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Argus

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So if the state is interested in the welfare of the child, should it do anything when teachers spot a really fat kid? Should social services talk to the parents, ensure they put the kid on a diet? After all, being fat, the kid faces not only all kinds of increased risks to his or her health, but a lifetime of mockery and ridicule, miserable times at school, no dates, etc. etc.

What kind of parents let their kid get fat and don't do anything? "Here, dear, have a third helping of ice cream. You've got lots of room!"

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Define "really fat". Who decides if one kid needs to go on a diet? Does it matter if the kid is active? Do lazy skinny kids get a pass?

We need to increase activity and offer healthy nutritious food. PE a couple of times a week isn't enough. Allowing pop in school is not a good idea.... a lot of schools no longer have candy in their vending machines. Sure, the kids could bring it in their lunches or walk to the corner store on a break, but setting a good example can help.

Pulling a kid aside and telling him he's fat.... you think he doesn't already know?

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We need to increase activity and offer healthy nutritious food. PE a couple of times a week isn't enough. Allowing pop in school is not a good idea....

Heh, ironically they are banning the sale of bottled water in public buildings in Vancouver. Pop is still allowed though. Got love our bass ackwards Vision government.

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Heh, ironically they are banning the sale of bottled water in public buildings in Vancouver. Pop is still allowed though. Got love our bass ackwards Vision government.

Not really that crazy. It is not really a health issue but an enviromental issue. Lots of plastic bottles for water do not get recycled, but this is another post altogether.

Instill healthy lifestyles and habits early on in a kids life, and there are better chances they will stick with it for the long run.

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Not really that crazy. It is not really a health issue but an enviromental issue. Lots of plastic bottles for water do not get recycled, but this is another post altogether.

It is crazy, and it is a health issue. Lot's of people don't want to drink tap water, and would rather drink bottled water, for several valid reasons. They may be like me, and find the taste of tap water to be unpalatable except in situations of severe thirst, and the taste of some brands and types of bottled water to be delicious. Or they may believe that bottled water may have lower risks of being contaminated in some way, though the science on that is inconclusive. Bottled water is also much more convenient.

By not allowing people to purchase bottled water, it is a guaranteed, inevitable outcome, that more people will buy other beverages instead. The main alternative available for sale in these kinds of locations is pop, which can have an adverse effect on health. Thus it is very much a health issue.

Furthermore, the government mandating what non-harmful, non-alcoholic, beverages can and cannot be sold in public facilities is a gross overexertion of power and it intrudes far too deeply into the lives of citizens.

Instill healthy lifestyles and habits early on in a kids life, and there are better chances they will stick with it for the long run.

Agreed with you there. This should, however, be primarily the role of parents, not of institutions.

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Define "really fat".

I think we all know a fat kid when we see it. God knows that other kids certainly know it. So I'd say, if your kid is routeinly called "fatty" or "fatso" or "blimpo" or "lardass" by the other schoolkids, that might be a sign.

Who decides if one kid needs to go on a diet? Does it matter if the kid is active? Do lazy skinny kids get a pass?

Yes, skinny kids get a pass. There is not a doctor on the planet who won't recite a long, long list of medical dangers that fat kids face as they grow older, or who won't tell you that a fat kid, if not slimmed down, grows into a fat teenager, who becomes a fat adult.

Pulling a kid aside and telling him he's fat.... you think he doesn't already know?

The question isn't whether the fat kid knows, or even whether the parents know. The question is why the parents do nothing about it? The question is that if we acknolwdge that a fat kid faces a life of social ostrasizion and health difficulties, why don't we have the state step in to either force the parents to parent, or take the kid away and slim it down?

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The question isn't whether the fat kid knows, or even whether the parents know. The question is why the parents do nothing about it? The question is that if we acknolwdge that a fat kid faces a life of social ostrasizion and health difficulties, why don't we have the state step in to either force the parents to parent, or take the kid away and slim it down?

How do you know the parents aren't doing anything about it? Kids aren't under their parents' control 24/7. You can pack your child a nutritious lunch, but that won't stop him/her from throwing away the apple and eating a friend's HoHo at school. And how do parents know what (s)he's eating at friends' houses? At the movies? Furthermore, how do you know his/her weight isn't due to a health issue in the first place?

And aside from the question of who would be footing the bill for the state "stepping in" and raising these kids, don't you think being taken away from one's family would be more traumatic than being fat?

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It is crazy, and it is a health issue. Lot's of people don't want to drink tap water, and would rather drink bottled water, for several valid reasons. They may be like me, and find the taste of tap water to be unpalatable except in situations of severe thirst, and the taste of some brands and types of bottled water to be delicious. Or they may believe that bottled water may have lower risks of being contaminated in some way, though the science on that is inconclusive. Bottled water is also much more convenient.

There is really no difference between tap water and most of this so called bottles 'spring' water. And you can buy the water filters for your taps... I am sure you already know this option, it filters the water and will end up tasting better, so there is really no excuse.

Bottled water has about the same chance of contamination. I work in a food warehouse, you can trust me on this one. It may not be inside that is contaminated. Unless you wash your water bottles before you drink them. Sure it is convenient, but that should not be the sole reason you buy bottled water.

By not allowing people to purchase bottled water, it is a guaranteed, inevitable outcome, that more people will buy other beverages instead. The main alternative available for sale in these kinds of locations is pop, which can have an adverse effect on health. Thus it is very much a health issue.

Well, if people turn to pop instead of tap water, that is their own fault and stupidity. There are options, use them. Buy some fruit or vegetable juice instead? Something that puts nutrients back into the body. Carry around your metal flask with water. You do know some plastics are harmful to you as well. And look for and buy glass bottles where I can.

You won't find beer in a plastic bottle!! Well maybe a sippy cup at the hockey game.

Furthermore, the government mandating what non-harmful, non-alcoholic, beverages can and cannot be sold in public facilities is a gross overexertion of power and it intrudes far too deeply into the lives of citizens.

Argus

I think we all know a fat kid when we see it. God knows that other kids certainly know it. So I'd say, if your kid is routeinly called "fatty" or "fatso" or "blimpo" or "lardass" by the other schoolkids, that might be a sign.

I got a good laugh out of this one. Yes it is for SURE sign. If youe body fat to mass index is high, then guess what tubby, you need to slim down. I am a little overweight, I have been trying to change my habits of food and exercise, slowly making progress.

I was fat before myself. I was 40lbs overweight after I left high school and got a shitty job that traveled a ton. I did not eat well and balloned. Now I am about 15-20lbs overweight still, gained about 5 lbs in the last month (vacation binge :) ) I am also almost 40, so my metabolism has slowed some since my teen years (and getting fat did not help my overall metabolism)

es, skinny kids get a pass. There is not a doctor on the planet who won't recite a long, long list of medical dangers that fat kids face as they grow older, or who won't tell you that a fat kid, if not slimmed down, grows into a fat teenager, who becomes a fat adult.

This is true. We are not talking about skinny people. We are talking about fat people. Some people naturally have a high metabolism and may not need to exercise as much. Fat people obviously are doing something wrong, or need to change things.

I saw this fat girl this morning taking a jog, she was huffin for sure, some people on my bus giggled, but in my head I applauded her for the attempt. She knows she is fat and knows something needs to be done. Hats off to her.

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Well, if people turn to pop instead of tap water, that is their own fault and stupidity. There are options, use them.

That's just the point. They've effectively eliminated one of the options. Fruit juice cans are also far less common, many places only had water and pop. Now they'll just have pop. So somebody that wants to buy something to drink will now have to buy pop and will not have the option of water. I don't see how you can argue that this won't have any impact with a straight face.

There is really no difference between tap water and most of this so called bottles 'spring' water.

There is certainly a difference in taste, and also in the water contents. I'm not talking about like Dasani water which is just glorified tap water or anything, but actual decent spring water.

Bottled water has about the same chance of contamination. I work in a food warehouse, you can trust me on this one. It may not be inside that is contaminated. Unless you wash your water bottles before you drink them. Sure it is convenient, but that should not be the sole reason you buy bottled water.

Well, if people turn to pop instead of tap water, that is their own fault and stupidity. There are options, use them. Buy some fruit or vegetable juice instead? Something that puts nutrients back into the body. Carry around your metal flask with water. You do know some plastics are harmful to you as well. And look for and buy glass bottles where I can.

Well actually in my particular case, I own a stainless steel bottle, fill it up at home with Canadian Springs water from a stainless steel water cooler, and take it just about everywhere. But a lot of people don't do that, they go places without bringing any water along with them, and buy whatever drinks are available at the places they go to. In many of these places there is no access to tap water even if one wanted to drink some. So they'll often have no choice but to buy pop.

Edited by Bonam
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in answer to the OP... a resounding YES!

Yes, fat children should be taken away from their parents... they've put their kids' health is at risk and do not deserve to be parents.

Good lord, wafting cig smoke is now illegal, yet we allow parents to feed their children grossly inadequate food.

More people have health issues from being obese than from walking through a waft of cig smoke.

Edited by Drea
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That's just the point. They've effectively eliminated one of the options. Fruit juice cans are also far less common, many places only had water and pop. Now they'll just have pop. So somebody that wants to buy something to drink will now have to buy pop and will not have the option of water. I don't see how you can argue that this won't have any impact with a straight face.

Then start carrying around your own water/juice. It really is not that hard. You as a customer and consumer have the influence to change things. Stop buying it, stop buying into it. Save your money and your health. You have options, USE them. Don't let them 'control' you this way. Start reading the nutrition labels and ask yourself a couple questions. I will say that tap water does taste different. It tastes different in almost every city I have been to. Mostly because of local geography and the water table ect.

And do you realize how much energy/resources are used to get you a pack of bottled water? Once you understand the logistics behind getting bottled water to you, you will understand the environmental aspect I am talking about. As I said I work in a gorcery warehouse. This week alone we have made 20 deliveries to stores, 53' trailers stuffed full with pallets of bottled water and bottled water only. Take a moment to absorb that.

There is certainly a difference in taste, and also in the water contents. I'm not talking about like Dasani water which is just glorified tap water or anything, but actual decent spring water.

Remember the scandals about spring fed water bottles? Some was actual city tap water.

Here is one incident in the UK http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics...-tap-water.html

Always account for some greed in any business.

Well actually in my particular case, I own a stainless steel bottle, fill it up at home with Canadian Springs water from a stainless steel water cooler, and take it just about everywhere. But a lot of people don't do that, they go places without bringing any water along with them, and buy whatever drinks are available at the places they go to. In many of these places there is no access to tap water even if one wanted to drink some. So they'll often have no choice but to buy pop.

There are choices, and if you forgot to bring your water bottle, who are you going to blame? The problem here is that most feel the victim. They can't get what they want, but not realizing they do have other options.

I also had the unfortunate experience last week of dehydration when hiking in the mountains in Vancouver. That is something I never want to experience again, keep yourself hydrated, or you will start to hurt. As a cyclist I know to alwauy bring a couple bottles with me. But I was an idiot in this case. I mean if I went another 30 minutes without water at that point, I would have ended up in the hospital. I carry water around with me all the time when I am out for for a couple hours. Nasty lesson to learn.

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....And do you realize how much energy/resources are used to get you a pack of bottled water? Once you understand the logistics behind getting bottled water to you, you will understand the environmental aspect I am talking about. As I said I work in a gorcery warehouse. This week alone we have made 20 deliveries to stores, 53' trailers stuffed full with pallets of bottled water and bottled water only. Take a moment to absorb that.

The same is true for beer....want us to stop drinking that too? I drink what I want....when I want. And that includes the delicious taste and convenience of Aquafina purified water from my local bottler.

Even fat kids like it.....

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The same is true for beer....want us to stop drinking that too? I drink what I want....when I want. And that includes the delicious taste and convenience of Aquafina purified water from my local bottler.

Even fat kids like it.....

Beer is more regulated than water and also not sold to minors (often) and does not come out of your water tap at home. So not a very good approach to the argument at all. I am not saying you can't drink what you want (that was clearly not the intent of the post), i am saying that if one bitches about not having the bottled water, there are simply alternatives you can take.

Yes, even fat kids like it. But I can bet you that the majority of the fatties out there are NOT drinking plain water, bottled or tapped.

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Fat parents ?
Fat kids?

With State health insurance, we tax cigarettes in part because smokers impose extra costs on the State health system that we all pay for. Maybe the government should impose taxes on sugar and fat too.

Is this the role of the State? What if the experts and the State are wrong?

-----

The State in part is an insurance scheme but we should be cautious about this role of the State.

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Beer is more regulated than water and also not sold to minors (often) and does not come out of your water tap at home. So not a very good approach to the argument at all. I am not saying you can't drink what you want (that was clearly not the intent of the post), i am saying that if one bitches about not having the bottled water, there are simply alternatives you can take.

I'm definitely not telling you what to drink, no matter what the arguments are, for or against. Whenever some putz starts to preach to me about the evils of bottled water, I make sure to buy twice as many cases next time. Some of us use water softeners at home and don't want the bad taste with extra sodium thank you very much.

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I'm definitely not telling you what to drink, no matter what the arguments are, for or against. Whenever some putz starts to preach to me about the evils of bottled water, I make sure to buy twice as many cases next time.

I am not a putz, and nor am I preaching. I am simply telling it as it is. Kind of like what you do often. And if you buy two cases of bottled water purely out of spite, you are the putz.

Some of us use water softeners at home and don't want the bad taste with extra sodium thank you very much.

Hard water is another problem altogether. But let's get back to the fat kids, shall we?

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I am not a putz, and nor am I preaching. I am simply telling it as it is. Kind of like what you do often. And if you buy two cases of bottled water purely out of spite, you are the putz.

Then you shouldn't mind at all. Two cases are for putzes...I buy EIGHT ! :lol:

Hard water is another problem altogether. But let's get back to the fat kids, shall we?

Good idea.....I wonder how we got off on the virtues of tap water?

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in answer to the OP... a resounding YES!

Yes, fat children should be taken away from their parents... they've put their kids' health is at risk and do not deserve to be parents.

Good lord, wafting cig smoke is now illegal, yet we allow parents to feed their children grossly inadequate food.

More people have health issues from being obese than from walking through a waft of cig smoke.

This was, in fact, almost the exact statement made to me by a friend of mine, a mother of two, in describing her fat neice sitting at the table, and her mother giving her several heaping helpings of ice cream - even though the kid, about nine, refused to eat her dinner, and only wanted desert. Mom just smiled, sighed and handed over the ice cream. My friend is thinking like, WTF, someone seriously needs to take control of that kid before it's too late and a life pattern is set.

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How do you know the parents aren't doing anything about it? Kids aren't under their parents' control 24/7. You can pack your child a nutritious lunch, but that won't stop him/her from throwing away the apple and eating a friend's HoHo at school. And how do parents know what (s)he's eating at friends' houses? At the movies? Furthermore, how do you know his/her weight isn't due to a health issue in the first place?

All that is a cop-out. Kids don't get fat from eating donuts at school. They get fat because they sit around the house all day doing nothing but watching TV and playing video games, and because mom and/or dad bring home tones of crap for the kid to stuff down their fat throats. Ever see a fat kid at dinner - at home? They're not exactly eating light.

And aside from the question of who would be footing the bill for the state "stepping in" and raising these kids, don't you think being taken away from one's family would be more traumatic than being fat?

No, not long term. I've known a few fat people and heard some stories about life as a fat teenager which make being forced to go to a "fat farm' for a couple of months seem like a holiday camp. Which would you prefer, a few months as a 8-9-10 year old slimming down or ten years as an outsider, mocked, jeered, and laughed at throughout your entire teenage years? Have you ever known anyone who was fat as a teenager who had happy memories of that time in their lives?

As far as cost goes - we all foot the bill for the enormous and long term health care costs of all those extra diabetics, etc. we get because of poor diets established in childhood by lazy parents who either can't or won't impose any discipline on their kids. Talking about cost is like those idiots in government who won't spend the money to fix potholes because it costs too much - so instead of citizens paying an extra $1 a year to fix the potholes they pay an extra $20 a year in wear and tear and repairs on their cars.

Edited by Argus
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What kind of parents let their kid get fat and don't do anything? "Here, dear, have a third helping of ice cream. You've got lots of room!"

Even though the ideal weight standard gets smaller, children learn from adults.

One of my theory is that women are fat because, children have come to accept that their mothers should look a certain way: fat, extra-weight, bulging, saggy boobs and stretch marks, fat arms, not smart enough in the head, fat legs, lots of hair, fat neck now aged with lines, terrible face, ears, bad skin, bad nose, not the right color of eyes, lips, chin, bad teeth, shoulders, back, no breasts, extra handles on the fat waist, hips, tire stomach, abdomen, celluloid buttocks, arms, wrists, hands, fingers, fingernails, thighs, knees, calves, ankles, feet, toes, body hair, pimples, scars, freckles, terrible stretch marks etc. moles.

Fathers who are already fat and overweight are accepted as the bald, farting, burping macho guy

When it comes down to honesty and brass talk children really want their mothers to be BIG FAT JOLLY girls with wiggling and sagging body parts – majority of women and men are fat.

Parents are the idols. Being fat is normal.

Here kid a third helping of ice cream is good for you.

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Then start carrying around your own water/juice. It really is not that hard. You as a customer and consumer have the influence to change things. Stop buying it, stop buying into it. Save your money and your health. You have options, USE them. Don't let them 'control' you this way. Start reading the nutrition labels and ask yourself a couple questions. I will say that tap water does taste different. It tastes different in almost every city I have been to. Mostly because of local geography and the water table ect.

Like I said in a previous post, I do carry around my own water. The point of this thread, however, is whether government should intervene in cases where people are getting too fat. The answer is no, because it is not the role of government to control people's lives in this way. By the same token, government should also not prevent people from purchasing bottled water and limit their choices to less healthy beverages in public locations. I don't see which part of that is hard for you to understand.

And do you realize how much energy/resources are used to get you a pack of bottled water? Once you understand the logistics behind getting bottled water to you, you will understand the environmental aspect I am talking about. As I said I work in a gorcery warehouse. This week alone we have made 20 deliveries to stores, 53' trailers stuffed full with pallets of bottled water and bottled water only. Take a moment to absorb that.

Frankly, I don't give a damn. When it comes to things I drink or eat, the criteria are taste and quality, not environmental impact. The ripest and tastiest summer fruits shipped at great expense from tropical islands, organic meats from farms that take up many times as much space and energy per animal, and only the best water gathered from remote mountain springs or glaciers. Sorry if that offends you and your environmental sensitivities.

Remember the scandals about spring fed water bottles? Some was actual city tap water.

Here is one incident in the UK http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics...-tap-water.html

Always account for some greed in any business.

As with any product, one should do some research and purchase their goods from reputable brands with a commitment to quality. The same is true for bottled water.

There are choices, and if you forgot to bring your water bottle, who are you going to blame? The problem here is that most feel the victim. They can't get what they want, but not realizing they do have other options.

You are completely missing the point. The city sells beverages in public spaces and buildings. These beverages used to include both healthy choices (water, sometimes juice) and unhealthy choices (pop). This has now been changed, such that you only sometimes have the healthy choice (where juice is available) but always have the unhealthy choice (pop). In effect, government has mandated that people visiting public facilities and purchasing drinks there will often have to drink something less healthy. Not only is it unacceptable for the government to intervene this deeply in the affairs of its citizens to begin with, it also may have a negative impact on public health.

Yes, people that care can and will bring their own bottled water or whatever they like to drink. But many others will not, and will now purchase pop rather than having the option of purchasing water. This is inevitable. You keep trying to make it personal, "you forget", "who will you blame", "you the victim", etc, but that is not the issue. I bring my water with me everywhere anyway. The issue is that many do not, and will not, and will drink pop instead. It is not an issue of victimization, but of the government for some reason deciding to restrict people's choice as to what beverage they can buy. It is entirely inappropriate.

I also had the unfortunate experience last week of dehydration when hiking in the mountains in Vancouver. That is something I never want to experience again, keep yourself hydrated, or you will start to hurt. As a cyclist I know to alwauy bring a couple bottles with me. But I was an idiot in this case. I mean if I went another 30 minutes without water at that point, I would have ended up in the hospital. I carry water around with me all the time when I am out for for a couple hours. Nasty lesson to learn.

Wow where were you? I hike out in the mountains within a few hours of Vancouver just about every weekend, and there are almost invariably sources of clean water along the way. Alpine streams, waterfalls, snow that you can melt, etc. You can also look into some water treatment systems for when you're hiking, either the chemical tablets or the hand-pump filters, if you have suspicions about the cleanliness of water in the area of a given hike.

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I think we all know a fat kid when we see it. God knows that other kids certainly know it. So I'd say, if your kid is routeinly called "fatty" or "fatso" or "blimpo" or "lardass" by the other schoolkids, that might be a sign.

Well done. You've successfully identified the black and white ends of the spectrum. However, I'm more interested in the various shades of gray. What's the cut-off? At what point does a kid go from being "big" to "fat"?

Yes, skinny kids get a pass. There is not a doctor on the planet who won't recite a long, long list of medical dangers that fat kids face as they grow older, or who won't tell you that a fat kid, if not slimmed down, grows into a fat teenager, who becomes a fat adult.

For sure. However, fat doesn't necessarily mean unfit. Skinny kids who aren't fit face health risks too.

The question isn't whether the fat kid knows, or even whether the parents know. The question is why the parents do nothing about it? The question is that if we acknolwdge that a fat kid faces a life of social ostrasizion and health difficulties, why don't we have the state step in to either force the parents to parent, or take the kid away and slim it down?

Do you really want to give "the state" that kind of power?

And again, you'd have to have clear guidelines for when the state could step in... and I don't think "I know a fat kid when I see one" will suffice.

Even though the ideal weight standard gets smaller, children learn from adults.

One of my theory is that women are fat because, children have come to accept that their mothers should look a certain way: fat, extra-weight, bulging, saggy boobs and stretch marks, fat arms, not smart enough in the head, fat legs, lots of hair, fat neck now aged with lines, terrible face, ears, bad skin, bad nose, not the right color of eyes, lips, chin, bad teeth, shoulders, back, no breasts, extra handles on the fat waist, hips, tire stomach, abdomen, celluloid buttocks, arms, wrists, hands, fingers, fingernails, thighs, knees, calves, ankles, feet, toes, body hair, pimples, scars, freckles, terrible stretch marks etc. moles.

Fathers who are already fat and overweight are accepted as the bald, farting, burping macho guy

When it comes down to honesty and brass talk children really want their mothers to be BIG FAT JOLLY girls with wiggling and sagging body parts – majority of women and men are fat.

Parents are the idols. Being fat is normal.

Here kid a third helping of ice cream is good for you.

Holy shit.

If I can't say that here, please amend my statement to holy crap.

What the heck kind of kids do you hang around?

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How do you know the parents aren't doing anything about it? Kids aren't under their parents' control 24/7. You can pack your child a nutritious lunch, but that won't stop him/her from throwing away the apple and eating a friend's HoHo at school. And how do parents know what (s)he's eating at friends' houses? At the movies? Furthermore, how do you know his/her weight isn't due to a health issue in the first place?

All that is a cop-out. Kids don't get fat from eating donuts at school. They get fat because they sit around the house all day doing nothing but watching TV and playing video games, and because mom and/or dad bring home tones of crap for the kid to stuff down their fat throats. Ever see a fat kid at dinner - at home? They're not exactly eating light.

No, I haven't seen fat kids eating dinner at home, but I've seen them eating out in public. If you don't think the meals they are eating at fast food restaurants is a big part of the problem, if you don't think what they eat away from home adds to the problem, I don't think you're aware of a lot that goes on.

And aside from the question of who would be footing the bill for the state "stepping in" and raising these kids, don't you think being taken away from one's family would be more traumatic than being fat?

No, not long term. I've known a few fat people and heard some stories about life as a fat teenager which make being forced to go to a "fat farm' for a couple of months seem like a holiday camp. Which would you prefer, a few months as a 8-9-10 year old slimming down or ten years as an outsider, mocked, jeered, and laughed at throughout your entire teenage years? Have you ever known anyone who was fat as a teenager who had happy memories of that time in their lives?

Being forced into a "fat farm" for a couple of months, I'm assuming by their parents in the stories you've heard, is a far cry from the state taking children away from their homes. But seriously, you think, as you totally blame the parents, that a couple of months of slimming down is going to have a lasting effect? Once the kids get back home, they'll be subjected to the same parenting as they were before they left, so I'm guessing a child who is forced to slim down in the manner which you suggest will be fat again in a matter of weeks. If a couple of months of slimming down lasted a life time, there would be a lot less overweight people in this world.

If being "mocked, jeered, and laughed at throughout [their] entire teenage years" isn't incentive to slim down, what makes you think a couple of months in the hands of the state is going to do it? Furthermore, there are a lot of reasons kids are mocked and unhappy. Should we make a list of the reasons and remove all of these kids from their homes?

As far as cost goes - we all foot the bill for the enormous and long term health care costs of all those extra diabetics, etc. we get because of poor diets established in childhood by lazy parents who either can't or won't impose any discipline on their kids. Talking about cost is like those idiots in government who won't spend the money to fix potholes because it costs too much - so instead of citizens paying an extra $1 a year to fix the potholes they pay an extra $20 a year in wear and tear and repairs on their cars.

When you fix a pothole, it generally stays fixed for as long as a fixed pothole is expected to last. When people lose weight, especially if they are forced to and then are returned to their original environment, the weight will most likely go back on. So no, talking about cost is not like "those idiots in government...." that you refer to; cost very definitely needs to be addressed. It's ludicrous to think that the government should force children into losing weight by removing them from their homes. Perhaps they should be barred from eating at McDonald's and buying popcorn at the movie theater, too; and instead of limiting cigarette and alcohol sales to minors, perhaps they should be prohibited from buying anything but healthy food.

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