The state of Alabama is now in the business of taking money from its citizens and then dangling that money out in front of fat people like we’re running a game show.

For the second year in a row, the state Department of Public Health is sponsoring a weight-loss contest to help nudge Alabamians toward longer, healthier lives.

The rules of Scale Back Alabama are simple: Form a team of four friends or co-workers, get weighed at any Huntsville Hospital wellness center in early January, and start losing. Anyone who sheds 10 pounds or more during the 10-week competition is entered into a drawing for up to $1,000 cash.   

I wonder what Jefferson, Madison, etc. would think if they knew that state governments in this country had fallen to this level?  Running game shows with tax dollars to encourage moderation.  Tsk, tsk, tsk.

I have a better idea.  How about we just put the participants on a treadmill and dangle a $100 bill in front of them like the proverbial carrot.

Last year’s contest was modeled after “The Biggest Loser” TV show and rewarded the team with the highest percentage of weight loss. The 8,400 people who completed the program dropped a total of 78,472 pounds - an average of 9.34 pounds per person.

Despite those successes, Miriam Gaines, the state health department’s nutrition director, said the emphasis on percentage weight loss may have encouraged some contestants to try crash diets and other risky things in an attempt to drop as many pounds as possible.

Gee Miriam, ya think!  Who would have guessed that some poor, fat people might crash diet to get $1,000?

Remember this next year when you hear about the critical state of our General Fund.  You’ll be told we don’t have money for this or that. but it didn’t stop the state from giving some of it away in a lose the fat competition.

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This entry was posted by Brian on Thursday, December 6th, 2007 at 6:09 am and is filed under Alabama, Government Waste. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site. Please note the copyright policy.