There’s Overweight, and Then There’s OVERWEIGHT

The BMI, or Body Mass Index, can be a useful too, if used properly. But it’s subject to abuse and misuse, such as treating all cases of “obesity” the same.

The Center for Consumer Freedom says, “There’s overweight, and then there’s ‘overweight’.

Speaking of an effort to collect the BMI of schoolchildren, the center says, “There are plenty of smart ways to fight obesity—especially since American children aren’t getting enough exercise. But using a tool that labels Tom Brady and George Clooney officially ‘fat’ is not a good place to start.”

The 1,000 Pound Human

Next time you hear someone say that extra taxes on soda pop or fast food are needed because too many people are “obese,” consider that there’s a difference between obese and … obese.

A 6-foot tall man is considered obese if he weights 221 pounds or more. The Columbus Dispatch reports that firefighters and EMTs in Ohio’s largest city have trouble when they respond to medical emergencies of people who are too heavy for their equipment. But in this case, “too heavy” means 650 pounds–and more. The city is considering buying stretchers, equipped with hydraulic lifts, that could support people of up to 1,000 pounds. Those come at $10,000 a pop.

Applebee’s as Fattening as McDonalds

Is McDonalds the problem with the American waistline? It’s certainly a ubiquitous part of the landscape, but its fare is hardly unique:

“Many have said eating food at McDonald’s is unhealthy, but what about quality restaurants like Applebee’s, Chilli’s, Ruby Tuesday? They serve dishes that can have more calories and fat than McDonald’s meals.”

Get a Tan, Get a Tax

Carolina Journal talks with the owner of a tanning salon, who describes the tax as an unfair measure.

The Journal points out that this is just the first tax to be levied by ObamaCare. Expect more.

A Tax With Your Cappuccino?

The urge to use the force of law to regulate one’s neighbors’ lives seems to have no end. In Minnesota, a gubernatorial candidate proposes special taxes on fast food and “even high calorie coffee drinks,” says WCCO TV and radio.

The idea is proposed by a fringe candidate, Rob Hahn, who is seeking the nomination of the political party best known as the electoral vehicle of Jesse Ventura.

Hahn justifies his idea as an anti-obesity measure, and cites tobacco taxes as a precedent. “Fat food and obesity is becoming what tobacco and cancer were years ago.” We tax tobacco because it’s a public health issue, the reasoning goes, so we should tax foods that make us fat.

At the risk of trivializing Pastor Martin Niemöller, first they came after smokers, but I remained silent because I was not a smoker ….

Does This Make Me Look Fat? Your State’s Governor Cares

“It used to be that the question of whether your butt is too big was between you, your bathroom mirror and your significant other,” writes Fergus Cullen of the Yankee Institute. “Now, some say government has an interest in how snugly your jeans fit.”

Maybe, he says, the next step is to require you to report your BMI on your income tax return.

Do Soda Pop Taxes Advance Consumer Freedom?

Here’s some twisted logic from an advocate of “fat taxes,” via the Center for Consumer Freedom, which observes that a university professor who advocates a soda pop tax “wields the mantle of consumer freedom in support of her arguments.”

For her part, Jennifer Wilkins asks, “Where is the outrage over the steady increase in the affordability of sugared beverages while fruits and vegetables have become less affordable?”

Perhaps there’s no outrage because, in the case of fruits and veggies, the political class isn’t saying “Hey, we don’t like this  item. Let’s tax it.”

Here’s an Anti-Fat Policy: Get Off the Couch

The Center for Consumer Freedom reviews some recent calls for public officials to take on anti-fat policies. It mentions that such policies can get in the way of other public goals, such as meeting academic targets. “Here’s already a much simpler and faster way to fight fat:,” it says, “get moving. In other words, you can’t get buff if you’re on your duff.”

New Mexico To Track Student Weight

New Mexico will start collecting the body mass index (BMI) of some elementary school students. Officials say that the information won’t be tied to any individual students, but I wouldn’t be surprised if that does happen down the road.

The “Eat Your Veggies” Mandate

The Center for Consumer Freedom is watching the Senate confirmation hearings regarding President Obama’s latest nominee to sit on the Supreme Court, and finds an interesting conservation about interstate commerce, food, and health:

Coburn: If I wanted to sponsor a bill and it said Americans you have to eat three vegetables and three fruits every day […] does that violate the Commerce Clause?

Kagan: Sounds like a dumb law…But I think the question of whether it’s a dumb law is different from the question of whether it’s constitutional. And I think that courts would be wrong to strike down laws that they think are senseless just because they’re senseless.

For more, read here.