Obesity the next tobacco?

http://johnrlott.blogspot.com/2009/07/obesity-next-tobacco.html

If the government pays for people's health care, there will be the
claim that people can't do what they want with their own bodies
because others will have to pay for their actions.

Government Tackles Obesity Anew -- But Can It Show Restraint?

CDC Director Thomas Frieden reportedly told the conference that a
tax on sugary drinks could help curb obesity, as he promoted measures
that decrease the availability of unhealthy food while increasing
their cost.

But he noted the political difficulty in getting such measures passed.

It's not just a political problem. For policy makers, the effort
to draw the line between healthy and unhealthy foods, healthy and
unhealthy behavior, is a challenge in consistency.

How can you tax soda but not french fries? How can you ban trans
fats while doing nothing about salt content? . . . .

States to get "significant" obesity money

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. government plans to give state and
local government more money to fight obesity, including investments in
public transportation, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen
Sebelius said on Tuesday.

She said healthcare reform efforts being worked out by Congress
represented an opportunity to boost government funding in programs to
get more fruits and vegetables into school lunches and encourage
grocery stores to sell more fresh produce in poor communities. . . . .