Posted by dogwoodroad on July 17, 2008 at 8:14 p.m. (Suggest removal)

We ought to be able to decrease these numbers, right? What with the price of food increasing and all...

Posted by willie08 on July 17, 2008 at 9:43 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Most poor people don't eat less to save money, they eat crap instead.

No, the poor eat cheap processed foods, and fast food (McDonalds, KFC, Church's Chicken, etc..) They don't eat fruit or nuts to snack, they eat chips and candy bars. They don't eat healthy organic cheese free of Bovine Growth Hormones, they eat fake pre-slices, pre-packaged individually wrapped fake cheese. They don't eat the kind of bread that goes hard in one day, they eat the bread that will sit soft on the shelf for a week until it grows mold.
They don't drink water, they drink packaged soda that is full of sugar and carbs.
(I worked in a grocery store)

Have you all ever paid attention to what they feed children in schools? It's depressing.

Posted by willie08 on July 17, 2008 at 9:50 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Wonder why we don't have free health care in this country? Most of our society is getting fatter and poorer, thus increasing the chances of needing medical treatment for heart disease, diabetes, cancer, etc... and not being able to pay for it.

In 50 years, if our taxes have to pay for all the medical problems that we have, we will all be bankrupt.

I read somewhere we have a pretty low life expectancy rate in this country. That makes me very sad.

Posted by dogwoodroad on July 17, 2008 at 9:50 p.m. (Suggest removal)

yeah...I'm a registered dietitian (also certified in nutrition support)...quite aware of the dietary habits of all walks of life...

Alternatively, it is interesting to note that as prosperity has increased in America, so has the average waistline - however, as a country becomes more wealthy, thinness becomes the ideal. Quite the conundrum...

Posted by mnbvcxz on July 17, 2008 at 9:55 p.m. (Suggest removal)

on Sundays, Checkers has cheeseburgers and milkshakes for .69 cents!

Posted by dogwoodroad on July 17, 2008 at 9:56 p.m. (Suggest removal)

oh...and by the way...we DO have free health care (ok, not free for the taxpayers, but people still get free health care)...try walking in to MUSC at any given time. Not an ideal system...many flaws...definite need for reform - but to say that we don't have free health care is slightly off the mark.

Also...my sister lives in Australia, where they have "universal" healthcare. Basically what that translates into is: ~50% of your income is taxed; you can't get in to see a doctor because the line is so long (my brother in law stayed sick most of the winter last year in Australia, because he couldn't get an appointment...this is not made up!); people are still becoming obese at a steady rate, as is the case in most industrialized countries; the wealthy are still paying for extra insurance so that they can jump the line.

Posted by willie08 on July 17, 2008 at 10:58 p.m. (Suggest removal)

dogwoodroad.
My sister lives in Europe, and she gets 9 months of paid maternity leave, and I think all her medical bills are paid.
My grandparents live there too, and I've never heard them complaining of medical bills or medical expenses. EVER.
Although I did have to sit with my grandmother for 3 hours to see a Doctor for a SCHEDULED appointment.

I'm not too familiar with the free health care in this country, but I don't have any free help. I pay out the wazoo for basic health coverage.
I'm not too sure on what it covers. I've never heard of it covering a woman's medical leave from her job for 9 months. Perhaps I should have used the words "Affordable Health Coverage." Either way, it's not going to cover all the heart surgeries that fat people will need.

My point was, the healthier our society becomes, the less we will be dependent on Medicine or Doctors, and Insurance Companies, and the less it's going to cost to make us better.
That will make GOOD free health care more affordable, and less of a tax burden. If you think eating that cheap .69 cent hamburger is going to be easier on your wallet, think again. It will cost you down the road.

I always laughed at the stories I've read of these big families that pride themselves in spending so little on food per month to support their huge families, going to the grocery store just once a month sometimes. They obviously don't buy anything fresh. Not surprisingly, they are all FAT!

Posted by summerville_guy on July 17, 2008 at 11:22 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Well there is some good news at least. With Al Parish being incarcerated out of state, we are bound to improve a couple of spots!

Posted by willie08 on July 18, 2008 at 9:26 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Most poor people don't eat less to save money, they eat crap instead.

No, the poor eat cheap processed foods, and fast food (McDonalds, KFC, Church's Chicken, etc..) They don't eat fruit or nuts to snack, they eat chips and candy bars. They don't eat healthy organic cheese free of Bovine Growth Hormones, they eat fake pre-slices, pre-packaged individually wrapped fake cheese. They don't eat the kind of bread that goes hard in one day, they eat the bread that will sit soft on the shelf for a week until it grows mold.
They don't drink water, they drink packaged soda that is full of sugar and carbs.
(I worked in a grocery store)

Have you all ever paid attention to what they feed children in schools? It's depressing.

Posted by willie08 on July 18, 2008 at 9:33 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Most of our society is getting fatter and poorer, thus increasing the chances of needing medical treatment for heart disease, diabetes, cancer, etc... and not being able to pay for it.

The healthier our society becomes, the less we will be dependent on Medicine or Doctors, and Insurance Companies, and the less it's going to cost to make us better.
That will make GOOD free health care more affordable, and less of a tax burden. If you think eating that cheap .69 cent hamburger is going to be easier on your wallet, think again. It will cost you down the road.

I always laughed at the stories I've read of these big families that pride themselves in spending so little on food per month to support their huge families, going to the grocery store just once a month sometimes. They obviously don't buy anything fresh. Not surprisingly, they are all FAT!

I read somewhere we have a pretty low life expectancy rate in this country in comparison to other countries, some of which are 2nd world. That makes me very sad. We are one of the richest countries in the world with the best technology, and yet we can't seem to live longer.
We should learn from the country that starts with J east of China (P&C won't let me type that word), that I have read live the longest.
All they eat is fish and rice.
Humanity has the ability to live to 100.