From the statistics I have read, and the data suggests, the smokers and obese are sucking up the social resources we have in place for the unfortunates in our society. I just do not feel that it gives out the right message that society will ‘FIX’ those people who have abused themselves in a reckless lifestyle of poor health choices.
I would like to see TV ads stating this policy on TV. Health is about personal responsibility and health care is a privilege for those who deserve it, and not a right for those who don’t.
Just as society should not bail me out of credit card debt from poor spending choices, it should not bail out people with poor health choices. Society needs to police this behaviour in a logical manner. I think that if this message of personal responsibility is drilled into people from a young age it would make a huge difference.. It is about personal responsibility. If someone wishes to abuse themselves with poor health choices they need to know tthe rest of us will NOT be paying the freight on their health care costs.
I think a generation or two of just telling them NO will eventually solve this situation to the betterment of our society. Hand outs are not a good way to deal with the culls of society. We must all be responsable to ourselves ant to society for man to advance in a responsable manner. Our society benefits greatly from health minded people. Healthy people are more productive, more creative, and use fewer sick days and statistics show them to be better citizens and stewards of society and the reigning mores of a society. Smokers and Alcoholics like to fall back on excuses. ” I have tried to quit’, ” I am addicted”. Take booze and cigarettes away from them and they can adjust.
This same mind set should be used when dealing with the obese people standing in line at the fast food and pizza parlors. Watching them waddle to a table with a tray full of crap-food and extra large fries and giant soda is a sickening site. Since we can’t bar them from doing all this damage to themselves we really should NOT have any responsibility to repair them. They know the risks. They have choices. SO do the rest of us not to encourage this poor behavior in our society, much less pay for it in the way of health care for the offenders. There are exceptions to those who have REAL medical conditions that are beyond their personal responsibility. I am all for helping them out. I am also all for early education in school as to the proper way to eat, and taxing Fast Food with a Fast Food TAX as a way to make those who consume it help defray the associated costs of health consequences that surface from it.
