tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post6661477638065783049..comments2024-03-25T17:38:55.490-07:00Comments on Dar Kush: Orphan (2009)Steven Barneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13630529492355131777noreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-91501080788910383532009-07-31T08:09:51.189-07:002009-07-31T08:09:51.189-07:00Bud's link made me google for a statistically ...Bud's link made me google for a statistically sound study of exercise and calorie control that would address the issues we are discussing. What I found fascinated me. First I found no valid study that would completely address the these issues. What I found were studies performed in association with groups that had an axe to grind. Purveyors of sugar substitutes, exercise programs etc. These invariably supported the backers product. I also found studies that looked at part of the issue by researchers with a particular interest. For example I found studies where one group only exercised and one group only dieted. I would dearly love to see a properly designed statistical experiment that varied exercise and calorie control(quantity and type of calories) together. If anyone knows an organization that wants to do such a study I would love to design it for them.Marty Shttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06465745755940914756noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-2616101425322446042009-07-30T21:44:46.294-07:002009-07-30T21:44:46.294-07:00"I suggested that there are only two groups t..."I suggested that there are only two groups that can talk about this issue without suspicion of purely selfish motivations: those who can afford health insurance but are in favor of Universal health care, and those who CANNOT but oppose it. So far, we've gotten no comments from this second group. They must exist, however."<br /><br />Does this count?<br />"At this juncture in the conversation, someone almost always breaks in and says, "Why don't you tell that to an uninsured person?" I have. Specifically, I told it to me. I was uninsured for more than two years after grad school, with an autoimmune disease and asthma. I was, if anything, even more militant than I am now about government takeover of insurance."<br /><br />-http://meganmcardle.theatlantic.com/archives/2009/07/a_long_long_post_about_my_reas.php<br /><br />She has also, over the last few days, blogged quite a bit about "obesity". She quotes from _Rethinking Thin_ by Gina Kolata: <br />"Every time the result was the same. The weight, so painstakingly lost, came right back. But since this was a research study, the scientists looked at more than just weight loss . . . they measured metabolic changes and psychiatric conditions and body temperature and pulse. And that led them to a surprising conclusion: fat people who lose large amounts of weight may look like someone who was never fat, but they are very different. In fact, by every measurement they seemed like people who were starving."<br /><br />RTWT.<br /><br />The obesity "epidemic" is of recent origin, but let me give a counterfactual to the concept of "poor" food choices, in both senses of the word. When I was a kid, we had fresh vegetables about 4 months of the year, the rest was canned. Meat and potatoes were my families diet for years, but none of us were Obese.<br /><br />We didn't pack on the weight because we couldn't afford to; food accounted for a large portion of the family budget, so we ate less, just to be able to have a pair of shoes that didn't have a hole in the sole.<br /><br />We are fat today for a reason that sounds like a tautology - because we can. We have access to huge amounts of calories for a comparatively miniscule percentage of our income. Our caveman genes teach us to put on the "insurance" (pounds) for down times, and we do.budnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-68575900731606689002009-07-28T13:00:07.805-07:002009-07-28T13:00:07.805-07:00"I didn't say that only those who have in...<i>"I didn't say that only those who have insurance and are for UHC (or don't have it and are against it) should have an opinion. I said that they're the only ones who can be reasonably thought not to be speaking from selfish motivations."</i><br /><br />Unfortunately, unselfish motivations can be as stupid or evil as selfish ones. Torquemada undoubtedly thought that he was being unselfish. But, despite their unabashed pursuit of self-interest, I'd rather have had Ayn Rand or Robert Heinlein as next-door neighbors.<br /><br />Moreover, an unselfish person motivated to do something stupid or evil can do a lot more damage than a selfish one, for reasons eloquently described by C.S. Lewis:<br /><br />"Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience."<br /><br /><br />--Erich SchwarzAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-41812504150223634352009-07-28T08:54:21.639-07:002009-07-28T08:54:21.639-07:00"My attitude is that only people who have bee..."My attitude is that only people who have been obese and made an honest effort to lose weight and haven't should have an opinion on that topic. "<br /><br />I agree since I've had similar weight issues. Turning into an gym and hiking aficionado and eliminating the worst junk from my diet has significantly reduced my obesity (I shudder to look at my piks from the old sedentary days), but the bod I've always craved to possess (a combo of Wesley Snipes' and the late Henry Cele's physiques) apparently isn't' in the genetic cards short of marathon running and starvation. Oh, well..<br /><br />Ethiopian_InfidelAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-70946445002726554632009-07-28T08:17:40.281-07:002009-07-28T08:17:40.281-07:00I didn't say that only those who have insuranc...I didn't say that only those who have insurance and are for UHC (or don't have it and are against it) should have an opinion. I said that they're the only ones who can be reasonably thought not to be speaking from selfish motivations.Steven Barneshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13630529492355131777noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-26272089406202933742009-07-28T04:56:13.781-07:002009-07-28T04:56:13.781-07:00Dan: Talking about slippery slopes, a number of ye...Dan: Talking about slippery slopes, a number of years ago I had a co-worker who was an avid skier. He had said he was going skiing that weekend and I remarked that skiing was too dangerous a sport and I wouldn't do it. He responded by telling me that it wasn't dangerous as long as you stuck to slopes within your skill level. The people who got hurt were those who tried slopes they weren't ready for. He was always careful not to do that. Not many weeks later he walked into work with a cast on his leg and crutches because of a skiing accident. Yes there are a lot of slippery slopes in life and you may get away with starting down some of them. But you won't get away with all of them so you have to be very careful which ones you start down. With respect to health care just look at Travis's last post and tell there won't be huge support for controlling peoples life style. Steve has suggested that only those who have good health care and are for UHC or don't have it and are against it should comment on it. My attitude is that only people who have been obese and made an honest effort to lose weight and haven't should have an opinion on that topic. You can say what you please about calories in and calories out and proper diet but unless you have tried that route and failed you don't know what your talking about. I went on a 1400 calorie per day diet given to me by my doctor. I ate only those things included in the diet and weighed portions on a scale where indicated. I was extremely obese when I started. For a while I lost weight, until I reached the area of nominally obese at that point I stopped losing weight. After two months of stepping on a scale every day and weighing the same I decided that walking around constantly hungry and not enjoying my meals I canned the diet. My brother in-law in an attempt to lose weight went on a vegetarian diet three years ago that was supposed to be healthy and take the pounds off. He also lost some weight initially but three years later he is still more obese than I am.Marty Shttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06465745755940914756noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-31648783342875043752009-07-27T19:27:16.977-07:002009-07-27T19:27:16.977-07:00The whole slippery slope thing is a lousy argument...The whole slippery slope thing is a lousy argument. Civilization consists of being able to make nuanced decisions. <i>Every</i> decision is a step on a slippery slope to somewhere. "I'm going to have a cheeseburger" ... slippery slope to heart attack. "We're going to restrict speed limits" ... slippery slope to cars that can't go faster than the posted speed limit. "We're going to restrict cop killer ammo" ... slippery slope to taking everyone's guns away from them.<br /><br />But despite the above, I've eaten thousands of cheeseburgers and still have really low cholesterol; I can still buy the 400 horsepower supercharged Vanden Plas that has 40 inches of rear seat leg room and does 0-60 in a little over 5 seconds; and I can still buy a Sig Sauer P229 if I want to. Which, thanks to Steve Perry's suggestion, I might.Daniel Keys Moranhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12992599044462413412noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-24996303890706176762009-07-27T19:24:12.520-07:002009-07-27T19:24:12.520-07:00Oh, look; another argument against gun ownership.Oh, look; another argument against gun ownership.Scotthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04606348439737007635noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-19571870598394764312009-07-27T19:14:50.569-07:002009-07-27T19:14:50.569-07:00Don't stop at smokers and alcoholics. How abou...Don't stop at smokers and alcoholics. How about skiers, mountain climbers, sky divers and others who indulge in risky endeavors. Close all the ski lodges and reduce medical costs. If your caught speeding you lose your health care coverage. Once you start down the slippery slope where do you stop.Marty Shttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06465745755940914756noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-58455336512253623722009-07-27T16:32:38.687-07:002009-07-27T16:32:38.687-07:00Travis,
Thanks. Maybe I brag too much, but I'...Travis,<br /><br />Thanks. Maybe I brag too much, but I'm proud of them -- they've worked hard under what have sometimes been very difficult circumstances. Some of the people on this blog know what I'm referring to there.<br /><br />I do think a big part of the reason public health care is causing problems (with the Republican base mostly, I'll note) whereas public defense, public police departments, public schools, etc., don't, is just that level of familiarity. People have seen defense, police, fire departments, schools, etc., all work well in the public arena. They haven't seen it from health care, at least not in the U.S., and the lack of familiarity is frightening.<br /><br />The fact is, right now, almost everything <i>anyone</i> has said about Obamacare is projection, since no such plan exists yet. We don't even have something as clear as the public option being included yet -- and frankly, if there's no public option, the whole thing is probably cosmetic to begin with. (And rather than Rs not voting for it, Ds won't vote for it.)<br /><br />This is the first real test for Obama. It'll be interesting to see if he blinks. Lack of a public option is blink territory, period, and will probably result in the plan failing for lack of left-wing votes.Daniel Keys Moranhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12992599044462413412noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-76337197172868978842009-07-27T15:40:20.944-07:002009-07-27T15:40:20.944-07:00Hey Dan,
Congratulations on your kids success. I ...Hey Dan,<br /><br />Congratulations on your kids success. I mean that, you seem like a good guy and rightfully proud of your kids. My point at this juncture isn't to debate the possibility, or even probability, of doing well based on public education. My point is that when we start adding up the deep set beliefs that govern people one of the things to consider is that 'good enough' for society as a whole may not be considered 'good enough' for the individuals themselves.<br /><br />I don't actually know ANYONE who is against public schools. I know lots of people against government health care. So I don't think it's fair to equate the two groups. I'm sure you can excerpt out some quotes from extremists to make the arguement but that doesn't reflect reality. Extremists are, by definition, extreme. And when we enter the realm of punditry it seems that many of them make a living by being contrary to the opposing view at all costs.<br /><br /> Why is it that schools might be more accepted then health care? Could it be that most of us went to public schools and expect to send our kids there? And that while we have seen a practical benefit from it while the concept of government sponsored health care is new and untested? Is it just the 'that's the way things have always been' mentality at work? <br /><br />Drifting closer to practical concerns Marty/Eithiopian Infidel bring up a good point about preventable conditions. Should we, as taxpayers, be forced to cover the obess equally? Smokers? What about type II diabetics? Alcholics and drug users? So many people already don't take responsibility for their own health, you really think they aren't going to start insisting they have a 'right' to be taken care of?<br /><br />Everything else this country has created to help people, social security, welfare, have turned into 'rights' that people feel are owed them. I'm pretty much against the notion of 'rights'. Doesn't mean I'm against social programs. We, as a society, need to understand that rights are an idea, not a thing.<br /><br />I've no fundamental objection to a socialized health care system. The united states could be the biggest co-op the world has ever seen. Of course we should start by applying that logic to other aspects of government too. Instead of paying for things that are massively over budget and years or decades behind schedule Congress should say, "Deliver the product as agreed or you're ineligable for future bidding". That's not going to get them money for their campaigns, ritzy dinners bought by lobbists, 'consulting' positions when they retire or a blatant payoff under the table though. Which makes me think that this whole debate may be purely academic. What's the odds that the American political system will really let this happen? Insurance is big money, lots of lobbying power. What's on the other side? Obama and... what?Travishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15353783271100674218noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-52999446664451178352009-07-27T12:48:28.706-07:002009-07-27T12:48:28.706-07:00"..government becomes a major player in the h..."..government becomes a major player in the health care market...There goes another individual freedom."<br /><br />An excellent point. If federal moneys were allocated for individual health, the government might indeed be in the right to mandate that recipients follow prescribed fitness regimens. For example, if coronary bypass is funded, and a rehabilitation regimen consisting of controlled food intake and exercise is prescribed, should the Feds fund successor operations ad infinitum that result largely from disregarding the regimen? Universal Health Care providers would logically be empowered to contractually enforce adherence to the prescription or to penalize violation thereof. Since enforcement in a democratic system is problematic, the feasible penalty would be to "cap" benefits for noncompliance with medical recommendations. First bypass your covered regardless, second one..did you loose those excess pounds?<br /><br />Ethiopian_InfidelAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-70751502567627759412009-07-27T11:16:41.360-07:002009-07-27T11:16:41.360-07:00Travis,
I've got 5 kids, and all of them did ...Travis,<br /><br />I've got 5 kids, and all of them did or are going through LAUSD. All of them are or did get As or better. My oldest just finished her first year at Berkeley -- and has 58 credits and is nearly a junior, because she took 8 AP classes in high school and got 4s or 5s on her AP tests, which got her credits with Berkeley good for almost a full year. She's going to graduate with a bachelors after 3 years, speaking English, French, German, and Spanish ....<br /><br />Daughter #2 I can't brag about as much yet, because she's just entering her senior year -- but she finished last year with a 4.3 GPA, also from taking AP classes.<br /><br />The younger 3 aren't in high school yet but are all getting As.<br /><br />So, yeah: you can get a good education out of public schools in LAUSD. We had no choice; we're going to struggle to put 5 kids through college, and we had no chance of putting 5 kids through private school and college. But Alex (oldest kid) got into the college she wanted to go to in the first place; she didn't apply to Harvard and Columbia for fear they'd take her. :-)<br /><br />Nonetheless I stand by my observation about the people who want to destroy public education; they're the same right-wing ideologs who hate the idea of public health care. Possibly this doesn't describe anybody on Steve's blog, but it sure describes an awful lot of the Republican base.Daniel Keys Moranhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12992599044462413412noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-25706872041115635232009-07-27T09:26:38.608-07:002009-07-27T09:26:38.608-07:00Hi all, I'm coming in late to the health care ...Hi all, I'm coming in late to the health care debate, mostly because I hadn't thought enough about it yet. Mostly I want to adress points made earlier but I'm putting it here in the more recent thread.<br /><br />One thing I see in this debate is a mix of philosophical concerns, ie. what is the role of government? to create a free environment for us to do our owb thing or to provide for our welfare? Our country was very clearly founded on the first idea and has been shifting more and more to the second. It's hard for "conservatives" to "get" a position like Steve's because it flys in the face of their underlying views about government. It's not an issue, neccessarily, of being selfish or of not wanting the 'good' for all; there exists a very basic disagreement on what constitutes the 'good' and how to get there. There is a debate that is much more fundamental then health care that frames this issue.<br /><br />On the otherhand, we see lots of concern over practicality and effectiveness. These are valid concerns. What does the government do effectively? How do the other countries keep there healthcare systems at least relatively non-corrupt, above board and efficient? Or do they? It's easy from here to look at Europe and say, oh, they don't have the same kinds of problems we do with their government; but they DO have issues too.<br /><br />And,a final point for now. Someone mentioned people who are against universal health care being the same as the people who are against universal education. We'll here's the thing. I look at the system for educating kids in this country. I look at my son. I think it's great that we have a baseline standard education for all kids. But is that good enough for my son? No. At the worst I intend to game the system so that he has access to the very best of the public schools and I'd like to do even better then that.Travishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15353783271100674218noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-73913310939843017522009-07-27T08:45:18.598-07:002009-07-27T08:45:18.598-07:00I'm currently agnostic on the idea of UHC. I l...I'm currently agnostic on the idea of UHC. I like the idea, but I'm not convinced. Here's a question; how likly are we to get what's being promised?<br /><br />Steve, your use of other countries provides an excellent case study that comes down on the 'pro' side of the argument. <br /><br /> Let's look at a case study that seems to be a pretty strong 'con' arguement. Maybe someplace our government has promised a standard of health care and failed to deliver. A place that costs more then it ought to operate. A place with long delays for care. A place where the standard of care varies tremendously depending on who you happen to be assigned to and their mood that day. A place called the VA.<br /><br />I know people who work there, I've been a patient there. The news has covered numerous problems with the VA. It's a great idea. I had some people who were very motivated to help. Others less so. I lost a lot of confidence in the system because people who I knew gave me 'the inside story'.I'm going to post anonymously to protect my sources. <br /><br />I realize I sound like I'm arguing against UHC but I just really don't know at this point.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-30318355867035742062009-07-27T07:44:41.531-07:002009-07-27T07:44:41.531-07:00The obesity issue also plays into the universal he...The obesity issue also plays into the universal health care and socialism issue. Most nights after supper I cap the meal with ice cream. A decidedly unhealthy decision for an overweight individual. I am diabetic so I eat only sugar free ice cream. I find that if ice cream is both no sugar added and fat free it doesn't taste good so I look for the ice cream bar that has the greatest percentage of fat. As long as I am paying for my own health insurance this may be unhealthy, but its my health and my choice. Now suppose the government becomes a major player in the health care market. It decides that eating high fat ice cream cost the government too much so it forbids manufactures from producing ice cream with more than say 2% fat. There goes another individual freedom. Can anyone honestly rule out actions like the above when the government is paying the bills.Marty Shttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06465745755940914756noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-43417738265398535122009-07-27T07:12:49.625-07:002009-07-27T07:12:49.625-07:00Sambo alert got cut short; is there more?Sambo alert got cut short; is there more?Scotthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04606348439737007635noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-82613560757019710852009-07-27T05:32:39.466-07:002009-07-27T05:32:39.466-07:00Steve: Getting away from the link between obesity ...Steve: Getting away from the link between obesity and health care lets look at the why people don't do those things(eat healthier foods, go to gyms etc.) that would lead to them being thinner. On that subject I can only talk about myself. In my youth I thought about the purpose of life and decide that the purpose of life is to enjoy it. So I make the decisions that I believe bring the most pleasure to my life. In my career that meant I settled for less money because I enjoyed doing technical work and didn't enjoy managing. With respect to diet and exercise I enjoy sports, I don't enjoy doing exercises. At one time in an attempt to exercise more I bought a treadmill, I used it for about two weeks and stopped because it wasn't enjoyable. Last night I ate veal parmigiana for dinner. Undoubtedly it was not the healthiest meal I could have eaten but I enjoyed. To put it in a mathematicians terms if maximizing the amount of pleasure in my lifetime is my goal and I have to reduce the amount of pleasure per year by 8% to increase the number of years I live by 7% then the mathematically rational solution is to make the choices that increase your pleasure per year rather than the number of years you live. Think of it this way Steve. If medical research showed that you would live longer if you spent your life digging ditches instead of writing novels would you give up writing and become a ditch digger.Marty Shttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06465745755940914756noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-91255100695474748852009-07-27T05:26:25.156-07:002009-07-27T05:26:25.156-07:00the poor tend to eat
nutritionally deficit "f...the poor tend to eat<br />nutritionally deficit "food"<br />wonder bread made<br />bologna sandwiches<br />cost MUCH less<br />than fresh veggies and fruit<br /><br />I eat really well<br />and healthily:<br />few processed foods<br />plenty of the aforementioned<br />veggies <br />(and whole fruit not juices<br />orange juice isn't near as good for you <br />(and a heap more caloric)<br />as eating the whole orange is)<br />not all that much meat<br />and of that mainly <br />chicken and fish<br /><br />makes perfect sense to me<br />that por people eat <br />less nutritious foodstuffs<br /><br />and now much of the population <br />in general<br />is hooked on fat <br />and high fructose<br />corn syrup<br /><br />on buying pre-made foods<br />rather than<br />making their ownsuzannehttp://suzannagig.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-80955664989296418742009-07-27T01:16:15.647-07:002009-07-27T01:16:15.647-07:00About 34% are obese, that should be. Not 37%. So...About 34% are obese, that should be. Not 37%. Sorry.<br /><br />According to the Natioal Center for Health Statistics.<br /><br />http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSTRE50863H20090109AF1noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-14453428744526104282009-07-27T01:09:57.337-07:002009-07-27T01:09:57.337-07:00I'm curious how you determined that obesity is...I'm curious how you determined that obesity is a disease of the poor?<br /><br />Depending on the sources used, about 13% of the US population lives in poverty. While about 37% (and growing) of the population is obese.<br /><br />This seems to be an increasing problem that is cutting across all social classes.AF1noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-4340316882380890212009-07-26T20:34:29.019-07:002009-07-26T20:34:29.019-07:00I don't think Americans are obese because they...I don't think Americans are obese because they're stupid, evil, or whatever. I just can't help noticing that they <i>are</i>, since my job puts me in contact with an unusually high number of non-Americans who whom I've sometimes made friends. Spend enough time around non-Americans, and it gets easier to see that we've got a general pattern in this country.<br /><br />I'm deeply skeptical about public medical care being The Solution for exactly the same reason that I'm skeptical about public education being The Solution: there's at least as many political failures in the public sector as there are market failures in the private one; and, a lot of what makes either fitness or education work is pretty darn personal -- emotions, culture, upbringing, individual choices.<br /><br />Finally, let me say yet again: being against the <i>current</i> disaster-on-wheels Obamacare proposal does <b>not</b> mean either that I think our current system is too good to improve, or that I can't think of several ways that I'd like to see it improved. It only means that I specifically think that the Democratic plan in 2009 is a large, complicated, bad idea, and that I have a general skepticism about big hulking governments being any better at solving life's problems than big hulking corporations. It doesn't mean I want uninsured women to die of cancer!<br /><br /><br />--Erich SchwarzAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-32675035094398509572009-07-26T19:45:44.835-07:002009-07-26T19:45:44.835-07:00Steve: I am obese, I have four brother in-laws thr...Steve: I am obese, I have four brother in-laws three out of four are heavier than I am. My daughter in-law is obese and so is her mother and father. All these people have health care. My daughter in-law is a dentist and met my son at medical school. One of my obese brother in-laws has two sons who are both doctors. So in my personal circle having good health care and knowledge of health issues doesn't seem to be a deterrent to obesity.Marty Shttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06465745755940914756noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9339191.post-15977515343570787862009-07-26T19:38:27.853-07:002009-07-26T19:38:27.853-07:00Though health care is extremely important for peop...Though health care is extremely important for people, I'm no so convinced that access to health care will have a very big impact on obesity. I think it is A LOT more emotion and psychological than it is physiological. Attitudes in this country are not such that health care workers have any time or concern to devote to such things. I have good insurance. It buys me five minutes with a doctor if I'm lucky. And have you noticed how many fat health care workers we have? Our last doctor (a fat man) tried to solve my husband's fat problem by basically pushing 'legal speed' from his prescription pad. I told the husband to take it if he would prefer to damage his heart with stimulant drugs instead of deal with his real problem. His real problem is that his father was a violent child abuser and his mother, who showed her love with food, was his only protection. He started getting fat when his mother died. Health insurance can't fix things like that. Neither can money. My husband's family was not poor.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com