buildings that don't need to be much more than one large room which they throw enough basic excercise equipment into.  It then sets up a program where  every day you are able to go there at certain times to participate in a guided workout for 45 minutes.  Whenever you show up you sign a form or swipe an ID card which will then entitle you to that day's payment on your tax return.  The pay would be $5 for kids(they don't need a lot of money to be motivated, hell, they are mostly willign to do this anyways), $10 for teenagers(again, an already fairly active bunch that will appreciate the sum quite a lot), and $25 for those 19+(because you are an adult when you have all your rights and $25 is enough to make it wiorthwhile to maybe miss that one hour of extra work.  Everyone will be able to attend this once a day and every day of the week.

 
And if you think this will be too expensive, think about how much money the government reduces its revenues by whenever it makes even a 1% tax reduction.  And the initial start-up costs can come out of some of the money that will be saved in healthcare spending from the marked increase in general health and well being of the populace.  The government of the future will encourage the development and happiness of its people.  It is time that something truly beneficial to the whole of society is legislated.

Published Thursday, September 21, 2006 1:48 PM by Peregryn

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ripsnorta wrote on September 21, 2006 8:10 PM

I don't think it is too expensive. I think it is too simplistic a solution.

Obesity and the causes of it are far more complex than to be solved by paying people to be thin. I would think that the knowledge that obesity will shorten your life, and potentially give you a number of debilitating diseases including diabetes, heart disease, stroke would be enough to motivate people to lose weight. Logically, it should be more motivating than getting a few quid for attending an exercise session.

But it's also more than just exercise, or just diet. It's exercise and diet and self control and social control to make food producers act responsibly and good mental health and a government desire to make it happen and a personal desire to change and teaching our children good habits and a bunch of other things. (In no particular order.)

 

Mr. Farlops wrote on September 22, 2006 1:34 AM

I agree with Rip. Obesity is extremely complicated and belies easy solutions.

 

ideal wrote on September 22, 2006 3:34 AM

I don't think so.  My mother, who does the equivalent of about four hours of aerobics a day in the fast pace of her work environment, is obese.  At the same time though, she is very healthy.  I'll grant that you can't cure obesity with exercise alone, or even diet and exercise as people such as my mother have tried, but every step in the right direction makes people remarkably healthier assuming the exercise isn't abusive.

 

sJon_Piranha wrote on September 28, 2006 10:53 AM

Oh come now... the only people serious about curing obesity are those whose lives are threatened by their own laziness.

The government doesn't want obesity cured!  Obesity CAUSES all of the major death-promoting illnesses in the world (other than simply aging and/or cell senesence), which in turns fuels the economy.

People buy more food as obese to feel full, which produces fat, lazy people that don't have a care more than going home after work and sitting down and not trying to change the world or their pathetic government, who may or may not have engineered all the recent conflicts in order to promote their own goals...

I am not a conspiracy theorist.  I simply don't agree that all the coincidences in recent years are that - coincidences.  Is it a coincidence that the sugar every major food organization puts into their products is completely unprocessable by the human body? (high fructose corn syrup for example)

What about hydrogenated vegetable oil?

What about monosodium glutamate?

I have to goto class, but I could keep going for hours...

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About Peregryn

I aim to promote the pursuit of perfection and the absolute understanding of everything. I am working on an undergraduate degree in history and economics at Laurentian University and am a reserve infantry soldier in the Canadian Forces.

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