Lawmaker Wants Teachers In Hawaii Weighed For Obesity

[classics]

HONOLULU -- A state lawmaker has suggested Hawaii's public schoolteachers be forced to weigh in as part of the fight against obesity in students, KITV in Honolulu reported. State Rep. Rida Cabanilla introduced a resolution in the house requesting that the Board of Education establish an obesity database among public schoolteachers. "You cannot keep a kid to a certain standard that you yourself is not willing to keep," Cabanilla said. It's been documented that more than 20 percent of Hawaii's children are at risk, or are already overweight, according to the station. There are no statistics on teachers.

The resolution calls for all public schoolteachers to weigh in every six months. The measure calls for the education and health departments to formulate an obesity standard and appropriate measures for teachers who cannot meet the standard. "As a matter of fact, we should start at home, but since the legislature has no way to regulate homes, we can at least start in school," Cabanilla said. "And teachers have a lot of impact to these students."

The teachers union said it agrees that teachers are at the front line when it comes to the education and health of children, but it says the resolution is misguided.

...

http://www.thedenverchannel.com/education/4322022/detail.html

Thats right, teach the children the proper place for fatty is in the circus, not the classroom, Mr Master Race.

[oblivious]

1. That's the funniest headline I've seen in a long time.

[AlienGirl]

2. That's just dumb

Teachers are having a hard enough time without adding state-sanctioned appearance standards to their burden.

Tucker

[Behind the Aegis]

3. First they came for...

...the smokers, and I said nothing because I hate smoke anyway,
Then, they came for the overweight and I said nothing because I was a purger...

All jokes aside, this was bound to happen. It has been showing up in various ways, most notably anti-smoking laws, including that one company firing smokers who smoke in their own homes. This is really not much different. Why should people's preferences be legislated? Sure, being overweight is bad for you, but it is still America last time I checked.

All I can say, is the better not enact this in Congress or we will be replacing quite a few reps!

[AlienGirl]

5. It all relates to the idea that your body is not your *own*

There's this (to my mind nefarious) philosophy that a person's body does not really belong to the person, but rather to the State (or the Corporation, or the Insurer) and so, whomever "owns" your body has the right to tell you what to do with it. This way lies rump of skunk and madness...

Tucker

[f-bush]

6. Well Put Alien Girl

[AlienGirl]

7. The basic thesis belongs to UncleSepp

He wrote a very interesting piece about "body belonging to the Volk" a while back.

Tucker

[Caria]

8. Yup

And what percentage of the teachers are female?

[Matariki]

36. bingo

this applies to drug laws as well. we (as a society) seem to give more and more of ourselves away, mostly not to make 'waves'.

[donheld]

4. Teachers Want Lawmakers In Hawaii tested For Stupidity

[Little Star]

28. Teachers will have tons of support!

We all want lawmakers tested for stupidity.

[undergroundpanther]

9. Diets do not work

This is just Bigotry.

People, doctors, nobody knows what exactly IS making people fat.
If diets worked than there would not be fat people.For fat people face horrible bigotry from the thin population.

Thin people do not understand how it is to be heavy unless they have been fat before.A lifelong ignorant thin bigot cannot empathize with a fat person if all they do is act morally superior to fat people because of a thin body,fat can happen to anyone.
http://www.michigan.gov/surgeongeneral/0,1607,7-216-33084_33092_33097---,00.html
http://www.cmaj.ca/cgi/content/full/163/8/985

[Little Star]

24. Treatments for additions do not work either

if thats the standard we want to use. Diets and treatments for addiction work for some but not all. The ones that diets work for scream 'it works I did it' and the same for ones who have overcome their addiction.

Just sayin :eyes:

[pushycat]

27. Thin people have no idea how mean they can be even if

they act unintentionally. This kind of persecution needs to be shut down pronto. We have enough pain in the world to deal with already...why look for more.

[Matariki]

30. 'diets' don't work

but i find it hard to believe that eating a diet with LOTS of fruit and vegetables, not over-eating, and getting regular exercise will make/keep a person fat. i guess it also depends on what you define as 'fat'. your statement, "fat can happen to anyone" makes it seem like it's a virus or something flying around in that air that attaches to a person. unless there's some new science on what causes a body to store and not burn fat, i'm pretty sure it's directly related to food input vs. calorie burning. i understand that ratio can vary greatly in people.

i think the link you posted is more concerned with 'diets' in the sense of a regimen that lasts a period of time, rather than a lifetime change of eating habits. My understanding is the first doesn't usually work (especially for long term change) and the latter works.

do you have proof otherwise? links?

[DemBones DemBones]

53. If your metabolism is slow, which can be

a natural condition or can be caused by various diseases and/or medications (steroids, for example), then it is very easy to gain weight and very difficult to lose it. Gaining weight easily used to be an evolutionary advantage; people could fatten up in good times and literally live off their fat in bad times. But ketosis was never really good for the body.

The epidemic of obesity is undoubtedly related to increased consumption of fast foods and convenience foods but I also wonder about the effects of genetically modified foods that were smuggled onto the grocery aisles without informing the American consumer.

[Matariki]

56. and it's damn expensive to eat healthy

when my finances were better i would buy organic. this week it's cheap frozen bean & cheese burritos. god knows what else is in those things. *sigh*

[slampoet]

10. This is rascism plain and simple.

This would deny native Hawaians jobs since Native Hawaians tend to have more obesity problems than Howlies.

What's next? A law to deny people with small asses, so we can eliminate the Irish?

[BiggJawn]

11. Just bring in skinny Haoli to teach.

I was on the Big Island a long time ago, and I fit right in. If you saw a skinny person, odds were they were a Haoli tourist.

What bugged me was that crack about "we can't legislate them at home, so this is the next best thing"...
Hey, that can be fixed with a few new laws, knowhuttamean?

[Reader Rabbit]

12. As one of mostly Irish heritage....

....I must take exception to your comments. My ass is very well-rounded—in every sense of the phrase!

But I see your point!

[sarcasmo]

25. Welcome to D/U and I must say, HUBBA, HUBBA to your statement.

[slampoet]

34. I guess that you arent......

decended from boney-ass bogmen like me.

I'm envious.

[Little Star]

13. This needs to be placed in one of those

smoking threads so that the smokers can say I told you so. They have been warning that the next to be discriminated against would probably be fat people. My own personal response is 'give lawmakers an inch and they will take a mile. Any slippery slope is enough for them'

[Corgigal]

14. true

As a smoker I never got into those threads but I knew where this was going. I don't have to work and use the VA for medical care so I'm luckier then most workers right now.

It's only a matter of time. They will then start reaching into diabetic screening next. Of course people won't believe a employer will go after workers with a legitimate aliment. I think they will because whatever it takes to save money they will do.

[FlaGranny]

17. The next to be discriminated against

would be fat people? I've got news for them. Fat people have been discriminated against long before smokers ever were - though not by actual laws, of course. And there IS a difference. A fat person sitting next to you breathing, is not the same thing as a smoker sitting next to you smoking.

[Little Star]

22. You are right......

I should have specified 'discriminated against by law'. Sorry

[DemBones DemBones]

54. True on all counts! nt

[bee]

45. You said it sista!

People will have no problem when laws are passed that say smoking around a child is child abuse. But what will happen when the same laws are passed re: fat people? When on overweight child = child abuse? I can already feel the outrage. We (the US) are, after all, the fattest people in the world. And talk about health problems... Id suggest anyone who eats fast food to see "Super Size Me". The guy ate McDonalds for 30 days and almost had liver failure. From the food....
:scared:

[SKKY]

15. WFT???? "As a matter of fact, we should start at home..."????

...so, she thinks the State ought to legislate what should/should not happen in the home??? How Orwellian is that?

[rucky]

16. Never mind the pop machines and fried crap in their lunches.

bizarre priorities. not to mention the emphasis on product over process. I don't see what the kids would learn from this, except that society judges overweight people.

[Bridget Burke]

18. Weigh the legislators first.

The weigh-in process is unnecessarily demeaning, although good health is a fine goal.

Suggestions: Ensure that teachers have plenty of free time & enough money to join good health clubs. (None of this grading papers & writing lesson plans until late at night--after they've worked a full day & assisted in extracurricular projects.) Also--be sure they have time to shop for & prepare healthy food; when you arrive home late & exhausted, it's only too easy to just call for a pizza.

[MrBadExample]

19. Never mind the weigh-in...

> "You cannot keep a kid to a certain standard that you yourself is not willing to keep," Cabanilla said.


Someone should be ensuring that little things like subject/verb agreement are being taught. x(

[sinkingfeeling]

20. Right after the state legislature joins a spa and loses 20% of their fat!

[melm00se]

21. this will be positioned

as a financial decision (as with the smoker attacks):

"Obese people (or smokers or non-exercisers or...) carry more health risks than a non-(insert lifestyle here) driving up the overall costs of health insurance as well as the disruptions and loss of productivity caused by increased sick days"

How to counteract that arguement? not sure...

(edit: to fix typos)

[sinkingfeeling]

26. I've been waiting for proof of those types of statements for years.

As a single smoker, I used my employer supplied medical insurance 2 years out 30! The company kept saying my insurance cost the same as a family of four! Yet, I knew co-workers who ran up tens of thousands of dollars in doctor's visits, drugs, and minor surgery a year. And I'll still stack my use of sick days up against anybody's. Yes, that all may be wiped out sometime in the future, but I haven't seen a doctor in over 6 years and have zero prescription drugs.

[alcibiades_mystery]

37. How to counteract it?

Stop eating so much.

[melm00se]

38. not the obesity

but the financial justification....

[alcibiades_mystery]

39. six of one, half a dozen of the other

and not donuts...;-)

[oldcoot]

41. She is not using a financial argument

In this case, she is arguing that the state should interfere in the private lives of the serfs-I mean teachers- who work for the state to set an example for the children. It use to be common for states and school boards to regulate the personal and private lives of teachers (mainly female teachers) using the excuse that it was important for teachers to be "moral" because they worked with children. In the past, school boards and states were interested in regulating sexual behavior of teachers (married women were often prohibited from teaching).

Unfortunately, the new moralists have expanded their focus to include obese and overweight people. Instead of focusing on the very real health problems caused by obesity, they emphasize what they consider the immorality of being overweight. For example, they believe that fat people must be lazy. From this article, Rep. Cabanilla's comments suggest that she is one of these misguided individuals who views being overweight as a moral failing.

However, the financial argument would be relatively easy to counteract in this case. If the state passes this resolution, some teachers might decide to sue the state for invasion of privacy. Even if these teachers have no legal standing, the state could end up paying millions in legal fees that could have better gone to establishing quality physical education programs in the schools.

An even more significant problem is that the state risks losing good teachers. Talented and dedicated teachers are worth their weight in gold (even if they are obese). They make many sacrifices for their students including using their own money to buy supplies for their students (that should be provided by the state). Every time the state attacks teachers, either through low wages or poor legislation, some teachers no doubt reconsider their choice of occupation. Those individuals who live in a state with a high cost of living such as Hawaii probably question their choice of profession more than those individuals who live in areas with a low cost of living. If lawmakers in Hawaii make it too unpleasant and humiliating to work in Hawaii, many good teachers (even people who are not obese might not appreciate being weighed by the state) might decide that they would rather work in another state.

This legislation might also make it difficult to attract excellent teachers from other states. Even those individuals who are not overweight might be concerned that the state of Hawaii might not stop with the fat people and might start legally harassing other people such as those teachers who drink. If the state of Hawaii cannot attract or keep good teachers, the state will have might end up facing a serious economic crises because it may not able to produce an educated workforce for local businesses. Some businesses might relocate to other states that can provide better-educated workers. In the end, Hawaii might end up losing more money than it saved through lower health-care costs.

[sarcasmo]

23. Kick and Nom. The health care industry has wanted this in place for a

LONG time. It started with smokers and now has moved to obesity. Here in West Michigan one of the biggest employers Meijers which is a local form of big box mart has forced it's employees to quit smoking or pay higher health care costs.
Obesity will be next. If you are over weight by so many pounds your insurance premiums and deductibles will be higher.
This country is now controlled by big pharmaceutical and the insurance companies, just look at the new Medicare bill to see the proof.

[Little Star]

29. When they started with seatbelt laws for adults

I knew we were on a slippery slope! I knew that we gave them the inch to take the mile. Sometimes I think that we miss the broader picture because we focus on the specific instance.

[Little Star]

31. Sorry I also have a question

What freedom will we next give up for the good of health, money,etc.
I SAY NO FREEDOM! Let individuals make their own choices and keep our freedoms! Yep! :mad:

[FiveGoodMen]

44. You are so right!

That's just what I thought, too.

[patdem]

32. So, before obesity became a problem they wrote a law protecting fast food

NOW the cost will belong to those who have been effected by the fast food industry and can do NOTHING about it except PAY UP? That is all about privitizing profits and socializing risks. :grr:

[Little Star]

33. Bingo

I pray we wake up and stop falling for these fake reasons that sound sooooooooo good. Giving up ANY freedom is bad! :mad:

[Matariki]

35. what law was that?

not challenging you, genuinely curious.

[Little Star]

40. For instance, seat belt laws, imho. n/t

[Matariki]

42. no, i mean what "law protecting fast food"?

are you referring to? the one you are angry about?

[Little Star]

49. Sorry

are you talking to Patdem? Or maybe I'm just not getting your question.
I have occasionally been thick headed.

[bee]

47. The cheeseburger bill. No joke.

It passed the House, but got batted down in the Senate.
Heres an article about it:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/03/10/health/main605157.shtml

another edit: looks like the house passed it AGAIN in October of 2005....
http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/10/20/cheeseburger.bill/

edit: typo

[Matariki]

52. i have to admit

i don't understand suing a restaurant for the food i put in my mouth. that seems to take an awful lot of responsibility away from a person for their own behavior. of course, i don't watch tv and am not affected by McDonald's (et al) advertising - for all i know it's become SO effective that people see the ads and have NO choice but to eat their crap (?)

[PassingFair]

43. Is our children learning?

"You cannot keep a kid to a certain standard that YOU YOURSELF IS NOT WILLING TO KEEP,"
Cabanilla said."

:rofl:

[KamaAina]

46. Cabanilla may possibly be the biggest dunce in the entire Legislature

and out here, that's saying a lot! :dunce: :dunce: :dunce:

I deal with legislative issues quite frequently. Every time Cabanilla's name comes up, the response is the classic "eye roll". :eyes:

At least it's only a reso and not an actual bill. This fails on so many levels. It's discriminatory, not only against the obese but against ethnic groups (native Hawaiian and Samoan, notably) whose members tend toward obesity. It violates HIPAA. It's just plain stupid.

She may have the IQ of lint, but (surprise!) she is at least slender -- no weigh-ins necessary for Rida. Oh yes, it is my sad duty to inform you that she is a Democrat. Not all evil or stupidity has an (R) after its name, although in this case, the D stands for Dummy.

"You cannot keep a kid to a certain standard that you yourself is not willing to keep," Cabanilla said.

Is our legislators learning? :sarcasm: Naturally she'd end up on the Education Committee!

http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/site1/house/comm/commEDN.asp?press1=house&press2=comm

Be afraid. Be very afraid.

edit: dunce caps

[DemBones DemBones]

55. Thanks for the straight dope on this dope!

I couldn't believe that she said

"You cannot keep a kid to a certain standard that you yourself is not willing to keep."

I was trying to be charitable, thinking maybe English wasn't her first language.

This also discriminates against the disabled whose disabilities and/or the medications they must take (steroids, for example) cause weight gain.

[KamaAina]

57. She actually was born in the Philippines, but

has lived on the Rock since 1970, for Pete's sake (and is about my age, so would have come here at age 6 or 7). She's even been a nursing instructor at community college. Sheesh.

http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/site1/house/members/rep42.asp?press1=house&press2=members

Nice catch on the disability/weight gain angle. D'oh! I could've had a V-8...

[Godhumor]

48. As a former teacher in Honolulu...

Man, am I glad I got out of there. It is the only state I have ever been to where teachers need to negotiate to move up a salary step, the superintendent is advocating for teachers to be on an 11 month schedule (one month in summer would consist of 24 days of meetings), and now this fruit loop is trying to shove this on top.

Seriously, Hawai'i loses most of its mainland teachers after one or two years due to how incredibly shabby educators are treated.

[DinahMoeHum]

50. That's weird. I was under the impression that teachers in Hawaii

at least in the Hawaiian culture, are well-respected.

Then again, I guess I've reading too many issues of Hawaii magazine. (Sigh!)

:evilfrown:

[Bridget Burke]

51. What do "state legislators" have to do with "culture"?

Visit Texas some time....

[Godhumor]

58. Maybe people respect them

But the government sure does not. Actually, there are a lot of problems in Hawai'i's public education system right now, and a lot of money is spent recruiting new mainland teachers every year to replace the ones that leave. I'd go on a major rant about this, including the governor refusing to deem us essential employees in order to save money, but that is more than I want to type at the moment. Suffice to say, when I was making my decision about staying or leaving a teacher with 9 more years of experience than me tried to cheer me up by showing me how much more her pay-check was (This was my third year teaching, first in Hawai'i) than mine. I didn't have the heart to tell her it was about $75 more every pay period.