Obesity among Americans has increased dramatically since the 1980s and this has been rather costly.
It is estimated that obesity costs the American health care system $147 billion each year, which is a burden almost as heavy as the average American. These costs stem from the fact that obesity has a catastrophic effect on health by dramatically increasing a person risks for coronary artery disease, type II diabetes, and certain types of cancer. It also lowers a person’s overall life expectancy. In short, fat is costing America lives and treasure.
If terrorists were inflicting such damage, there would be a mad frenzy on the part of politicians. However, our fatness is self-inflicted and is actually aided and abetted by the state (via such things as subsidies for certain food industries). As such, we are the fatties and the fatteners.
While this obesity thing does seem like a problem, it is actually a gold mine for some. First, although obesity costs America billions, it is not the case that the money is merely being flushed down the toilet. Rather, much of it is being spent in the medical field, thus providing income and jobs. The fatties of America ensure that the medical fields will continue to be a growth industry whose expansion matches America’s expanding waistline. Second, the obesity problem is also a gold mine for those involved in weight management, especially those selling books, pills, diet plans and other stuff. This no doubt generates a significant number of jobs. Third, many of the problems caused by obesity can be managed and treated (to a degree) by pharmaceuticals. As such, the pharmaceutical companies can make a fortune selling medicine to address the problems caused by this fatter America. Fourth, as people get fatter many things will have to be changed to handle the weight (like furniture) and new products (such as scooters for transporting fat people) will be needed. Fat-fitting America could be a major growth industry. Already certain beauty and medical chairs/stations are not up to handling the weight-thus there is quite a market there.
Thus, before people push for low cost solutions like sensible eating and exercise, we should carefully consider how much of the economy depends on Americans being fat. It could actually be a patriotic duty to be fat and thus help the economy.
“Fourth, as people get fatter many things will have to be changed to handle the weight. . .”
Yearly repairs of pot(belly) holes in the sidewalks will place an added burden on municipal budgets. 🙁
Now that government has taken over healthcare, even what I put in my mouth is suddenly the government’s business. Soma, anyone?
TJ: What you put in your mouth has been for quite some time the government’s business . Thru the FDA and in state departments government (tries to) regulate your drug consumption. Thru the FDA and in the states they (try to) control the quality and safety of the food that enters your pie hole. Shouldn’t they do that? No regulations on meth or bath salts? No regulations on the crap pumped into farm animals and onto farmland?
“we should carefully consider how much of the economy depends on Americans being fat”
Again…Can you tag your posts with some sort of a “Humour” boolean. Given the deficiency in your understanding of economics, it’s hard to tell what you’re saying here. Perhaps a winking-smiley 😉 after a line like that?
Speaking for myself, I think “EVERYTHING should be on the kitchen table” when seeking ways to trim the budget.
Even your waistline (no winking smiley intended).
The TRADOC commander said that in 10 years, the physical fitness of new military recruits will likely present a national security threat.
As TJ has pointed out, our own weight is an indication of how in or out of control we may be in many areas of our lives. This is essentially America now, where personal responsibility can be relieved with a law suit or a government program. Saving people from themselves will destroy America. Or maybe it already has.
I’m absolutely not for any government hands in this; people should suffer the consequences of all knowingly chosen bad actions. It’s the way humanity improves and it’s a natural law.
I can agree with most of your sentiments here. But I’d like to add a little balance . I’d like to know which came first— government “‘saving people from themselves” or government saving people from others (criminals, environmental polluters, incompetent physicians, Wall Street swindlers, etc.)*#
And I’d like to know who, finally, should draw the line between meaningful and frivolous lawsuits.Government? Private concerns (panels of doctors, or oil barons, or financial weasels for ex.? Who, I ask?
*# Quite frankly, I think there are more than enough, make that too many, governmental mechanisms than protect financial and corporate “evil-doers” from the consequences of their “bad actions.”
Mike, thank you for this post and pointing to this growing health problem. I agree with you there is an economy growing around fatness, which has a simple solution be active and eat in moderation. For me it has been always a source of reflection that we spend so much money in obesity when kids die or suffer the lifelong consequences of hunger. More amazingly, increases in food prodcution or surplusses will not mitigate hunger, becuase the people that most need them are very poor, therefore they are not consumers; they are not a market. This points to the significant inbalances that our current culture has; it creates vicious circles, which are very difficult to break.
“increases in food prodcution or surplusses will not mitigate hunger, becuase the people that most need them are very poor, therefore they are not consumers; they are not a market. This points to the significant inbalances that our current culture has;”
Why is this an inbalance in our culture? In our culture even poor people eat too much. In cultures where people who are very poor and lack food, it would seem that it’s their culture that has the problem.
True, people eat too much in our culture. Or, to be more accurate, they consume too many calories relative to their activity levels. Interestingly, folks can be both malnourished and overweight (too many calories, too little nutrients).
WTP
our culture referred to human culture world wide; it did not have nationalistic undertones and it was not meant as a critique to US culture.
Ahh…Well I took “our culture” to mean Western Civilization and/or the Developed World, not the nationalistic sense of the US specifically. At least we’re clear, then.
WTP
However, I feel it as a paradox that we have to spend a lot of money in health issues related to obesity when people in other countries and some in our country are in need. And I also feel it teaches us a lesson that well being for the majority of the population creates more wealth in every sector because you have a consumer market. So policies that protect the middle class will benefit us all.
And now I’m not so sure.