Cardinal. If you don't fucking read anything in the thread, don't come in here and aggressively call me wrong. The reason it's not just their fucking problem? As Kame said (and me, and a ton of other people), medicare, medicaid. The government pays for the fat morons getting their solutions. And everything else you've addressed has also been addressed by me already.
I just skim read this entire topic. So kindly take a minute or two to read this, and bear with me.
What's painfully and most apparently clear is the outright discrimination and categorization of 'obese' or 'fat' people. Fat people have existed since the dawn of time, fat is an important element of our body's natural composition. The true 'obesity' problem is to do with television (surprise surprise) and mass media. The way this works is two-fold. Firstly, sitting in front of a television does absolutely nothing for your physical well-being. But, secondly, and more importantly, mass media (television, advertisements, posters, models, celebrities, glossy magazines, etc) are portraying this false image of what 'normal' people look like. Furthermore, the very lifestyle in which we exist, has been accepted as the 'normal' way. A 9 til 5 office job, an hour commute to work in a car, come home, have dinner sitting down, maybe stick the TV on for a while, go to bed, read a book, sleep and repeat. Now - I am not saying that this lifestyle applies to everyone, because, there are always exceptions to any rule. What I am getting at here, hopefully, is that this thread has so far been discussing dietary solutions and economic measures - when in reality, a solution or a 'cure' to tackling America (and other nations') obesity problem lies in changing lifestyles, not diets.
To return to my first point about the categorization/discrimination issue, there will always be fat people. Some people just don't enjoy exercising, some people have genetic makeup which alters their metabolism, some people endure mental health issues which affect their eating habits, and quite simply, some people simply like eating. My main argument here, is merely a hit on the language which is used, worldwide, when discussing 'obesity'. It is almost always referred to as a problem, or an issue - which implies that it needs to be fixed, or cured. I'll try not to derail into an angsty hatred of mass media here - but I'll just say a few things which hopefully explain my dislike of this kind of language. In chronological order, since the 1970s, these issues have come and gone: Climate change, Acid Rain, Global Warming, Mad Cow Disease, Foot and Mouth Disease, SARS, Bird Flu/H5 N1, Swine Flu - and a handful of others I can't remember off the top of my head. The media portrays these 'bigger pictures' for us, and it portrays them in the light of 'serious problems'. My promise to not derail this topic will continue so far as to say that 'serious problems', require 'serious fixes', which in turn results in capital exchange. If you live your life fearing these bigger problems, you will become swallowed up in the vast chasm of what capitalism truly is. If you want to continue
down this line of thought, these videos are very insightful and thought-provoking - and display the issues I have highlighted - in a British point of view.
To return on topic, and to wrap up - let me say sorry, Cent. I live in blissful ignorance of American internal affairs and know nothing about medicare or medicaid. A quick wikipedia search revealed to me that it is simply a legislative measure to provide welfare to those who need it. We have something similar in the United Kingdom and it is abused to shit by the dregs and scum of society who refuse to get an education and get a job and instead spend their money on drugs and alcohol, spawning a generation of teenage pregnancies, which increases the number of people who qualify for this very same welfare which is bringing society down. It is a vicious cycle. But, a bit like fat people, there will always be these dregs of society, and I can't imagine a world where a government did not make a conscious effort to provide for people who needed it. There can be no half-measures, and whatever course of action is ultimately decided in the War on Obesity - will leave a lot of individuals feeling alienated, discriminated and put down.
My honest opinion is that there is no simple solution to obesity. Lifestyles must change, and for lifestyles to change, there must be an active shift in perceptions. However, there cannot be a shift in perception without an acceptance that the current mode of production is inherently flawed. With no alternative mode on the horizon, nor around the corner - there will be no shift in perceptions, no lifestyle changes and obesity (and many other problems) will still exist in all societies.
My best answer to the problem is one which stretches far to the right, borderline police-state territory. The head of every household (or every adult) is issued a card/electronic chip/high tech device with which they purchase all their food (caloric) items. They have a weekly (maybe daily?) limit on how much food they can purchase. So, the eventuality is that you can either go to MacDonalds and buy 2 cheeseburgers, or you can buy 4 apples, a pear, some rice and a turkey steak. This electronic chip/card/high tech device will also contain medical and fitness records per individual and by performing exercise (burning calories) you increase the total amount of calories you can purchase per week (or day).
Hopefully my best answer reflects my honest opinion in that there is no simple, quick and easy method to fix obesity (and the problems of society as a whole).
edit: I started to edit and add some points for clarification but it's late here. So I'll just answer any replies tomorrow.
None.