March of the Nanny State

Could things get this bad in the US?

From the New York Times: The Japanese government, in an attempt to rein in bloated mid-sections and rising health care costs, is mandating the measurement of some 56 million waistlines.

Under a national law that came into effect two months ago, companies and local governments must now measure the waistlines of Japanese people between the ages of 40 and 74 as part of their annual checkups. That represents more than 56 million waistlines, or about 44 percent of the entire population.

Those exceeding government limits — 33.5 inches for men and 35.4 inches for women, which are identical to thresholds established in 2005 for Japan by the International Diabetes Federation as an easy guideline for identifying health risks — and having a weight-related ailment will be given dieting guidance if after three months they do not lose weight. If necessary, those people will be steered toward further re-education after six more months.

To reach its goals of shrinking the overweight population by 10 percent over the next four years and 25 percent over the next seven years, the government will impose financial penalties on companies and local governments that fail to meet specific targets. The country’s Ministry of Health argues that the campaign will keep the spread of diseases like diabetes and strokes in check.

How long will it be before the peddlers of national health care demand this sort of control over the lives of private citizens simply because, as payers of the bills and providers of the service, that they have the right to do so?

I am seeing this sort of encroachment into my private life from every applicable bureaucracy--the federal, state and even local governments. While every one of these trespasses is intended to benefit my own personal wellbeing, singly and in toto they represent little more than a restriction into my personal life and take away from my humanness and freedom--that gift that God granted me as recognized by the founding fathers of this country.

So, rail away for socialized medicine and strict environmental laws. Protest against the smokers, the non-helmeted, and those in less than adequate driving restraints. Just remember that when the government shows up on your doorstep with a tape measure and a plastic urine cup, that you are the one that asked for the visit.