1. Big thought of the day:
There should be an asshole driver fine. It doesn't have to be major, but it needs to be there. People who don't use their turn signals; people who cut you off; people who live with their hand on their horns; people who wait until the very last second to change lanes, cutting everyone off who changed lanes properly and holding up the traffic in the lane they are merging from (Example: leaving DC by 395); people who are talking on their cell phones instead of paying attention to the road; and people in small cars who think it's necessary to take corners so wide they change lanes into yours like they wouldn't make the turn otherwise.
People like this deserve some sort of fine for their actions. I don't think a fine every time is necessary, but what if we instituted a 5-strike fine rule? Basically it works like this: Each time you get cut-off or think somebody is driving like an asshole, you fill out a form to report this driver. As driver's accumulate strikes, they are sent fines at every 5th one. So that douchebag that thinks it's a great idea to swerve through traffic nearly hitting everyone in the process and causing traffic to slow will get citations from everyone that can get his license plate. Once you get 5, you are sent your $50 fine.
The only thing holding this back are the people who would fake citations to send people fines for no reason. The sad thing is that those people are the same assholes who can't drive with any bit of decency.
2. Find a better spokesperson.
There was a lady walking down 2nd street this morning trying to get everyone to "HONK for guaranteed health care." Sure, that's all well and good, but she obviously doesn't take care of herself so why should we take care of her? I have no problem with the guaranteed health care thing, as a matter of fact, I don't even really think about most things political, but don't send an obese lady out to tout the benefits of guaranteed health care.
Check this out,
A report released Monday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – which organized the conference – pegged annual health spending tied to obesity at $147 billion. By comparison, the American Cancer Society says it costs $93 billion a year to treat all types of cancer. “So ending obesity would save our healthcare system 50% more dollars than curing cancer,” Sebelius said.
Yeah. And, who's to say that fighting obesity wouldn't lower the cancer rate at the same time? So why don't we make healthcare guaranteed for those that can keep their waistline down? I'm not talking BMI though, I'm talking BF%. It's obvious that BMI is not a good marker of physical fitness, but we have easy methods of obtaining BF%, so why not use it? If you can stay out of the overweight category, your health care is free. Maybe people will be motivated by the savings...
It really can't be that bad... I mean, the Japanese are cracking down on waistlines and they think it could help us.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
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4 comments:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=111736487
That's a great article! It's definitely short and to the point. Not to mention I think it covers issues everyone has with health care. I'm one that falls in the "too lazy to care" category, but I feel like I counter my lazy mind with an active body.
The sad thing about his comments are that it is currently illegal to reward people based on results... Well, at least in the workplace. You can't reward one person for stopping smoking, but instead you have to reward the two people that went through the smoking cessation plan; the one who quit, AND the one who didn't. Strange compensation laws, huh?
We want people to get healthy, but at the same time most are not willing to make a distinction between those who succeed at doing so, and those that don't.
I liked what you said about reducing obesity possibly cutting the cancer crisis. I definitely think they're linked. People are so mindless about what they put in their mouths and their minds! I don't say that in a self-righteous way because I do the same thing, but I try to be mindful of that stuff.
A commercial I saw the other day summed it up pretty nicely. A woman was talking about how people don't get enough calcium from the food they eat and basically said, "So here, you should take this pill," instead of talking about the kinds of foods that have calcium and are good for you (hint: it's not milk). I get so frustrated at things like this, and at the government's lack of truthful information.
You'd think that health would be it's own reward for people, but it's clearly not. I got so freaked out the other day when I watched the premiere of "More to Love" and heard that they wanted to portray the "average" woman in America, then had all these chicks saying they were normal and wonderful just the way they are. Sorry, but 250 pounds? Is that REALLY our average? And should we REALLY be condoning something like that?
/rant.
Ok, I give... Best calcium source?
Milk seems to be the most efficient, but I guess salmon, sardines, yogurt (still dairy), or maybe almonds?
Help me out here!
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