In spite of what the body mass index charts might say, we know that even those who carry their weight well are at higher risk of significant health problems. The leading causes of death for African-Americans are directly related to the sweet, greasy, salty food we love.
According to the Center for Disease Control, the obesity rates in the United States have increased dramatically over the past 20 years. Only Colorado and the District of Columbia have obesity rates of less than twenty percent. In thirty-three states across America, over 25 percent of the citizens are considered to be obese. Apparently, 51 percent of African-Americans are considered overweight. That officially makes us the heaviest people in America.
The number of overweight Americans has literally become an issue of national security. The Pentagon is finding that fewer and fewer military recruits are able to pass fitness tests, making it more difficult for us to send our young people overseas to fight in meaningless wars. We also have a nation where kids are getting more exercise for their thumbs on a cell phone than by going outside and running.
New York State has decided that it's had enough with fat people. The state is contemplating the idea of prohibiting food stamp recipients from buying sugary drinks with government money. The ban is being supported by those who've noted that low income Americans are among the most affected by our national weight problem. By restricting what food stamp recipients can buy with their checks from Uncle Sam, the powers that be are hopeful that they can slow the wave of diabetes, heart disease and other health problems that result from us not being able to put down the soda and potato chips.
On one hand, there is something very disconcerting about the idea of the government telling poor people what they are allowed to eat and drink. This reminds us of state controlled economies that we allegedly despise, where the hand of the government is in every single decision made by its citizens. Even members of the Tea Party might feel uneasy about this one, but their quest for liberty seems to derail itself when it comes to protecting the poor.
On the other hand, one cannot ignore the massive expense on our nation when low income Americans are utilizing medical care to treat illnesses that could have been prevented. In fact, the cost of Medicaid and Medicare, in addition to social security, are crippling our nation financially. Three major expenditures, Medicaid, Medicare and the Children's Health Insurance Program, account for one-third of the United States Government Budget. This $762 billion dollar expenditure is something that our nation simply cannot afford. Reminding our citizens to get in shape and put down the sugar could literally save us trillions of dollars in the long-run.
Most of us can agree that something needs to be done about our nation's health. The Obama administration is taking a great first step by working hard to remind us of the importance of keeping our kids in good shape. One has to question, however, why some would like to single out the nation's poor when it comes to controlling what they eat and drink. The fact that some believe that the poor should not have same freedoms as the rest of us is worthy of our concern.
The bottom line is that in America, money is power. Power is freedom. Therefore, those who are dependent upon the rest of us to get what they need are effectively less liberated than everyone else. Is this a good thing or a bad thing? It depends on who you ask. But one thing that's for certain is that in America, being poor and being free are not always one in the same. This case certainly proves it.
Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition and the initiator of the National Conversation on Race. For more information, please visit BoyceWatkins.com.
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Monday, October 11th 2010 at 6:56PM
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