Thread: Economist says fat Americans contributing to gas crisis

Economist says fat Americans contributing to gas crisis
June 9th, 2008 @ 7:06am
by Colton Shone/KTAR

Overweight Americans can take some of the blame for the high demand for gasoline, according to University of San Diego economist Richard McKenzie.

He says Americans are, on average, 24 pounds heavier than they were in the 1960s.

``Those extra pounds are the equivalent of 42 million additional Americans that are not officially counted," McKenzie says.

``And we're having to haul those Americans around in automobiles and take them along on jet planes. We are today consuming about a billion of gallons more than we would have to use if Americans today weighed exactly what they did in 1960."

Besides travel, McKenzie says fat Americans are driving up the price of food.

``There are all kinds of billions of gallons of gasoline being used to produce the food that's ultimately packed onto people's backsides and billions of gallons needed just for people to be able to consume calories to carry around excess weight," McKenzie says.





http://ktar.com/?nid=6&sid=861194

Come on people stop cramming your faces!!! I promise that in the near future your plane tickets will be pro rated baised on your weight!!! And also it will become almost impossible for what a doctor considers and obese person to get any kind of health coverage. Insurance companys will just say your going to have to pay because of a poor lifestyle.

I would hope I weigh 24 pounds more than I did in 1960......I was only 5.

But I lost 3 family members to off-set the additional weight and had extra to add 2 kids who both together didn't add up to one who is gone. Is my fat credit leveled out then? LOL

My husband said he read an article where they were going to charge air fares according to weight. Wonder which way this will discriminate? More money for fat people to where skinny people are overlooked because they won't collect as much money per flight with them, or only skinny people fly? What about the huge football players and extreemly tall basket ball players? It is just plain insane. I know at my age, I weigh alot less than my parents did at this age and it's alot more than I did 5 years ago. Normal weight has changed I think 3 times so far in my lifetime to where I don't think they have a clue what's going on. I've been to both ends of the spectrum trying to be "normal" and didn't matter because each time I finally got there they changed the rules. LOL Right now I don't care anymore.....I think I put by body through more change and damage trying to be their idea of "normal" than if they would have just left me alone and let me be.

FAT CREDITS