Puerto Rico is considering an extreme response to childhood obesity: a fat tax. Sen. Gilberto Rodríguez Valle has introduced a bill to fine parents of obese children as a form of neglect. The bill suggests that fines would be imposed when the obesity is viewed as a form of neglect though that can be a very difficult line to discern.
Sen. Jose Luis Dalmau defended the fine as “necessary for society” and said that “Here in ‘La Isla del Encanto’ there are no consequences, . . . The obese child is a health problem that can become a financial burden because the child can develop diabetes, heart ailments and other diseases.”
There is little disagreement over the crisis with obesity generally or the harmful effects of obesity. However, the bill would have education officials to identify obese children and confront parents. If there is no improvement in six months, the child would be referred to child-family services authorities as one involving abuse or mistreatment. After six month, the parents would be subject to up to $500 in fines that would increase after another six months to $800.
Child advocates and health professionals oppose the bill because of the underlying medical issues and genetic factors. However, the politicians want to convert this health and parental issue into a legal one.
I understand the motivation given the harmful effect on these children and the fact that some parents continue to supply high-fat diets to children, particularly from fast-food establishments. There can be no serious debate over officials raising the issue with parents and seeking to educate them on options or approaches. However, the threat of a fine seems unlikely to be the type of motivation that will make a difference. It will also hit lower income families more severely since obesity has been shown in higher percentages in lower income brackets. Finally, the line between familial habits and genetic dispositions is difficult for experts to discern. It will be even more difficult for educational or child welfare officials to discern.
What do you think?
The US can get healthier w/o the govt. It will take a grass roots revolution. The slow food movement is a start. We are limited govt. people here, Isaac. Get used to it.
And, if you think giving up your freedom for 7% improvement, well you might be a Commie.
The French are superb cheese makers, however. Maybe the best in the world.
Italy has the lowest BMI in Europe. NOBODY eats as well as Italians except Asians. Stop throwing that French pompous food @ me. I do like French country/peasant food. The rest is frilly and pretentious.
Isaac, The obesity rate in the US is multi faceted. At the top of the list is corporate, processed food in supermarkets and fast food. Just look @ peoples grocery carts and you can find the few who spend more time in the produce aisle. Most carts are loaded w/ boxes and cans. Few would disagree that is the top of the list.
Isaac, There is much we agree upon regarding education. Wisconsin is an example of the dysfunctional education industry w/ SO many school districts, administrations, bureaucrats, etc. The crappy schools of education turn out horrible teachers and bureaucrats, and they need jobs. It is a rigged game and kids/parents are not even on the list of their concerns.
Any excuse to tax citizens.
The problem with obesity in Germany is that they got rid of the Food Nazi’s.
Nick
On the topic of EDUCATION as being the best way, the US approach with each state and county along with the feds mucking about in it is simply not working as well as a strong centralized system with local administration. In France, a country that has an undeniably higher level of education in its public schools, there is one curriculum for all K through 12 schools whether they be public or private. This way it is far, far, far, easier to spot where any part of the country is falling short. The US wants and has too many administration systems. Unfortunately the kids are paying for it.
Nick
Germany is traditionally a country whose diet is not so good in the long run. When traveling there in the 60’s and 70’s a meal in a restaurant consisted mostly of fatty meats, mayonnaise based sauces, and other stuff that packs on the pounds. So you did some cherry picking.
However, the increase in obesity in most countries that have had a history of healthy people with normal weights has been found to be primarily due to the increase of fast food joints and the decrease of the traditional eating habits. Where one would eat a small amount first thing in the morning, a pick me up mid morning, a leisurely meal at noon, and a small meal later in the day, now it is a fast piece of garbage in the morning on the way to work, a rushed and high calorie, poorly prepared meal at lunch, and a huge supper. European days used to be structured around food from 7 to 7. They are more and more being structured around the 8 to 5 day with convenience and not content as the major ingredient in food.
Your connection between socialized medicine and obesity remains horse apples. Socialized medicine might make obesity rates go down but probably not. Obesity rates in the US are primarily a result of a lack of socialization in the area of education. When I ate in the cafeteria of the University of Nice, one had a broad choice of vegetables in vinaigrette sauces, artichokes, and lots of low calorie foods that were delicious. In the US schools, typically a school lunch would make an average person sick. Your pointing out that the traditionally worst fed country in Western Europe profiting 7% through socialized medicine is a welcome capitulation. Now compare Greece, Spain, France, Italy, etc. or Canada with 14% less than half of the US 30%.
Ya got nothin.
Wow, what a wrong headed and nasty idea. Talk about big brother. Maybe PR should focus on corproate conduct but then corporations are probably too big to jail there too.
Isaac-
I challenge you to the title of most commie-pinko comments.
Profit-driven health care is worse than no health care at all when profit-driven over-treatment causes more damage than the affliction itself may have caused.
Among the most significant things one can do to lose weight is to get on the scale every day. If you have not lost weight from the day before, you must cut back your intake. Also, when you are overweight, the feeling of hunger is not a signal that you need to eat, but a signal to celebrate the opportunity to stay away from food and lose a little weight. Drink a glass of water.
Isaac, The very socialized medicine country of Germany has an obesity rate of 55%. The US is 62%. Wow! All that govt. medicine for a 7% improvement!!
One more thing for CPS to get involved in.
DBQ, I find many genetically fat people easy to spot. And, when they’re children, even easier. They have the Samoan body type.
Isaac, I see after you passed your kidney stone hissy fit we came to the same conclusion, that being EDUCATION being the proper solution, not legislation. We will never agree on socialized medicine. I have come to terms w/ that. Et vous?
I think that the causes of obesity are too diverse and unknown to make obesity in general a crime.
One case that just came up is the woman who had a fecal transplant from her obese daughter. After the transplant the woman, who was not obese, suddenly began gaining weight and became fat. Scientists suspect that the cause is the “gut flora” or bacteria that she NOW has in her intestines that are causing the inexplicable and sudden weight gain.
We don’t know that it is fats that cause people to gain weight. In fact this is being discussed now in the nutritional science arena. Along with eggs not being a bad thing for cholesterol and being added back into a healthy diet, the concept of a low fat high carb diet has become suspect in causing some people to become fat.
Do some people just over eat and eat the wrong things for their own personal metabolism (and gut bacteria)? Sure. The cases of extremely overly obese people who consume tens of thousands of calories daily are likely a result of some psychological issues as well as possibly metabolism.
The causes of obesity are not something that is defined or definitely controllable. To make obesity a crime is ridiculous. That won’t stop the government though. The definition of ridiculous clowns consists of most governments.
Regarding this post and the act of fining people for obesity. I believe that it is not the way to go. This is a social issue. These kids and their parents to cost society more. The taxpayers, thin or fat, end up paying for their ailments. The proper solution, as I see it, is education, in school, and in the society. The cost of education is far less than the medical costs later in life. Tax the garbage food. Subsidize the good food. Nothing will clear this up faster than a good crap tax. It worked to some degree with tobacco and some degree is better than no degree. If a pack of Twinkies cost five dollars, and a piece of fruit was subsidized then just perhaps……..
Signed,
The commie pinko threat on JT’s Blog
Nick
That is really, really, really, lame. Ranting and raving. Socialized medicine has been proven throughout the world to serve as preventative. The US system, the only one of its kind, that costs on average three times as much per capita, is focused on the results of negligence, ignorance, and above all profit making. The US with it’s ‘superior’ system produces the highest percentage of obesity in children in the world, that same world that runs on socialized medicine and its ‘horse manure’ Your remark is simply ludicrous. Wrong side of the bed this morning?
Socialized medicine will make horse manure like this more common. You EDUCATE not legislate, on matters such as this.