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Baxter Black

redrobin

Well-known member
He is spot on and vividly shows how out of touch with middle America the Obama family is.

FOOD DESERTS

Many of us in the food producing business are watching with a suspicious eye, Mrs. Obama's pending federally funded efforts to combat obesity in children. Our skepticism is justified because every special interest group from global warming to UFO conspirators somehow wind up casting blame on modern agriculture.

Nevertheless, obesity apparently is a serious problem and worthy of attention. Her “Let's Move!” web page states that “6.5 million children (live) more than a mile away from a supermarket. These communities are now called “Food Deserts.”

More than a mile! It is obvious that Mrs. Obama and I live in different realities. I would guess many who read this column live more than a mile from a supermarket. I can picture a rancher's wife twenty miles north of Ekalaka, MT, a farmer's wife in Oyen, Alberta who gets snowed in for 3 days, or a family riding out a hurricane, flood and 5-day power outage on the South Carolina coast. Food Desert?

I guess what is most unsettling for me, is the helplessness Mrs. Obama ascribes to the urban parents of obese children. She assumes they are incapable of planning a trip to the store, teaching their children discipline, managing a budget and, God forbid, having to walk, drive or bus more than a mile of couple times a week to shop.

Truthfully, no one expects them to grow a garden or can their own food. But I would bet that if these helpless parents had a grocery store right next door it still wouldn't decrease children's obesity. It's not just what you eat, it's how much you eat! My ignorance of big cities precludes any comment about big city grocery stores and their proximity to the “Food Desert victims.” But in rural communities people are forced to do some planning.

Years ago JFK had physical fitness as one of his administrative concerns. It would seem to be beneficial for overweight kids to exercise, right? How ‘bout the victims walkin' to the grocery store once or twice a week. Is that unthinkable? Of course, I concede that most urban teens are not expected to do physical work like mowing lawns, sweeping floors, picking up trash, pulling weeds, painting houses or walking the dog. That's why the immigrants and illegals are in such demand; they do the manual labor.

Well, despite my cynicism, I wish her good luck. Her motives are good. We just have a different approach. She is of the ‘entitlement mentality' that says obese children and their parents are helpless victims and the government sponsored ‘meals on wheels' to the able-bodied is their only hope.

Whereas I have the ‘entrepreneurial mentality' that says each person is responsible for their own behavior and that of their dependents. As I said, she and I live in different realities.

www.baxterblack.com
 

Liveoak

Well-known member
I gather that where you live there are a lot of parents that have the luxury of staying home while the other parent earns a pay check. If those parents have obese children then they really have no one to blame except themselves. In the city, the majority of both parents work a fulltime job and this is why we have so much obesity in the city - no time to create a home cooked meal that's healthy! It's much easier to drive into a fast food place or grab a pizza for dinner. And, of course, there's the lack of physical activity. Public schools no longer require students to participate in a physical activity and there really isn't much at home other than the video games.

I applaud Michelle Obama for at least trying to muster some interest in the problem but I doubt she'll have much luck.
 

Big Muddy rancher

Well-known member
Liveoak said:
I gather that where you live there are a lot of parents that have the luxury of staying home while the other parent earns a pay check. If those parents have obese children then they really have no one to blame except themselves. In the city, the majority of both parents work a fulltime job and this is why we have so much obesity in the city - no time to create a home cooked meal that's healthy! It's much easier to drive into a fast food place or grab a pizza for dinner. And, of course, there's the lack of physical activity. Public schools no longer require students to participate in a physical activity and there really isn't much at home other than the video games.

I applaud Michelle Obama for at least trying to muster some interest in the problem but I doubt she'll have much luck.

Reality on many farms and ranches is the both parent have full time jobs, and so do many of the kids.
 

Lonecowboy

Well-known member
Liveoak said:
I gather that where you live there are a lot of parents that have the luxury of staying home while the other parent earns a pay check. If those parents have obese children then they really have no one to blame except themselves. In the city, the majority of both parents work a fulltime job and this is why we have so much obesity in the city - no time to create a home cooked meal that's healthy! It's much easier to drive into a fast food place or grab a pizza for dinner. And, of course, there's the lack of physical activity. Public schools no longer require students to participate in a physical activity and there really isn't much at home other than the video games.

I applaud Michelle Obama for at least trying to muster some interest in the problem but I doubt she'll have much luck.

no matter how you cut it, twist it, or spin it, if there is a problem the PARENT is SOLELY [/u]responsible-- end of story!
a parent staying home is not a luxury- it's called being responsible and living within your means. more people shoould try it!
What a load of communist crap- having the government involved in raising your kids and telling you how to raise them, even what to eat, how far you should live from a grocery store, etc. maybe all kids should be taken away at birth and given to government experts to raise in your world but not in my America!!
 

BRG

Well-known member
Liveoak said:
I gather that where you live there are a lot of parents that have the luxury of staying home while the other parent earns a pay check. If those parents have obese children then they really have no one to blame except themselves. In the city, the majority of both parents work a fulltime job and this is why we have so much obesity in the city - no time to create a home cooked meal that's healthy! It's much easier to drive into a fast food place or grab a pizza for dinner. And, of course, there's the lack of physical activity. Public schools no longer require students to participate in a physical activity and there really isn't much at home other than the video games.

I applaud Michelle Obama for at least trying to muster some interest in the problem but I doubt she'll have much luck.

Big deal if both parents work. We do and we have a sit down healthy meal every night. You just need to take the time. if they don't have time to eat with their kids, do they really have time to be Mom and Dad? Plus, what is wrong with having fruit in the fridge instead of junk food. These parents that have the these jobs, are still the grocery shoppers in the house. Don't buy **** for them to snack on. If the kids don't have work to do, get them involved in some type of physical activity, instead of sitting in front of the Nintendo.

I do applaud her for trying to solve an big issue, but maybe she should tackle a bigger issue like drugs, instead of trying to run our lives and telling us how to raise our children.
 

Lonecowboy

Well-known member
“I just felt like running,” stated Forrest Gump and to runners this is one of the greatest quotes of all time. My trophy wife and I run 35 to 50 miles each week whether we are training for a specific event or because we just feel like running. Saturday we ran the Spokane Marathon. The race began in Post Falls, Idaho, crossed into Washington and followed the Spokane River 26.2 miles back to Spokane. Describing a marathon to someone who has never run one is like describing color to a blind person.

With sufficient training, the first 20 miles are great; it is the final 6.2 where you discover your inner mettle. During these miles it is the runner’s mantra “Death before DNF” (Did Not Finish) that drives each step. Just like life, when you think you can’t take it any longer, you do.

Although the race temperature was only in the 70’s it felt much warmer as I thought back to one of our cooler training runs last February. As I recall, it was a few minutes after four a.m., when I handed the first cup of coffee to my trophy wife who was warmly nestled under the covers. “There is six inches of fresh snow and it’s 20 below,” I reported as she slowly raised her hand for the cup. This was a bit of a fib, as 20 is the bottom limit on our deck thermometer; our garage thermometer read a more accurate minus 28. With surprisingly minimal protest, Druann dressed and we staggered into the cold and snowy darkness. In one-quarter mile we met up with Tim, our only other running friend simple-minded enough to join us that morning. The cold was amazing and we shortened our run to four miles.

With a half-mile to go, the side effect of caffeine on my kidney filtration rate kicked in, so I sprinted home for a potty break. I could have addressed my bladder business ranch kid style, but minus 28 degrees was a dangerous time to be writing one’s name in the snow. Once home, as I trotted past the bathroom mirror, I marveled how my frozen sweat made me look like a spandex snowman. Thinking this would make a great Christmas card photo for our normal friends, I grabbed my camera and shuffled towards the door to catch Druann before she and the dog came in the house and melted. I struggled to tug the restrictive waist band of five frozen layers of spandex above my backside and hollered “Stop! Hold Cash by the thermometer and I’ll snap a picture.” With a four inch wide wad of waistbands rolled tightly beneath my cheeks, I looked like I belonged on a skate board ad at Rimrock Mall. I was making a fashion statement the sight of which would have permanently damaged my grown children had they seen me at that instant.

There are three concrete steps out the back door of our house. With my camera in hand, I jumped into the snow on the first one. At a speed faster than the laws of physics deem possible, both of my feet shot clear above my head as I threw the camera across the patio trying to catch myself. I flew past the second step landing on the corner of the third. The impact should have shattered my tail bone, but the wad of spandex waistbands scrunching my cheeks together absorbed the entire blow. It was my lucky day.

For the second time in my 30 years of marriage, my trophy wife shrieked, “Krayton!” (Relax; the first time was last July when I hit a gopher mound with my prop thus causing our plane to disappear in a cloud of dirt. That time, she sunk her nails into my throttle hand and shrieked my first, middle and last names.)

My point today is my trophy wife and I run because we like to run. No one is, nor should be, forcing us. If you agree, think about this: This May, the First Lady’s Childhood Obesity Task Force introduced legislation forcing states receiving federal grants to report the Body Mass Index (BMI) annually on all children ages 2 to 18, to the federal government. I have a big problem with that. Remember, this is a directive from the masters of political incrementalism, so stopping at age 18 is only a temporary, first step. Since the populace is now given free government healthcare it is only fitting the government will dictate your ideal BMI. As a point of reference, anyone with a BMI over 24 is considered overweight. I am a 25. Let that soak in while you think about dressing for a four mile run with Druann, Tim and me when it is minus 28 on a snowy February morning. How’s that “hope and change” thing working for you now? Do you have a level of freedom you are not willing to exchange for security, because I crossed that threshold several administrations ago.

http://kraytonkerns.org/postings/run_for_it.html
 

katrina

Well-known member
Liveoak said:
I gather that where you live there are a lot of parents that have the luxury of staying home while the other parent earns a pay check. If those parents have obese children then they really have no one to blame except themselves. In the city, the majority of both parents work a fulltime job and this is why we have so much obesity in the city - no time to create a home cooked meal that's healthy! It's much easier to drive into a fast food place or grab a pizza for dinner. And, of course, there's the lack of physical activity. Public schools no longer require students to participate in a physical activity and there really isn't much at home other than the video games.

I applaud Michelle Obama for at least trying to muster some interest in the problem but I doubt she'll have much luck.


You've got to be joking! :shock:
 

ranch hand

Well-known member
We are in the hay field right now from daylight until dark. The wife just gets up earlier to put something in crockpot or bq when we come in. We could make a 60 mile trip to the fast foods I guess. People in town work from 8-5 mostly, with some comute time added on. What do they do with all the extra time they have? They could be cooking healthy meals. Always an excuse or blame someone else if they don't have the will power to do it themselves.
 

WyomingRancher

Well-known member
It's easy to buy healthy foods... mainly shop the perimeter of the grocery store where real foods are located like produce and fresh meats. The middle is mostly full of complete junk full of sugar, salt, and other ingredients I can't pronounce :wink: . If you don't harvest or shoot it, don't eat it. Simple.
 

gcreekrch

Well-known member
WyomingRancher said:
It's easy to buy healthy foods... mainly shop the perimeter of the grocery store where real foods are located like produce and fresh meats. The middle is mostly full of complete junk full of sugar, salt, and other ingredients I can't pronounce :wink: . If you don't harvest or shoot it, don't eat it. Simple.

Chocolate cake and ice cream are harvested aren't they? :p :wink:
 

WyomingRancher

Well-known member
gcreekrch said:
WyomingRancher said:
It's easy to buy healthy foods... mainly shop the perimeter of the grocery store where real foods are located like produce and fresh meats. The middle is mostly full of complete junk full of sugar, salt, and other ingredients I can't pronounce :wink: . If you don't harvest or shoot it, don't eat it. Simple.

Chocolate cake and ice cream are harvested aren't they? :p :wink:

The ingredients mainly should be :wink: :p . Everything in moderation, and I never said I didn't indulge occasionally, but I don't make a steady diet of it... and I figured it all out without the government! :D. :wink:
 

Steve

Well-known member
It's much easier to drive into a fast food place or grab a pizza for dinner

that about sums it up...

but for one who lives near several large cities.. Baltimore, DC, Philadelphia, NY, ect.. you should know just as there are few supermarkets.. there is not an abundance of fast food nor pizza deliveries.. in the bad neighborhoods..

if the biggest problem is the lack of supermarkets.. and most big chains can't get into the cities.. because... yep... screaming liberals...

and even if they could.. the cost to do business (property taxes code compliance) would kill any chance of a profit..

if not having a decent supermarket is the problem... then fix the problem.. ease regulations in the cities and encourage business to set up shop..
 

Kato

Well-known member
It's got nothing to do with fast food joints, supermarkets, or the distance to either.

The real problem is that there is an entire generation of people raising children now who have never learned to cook. They are the first generation raised since a two income family became the norm. Their mothers were the first working Moms, and in all that excitement, they forgot to teach their children how to make their own supper.

The fact is that it takes about the same amount of time to put a potato in the microwave as a pizza pop. You can fry some sausages, cook some real potatoes, make a salad, and shoot some veggies through the microwave, and have a real meal out of real food that takes less time than waiting for a pizza delivery, and for a fraction of the cost.

Real food does not cost more than fast food. It's not over processed and full of chemicals and hidden fats and sugars. The trouble is that no one remembers how to cook it!
 

hypocritexposer

Well-known member
Any correlation to poorer people being obese? In a lot of cases it might just come down to laziness. Not willing to work and not willing to put any effort into exercise or taking the time to cook healthy meals.
 

Big Muddy rancher

Well-known member
We live 20 miles from the grocery store. Tam would go in once a week and fill a shopping cart for the five of us and sometimes summer help. A lady the same age who lived across the street from the store commented one day about how many groceries Tam was buying. The wife of the store keeper who's a bit outspoken told her"Well she isn't in here for every meal".
:shock: :lol: :lol:
 

nonothing

Well-known member
one problem is good healyh food simply costs more to buy.you can buy packaged noodles four for a dollar or a head of lettece for 5 bucks...the poor are fat because the poor inner city people do not have gardens and fruit and vegatables cost alot...Why is it healthy choices cost more?
 

Faster horses

Well-known member
$5 for a head of lettuce???? Where do you live?
I can buy a head of lettuce for $1.39...

These same people most likely SMOKE...they can afford that...
not all, perhaps, but way too many.
 

hopalong

Well-known member
Faster horses said:
$5 for a head of lettuce???? Where do you live?
I can buy a head of lettuce for $1.39...

These same people most likely SMOKE...they can afford that...
not all, perhaps, but way too many.

Don't forget the 40 oz beers
 

katrina

Well-known member
Kato said:
It's got nothing to do with fast food joints, supermarkets, or the distance to either.

The real problem is that there is an entire generation of people raising children now who have never learned to cook. They are the first generation raised since a two income family became the norm. Their mothers were the first working Moms, and in all that excitement, they forgot to teach their children how to make their own supper.

The fact is that it takes about the same amount of time to put a potato in the microwave as a pizza pop. You can fry some sausages, cook some real potatoes, make a salad, and shoot some veggies through the microwave, and have a real meal out of real food that takes less time than waiting for a pizza delivery, and for a fraction of the cost.

Real food does not cost more than fast food. It's not over processed and full of chemicals and hidden fats and sugars. The trouble is that no one remembers how to cook it!


:agree:
 

Liveoak

Well-known member
katrina said:
Liveoak said:
I gather that where you live there are a lot of parents that have the luxury of staying home while the other parent earns a pay check. If those parents have obese children then they really have no one to blame except themselves. In the city, the majority of both parents work a fulltime job and this is why we have so much obesity in the city - no time to create a home cooked meal that's healthy! It's much easier to drive into a fast food place or grab a pizza for dinner. And, of course, there's the lack of physical activity. Public schools no longer require students to participate in a physical activity and there really isn't much at home other than the video games.

I applaud Michelle Obama for at least trying to muster some interest in the problem but I doubt she'll have much luck.


You've got to be joking! :shock:

Joking about what? Yes, parents that are able to cook a home meal have no excuse in providing a healthy diet for their kids. When I talk about both parents working I'm referring to a "paying" job that's typically 8-5. On the farm, their will always be chores to do and the kids are often involved. I rarely see obese kids on the farm! Now, mosey on over to the city and you will see mom and dad get into their individual cars at about 6:30 am and spend the next hour or so in bumper-to-bumper traffic trying to get to work. Breakfast for the kids is often no more than microwave junk because no one is going to get up at 5:30 am to prepare anything decent. Then the same parents fight the same traffic getting home in the evening around 7 pm or so. The kids have already gotten home after school, by 3:30 and proceed to eat more junk until mom and dad get home. Mom and dad eat junk too in a rush to get to work. In a city of 4 million, you can imagine how often this scene is repeated every day! Yes, a parent that gets to stay at home and prepare good meals and make sure the kids eat right and get some activity, is a luxury. And, I've seen plenty of those stay at home moms don't even do that for their kids. Biggest worry is the next Botox treatment or manicure. :(

Yes, there's still plenty of parents in the city that still manage to pull off sit down family breakfast and dinner, and make their kids work but, it seems the number of them continues to dwindle.
 
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