Argumentative Essay

In recent years, obesity has become an important health issue in America and in certain Western European countries. As is known to all, the rate of obesity is still increasing substantially and becomes unrestrainable. Nowadays, obesity is no longer a personal matter that only causes to major health problems; on the contrary, it is responsible for the high health and social care and the growing unemployment costs. These costs of obesity threat the economic and social growth of the country and impose on other people. Therefore, in order to solve the complex problems that obesity brings about, first, the government should immediately intervene to reduce obesity by means of health, healthy nutrition, and daily exercise education programs, proper jobs for obese people, high taxes on fatty fast foods and sugary drinks, and on fast food restaurants.
Many obese people explicitly reject any form of government intervention, which tries to treat their obesity, because this intervention is at the same an intrusion into their privacy. According to obese people, the government interferes in their private life without any permission and makes decisions about their lives. It gives them the feeling of being observed and under the pressure by people and government. Furthermore, this government intervention keeps obese people under control by certain diet and exercise rules. Due to these rules, obese people cannot comfortably eat or drink what they want and cannot even act freely in the way that they want. In short, instead of helping obese people to overcome their obesity, government infringes intentionally upon their right to private life.
Obese people believe that the government intervention is an infringement on their individual choice as well. Therefore, they cannot make their own choices about what they eat or drink; on the contrary, the government regulate what people will eat or drink every day. According to obese people, the government might have the right to keep them under control if they harm or do wrong to other people; but, their fatty fast foods and sugary drinks harm only themselves and not someone else. Consequently, the government has absolutely no right to interfere in the kitchen, foods and beverages of obese people. Obese people point out that everyone whether he or she is thin or obese has a fundamental right to individual choice and can exercise it however he or she wants.
Another government intervention is the rising health care costs that make health insurance less affordable for obese people and cause them to have deep financial problems. As is known to all, many obese people cannot work because of their health problems and physical troubles; thus, they do not have a regular monthly earned income. In order to pay their health insurance costs, most of them borrow routinely money and thus get into personal debts. The social welfare payment is the only source of income that obese people receive from the government and try live off it. Nevertheless, the government still demands from them a regular payment of their high health insurance costs. According to obese people, the best and possible way to treat their obesity is to make the health insurance costs payable for them.
The intrusion into privacy, infringement on the individual choice, and financial problems that the government intervention brings about can cause obese people to have a psychological breakdown, and significant humiliation. As is known to all, many obese people are already dissatisfied with their body and feel ashamed of it. Additionally, they believe that their feelings and opinions are less respected because of their appearance and thus feel themselves as a loser, lazy, and weak person in the society. To top it all off (obendrein noch), due to the government intervention the society devotes its attention and interest to obese people which then makes them feel more heavily humiliated and ridiculed. Consequently, the government intervention and people’s attention can probably cause obese people to commit a suicide or massacre.
It is necessary that obese people get rid of their body fat in the shortest possible time because they impose enough costs on everyone either through higher costs of public transport, health care, unemployment, and food taxes. Considering that when the government leaves those obese people to their own devices so their health conditions might become worse and more complicated. Most particularly, the primary purpose of the government intervention is to save the future of obese people and its country. Basically, obese people should be grateful to the government that helps them to overcome their obesity because with the help of government’s intervention they can change themselves and become more courageous, self-confident and hardworking in the society.
In order to guarantee the future of the country, government should first implement health education programs for obese people each weekend. Particularly, these health education programs should also be implemented at schools so that obesity in young generation can be prevented earlier. The personal participation in these programs should be compulsory for every obese people; otherwise, there will be a penalty fine for those people who do not attend these courses. The health professionals should first make obese people believe that obesity is treatable and they can overcome it. Additionally, obese people should be thoroughly informed about the negative effects of obesity on their health for example, heart failure, stroke, sleeping apnea, diabetes and cancer. By attending in these health education programs regularly, obese people can realize that their health is in danger and stop themselves psychologically and physically from eating junk foods and drinking sugary drinks.
Secondly, the government should implement healthy nutrition education programs at schools and public seminars in which obese people learn how chips, ice cream, chocolate, hamburger, and other fast foods affect their body negatively. The nutrition professionals should encourage obese people to adopt a new healthy eating habit and prepare for them a daily diet in order to lose their weight. With the help of these diet plans, obese people get used to eat healthy foods, fruits and vegetables in place of higher calorie, salty, sugary and fatty foods. Even, these programs should teach obese people how to cook their own meals at home. Finally, if obese people attend these programs regularly and accomplishedly, then they can receive a thank you rebate as a reward but if they fail to participate, then the government should increase their health insurance costs as a penalty.
A factor that contributes to obesity is the lack of physical activity. Many obese people eat and drink too much and do not exercise enough; thus, the government should thirdly implement mandatory daily exercise programs for them. As is known to all, many obese people are unemployed and thus they have enough time to do exercises under a physical education teacher’s care every morning. They can jog, walk, and do gymnastic exercises and yoga, or other sport activities. Additionally, the government should check the weight of obese people weekly and make reductions in the health insurance costs of those obese people that become thinner day by day. Through these rewards obese people can get more motivated and enthusiastic to overcome their obesity and their efforts can encourage other people to keep an eye on their weight.
Another reason that causes obesity to increase is laziness, many obese people do not work and hack around the house; therefore, they contribute to the growing unemployment costs. The government should first provide proper jobs according to the health status of obese people. If their health status is good, then they should work for transportations or storehouse jobs in which they should lift heavy objects or do other hard jobs so that they are on the move over day and consequently become flexible and thin. The government should even arrange exercise programs for obese people while they have rest breaks. Additionally, if the health status of obese people is bad, then they should work in telecommuting jobs, office jobs or other easy jobs which do not harm their health. By doing so, the government can solve the unemployment problem but if obese people do not want to work and exercise in their rest breaks, then the government should not cover their needed medications or therapy.
One of the most important factors responsible for the increasing of obesity is the affordable fast foods and sugary drinks that include extra double calories which make people to gain weight. In order to restrict the selling of these fattening fast foods and sugary drinks, the government should pass laws to tax them. As is known to all, many people prefer eating at low-cost fast-food restaurants like McDonald’s, Subway, and Burger King. Particularly, to stop people from this desire, the government should also demand taxes on these fast food restaurants and check them regularly when they do not prove any nutrition facts. Additionally, in these fast food restaurants the government should even limit advertising menus with huge portions and in place of them it should support the production of fruits and vegetables.
Obesity can kill a country when its health care and unemployment costs continue to increase rapidly. Therefore, every country should take measures against obesity in time. Surely, the government gets into too many debts by helping its obese people but this case is better than suffering an economic and social decline forever. Of course, the weight of a person is not merely his or her own business but also government’s business because they both depend on each other. In conclusion, the health, power, and success of a person are at the same time the health, power, and success of a country; consequently, they can move forward together.