In NYT this article, Paul Krugman points out that obesity has become a red/blue battle issue.
Why?
Do conservatives view obesity as strictly an issue of personal irresponsibility? (a perfectly reasonable view) Do they reason that a person with poor eating habits should shape up and diet down?
Unlike illicit drug use or smoking or alcohol consumption there are externalities that encourage people to eat unhealthily. On TV, commercials display food porn. In schools and cartoons bad food choices are almost forced upon children.
Krugman argues the corporate money trail is to blame for much of the obesity epidemic. The food industry started the trend, but now the healthcare has as much vested in unhealthy American diets.
Fat people have poor health and cost a lot of money to treat. Who should pay to medicate/treat obesity inflicted health costs?
What do you think? Are fat people solely to blame? Is corporate self-interest partly to blame? Do you think this is a red/blue issue?