Hunger or Obesity, Which Is It?

It seems that not a day goes by without the public being bombarded with stories of the obesity epidemic in America. News programs regularly announce the latest survey and scientific data as evidence that U.S. adults and children are eating entirely too much. Alarms, alerts, and warnings about food and drink continuously pepper the air waves.

Rules and regulations have been instituted to limit access to, and content of, snack food and soft drinks. Students see limits on food and drink choices in cafeterias and vending machines while, inexplicably, they are force-fed information about every conceivable choice of sexual behavior. And, every night before going to bed, television viewers can rely on late-evening talk show monologues to include nasty, scornful shots aimed at overweight people.

Given all that, why am I seeing this headline from the Ass. Press?

Summer means hunger for many Ohio children

First of all, it's ludicrous to assert that hunger is a function of the Earth's orbit. If children are not eating, they will be hungry, despite the season of the year.

Secondly, it's contradictory to contend that Ohio's children are experiencing hunger while the entire nation, including Ohio, is being scolded for eating too much. I sense mendacity on both sides. The obesity epidemic is likely not as bad as it's advertised and the children in Ohio are not really experiencing serious hunger. But wait, the Ass. Press has more.

While about half a million Ohio school children from low-income families are eligible to receive free or reduced-price summer meals through a state program, only about 50,000 are participating.

State agencies and nonprofit groups work to find places that will provide the meals and participation has gone up slightly, but officials remain unhappy with the low rate.

"There are absolutely children going hungry because of this," said Dianne Radigan, chief operating officer for the Columbus-based Children's Hunger Alliance. "And it's not a money issue."

It's difficult for me to believe that kids are hungry if they don't bother to show up for free food. In fact, my experience with kids is that they don't even have to be hungry to be motivated to scarf down a free meal. So, if 450,000 Ohio children are skipping the state giveaway, it's probably because they're getting plenty to eat elsewhere.

And, with regard to the Children's Hunger Alliance saying it's not a money issue, long ago I learned that if someone says it's not about the money, you can bet your sweet hat that it's about the money.

To be exact, $37 million in federal funds is at stake and the Children's Hunger Alliance is set to lose a big chunk of that cash unless it can convincingly exaggerate the hunger problem. To do so, the Ass. Press can be relied upon to support the misery-mongers, and any other big government socialist scheme, for that matter.

The media demonstrate a serious lack of competence when two diametrically-opposed crises are broadcast simultaneously. Either Americans are too fat or too hungry, not both. Personally, I suggest that there is a third choice and say that both issues are overblown.