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At more than 200 pounds, the third-grader is considered severely obese and at risk for developing such diseases as diabetes and hypertension”
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The article goes on to
quote Mary Louise Madigan, a spokeswoman for the Cuyahoga County Department of
Children and Family Services who said that the mother's inability to get her son's weight down was a form of "medical
neglect”…..Keep in mind that this statement was made, in spite of the fact
that records show the child's only current medical problem is sleep apnea….. and
that condition is being treated successfully.
Right about now, someone
is saying to themself…..”David, you
haven’t written anything for some time now…...why did you choose this subject to
start back up with your brilliant commentary?”…….Well, since you asked, let
me first say…”thank you for the
‘brilliant commentary’ comment”….and secondly, let me say that ”this kind of crap, is the foundation for
almost everything that is wrong in this country”
First of all, I agree that
an 8-year-old should not weigh 200 pounds…..but then again neither should the 5
foot tall, 65-year-old woman, wearing spandex pants and a tube top….who was
standing in front of me at WalMart yesterday. As much as I was hoping that the
“fashion police” would swoop in and take her away….alas, it didn’t happen. And
as hard as it is to admit this….it really shouldn’t happen. For one reason it
would take a lot of the fun out of going to WalMart….but that’s another story.
Back to the fat kid…….
So basically what we have
here is a group of people (who are obviously smarter than everyone else)….who step in and
take this kid away from his family….and put him in foster care. We all know
what a good idea that is. After all, no kid was ever mistreated, molested, or
malnourished (that’s all the “m” words I could come up with) in foster
care…..right? And ALL kids from the foster care system end up mentally,
physically and socially superior to kids who were not in the system….right?
Leave the kid alone.
While you're pondering that......ponder this. Do you think that any of this kid’s teachers....case workers at the Cuyahoga County DCFS....or any of the other
people who were so concerned about him…..smoke cigarettes? I only ask that since according to a 1997
California EPA Report on Secondhand Smoke… “53,800 people die every year from
secondhand smoke exposure”….and “children are at significant risk”. While I’m certainly not an expert on the
subject….I’m guessing that the number of kids who die from exposure
to second-hand smoke every year….far exceeds the number of 8-year-olds who die from being
fat. So the question is this: Should we take away the kids of all people who
smoke in order to save them from a seemingly certain death from second-hand smoke? If we use the same logic as the Cuyahoga County Department of Children
and Family Services….and the statistics from the California EPA Report….the answer is a resounding "YES"....and smoker's kids should not only be
taken away from them…the smoker's should also go to prison for child endangerment. (A 3rd
degree felony in Ohio, if you're taking notes....Actually it's a 3rd degree felony in Ohio even if you aren't taking notes)
Do I really believe that?
Of course not....but where does it end? What the government should do, is stay out of these type of situations entirely. If the kid was in immediate danger….then sure…someone should step
in and protect him. But that wasn’t the case here. Everyone involved admitted
that he wasn’t in any immediate danger. This action was done entirely based on
the possibility of danger. What’s next? The government doesn’t like your
religion, and feels that it could possibly have a negative impact on your
children…so they come in and take away your kids? The government doesn’t like
your political leanings…and they feel that it might cause some type of mental
stress on your children….so they come in and take them away?
Before you say….”Oh that would never happen”…..think
about this….Did you ever think the government would come in and take away a
mother’s 8-year-old kid because he was fat? Of course not. This is just one more example of government over-stepping their boundaries…..just like outlawing “Happy Meals”
in San Francisco. It is also the same type of governmental action that strives
to completely take away a person’s personal responsibility. Even an 8-year-old
should have a certain amount of personal responsibility for what they eat.
After all, there were NO reports of the mother force-feeding the kid.
To all of you boneheads in
government……listen up; For the most part, you can’t even do the jobs that you
were elected or appointed to do….so until you get that under control…..stay out
of everyone’s personal lives…and go back to whatever it is you’re supposed to
be doing. If you continue to insist on being the self-appointed “fat monitors”
for the country…..then I guess I will be forced to become the self-appointed
“stupid monitor”. Then when we meet on the street, you can say to me “You’re
fat” (which isn’t true)…....and in response I will be forced to say “Well, you’re
stupid” (which, of course WOULD be true). Then Again….That’s Just Me
