Gay Marriage Is Not A Problem, It's Happy Meals That We Should Be Worried About?

Fast food chains themselves have done an excellent job - without gov't intervention - of providing healthier alternatives in meals for kids. These chains are simply responding to what's popular with their target demographic. A perfect example of free enterprise at work!

On the other hand, I've read that McDonald's in particular will serve fries and soda with no mention of the healthier choices available. They have more recently begun to feature apple dippers and milk or juice -- again because there has been a cultural shift toward healthier foods.

The gov't has done OK in helping to promote healthier lifestyle choices, but we have a long way to go.

Hollie:

I take issue with this...

The gov't has done OK in helping to promote healthier lifestyle choices, but we have a long way to go.

Healthier lifestyle choices are not promoted by the government, regulation is promoted by the government. Society as a whole is gravitating around healthier choices on their own. Doctors also promote less calorie intake as well.

Take smoking for example. Fewer people are smoking today, but not because of "government outreach" it's because cigarettes are less socially acceptable. Don't let the price fool you, because you still have people pouring money into booze at nightclubs. Money is not the determining factor when it comes to vices; if it were less people would gamble...

Free markets will correct this for free. When public opinion changes so will industry. It doesn't take tax-payer dollars to cause this.

When I say that "gov't" is helping to promote healthier lifestyles, I'm thinking county health departments and such. I guess you mean they shouldn't do any promoting? Well, they ARE promoting healthier lifestyles (if only indirectly), not just regulating. Regulation itself is just an indirect way of promoting one thing or another.

We visited our local health dept (Bear Run) to get our daughter's Kindergarten immunizations. I was advised to go there by the school since laws require that ALL children be immunized and have a physical by the first day of school.

As an aside: (We actually have medical ins to cover the physical and shots. The problem is that you can only get coverage for one well-check per year through the ins, so I'd have had to wait until Aug 31 since last year she went on Aug 30. Her birthday is Aug 24 which is after the first day of school, Aug 16. Only a few kids will fall into this window between Aug 16 and Sept 1, you see.) Anyway, these services are free at the clinic. (Because they are promoting healthy kids, hardy har!!)

There were many posters in there (like doctor's offices often have). One was about quitting smoking, another was about getting help if you are pregnant and in an abusive relationship, one offered support to teens who believed they were gay or bisexual. While the health dept. probably doesn't deal directly with these issues, it is promoting agencies that do. The dept. also gives out band-aids, rulers and other stuff to promote Florida KidCare medical coverage. Go here and have a laugh too, http://www.doh.state.fl.us/Family/KidCare/index.html

Thinking of gov't healthcare, the gov't has (will have?) a legitimate reason to spend tax-payer dollars in promoting health, wouldn't you say? I know we don't agree with that, but the gov't would certainly have a stake in everyone's health -- just as insurance companies do at present.

We have to ask ourselves (me and you) how is public opinion swayed? Not just by the free market, but also by things the gov't allows/disallows, things the CDC publishes, studies released by "PRIVATE" universities, and many others. Probably our population at large is swayed the most by things they receive via the media, TV, magazines, books, radio... It all comes down to money!! $ cha-ching!

Hollie:

Wait, you can't go to the local health department. They don't exists! That's why we need health care reform remember!?

Here's my mantra once again: One World (Anti-Christ/Socialist) Government.

Everything spins around this. Period.

The Socialists want to do away with private property, private business and take over everything. The government could not give a crap about our health. If they did, they never would have passed health care reform that mandates the elimination of a certain percentage of the population via rationing of health care. They simply are using everything at their disposal to take over and control everything. Period.