Were I (God forbid!) the president or a candidate for that office, I'd be more than a little irritated if someone asked me what I planned to do about it. My response would be something like this: "Let me get this straight. I'm responsible for making sure planes don't get brought down by terrorists. I need to decide whether or not to launch a nuclear attack and possibly destroy the entire earth. I have to make sure we get along with hundreds of other countries, balance a multi-trillion dollar budget, stimulate the economy, and get political parties that hate each other to work together, but it's ALSO my job to make sure your kid has something other than Pepsi and and candy corn for breakfast, that you exercise on a regular basis and your mom quits chewing Skoal? Really? REALLY???"
I did look at the website http://www.fightchronicdisease.org/iowa and saw that they at least say that they are for prevention, and some of their partners are organizations I support. However, their policy platform "proposes the following public policy recommendations to help our nation’s leaders – including the 2016 presidential candidates – address the growing epidemic of chronic disease and highlight commonsense reforms that will help the nation address this challenge". We don't need "public policy", we need P.R.I.D.E.! Don't ask what presidential candidates can do for you; ask what you can do for yourself. Exercise. Stop stuffing your face with carbohydrates. Stop using tobacco.
The vast majority of chronic disease, especially Type 2 diabetes, is caused by bad decisions, not bad luck. We don't need more government studies to find out what causes them or more funding for more expensive treatments for the symptoms. We need grow up, to take responsibility for ourselves, and to stop acting like victims. It's simple. Not easy, but simple. Bring back an insurance billboard.
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