Too fat to fight: Pentagon grapples with obesity epidemic

Discussion in 'Current Events' started by Max Rockatansky, Oct 14, 2018.

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Should taxpayers have a voice in what public schools feed students?

  1. Yes

    24 vote(s)
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  2. No

    2 vote(s)
    6.9%
  3. I don't know

    1 vote(s)
    3.4%
  4. Other answer provided below

    2 vote(s)
    6.9%
  1. Max Rockatansky

    Max Rockatansky Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    LOL. Cute.
     
  2. Max Rockatansky

    Max Rockatansky Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Agreed about taking human nature into account. While I do not agree with bans per se, the American taxpayer shouldn't be funding junk food in schools. Instead of bans, I advocate incentives to eat healthy and to those who manufacture or sell food. If taxpayers are going to subsidize farmers and ranchers, let's only subsidize those producing healthier products.
     
  3. Blaster3

    Blaster3 Well-Known Member

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    the military is quite capable of 'cherry picking' the 'better' soldiers for key defense areas/positions, the rest will just go through the training while learning skills, good work ethic and most of all, respect... then if the proverbial 'crap hits the fan', we'll have many millions of capable bodies to throw at an enemy...
     
  4. Max Rockatansky

    Max Rockatansky Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    While the idea obviously has merit, I'd rather put the tax dollars to work in parallel organizations such as previously mentioned.

    Disagreed at the "millions of capable bodies" since many are obviously too stupid to be armed. Put'em to work elsewhere. America's infrastructure is falling apart. Certainly we can find areas for them to work without taking away the jobs of other Americans.

    Let's not forget, none of these ideas solves the problem of obesity.
     
    Last edited: Oct 14, 2018
  5. Carl Von Clausewitz

    Carl Von Clausewitz Well-Known Member

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    If anybody knew what poverty is like in the United States a long with the constant inactivity and idleness it encompasses where you can't afford to go anywhere or go outside of home to do much of anything it really is no surprise to me.

    To use an analogy to illustrate poverty in the United States it's like inactive prison solitary confinement with an abundance of food and a television or computer screen. Under psychological duress like any caged animal people will naturally cope by eating a lot of food.

    The difference between American poverty and poverty in foreign nations is that overseas the poor labor under harsh conditions where food is expensive, here in the United States food is steadily available (got to keep the working class slaves from rioting) where unlike other nations here the message is the poor aren't needed, desirable, necessary and are obsolete where they can go kick rocks every day in steady idleness.
     
    Last edited: Oct 14, 2018
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  6. Pred

    Pred Well-Known Member

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    Wouldn’t surprise me in the slightest. Punish the most responsible is typical for Liberals.

    Just browsed the lunch options for the kids. Fruit and salad offered every day. Juices. Mostly everything is baked. It’s really not bad. Kids don’t like certain dishes but love others, which is typical since it’s mass produced.
     
  7. Carl Von Clausewitz

    Carl Von Clausewitz Well-Known Member

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    Nutrition is only half of it, a lifestyle of poverty will create physical poverty of obesity.
     
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  8. Pred

    Pred Well-Known Member

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    Only country in the world where poor people have the luxury of becoming fat. Says a lot.
     
  9. Carl Von Clausewitz

    Carl Von Clausewitz Well-Known Member

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    Farmers keep their livestock fattened before slaughtering them, your point?
     
  10. Pred

    Pred Well-Known Member

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    The poor here have it pretty darn good all things considered. They ain’t starving.
     
    Last edited: Oct 14, 2018
  11. Carl Von Clausewitz

    Carl Von Clausewitz Well-Known Member

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    Look at my post a couple posts back.

    Creating an atmosphere of an abundance of food is a form of sedation and government anti rioting insurance not because anybody gives a damn about the poor in this country.

    Yeah, they sure have it so good with all the tent cities propping up all over the place.
     
    Last edited: Oct 14, 2018
  12. AmericanNationalist

    AmericanNationalist Well-Known Member

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    There's a problem with being too generic, but he's right. We do have a more technology-driven society/age, and one that's perhaps less inclined to physical combat. Now, if we get some mobile suits the whole 'overweight' problem goes away. I know I've always wanted to fight in a war, but with CP(Cerebral Palsy), I'm **** out of luck.
     
  13. Moonglow

    Moonglow Well-Known Member

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    I was a soldier in the US army, you ain't missin' nuttin'..
     
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  14. flyboy56

    flyboy56 Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Nah, the global economies should just pay a ransom so they can continue to get their fuel. :frustrated:
     
  15. Carl Von Clausewitz

    Carl Von Clausewitz Well-Known Member

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    Why else do you think we're in the Middle East?
     
  16. ArmySoldier

    ArmySoldier Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    The FTU is still there. And it's not just prior to OSUT (after reception). One can be sent there during OSUT if recommended by their chain of command. If a fat recruit can't keep up, but has the will and desire to be a soldier, they will be sent to the FTU (or RFU) and have a second chance at OSUT. They will obviously be recycled to another unit.

    Not sure how other basic training installations work. Just speaking for Benning.
     
    Last edited: Oct 14, 2018
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  17. Mac-7

    Mac-7 Banned

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    America has changed

    We are urban, digital, virtual, push button and less combat ready than previous generations

    The really scary thing is that we may be losing the cyber race also
     
  18. crank

    crank Well-Known Member

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    You (America) needs to stop FEEDING kids at schools period. That's the parents' job.
     
  19. crank

    crank Well-Known Member

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    the Helicopters are not the problem. It's the ones who keep the helo in the hanger, who end up with fat kids.

    consider all the skinny kids in the world who have just as much (or even more) access to technology, never do sports at school, and live in high rise apartments etc. asia has billions of 'em.
     
    Last edited: Oct 14, 2018
  20. crank

    crank Well-Known Member

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    It has nothing to do with school. And nothing to do with poverty (less food costs less money!).
     
  21. Pred

    Pred Well-Known Member

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    How much of a damn are we supposed to give? The vast majority are poor due to bad life choices. Should we reward them? It’s a no win situation. We’ll ALWAYS have poor. Even if we paid people a living wage to do nothing, they would still be poor.
     
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  22. Moonglow

    Moonglow Well-Known Member

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    I'm usually not at school during lunchtime...
     
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  23. crank

    crank Well-Known Member

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    I agree with everything you have said here .. schools should not be feeding kids at ALL. We don't provide meals in schools in my country, and we haven't all died of starvation. And absolutely agree regarding exercise. Many people seriously underestimate just how much exercise is needed to maintain a normal weight (ie, essentially 'skinny').

    Meantime, I don't agree AT ALL that public schools are bad. Public schools are as good as the parent demographic is. Some are amazingly high achieving, some terrible.
     
  24. Moonglow

    Moonglow Well-Known Member

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    I was at Fart Jackson SC(1982), the pudgy boys got put on a reduced feed during basic, they lost the weight just fine...
     
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  25. ArmySoldier

    ArmySoldier Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Food portions are helpful, but it's more about their ability to be pushed through exercise. Sometimes, they are thrown into basic or OSUT too overweight to handle simple stresses of PT and smoke sessions.
     

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