Read
post your opinion 3 sentence opinion.
Monday, October 24, 2011
Can the Federal Government legislate us to be thinner?
Today we will look at the above question. Is it the role of the government to police our eating habits? Can the government tell us what to eat and what not to or is that acting as a nanny state?
Read
Fat-fighting ideas: From more gym to burger tax
post your opinion 3 sentence opinion.
Read
post your opinion 3 sentence opinion.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I do not believe it is the Federal Government's job to get the American people to eat healthier. There are many more high-profile issues that the government needs to deal with, and regulating healthy food is not high on the priority list nor is it the responsibility of any government officials. If a fat person can't put their cookie down it is their fault and the government shouldn't waste time and money to change it.
ReplyDeleteI think the government should not really have a say as too what a kid can and can not eat. When the kid goes from school he is going to eat whatever he wants anyway. Also by taxing fatty foods and drinks, the companies are going to lose money which would not be good for the economy. However having stricter policies regarding lunch in school is good, because it teaches kids how to make healthy choices. Also having more gym helps too because kids are getting more excerise.
ReplyDelete-Alexa Bolton
I don't believe that it should be the governments job to make people eat healthier. Since there is many important problems around the world and country that the government should deal with. Also, it is that person choice whether or not if he wants to have a pizza or something healthy like an apple or a salad. You can't force someone on what to eat.
ReplyDeleteI do not think that the government should have any role in monitoring what we eat and when we eat it. They can try to tax things to the point where people wont buy them but if they really want them most people do not care about the price. I also think the whole taking the toy out of the kids meal is not going to help anyones case because most of the time people just get them because of the smaller portions for children. The government can not control our personal lifes it gives them to much power. the United States might be obese but it isnt their health.
ReplyDeleteI don't agree with the government being able to control what we eat. I feel like it goes against our rights and it seems a little too communist. It would take away the american tradition of hot dogs and philly cheesesteaks at the ballpark and grilling of hot dogs and hamburgers on the Fourth of July.
ReplyDeleteThe government has no part in mandating, taxing, or putting restrictions on food. Eating healthier is a personal choice, and people who want to eat less healthy should have that option. Government has much more to worry about than the number of skinny and fat people in the country. Government should not be able to infringe on lifestyle issues.
ReplyDeleteI dont think that the government should be able to tell people what they can eat and drink. If people choose to eat bad food and drink sugary drinks they should know their decision will effect their health. The government should warn the people of the dangers of those foods but not force them to eat differently.
ReplyDeleteI do not believe that it is the Federal Governments job to get people to eat healthier. I personally believe that it is up to the people to realize what they are eating and how it is affecting their health. I also strongly believe in physical activity and that their is always time to go for a walk of run.
ReplyDeletethe government shouldnt be allowed to tell us what we can and not eat, they can try and get us to eat healthy but they cant say we cant eat certain things, if a person is over weight and wants to be healthy they should do that on their own and not have there government act as a parent or nanny. they shouldnt tax food because everyone is still gonna buy like smoking we raised taxes and more people smoke now. but they should have healthier lunch choices at school and gym class should be part of school.
ReplyDelete-Alexis Augustine.
I think the government should not be able to control what people eat. Also, if he government believes that are country is being brought down by obesity and if they believe its become a serious problem in the united states i can see why taxing fatty foods could be an option. I think they should have federal laws about gym class in public schools as an alternative to taxes.- Austin Dwyer
ReplyDeleteThere were a mixture of a good and bad ideas in this article. I thought it is a good idea to put taxes on fatty foods or foods with a lot of sugar. this will make it more practical to buy healthy foods. Also this would make more money for the country. - dan davidson
ReplyDeleteWhile it is not the role of the government to supervise the food consumed by their people, they should be motivated to at least aid in efforts to reduce the obesity in America. If obesity consumes a majority of the people, that equates to a number of obese children to grow up to obese adults. This can lead to unfit army personnel, which will lead to a weaker army. The government should not resort to taxes or more programs that could not potentially work, but rather provide incentive similar to Canada. The reason America is so great is the possibility for people to become rich, so why not allow them to be richer and healthier? -Kevin Ng
ReplyDeleteThe government should have a say in what Americans consume today, it would help us eat healthier and help decrease childhood and adult obesity. The government should make schools have healthy choices in schools and eliminate that unhealthy, fatty foods they serve in the cafeterias. The government should have its opinion to give us options to healthier foods by making lists of what it good to eat and what is not. The government is acting like a nanny state only to protect its citizens from future problems such as obesity.
ReplyDeleteI'm Pro-Business so I don't think the government should interfere too much with companies, but they should set regulations on unhealthy food in places like schools. If the kids are introduced to fatty food and sugary drinks early on, it will raise the chance of obesity as an adult. The government should also invest in more programs promoting healthier habits. One way is by providing school with more fundings to have a Gym and better lunches.
ReplyDeleteI do not think the tax will hurt, it will bring in more money and they can use that money for various things. They can use it to help improve school gyms, school lunches, and they can use the money to make local parks and playgrounds. The tax I think will help cut down on obesity and the tax is to help us, and it is okay to have a soda every now and then but all the time is a lot.
ReplyDeleteI do believe that the government should play some roll in what we do and do not eat. They should not take complete control of our diets but they should regulate it to a certain extent. They should tax some stuff like extremely unhealthy foods but only the ones that are really, really bad for people.
ReplyDelete-Kevin Ebson
I do not think it is the federal government role to provide healthier eating habits. More people need to chose better choices of what they eat. They need to stop going to fast food places and start making their own meals. I think the government shouldn't need to tell us what to eat and what not to eat. they shouldn't waste their money on telling people what to do. Its your fault it you decide to eat bad food.
ReplyDeleteAnna Gianforcaro
I do believe that the Federal Government should make everyone eat healthier. There are many schools with bad lunch and and do not provide heathy food choices. I think they should be able to tell us that we need to watch what we eat and they should be able to put warning signs on foods and drinks that are not good for you. Also there are kids who just sit around and do nothing, and they do not have gym and working out will help with this obesity. I think it will just cause more problems if they tax burgers.
ReplyDeleteMatt Bayes
I do not believe it is the Federal Government's job to get the American people to eat healthier.i dont think taxing foods and drinks will work.everyone already does it, its like a bad habit that people will not be able to stop
ReplyDeleteI think the government should not be able to tell somebody what they can or not eat. People can do whatever they want to their own body. I think have stronger school lunch policies is a good idea. School should have good tasting food but make it a little healthier. I think if the government wants to tax soft drinks, I feel like they are trying to make money off of it. I also think gym class should be mandatory for all grades k-12.
ReplyDelete-Nate DeMarcantonio
Diet should not be a government regulated topic. An opposition is that raising taxes on soft drinks would prevent people from purchasing it, but it was found that a tax did little to minimize the amount of soft drinks purchased. The government should regulate the amount of physical activity the schools are to provide. Any effort made by the government to makes to improve the health of the nation is a direct effort to make a profit.
ReplyDeleteThe government can't stop people from eating as much as they want or eating what they want to eat.Even if they tax fatty foods more, people will still eat what they want. it will just make things worse off for our economy.
ReplyDeleteI believe that it is a personal choice if you want to be fat or not. Physical activity is not only physically healthy but can also be fun and help you think clearer. If your into sports like baseball, playing is not only a hobby but also keeps you fit. I love to skateboard and going to a skatepark is not only one of my favorite things to do, it keeps me active. I never see fat people at the skatepark and even if I do atleast they are working there way to become more fit. It goes hand in hand with cigarette smoking, people know it is very bad but adding new laws and taxes isn't going to change anything.
ReplyDeleteI think that the government should not have any say in what we eat because it is the people who have the say in what they do. The government can do all they want to stop people from eating fast food or any other food that is bad for you. Government can make the taxes go up, but that still is not going to keep people from buying it and with that i feel like they are only trying to make money off it. I think that schools should have mandatory gym classes until they graduate. Other then that it is the person body and they can do whatever they want with it.
ReplyDeleteI don't think it's the governments job to mandate eating healthier, because eating healthy is a personal choice. I don't think the government cares about people's health as much as they care about making money off of taxing food with higher fat. I think putting more healthy food at school lunches is a good idea, but I don't think they should get rid of the food with higher fat completely. Students should have the option of eating healthy, but shouldn't be forced to.
ReplyDeleteI do not think it is the governments job to get American's to eat healthier. its there choice and the way they want to live. I don't think taxing unhealthy food and drinks is going to stop us from buying them. I just feel the government will do anything to get money and they know taxing this kind of stuff will bring them in a lot of money.
ReplyDelete-heather wilson
I believe hat the government cant say what you can and cannot eat, since that would be an invasion of a person's right to choose what they want to do. However, believe that the government should do what it can to inform everyone on the dangers of eating/drinking bad products, like making it mandatory to post calorie information. That will make at least some difference, even if it is just a small one.
ReplyDeleteMike Barbacano
I think the government should encourage healthier eating and more exercise for everyone, but they can't force people. Kids especially should be given healthier lunches at school and have better gym classes k-12. If unhealthy food was taxed and healthier food was cheaper, I think many would be encouraged to eat better.
ReplyDeleteAllison Herman
I do not think that it is the government's responsibility to control what Americans eat. Although, I do think the government should encourage healthy eating and exercise in schools. I think that it is your choice if you want to eat unhealthy while knowing the risks.
ReplyDelete-Renee Rickel
I don't think the government should tell people what they can or can't eat or drink because no matter how much the tax soda or any other fatty foods, people are still going to buy them. But i think the government should have mandatory gym class because at least kids in schools will be somewhat healthy.
ReplyDelete-Anthony
I think the government should not control our eating habits. It is ridiculous to think a government could actually get so into your own business to stop you from eating certain things. They cannot control how much or what people eat or drink. Not everyone in America is fat; some people are extremely healthy and work out all the time. Those people would be affected by any changes the government made and they shouldn't have to be. Also, taxing food will not stop people from buying it if it is only a couple cents more.
ReplyDeleteJulia Malseed
JAMES BROWN
ReplyDeleteNo it should not be the governments job to watch what we eat, it should be our own job to watch that because the food disorders that people obtain are cause because of their unhealthy eating habits. And the government can step in and say what we should eat but that doesn't mean that people will actually follow what their suppose to eat. That doesn't make the government a "nanny government" that just shows that the government wants its citizens to be in good health and shape but its up to the people what they want to eat and how much they want to eat.
I do not think that the government should consider or pass legislation to have people eat healthier. I think that people should have a choice in what they want to eat and if that means they eat unhealthy so be it. It is not the job f the government to tell people how to live their lives when it comes to nutrition. The government should be worried more about just protecting its people from harm from others and protecting their civil liberties as well as civil rights.
ReplyDeleteSteve Ferzetti
It is not the governments job to make us healthier. People should learn how to control what they eat and how much of it, they need to mature. Although, I do think that it is a good idea to tax fatty foods so that the government can make more money and help us get out of debt. This may also help the people that cannot control what they eat or drink stop buying these foods because they are more expensive.
ReplyDeleteI think it is a good idea for the Government to have some say so in the bad food products being distributed. In school, there should be a healthier lunch option for students. Eating right is not a bad thing and it will help everybody in the long run so that they are not suffering from obesity and other health issues that come along with it. Exercise also can benefit the students, so having mandatory gym classes are not a bad idea either.
ReplyDelete-annamarie natarella
I believe it's the individual's right to eat what they desire. Ultimately, the individual will choose what is best for the individual. The government has no business legislating healthy decisions, but does have business legislating diseases. If a person gets to be obese, they should have education to prevent such a thing from happening and to help the obese person become healthier.
ReplyDelete-Brad
I don't understand why the government decided to pick up their heads and tell us what to eat all of the sudden. Fast food places have been increasing the amount of food in each size, and the government didn't care then. The government should not have a say in what people eat because they are going to try to mandate healthy food and decrease public school funding, which will force districts to cut other things. Health should be promoted, but forcing that kind of change on America is a bad idea.
ReplyDeleteI agree and disagree with a lot in the article. I do feel like gym should be a mandatory subject because it would help kids get into better shape, but I do not agree with taxing food because it'll be just like the Boston Tea Party all over again. No one would listen, and some would rebel against the idea. Instead of punishing people for it, they should just limit the size of the soda or how much sugar you are able to put in it. It's also our faults for obesity, not just the companies that sell it because we choose to put it in our bodies. So, we should just exercise and try to stay away from bad for you foods. Occasionally it wouldn't hurt, but eating healthier and exercising would be better. Even just exercising more is a step in the right direction because children don't get enough of it. That's why I, as previously stated, feel that they should make gym mandatory and everyday at least until they are old enough to make their own decisions.
ReplyDeleteThe government job is to regulate school, if they can find certain systems that work on one particular school then apply it to the rest and make it a standard. then after school the responsibility is up to the person whether they wish to be healthy or not.
ReplyDelete-Lou Macauley
I do think that the government should have some say in what kids in schools are eating. Many children and parents rely on the what the school is feeding the children of America. I do no believe that the government should control what people eat while they are out of school. I also believe that more gym classes should be mandated for schools. Many Americans are obese and if you can teach young people healthy habits from the start they will be better off in life. I think that a lot of the exercise in the gym classes in taken away because of the unhealthy foods that schools are feeding the students.
ReplyDeleteI think the government should not have a choice in what we eat. They cant force us to eat healthier, its the persons choice to eat healthy or not. However I think the government should step in and provide healthier choices at school. I don't think they should get rid of everything we have now, just simply add more to what we can choses from. That way at least we will have the choice to eat healthier.
ReplyDeleteI do not think the government putting taxes on these types of food will help that much. There will always be something else that is just as bad for someone that they can find at a cheaper price. Eating healthier is a personal choice that the government has very little effect on. People will find a way around eating the healthier food in school if the government takes away fattier foods. They can easily bring their own snacks and sodas. However, there definitely should be more physical education programs in school. This is one thing the government can control in helping make america more healthy
ReplyDeleteShannon Hackney
I don't believe the government has the right or the means to tell us what we should and should not eat. If the Federal government wants to help the obesity problem; they should educate the people with more health classes in schools and less fried foods in the lunch rooms. If any place should be healthy it should be the schools; more and more kids spend most of their day in school, and if they have to eat 2 meals at least out of 3 a day, and they are getting fed fried, greasy foods then what do you expect to happen? the Obesity epidemic needs to stop at the schools, it's one thing that there is a fast food "Restaurant" on every corner for them to go to after school, the stuff they are getting fed in school is worse... The government needs to realize it's a lot cheaper to eat crap then it is to eat healthy, so something needs to change. if it be the price of healthier foods or the kinds of food these kids are getting in the school.
ReplyDeleteI don't think the government should have a say in what citizens should eat because eating healthy is their own personal choice. I think the government is just trying to earn money by taxing foods with higher percentage of fat; they don't really care if people eat healthy or not. Including more nutritious foods in the school lunches is a great idea because it encourages people to eat healthier. However, they shouldn't demolish high fatty foods completely because students should have the right to eat whatever they desire. Also, I think mandatory physical activity during school is the right way to give students time to be somewhat fit; also, it is good leisure time with friends.
ReplyDelete-Amy Trinh
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI believe the government shouldn't regulate what a person should eat. I believe it is the individuals job to decide if they want to eat healthy or not. The government also has many other more important issues to worry about. However, the article made good points about school mandating more phys. ed. classes, which I think is a good idea to help get kids healthier.
ReplyDeletePhil McMenamin
I personally think that only putting nutritional foods in school wouldn't help children make good decisions in life, mostly because when faced with the choose they will choose the fatty foods over the healthy if they are kept away from them normally. If both foods are offer when given a choice they do no feel restricted and can and will tend to make healthier choices. I also think that putting taxes on foods and drinks that are bad for you, is a stupid thing. The person buying or wanting to consume the product has common knowledge that this is not healthy and is still choosing to consume the product the tax isn't going to effect their choice. If they want it, they will get it it's that simple. Warning label's can be a good idea, but with t.v. and school health education programs everyone should have common knowledge about healthy and bad food choices. People want something that's covenant, on the cheep side and more for the price they are paying. People are lazy, greedy, and glutinous it's more our faults then anything.
ReplyDelete