Too fat to fight: Pentagon grapples with obesity epidemic

LOL. Cute.

 

Agreed about taking human nature into account. While I do not agree with bans per se, the American taxpayer shouldn't be funding junk food in schools. Instead of bans, I advocate incentives to eat healthy and to those who manufacture or sell food. If taxpayers are going to subsidize farmers and ranchers, let's only subsidize those producing healthier products.

 

the military is quite capable of 'cherry picking' the 'better' soldiers for key defense areas/positions, the rest will just go through the training while learning skills, good work ethic and most of all, respect... then if the proverbial 'crap hits the fan', we'll have many millions of capable bodies to throw at an enemy...

 

While the idea obviously has merit, I'd rather put the tax dollars to work in parallel organizations such as previously mentioned.

Disagreed at the "millions of capable bodies" since many are obviously too stupid to be armed. Put'em to work elsewhere. America's infrastructure is falling apart. Certainly we can find areas for them to work without taking away the jobs of other Americans.

Let's not forget, none of these ideas solves the problem of obesity.

 

If anybody knew what poverty is like in the United States a long with the constant inactivity and idleness it encompasses where you can't afford to go anywhere or go outside of home to do much of anything it really is no surprise to me.

To use an analogy to illustrate poverty in the United States it's like inactive prison solitary confinement with an abundance of food and a television or computer screen. Under psychological duress like any caged animal people will naturally cope by eating a lot of food.

The difference between American poverty and poverty in foreign nations is that overseas the poor labor under harsh conditions where food is expensive, here in the United States food is steadily available (got to keep the working class slaves from rioting) where unlike other nations here the message is the poor aren't needed, desirable, necessary and are obsolete where they can go kick rocks every day in steady idleness.

 

Wouldn’t surprise me in the slightest. Punish the most responsible is typical for Liberals.

Just browsed the lunch options for the kids. Fruit and salad offered every day. Juices. Mostly everything is baked. It’s really not bad. Kids don’t like certain dishes but love others, which is typical since it’s mass produced.

 

Nutrition is only half of it, a lifestyle of poverty will create physical poverty of obesity.

 

Only country in the world where poor people have the luxury of becoming fat. Says a lot.

 

Farmers keep their livestock fattened before slaughtering them, your point?

 

The poor here have it pretty darn good all things considered. They ain’t starving.

 

Look at my post a couple posts back.

Creating an atmosphere of an abundance of food is a form of sedation and government anti rioting insurance not because anybody gives a damn about the poor in this country.

Yeah, they sure have it so good with all the tent cities propping up all over the place.

 

There's a problem with being too generic, but he's right. We do have a more technology-driven society/age, and one that's perhaps less inclined to physical combat. Now, if we get some mobile suits the whole 'overweight' problem goes away. I know I've always wanted to fight in a war, but with CP(Cerebral Palsy), I'm **** out of luck.

 

I was a soldier in the US army, you ain't missin' nuttin'..

 

Nah, the global economies should just pay a ransom so they can continue to get their fuel.

 

Why else do you think we're in the Middle East?

 

The FTU is still there. And it's not just prior to OSUT (after reception). One can be sent there during OSUT if recommended by their chain of command. If a fat recruit can't keep up, but has the will and desire to be a soldier, they will be sent to the FTU (or RFU) and have a second chance at OSUT. They will obviously be recycled to another unit.

Not sure how other basic training installations work. Just speaking for Benning.

 

America has changed

We are urban, digital, virtual, push button and less combat ready than previous generations

The really scary thing is that we may be losing the cyber race also

 

You (America) needs to stop FEEDING kids at schools period. That's the parents' job.

 

the Helicopters are not the problem. It's the ones who keep the helo in the hanger, who end up with fat kids.

consider all the skinny kids in the world who have just as much (or even more) access to technology, never do sports at school, and live in high rise apartments etc. asia has billions of 'em.

 

It has nothing to do with school. And nothing to do with poverty (less food costs less money!).

 

How much of a damn are we supposed to give? The vast majority are poor due to bad life choices. Should we reward them? It’s a no win situation. We’ll ALWAYS have poor. Even if we paid people a living wage to do nothing, they would still be poor.

 

I'm usually not at school during lunchtime...

 

I agree with everything you have said here .. schools should not be feeding kids at ALL. We don't provide meals in schools in my country, and we haven't all died of starvation. And absolutely agree regarding exercise. Many people seriously underestimate just how much exercise is needed to maintain a normal weight (ie, essentially 'skinny').

Meantime, I don't agree AT ALL that public schools are bad. Public schools are as good as the parent demographic is. Some are amazingly high achieving, some terrible.

 

I was at Fart Jackson SC(1982), the pudgy boys got put on a reduced feed during basic, they lost the weight just fine...

 

Food portions are helpful, but it's more about their ability to be pushed through exercise. Sometimes, they are thrown into basic or OSUT too overweight to handle simple stresses of PT and smoke sessions.