I am a big admirer and supporter of our First Lady Michelle Obama and her important public health initiative "Let's Move". So I was extremely disappointed when the very people Michelle Obama has been trying to reach the last several years engaged in irresponsible behavior during the Walmart EBT debacle. The people involved in this episode already have too much food due to programs like food stamps and farm subsidies that make unhealthy food cheap. These government programs enable excessive food consumption and unhealthy eating habits and are thus having a very negative impact on Americans' lives and must be cut and reformed!
The EBT episode happened in a part of the country that the CDC describes as the "Diabetes Belt". Louisiana, the state of the episode, also has one of the highest percentage of the population receiving food stamps. So the CDC and Michelle Obama and countless public health officials have identified a serious problem in the US --excessive food consumption. Excessive food consumption is not a "problem" created by Ted Cruz and the Tea Party...this is a REAL problem that is having deadly consequences. Too much food and unhealthy eating habits are decreasing quality of life, increasing suffering, and increasing health care costs.
Please note, this is not the first public health crisis due to our status as an agricultural powerhouse--excessive alcohol consumption and smoking are two public health issues that progressives were NOT afraid to combat and our nation is much better off because of the campaigns waged against those public health issues.
I think the Democrats' hearts are in the right place, but Big Farm/Food and Walmart have distorted the food stamp program and undermined its mission--enabling Americans to live healthy productive lives. I also believe the health care industry and Big Pharmacy might be involved in backdoor lobbying for increased food stamps because of the expensive health care issues that are created by too much food consumption.
In addition, I do not have to educate the readers of this website about the environmental damage Big Farm is doing to our nation. So the demand for unhealthy food and excessive consumption created by food stamps also has a negative environmental impact. Readers of this website also know how obesity and unhealthy eating habits increase health care costs for all Americans. So if we want to help make the ACA successful we must help reduce health care costs.
The time is ripe for Democrats to reach across the aisle and with the help of Republicans stand up to Big Farm/Food and Walmart and stand with our First Lady and end obesity. We must make cuts to and reform SNAP in order to fight obesity. Let's Move!