Living in the ‘State of Obesity’

As your are very well aware Ralph, Arkansas is known for many things, some good, some not so good, and it is it is an embarrassment to say we’ve been labeled as a “State of Obesity”.

That’s right Ralph, we’re a state of fat kids and a lot of fat adults, a situation that is anything but flattering, wouldn’t you agree.

Kids are shoving entirely too much junk food down their throats and their adult mothers, fathers and whoever else are certainly enjoying too many “Big Macs”, “Whoppers,” fried chicken and who knows what else. I’m really not all that surprised when I go around and see all these fat people hugging the counters of all the fast-food joints in town or all the fat people riding those electric shopping carts up and down the grocery isles at Walmart and the other grocery stores.

It is pitiful, and I am now ashamed to say it, we’ve allowed ourselves to become fat and happy and it has become a serious health problem.

We’ve been known to be a state of fat people for years and despite Gov. Asa Hutchinson’s anti-obesity campaign that began in 2015 we’ve still got a fat people problem.

Oh, but the governor said upon hearing the latest bad fat news, “Arkansans are making healthier choices and I believe that, in time, we will see these healthy choices reflected in the lifestyles of more and more Arkansans across the state.”

Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad fat news Ralph but according to a recent report Arkansas moved back up to No. 3 in the entire country in the percentage of adults considered FAT last year as the rate reached a record of 37.1%.

And, Ralph, that rate was about 2 percentage points higher than the 35% of adult Arkansans in 2017 who were considered fat.

I am happy to say though Ralph, Mississippi still has us beat with 39.5% of the adults being to big for their britches.

This is really nothing to laugh about and as you know Ralph obesity is the leading cause of diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, stroke and even cancer, all of which put a heavy load, no pun intended, on our health care system.

I have to admit Ralph Arkansas has put a tremendous effort on establishing special supplemental nutrition programs for women, infants and children as well as calling on state agencies, businesses, schools and other entities to take steps, such as offering nutritious food and implementing workplace wellness programs.

I know you don’t like to hear this but, Arkansas, like Mississippi and the other states where obesity has become a serious problem, poverty is a major factor. Arkansas, as you know, has a large percentage of the population on some sort of government subsidies. In fact, nearly 250,000 Arkansans are taking full advantage of the state’s Medicaid program. That is one quarter of the state’s estimated 3 million citizens.

As I’ve said time and time again Ralph, government can’t control our lives not matter how many rules and laws that are forced upon us. From a pure and simple statistical viewpoint people dependent upon government to take care of them from birth to death represent the largest number of fat people in Arkansas.

And, there can be all the nutritional programs in our schools and workplace but as long as there is fried chicken available at every convenience store and on just about every city block, or a hamburger joint down the street getting these fat people to eat salad, fruit or a bunch of granola bars is just not going to happen.

So then Ralph, what’s your opinion on less than flattering fat ranking?