g m g D e s i g n . c o m

Is obesity in America the real health care crisis? The fact is that the following contributes to America’s plump physique:

• wealth and abundance of food (in fact, the poor are fatter than the rich)
• high availability of processed foods
• high availability of sugar and enriched flour
• disincentives toward walking and other quotidian exercise

Non-surprisingly,  our O Wise Ones in Washington DC have given billions to corporate farms to plant crops of choice, favoring wheat and corn (predacessors of the ubiquitous enriched flour and high fructose corn syrup) and making more healthy choices less competitive.

My argument isn’t that government alone has “made American fat.” Americans would have achieved higher BMI regardless. However, the role of government is that a) they distort market forces, b) they make healthier food choices more expensive for the health-conscious. Oh, and then there’s this: c) agri-subsidies make it more difficult for recently emerging markets to transition from agrarian to industrial economies. That last point is important, b/c foreign development is important for a number of reasons, not to mention humanitarian reasons.

Amid the legitimate debate about health/medical care—and it’s an important debate to have—it’s helpful to discuss the cause of a large chunk of healthcare costs—obesity, and its horrific consequences.

I know the conservative circuits have been abuzz with commentary about Van Jones and his extreme viewpoints. But is it true? (check out this clip from Glen Beck’s show.)

I don’t want to rush to judgment, but it’s not looking good for Van Jones, or for the Obama administration. I mean, what were they thinking?

Also, what were Jones’s qualifications? Does a law degree from Yale mean that someone is qualified to steer our economy toward “green jobs,” a position normally associated with someone with extensive managerial experience? (I’m putting aside the idea that government ought not engage in such populist central planning, of course.)

A stroke actually cured a man’s failing ability to see. Amazing.

The man had lost some of his sight due to an early childhood disease, and then regained it following his stroke!

Initially, he also lost his ability to speak, though he regained that ability. Oddly, although he can speak (English), he has not (yet?) regained his ability to speak French, a language that he was able to speak pre-stroke.

Weird? Yes. I normally associate strokes with sharply decreased cognitive function. This is definitely an exception.