[thenightwriterblog] The Night Writer: "Fat Bastard" was Scottish, wasn't he?

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Posted by The Night Writer:
"Fat Bastard" was Scottish, wasn't he?
http://thenightwriterblog.powerblogs.com/posts/1175120565.shtml


   On the heels of the first [1]anniversary of the Scottish smoking ban,
   it may not be long before the next ghillie drops. An article in [2]The
   Scotsman today bemoans the cost of the "obesity epidemic," including a
   16 percent increase in the prescribing of anti-obesity drugs to
   citizens. The cost of the obesity pills to treat this "epidemic"
   (watch out, it's contagious) represents an annual additional cost to
   the Scottish taxpayer of £500 (about $1,000).
   It won't be long now (if it hasn't already occurred) that the nannies
   will be calling for bans on fatty foods as a matter of health and
   national interest.
   This is a problem on two levels in Scotland: one, the nanny-state
   mentality that holds sway and makes such bans not only conceivable but
   likely; and two, the fact that healthcare in Scotland is nationalized
   in the first place, which simultaneously puts the government in charge
   of extracting the costs from all citizens while also being in position
   to ration what care is provided and deciding who is "worthy." And is
   it any surprise that obesity is increasing when the government stands
   ready to pass out anti-obesity pills? The pills might be effective but
   they're no match for the principle that you get more of whatever you
   subsidize.
   This is also an issue that also points out the challenges ahead for
   Minnesota as we are on the verge of enacting [3]our own state-wide
   smoking ban (in public places, for now) and where our current
   legislature can't wait for the opportunity to pass single-payer
   healthcare provisions. (By the way, the population of Scotland is
   about the same as Minnesota's; according to 2005 estimates there are
   5.09 million people in Scotland and 5.13 million in Minnesota).
   The article didn't expressly call for a ban on selling unhealthy
   foods, but it's the next logical step from a system that has,
   ironically, force-fed its citizens with a never-ending platter of
   entitlements as if they were so many veal calfs or geese being
   prepared for foie gras , limiting their movement (freedoms) til they
   were in a dullard's stupor unable to resist and fit only to be
   harvested for their taxes.
   Snippets from the article include:

     ... Spending on anti-obesity drugs rocketed to more than £4
     million in Scotland last year as GPs doled out 89,000
     prescriptions.
     ...Spending on the two main anti-obesity drugs rose from £3.55
     million in 2004-5 to £4.12 million in 2005-6.
     ..."Being overweight is a disease, and why shouldn't these patients
     get these drugs?" she said.
     ...The World Health Organisation has described obesity as a
     "worldwide epidemic", and it is already thought to cause 9,000
     premature deaths a year in the UK and costs the NHS £1 billion
     annually.
     ...A recent study by the Health and Social Care Information Centre
     showed that the annual cost for the two main drugs, Orlistat and
     Sibutramine, has hit almost £38 million in the UK, which means
     that £1 in every £264 spent on NHS drugs is now being used for
     obesity medication.

   Now I am rather robust of frame myself. If it were, in fact, "raining
   men" as the old song sang, I'd be my own puddle. Of course, armed with
   the information from the article I now know that I have a disease and
   that I am a helpless victim of a worldwide epidemic. I'm sure I caught
   this disease from using a contaminated spoon while eating ice cream,
   or from one of those people in line next to me at McDonald's coughing
   on me. If only someone would do something to help me!
   That's not to diminish the serious health issues of obesity. If I,
   myself, am to diminish however it should be up to me, not the
   government. I can eat less, exercise more and even counter-intuitive
   as it sounds -- [4]sleep more and lose weight. Sleeping more is
   something that I've been trying to do, since studies have shown that
   getting more than seven hours of sleep a night helps your body control
   its weight. The problem is, I always wake up after six hours (or less)
   regardless of when I go to bed, no matter how much I'd like to sleep
   longer.
   Maybe someone should pass a law.
   [For other accounts on this blog describing Scotland's infatuation
   with running people's lives, go [5]here and [6]here.]

References

   1. http://thenightwriterblog.powerblogs.com/posts/1174590202.shtml
   2. http://news.scotsman.com/health.cfm?id=478962007
   3. http://www.startribune.com/587/story/1082499.html
   4. http://www.twincities.com/searchresults/ci_5507317
   5. http://thenightwriterblog.powerblogs.com/posts/1168990067.shtml
   6. http://thenightwriterblog.powerblogs.com/posts/1168358108.shtml