You can lead a horses to clean water, but you can not make them drink.
I live in a military neighborhood and it seems as if there is a higher standard for wellness although it is only achieved every so often. There seems to be a center, or program, or something, for every aspect of health and wellness all along the way through out my community. The newspaper has ads every week that tells about tobacco cessation, anger management, and so forth. It even has an entire page devoted to various spiritual guidance locations. The WIC office has food education class that teaches parents and children how to prepare (or assist) in the making of delectable meals that the whole family can enjoy, plus it is a healthy meal.
The government also has programs like the CDC, FSP, USDA, FDA, HHS, and a million other acronyms. The motive behind any of the programs backed by the government should be about protecting people not money or control as some of the programs seem now. Even still, all the government can do is lead the horse to water, water that is clearly available and good and all that is righteous, put you cannot get a person to drink.
Maybe my view of things is different from the rest of the country and skews my opinion (http://www.progressiveu.org/163026-nutrion-meets-gov), but it seems as if the government already has a big role in society. I am not sure that the government can do anything else with becoming something other than the democracy it should be.
The only role the government should play is to make laws to protect our safety and ensure that there is plenty of food available for ALL and to allot funds to education for descent equipment and time for health and wellness. Schools for children should teach, not only the current ideas and theories, but also make FRESH fruit and vegetables available and allow for activities that actually challenge the human body. The government should allow people of all ages to express the parts of health and wellness and not try to quell the spiritual and emotion parts.
If I were chief policy maker I would try to make my job null and void for two reasons. One, I know it would be a hard job with all the fine lines between government interfering with peoples lives and being helpful. Two, I believe people are capable of making their own familial choices provided they are properly educated and have food source. I would start by pay cuts with congress-people and divert all extra and newly allocated funds to the education system (whether it be community education or classrooms/school) so that people can make wise and healthy decisions from an educated perspective. I would then be sure laws were being passed to make sure that food was not poison. Then I would step back and pray that capitalism’s supply and demand will work. With people making good choices and demanding health and wellness, companies will be forced to provide for our wants. If only we can quit being fast food sheep.
For more intresting reading by someone else go here:
http://www.progressiveu.org/102440-it-s-a-labor-of-love-push-push-push-e....
Coming up later the Five parts to health and wellness and what the really mean series
"Schools for children should teach, not only the current ideas and theories, but also make FRESH fruit and vegetables available and allow for activities that actually challenge the human body. The government should allow people of all ages to express the parts of health and wellness and not try to quell the spiritual and emotion parts."
I was glad to see these two especially the first! As a person who grew up in the public school education system, I found it difficult at times to find food that was adequate for my personal nutritious needs provided by the school. Many school entrees are practically floating in grease, and in addition to that, tasteless! I think that public schools are part of the reason why kids in America are so obese (in addition to, as you said, many of us being "fast food sheep!")
As for the second part of that quote, you are right; physical health is not the only issue that needs to be addressed and there are many people, especially children, suffering from emotional and spiritual issues.
The thing about pay cuts with congress people might be an effective way to divert some funds, but I think it would make you a very unpopular chief policy maker (ha ha) at least, with congress people anyway.
that we wish them to be. we must be the change. There is a mindset in America that there aren't other options available. But this is only because obese America is unwilling to go through the grocery store and pick out the foods that would create a healthy, although labor intensive meal. I'm sure there are people trying to lose weight out there who have done the weight watchers, or the jenny craigs, and this is the same as fast food! Putting the box in the microwave for five minutes is like driving through a drive through, so its not changing any underlying behaviors. America needs to look for the long haul, and not the quick fix. The government would be unable to do anything to change this, it has to be the people.