Michelle Obama’s 124 page Childhood Obesity Report is complete for the ‘Let’s Move! campaign’ and it is now online for review.
Most families will not disagree with the ‘findings’ of the report but the extent that common-sense recommendations are detailed in ‘government-speak’ is laughable.
A simple piece of advise such as “Turn off the TV and go out and play” turns into this:
“An association between television viewing and risk of being overweight in preschool children, independent of socio-demographic factors. Specifically, for each additional hour of television viewing, the odds ratio of children having a BMI greater than the 85th percentile was 1.06.1 and . . . physical activity assists children in obtaining and improving fine and gross motor skill development, coordination, balance and control, hand-eye coordination, strength, dexterity, and flexibility—all of which are necessary for children to reach developmental milestones.”
The report largely suggests government take a stronger role in warning parents, mandating changes in schools, and regulate companies that produce junk food and soft drinks.
It’s largely a liberal response to any problem but what’s more interesting is the encouragement of sin taxes on junk food, soft drinks, and candy and propose subsidizing fruits and vegetables.
Recommendation 4.7 suggests that we “Provide economic incentives to increase production of healthy foods such as fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, as well as create greater access to local and healthy food for consumers.” and Recommendation 4.9 recommends that the government, “Analyze the effect of state and local sales taxes on less healthy, energy-dense foods based on nutrient content or categories with low nutritional value (such as soft drinks, candy, snack foods, and fast foods).”
That’s right, Big Government is angling for a tax on your KFC ‘Double Down’
But why tax and regulate food production when we can produce convincing narratives for our youth such as this?
