The Free Market......Tastes Great, Less Filling

Banning fast-food advertising to children would reduce child obesity rates by up to 18% in the U.S., according to a new study.

The study by the U.S. National Bureau of Economic Research and funded by the National Institutes of Health determines that ending fast-food advertising on children’s programming would reduce the number of overweight children aged 3 to 11 by 18%, and for adolescents (12- to 18-year-olds) by 14%. Data also revealed a more pronounced effect on males than females.

The N.I.H. does not recommend ending such programming......just points out what the effects would be.

Costs to the U.S. health care system: $14 billion per year. Advertising budget for fast food promotion? $11+ billion dollars a year. Advertising budgets run under 10% of profits in a good business. In a mortar and concrete businesses. In conceptual businesses, think 5% or less. Do the math. $200 billion dollar profits.

Once again, we privatize the profits, and socialize the costs.

I won't even get into the Michael Pollan stuff about how our farm policies are warped to produce mass quantities of cheap calories.....as if we were freezing to death and starving while fighting off Martians from underground fortresses.

Sherman! Set the WayBack Machine to 1961! Let us see some kids' programming and advertising.

Memo to George Bush: Regulations Are BAD!