Tuesday, August 17, 2004
Obesity epidemic spreads to U.S. Olympic team
["Oblimpians???," Press Release, The Center for Consumer Freedom, 16 August 2004.]
Sometimes a little perspective can be helpful in heated public policy debates. Here's a good example:
USA Olympians represent the nation’s finest. So how can they also represent the nation’s fattest?
Despite their physical superiority, the U.S. government considers a lengthy list of its own Olympic delegation as contributors to the nation’s so-called obesity epidemic, with over 75 athletes officially considered “overweight” or “obese” according to the federal measurement standard.
Sound crazy? Not as crazy as many of the ridiculous statistics fueling the over-hyped “obesity epidemic” today. In 1998, the U.S. government changed the standard by which overweight is measured. As a result, over 30 million Americans (including aspiring gold medalists) were shifted from a government-approved weight to the overweight category -- without gaining an ounce!
So should kayaker Joe Jacobi (5’7’’, 165 lbs) worry about sinking? Should water polo star Tony Azevedo (6’1’’, 193 lbs) instead enter the belly flop competition? Or track star Maurice Greene (5’9’’, 176 lbs) do the 100-meter waddle? Of course not, but they may find themselves in the crosshairs of the self-described “food police” at the Center for Science in the Public Interest and trial lawyers led by John “Sue the Bastards” Banzhaf who want “fat taxes” and restaurant lawsuits to force us all to slim down.
“The fact that so many of these athletes are considered overweight or obese is proof that much of the so-called obesity epidemic is based on faulty assumptions and overblown statistics,” said Rick Berman, executive director of The Center for Consumer Freedom. “Common sense faces a big hurdle when our government’s war on fat sees counts Olympians as Oblimpians.”
Does the government think you’re fat? Take the test. Go for the gold and plug in your height and weight to get an instant verdict on how the government stacks you up against the USA’s best athletes including the following stars:
Tennis: Taylor Dent - OVERWEIGHT
Fencing: Jon Tiomkin - OVERWEIGHT
Rowing: Henry Nuzum - OVERWEIGHT
Cycling: Christian Stahl - OVERWEIGHT
Basketball: Tim Duncan - OVERWEIGHT
Table Tennis: Ilija Lupulsku - OVERWEIGHT
Track and Field: Casey Malone - OBESE
Boxing: Jason Estrada - OBESE
Track and Field: Reese Hoffa - OBESE
Wrestling: Kerry McCoy - OBESE
Judo: Rhadi Fergason - OBESE
["Oblimpians???," Press Release, The Center for Consumer Freedom, 16 August 2004.]
Sometimes a little perspective can be helpful in heated public policy debates. Here's a good example:
USA Olympians represent the nation’s finest. So how can they also represent the nation’s fattest?
Despite their physical superiority, the U.S. government considers a lengthy list of its own Olympic delegation as contributors to the nation’s so-called obesity epidemic, with over 75 athletes officially considered “overweight” or “obese” according to the federal measurement standard.
Sound crazy? Not as crazy as many of the ridiculous statistics fueling the over-hyped “obesity epidemic” today. In 1998, the U.S. government changed the standard by which overweight is measured. As a result, over 30 million Americans (including aspiring gold medalists) were shifted from a government-approved weight to the overweight category -- without gaining an ounce!
So should kayaker Joe Jacobi (5’7’’, 165 lbs) worry about sinking? Should water polo star Tony Azevedo (6’1’’, 193 lbs) instead enter the belly flop competition? Or track star Maurice Greene (5’9’’, 176 lbs) do the 100-meter waddle? Of course not, but they may find themselves in the crosshairs of the self-described “food police” at the Center for Science in the Public Interest and trial lawyers led by John “Sue the Bastards” Banzhaf who want “fat taxes” and restaurant lawsuits to force us all to slim down.
“The fact that so many of these athletes are considered overweight or obese is proof that much of the so-called obesity epidemic is based on faulty assumptions and overblown statistics,” said Rick Berman, executive director of The Center for Consumer Freedom. “Common sense faces a big hurdle when our government’s war on fat sees counts Olympians as Oblimpians.”
Does the government think you’re fat? Take the test. Go for the gold and plug in your height and weight to get an instant verdict on how the government stacks you up against the USA’s best athletes including the following stars:
Tennis: Taylor Dent - OVERWEIGHT
Fencing: Jon Tiomkin - OVERWEIGHT
Rowing: Henry Nuzum - OVERWEIGHT
Cycling: Christian Stahl - OVERWEIGHT
Basketball: Tim Duncan - OVERWEIGHT
Table Tennis: Ilija Lupulsku - OVERWEIGHT
Track and Field: Casey Malone - OBESE
Boxing: Jason Estrada - OBESE
Track and Field: Reese Hoffa - OBESE
Wrestling: Kerry McCoy - OBESE
Judo: Rhadi Fergason - OBESE
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