Quick Poll
Did you agree with President Obama's decision on Thursday to waive the No Child Left Behind requirements in 10 states, including Georgia?
- Yes: 154
- Not Sure: 62
- No: 83
- No Opinion: 18
Total Votes:
Published Thursday, November 19, 2009 in Local
Obesity, bad health troubling sign of times
By Jeff Bishop
The Newnan Times-Herald
An apparent cultural shift may mean that fewer young people are fit for employment than ever before -- at least according to top military brass.
The poor state of the nation's education system and the worsening obesity crisis have led to a situation where about 75 percent of the country's 17- to 24-year-olds are ineligible for military service, a new report announced this month.
Local members of the Coweta-Peachtree City Area Employer Committee said Wednesday that the report, while discouraging, bears out what they're seeing from many of today's job seekers.
The Associated Press reports that the young are unqualified largely because they are poorly educated, overweight and have physical ailments that make them unfit for the armed forces.
Other factors, such as drug use, criminal records and mental problems, also are contributing factors.
It's not just the military that has no use for these folks, committee members said. Employers are also turning them away.
"Seventy-five percent ... that's a lot," said Peter Ludlow, director of the Georgia Department of Labor's Newnan Career Center.
"That's not something you fix in two to three years," said Ludlow. "That's a cultural phenomenon. That's going to take a while to fix. And what does that mean for our economy?"
To combat the problem, a group of retired military leaders has joined Education Secretary Arne Duncan to call for greater investment in early education, which advocates say helps boost academic achievement and social development.
"We are very concerned," retired Army Maj. Gen. James Kelley, a member of Mission: Readiness, the Washington-based nonprofit organization that issued the report, told Associated Press. "We do have the greatest military in the world -- we have the greatest planes, the greatest tanks, the greatest ships -- but the key goal is having great people. Right now, we're attracting very highly qualified folks but that could change over time."
One of the main reason recruits don't qualify for the service is inadequate education. One in four between the ages of 17 and 24 does not have a high school diploma, according to the report. And many who do still fail the military's version of the SAT, known as the Armed Forces Qualification Test.
Asthma, eyesight and hearing problems are also factors. But about a third of all potential recruits can't join because they're too fat and out of shape.
"When you get kids who can't do push-ups, pull-ups or run, this is a fundamental problem not just for the military but for the country," said Curtis Gilroy, the Pentagon's director of accessions policy. Many kids are not "taking physical education in school; they're more interested in sedentary activities such as the computer or television. And we have a fast-food mentality in this country."
A nation of obese, functionally illiterate kids doesn't bode well for the future of the country, local committee members said Wednesday.
Some job applicants from rural areas don't even have a third grade reading level, committee members said.
"In some areas, education just isn't valued. It's a cultural thing," said committee member Judith Carr.
It's not just young people, said Ludlow. Many older job seekers also need to bolster their education if they're going to compete in today's job market.
"Over the last year-and-a-half, we've gone from dealing with folks who had a high job turnover rate to employees who haven't had to look for a job in 15 to 25 years because they've always been employed," said Ludlow. "Some of these folks have never had to write a resume."
Comment On This Story
Times-Herald.com does not necessarily agree with the comments posted below. Responsibility of comments rests solely with the writer. Comments posted in ALL CAPS will be deleted.
Submission of a comment does not guarantee publication. Comments will be posted by a moderator after being scanned for abusive language, relevance, etc. See our Comments FAQ for more details.
I am the Nordic God of Newnan. I have the body men are envious of and what women dream of. I am the TOTAL MAN.
Posted by Joe Cool at 11:22 AM
6'2" and 212lbs here and I just turned 57. 15 years ago I was the same weight and can remember a doctor writing the word OBESE on my medical report. don't see that word written anymore on my reports,just guess you and I are the new slim. I practice portion control and rarley eat junk food. excercise at leat 3 times a week.
Posted by John at 8:33 PM
at 6' 2" and 217 lbs approaching 40 years of age I see it getting worse and worse. I am an active person = ride motorcycles, play paintball, work in the yard, run with the kids trying to keep them outside away from the TV, and games = I am aware of the issue but I am gaining weight myself = up from 205 to 217 in just a few months and it isn't Winter yet.
I guess I bring it on myself = fast food, video games, and a seditary job are my reasons = just FYI
Posted by Kirk Wilson at 8:00 PM
I guess this is why we need socialized medicine so this generation growing up will have something to fall back on. allah help them.
Posted by John at 6:48 PM
Please, reread the story. My comments were not made about you personally and I do apoligize if your feelings were hurt.
Fat young teenagers who are wheezing after CLIMBING a flight of stairs-overweight children who can't RUN a block-obese parents who can't WALK a block. Yep, we have a problem here.
Don't even read my posts, just re-read the story two or three times. Obesity can lead to an early death for adults and severe health risks for children.
Posted by Sissy at 4:46 PM
I think what I got out of this article is that our society really needs a lifestyle change.
kids eating junk food, taking drugs and no physical activity.
Posted by John at 3:44 PM
It's not about what a person should look like , it's about health issues. Obesity is linked to diabetes, high blood pressure and heart attacks. Obesity cost millions of dollars each year in medical costs and is a leading cause of early deaths due to strokes, heart attacks and diabetes. And much of it can be "treated" by controlling your diet. Overeating is much to blame and when there are millions in this world going hungry it's downright sinful the way many people gorge themselves in this land of plenty. It's easy to understand one's reference to being "piggish".
Posted by Twocrows at 12:59 PM
I'm severly dissappointed in the Times-Herald even allowing condensenting remakrs such Sissy's post. Perhaps you all need a good heart to heart with someone who's starved themselves just to PLEASE your perspective of what everyone should look like. Better yet, you should wear a fat suit and see exactly what it FEELS LIKE to be thought of as a "double fat mom pig." Before you assume, think about there feelings.
Posted by Jen B at 9:03 AM
One way to know if a restuarant has good food just scope out the parking lot and if you see a lot of fat folks going in , it's going to be a good to the taste kind of place. Lack of exercise , nowadays you see people riding their golf carts to the mail box , too lazy to walk. Gotta have 4 wheeler to deer hunt , walking burns calories. Pushing back from the table and laying off the ice cream works too.
Posted by Twocrows at 1:10 AM
Next time you eat out, take time and look around.
There's fat daddy pig, double fat mom pig, and all the little pigglets squealing along behind.
It certainly puts you off your feed.
Posted by Sissy at 11:39 PM
When you are lazy and eat too much you get overweigth.
Posted by Joan at 6:53 PM
Yes its the gov fault. I think we should blame George Bush for all the fat people. That evil republican he should have smoked like Obama.
Posted by Joe Cool at 5:19 PM
Well, I know of several people who were skinny their whole lives (all ages), and just out of the blue, gained over 50 pounds within a year. Nobody can figure out why and nobody has medical problems. So, they have come to the conclusion that somebody, maybe the government itself, is doing something deliberate to people, making this happen to them. And, I am beginning to think so too. Many of these people who I know are women who are picky about food, were picky before they gained the weight, and have not changed their lifestyle. So, I found what they all have in common--they have ALL been to the dentist and they have ALL received a flu shot some time in their lives.
Posted by Penny at 4:26 PM
Sounds like the perfect sheeple. Young and dumb. Somebody might take advantage of that.
Posted by Katie B. at 11:41 AM
Most Popular
- Viewed
- Emailed
- Commented
- Famed airmen visit Northgate; Students learn 'Red Tails' more than a movie
- A New Piedmont Newnan: Women's services prepared for more births
- 10th Annual Run for Angels: Event bigger, better than ever
- Education Notes: Phi Delta Kappa scholarship available to future educators
- Lady Cougars shine on Senior Night with win over M.L. King
- 165 Coweta foreclosures listed for February
- Special Olympics: Cowetan named Georgia's Female Athlete of the Year
- Dean, state swimming qualifiers hoping to peak at right time today
- Around town: Blood drives scheduled
- Stewart finished 11th grade at Warner
- A New Piedmont Newnan: Women's services prepared for more births
- Obituary: Mr. Pat Shepherd
- Hospital bringing new physicians, medical practices
- Community Garden: Newnan's New Leaf Project seeks volunteers
- 11-month-old girl tests positive for meth, cocaine; mother arrested
- Intoxicated man struck by train in Moreland
- Famed airmen visit Northgate; Students learn 'Red Tails' more than a movie
- Severe Weather Week: Do you have a plan of action in the event a tornado strikes?
- Perfect two-time state wrestling champ Tyler Askey stays on pace for two of wrestling's rare feats
- 165 Coweta foreclosures listed for February
- Hwy. 34 Bypass: Another six months needed to complete widening job
- Smith: Lobbyists not an influence
- Pastor's Corner: Part 2 – Is Calvinism biblical?
- Proposed legislation aimed toward curbing metal thefts
- Cleanup on Ishman Ballard property to cost county $11,400
- Famed airmen visit Northgate; Students learn 'Red Tails' more than a movie
- GDOT needs to improve its record on completing road construction projects
- Montana's mom tells her story of an autisic child
- Black Caucus wants to ration HOPE
- Moreland council gets a verbal lashing
Penny? Are you serious?
11/23/2009
Link To This Comment
OMG!! I can't believe you said that! Are you really that dull witted that you actually believe what you wrote?! LOL! People gain weight suddenly when things like their thyroid output and your BMR (basal metabolic rate) change with age! There is no government conspiracy! Thanks for the laugh! I needed that this morning.
Posted by TC Resident at 11:58 AM