Get Up and Move!

      The United States Government should mandate Physical Education in schools. At the current time, physical education in schools is controlled at a local and state level, and they are failing our children. Without intervention, childhood obesity will continue to rise as well as healthcare costs. Our future is suffering as government focuses more on saving money instead of saving lives.

      Remember gym class in the olden days? I do and I absolutely hated it! Walking around the basketball court on the rainy days, and those dreaded dodge ball games. Most adults have memories, good or bad, of gym class. And how could one forget the movies references of gym locker rooms where so much drama occurred. As much as I despised gym, I admit that was where most of my physical activity took place during my middle school and high school days. With video games, talking on the phone with girlfriends, and homework, I did not find time for physical activity outside of school- like most adolescents.

      I found a shocking statistic as I was working on a different Government assignment- that only six states require physical activity in grades K-12. I was flabbergasted! With Mayor Bloomburg using propaganda to support his “Fat Tax,” he should have been fighting the battle to mandate New York Schools' physical activity time, as well as increasing funding in support of supplies and gymnasiums for children to use. Due to government cutbacks in the education system, the first class to go is gym. I found it surprising that many schools no longer have recess, gymnasiums, or P.E. instructors for the students. Most of our society is unaware these shocking statistics because states classify exercise as Physical Education instead of physical activity. Yes, many schools have a P.E. course- which does not require actual activity, but more as a health class with lecture. At the current time, only 12 states require physical activity in elementary schools, 7 states require physical activity in middle schools, and 3 states require physical activity in high schools! However, Physical Education online is allowed in 30 states!

     So, why does government not mandate physical activity in schools? Government argues that there's just not enough funding. With this lack of funding, the adolescent obesity is on the rise, and so are healthcare costs. The CDC states: “overweight and obesity are the result of “caloric imbalance”—too few calories expended for the amount of calories consumed—and are affected by various genetic, behavioral, and environmental factors... The percentage of children aged 6–11 years in the United States who were obese increased from 7% in 1980 to nearly 18% in 2010. Similarly, the percentage of adolescents aged 12–19 years who were obese increased from 5% to 18% over the same period...In 2010, more than one third of children and adolescents were overweight or obese.” The AHA states:“The total excess cost related to the current prevalence of adolescent overweight and obesity is estimated to be $254 billion ($208 billion in lost productivity secondary to premature morbidity and mortality and $46 billion in direct medical costs). If current trends in the growth of obesity continue, total healthcare costs attributable to obesity could reach $861 to $957 billion by 2030, which would account for 16% to 18% of US health expenditures.” All I can remark is, do the math!

     The federal government should mandate physical activity in schools. Physical Education is very important, but the activity is crucial. Forget numbers, statistics, and even dollars. Focus on the children. These children are our future and our lifeline. They will be making laws and setting precedents. They will cure cancer and move this country forward. They are our hope, and we are failing them. If we fail them, then we are failing ourselves.

 

Cites:

AAHPERD. “State Standards for Physical Education.”National Association for Sport and Physical Education and the American Heart Association. Web. 24 April 2013.

http://www.aahperd.org/naspe/publications/upload/2012-Shape-of-the-Nation-supplemental-data-tables.pdf
 

AAHPERD. “Shape of the Nation: 2012 Report” National Association for Sport and Physical Education and the American Heart Association. Web. 24 April 2013.

http://www.aahperd.org/naspe/publications/Shapeofthenation.cfm?cid=00007

AHA. “Overweight & Obesity: Statistical Fact Sheet 2013 Update.” American Heart Association. Web. 24 April 2013. http://www.heart.org/idc/groups/heart-public/@wcm/@sop/@smd/documents/downloadable/ucm_319588.pdf

CDC. “Childhood Obesity Facts.” CDC: Center of Disease Control and Prevention. Web. 24 April 2013. http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/obesity/facts.htm

LiveScience. “Up to 40 Percent of U.S. Schools Cutting Back on Recess.” MNN: Mother Nature Network. Web. 24 April 2013.

http://www.mnn.com/family/family-activities/stories/up-to-40-percent-of-us-schools-cutting-back-on-recess

Take Down that Sign

 

     Brandon is absolutely correct. Prior to reading this blog, I had little knowledge about Gun Free Zones. Yes, I knew they existed. I have seen the signs on hospitals, schools, and such, but gave it little thought on what it represented. I never correlated that the anti-gun sign meant anti-Second Amendment rights on the premise.

     I am not pro gun or anti gun. I do believe people kill people, and guns are a mere weapon. Like Brandon stated, people choose to break the law. Some as minute as speeding or playing loud music after hours, and some are more severe as in drunk driving or murder, where another is harmed or has the potential to be harmed. The point is having the Gun Free Zone will not stop those who intend to harm, but stop those who intend to defend or protect.

      Do not get me wrong, I do not prefer people walking around town carrying handguns. However, I do believe it is their right to do so. If the proper measures were taken to register the weapon, like Brandon stated, then the state agreed that they were knowledgeable enough to carry that weapon. I must ask out of curiosity, by having Gun Free Zones, how does that change a person's competency level? Oh, I was qualified enough to carry a concealed weapon in the park, but somehow I am no longer competent when I enter a school building? How can I be competent in one area and not another? It is like obtaining a driver's license. After passing a written exam and proving that they are able to safely drive a motor vehicle, the state issues you a driver's license. But the state does not regulate where you are allowed to drive. They do not place the stipulations that you are qualified to drive, but only in certain areas. It is like having a driver's license provision that states you are only capable of driving in parking lots or residential areas and no where else. People would argue that would be absurd, but that is what the state is doing with the Gun Free Zones.

     Gun violence has touched me personally. I lost my brother to a gun shot wound. One would assume that I would be anti gun and protest against gun rights, but I am not so ignorant to blame the gun. Guns are mere weapons, it the people who make the decision to harm. The Second Amendment does not place limits on where one can carry a weapon, so why should our government have the right to do so? Consider how much more harm is being done by having these zones. Like Brandon stated, these zones are taking away a person's right to protect. Consider how many lives could have been saved if we were allowed to protect ourselves and each other. If just one life was saved, then it is worth the risk.

Source:

“Just Put Up a Sign.” A Texan's Gov't Blog. March 28, 2013. Web. 9 April 2013. http://firstattempt1.blogspot.com/2013/03/blog-stage-5.html