Simonton Says

Chewing the fat: Handwringing about obesity

Is obesity a disease? I don’t think so.

The rhetoric around obesity got more frenzied last week after the Department of Health and Human Services announced it was changing the language in its Medicare policy. The policy now considers obesity to be an illness.

To its great credit, the department made the change in order to allow Medicare to cover some weight loss treatments. That’s a good thing, because obesity-related diseases need to be prevented. However, it has succeeded in muddying the waters in a vast linguistic swamp.

Most Pointless Newspaper Story Award

Today's award for the most pointless newspaper story goes to AJC reporter Don Fernandez for his gripping report "Not couching their words, some guys confess that sofa time isn't so bad."

It is, of course, a response to Bill Clinton's new book, "My Life," in which he admits he was in the doghouse after confessing the Monica Lewinsky affair.

The article, written from the point of view of the dog, is all about how delicious the dogbowl is.