Obesity in the Headlines

July 29, 2004 - Daily Telegram (Superior)

It's encouraging to see presidential candidates practicing physical fitness

The Daily Telegram

We've finally found an issue that President George W. Bush and Sen. John Kerry actually agree on.

You might not find it on either presidential candidate's political platform and it probably won't come up in any future debates, but that doesn't necessarily negate its importance in the overall scheme of our country.

Both Bush and Kerry recognize and endorse the importance of maintaining an active lifestyle to boost their overall health. Best of all, they practice what they preach whenever they get the chance. Whether Bush is seen jogging or riding a mountain bike or Kerry is hitting the slopes on a snowboard or the waves on a sailboard, these two men are setting the right example when it comes to physical fitness.

And that example couldn't come a moment too soon. Whether Bush earns an extended stay in the White House or Kerry serves him eviction papers following the election in November, it's important that the president engage in a fight against obesity in this country.

So what's the big deal about having a president who is more apt to sweat away the pounds during a jog than putting them on while vegging out on the White House couch? That's because, for better or for worse, the president of the United States needs to set the examples - and hopefully start the trends - that will ultimately benefit the citizens of this country.

The costs associated with nationwide obesity are estimated to be in the billions of dollars. It goes without saying that a leaner, more physically fit nation is also an economically stronger one. Those billions of dollars can be better spent in myriad other ways.

We find it refreshing that Kerry enjoys playing pickup ice hockey, or Bush roams the outskirts of his Texas ranch on a mountain bike. Sure, it doesn't hurt to appear youthful and energetic when courting young voters, and it certainly must peel away many layers of stress that they accumulate, but at the very least they are showing how much they value being active.

Bush and Kerry own differing opinions on just about everything - taxes, how to fight terrorism, Iraq, health care, abortion and gay marriage, to name just a few - but both men can take a bite out of this super sized, under fit, tied-to-the-tube nation. This can be accomplished in two ways: one, by continuing to do what they are already doing, pursuing physical fitness in the public eye; and second, by finding innovative and real solutions to our eternal battle of the bulge.

Hopefully the examples they set will trickle down into the general populace and begin a trend of shrinking waistlines.