Some Real Belt Tightening

Depending on whose data you take somewhere between 56 and 66 per cent of federal spending is automatic and mandatory — mostly Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security and interest on the national debt. My understanding is that interest on national debt is around 5% which leaves between 50-60% on Health and Social Security. If Social Security is around 20% of the total debt we end up with about 25% of the national debt being spent on Medicare and Medicaid.

Now let's look at the fact that 30% of Americans are overweight; 30% are outright obese; and all of the above are seriously inactive. 60% of the American population is unfit and fat. They account for a large part of the health care costs in the US. Now maybe this is part of the social contract in the US. Maybe not.

The recommended daily calorie intake for an adult is 2000 calories. A cheeseburger and fries is 755 calories. A small coke is 105 calories. A slice of pie is 250 calories. A donut and a cup of coffee (with milk and sugar) is 250 calories. OK, you know where I am going with this.

The food industry basically makes us fat. One way or another all of us pay for that fact, either personally-the 60% of fat or obese and unfit members of the population, or the 40% whose health insurance and medicare/medicaid rates are spiralling ever upwards.

For a while the big villain was smoking. The turnaround has been nothing short of amazing. Just watch an old movie, even as recently as the 70's and the amount of smoking is outrageous. But concentrated effort, led by the government no less actually slowed the tide of smoking. Now it is obviously easier to get people to stop smoking than it is to get them to stop eating. But no one is suggesting not to eat.

The ruckus about Health Care was focusing on the wrong aspect. Yes it is desirable to provide minimum health care to everyone-but it is more desirable and infinitely more effective to introduce preventative action and that begins with the food industry. The sooner that torch is taken up, the faster we can institute figurative and literal belt-tightening.