We should do my Idea switch the entire school system to private and use subsidies to pay for children to go to those schools, it would actually cost less than our public school systems

Avinash,
I think what you recommend would happen if "vouchers" were available... if people could take their tax dollars for education ANYWHERE...

I should also say that Albuquerque has a thriving network of private schools that has developed because Albuquerque Public Schools (APS) are such a mess.

APS has reached critical mass - in that it now lives just to grow and get more money and power. No longer is education Job #1. If it were it would split itself in to more than one district.

What are they going to do with the money that would actually have any impact?

The "Obesity Epidemic" is such a frustrating problem because on the individual level it really isn't that hard of a problem to solve; do some sort of resistance training to gain 5 to 10 pounds of muscle, do mild to moderate aerobic excercize for 30 to 60 minutes 3 to 6 times per week, and eat healthy foods until you're satisfied (not necessarily full).

Everyone knows how to solve the problem, and yet nothing changes because it is nearly impossible to motivate someone to do the right thing when so many people are promising (impossible) quick fixes ...

Might be more effective to place a high tax on unhealthy foods, alcohol and cigarettes and subsidize fruit, vegetables and other healthy choices of food.

Unhealthy eating habits are very inexpensive when compared to how costly it is to eat healthy. A lot of unhealthy habits are actually very inexpensive.

Yes and no ...

Inexpensive, highly processed foods tend to be very high in calories and low in nutritional value but they are far from being the only inexpensive foods. Lentils and Beans are very good for you, make excellent meat alternatives and are very cheap; on top of this there are a lot of less expensive cuts of meat that can be worked with to produce very healthy meals, and you can adjust your fruit and vegetable intake to match what is inexpensive durring the season.

It's not that stupid. Using taxes to pay good causes is a great idea... And to tax the source of the problem is actually quite clever. Like when republicans refuse to tax cigarettes more to pay for health care. That is STUPID!

 I see your point; however, think of the other components you will need to create a healthy well-balanced meal. I doubt if anyone is going to eat just lentils and beans (and cheaper canned beans tend to be high in sodium which promotes high blood pressure). Once you add the costs of buying individual components for meals..plus the time to prep them....it becomes a bit costly and extra when compared to buying a value meal from McDoanlds at about 4-6 dollars which is convenient and easily accessible.

I'm also not familiar with the price variations of vegetables and fruits? Maybe because I live in the city? But my favorites fruits tend to always be a bit pricy, which sucks considering they don't really last that long (especially bananas).

Even healthier cereals tend to be more costly than unhealthy cereals. A small @zz box of Total Raisin Brand is about the same price as a large box of Frosted Flakes.

While it is a good idea to get kids outside, I don't think a tax will really help in this case. If you are going to tax something, tax fast food. That way, people think twice about buying it.

I also disagree with the idea of vouchers that someone suggested earlier. If the private schools want more people to go there, they should take them for free, or have them pay a nominal fee. Vouchers would completely destroy the public school system, and allow the people that run the schools to make obscene amounts of money. I also don't understand the problem with public schools in general. My school is excellent, and has a reputation for lots of academic competition. I have a 4.42 out of a possible 4.5 and I am still not in the top 10%. If you want to make schools better, you increase funding, reduce class sizes, and get schools better equipment. You do not use vouchers.