Krugman Tackles the Topic of Obesity

"The debate over obesity, it turns out, is a lot like the debate over global warming. In both cases, major companies protect their profits not only by lobbying against policies they don't like, but also by financing advocacy groups devoted to debunking research whose conclusions they don't like," writes New York Times op-ed columnist Paul Krugman, who devoted two columns this week to the topic of obesity. Apparently, the food industry has launched an advocacy group -- The Center for Consumer Freedom -- to convince Americans that over-eating is one our basic liberties and, as such, needs to be protected.

"We need to put aside our anti-government prejudices and realize that the history of government interventions on behalf of public health, from the construction of sewer systems to the campaign against smoking, is one of consistent, life-enhancing success," continues Krugman. "Obesity is America's fastest-growing health problem; let's do something about it."

Amen.