[Matman]

The fact that every state in the US has obese children living within their borders does not make childhood obesity a federal issue. People in every state have headaches too, but should the federal government be handing out free aspirins?

People who believe that the federal government should get involved in local issues like what school cafeterias put on their menus and what local schools can put in vending machines apparently think that people here in the DC area are smarter, more competent, and more trustworthy than people in their own communities. Otherwise, why would they argue that people working hundreds of miles away from their school are more capable of deciding what their children should be eating than they are?

If the federal government would remove its clutches from states and local governments, there would be more money to spend in public schools and people in my neighborhood might be feeling the recession a little bit more. Every piece of legislation like this one creates more good paying jobs in and around the nation's capital. Come to the Washington suburbs and see for yourself what a recession looks like here (or should I say, a jobless recovery?).

I do not think the people in DC are any smarter. However we do not have nutritionist of dieticians at the local schools. Lunch ladies, principals and teachers are not nutritionist. But I am all for somthing local if they would do it. I do not believe you can compare obesity to headaches. I do think it is close to cigerettes and cancer though. We could take a look at that route.