The Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust (TSET) Board of Directors is battling obesity in Oklahoma.

What?

TSET has hundreds of millions of dollars collected from tobacco companies in a settlement with the State of Oklahoma. That over-funded trust is supposed to discourage tobacco use and help victims with medical treatment.

But the board passed a resolution to “curb childhood obesity.” The resolution states that “families, schools, communities and state and local government have a role to play” to discourage obesity.

So, the State of Oklahoma needs to help you get your fat 10-year-old back in shape. Instead of just teaching your young daughter to read and write, teachers need to help her cut back on the calories. And your local community needs to stop by your house and after evaluating the size of your kids, offer to help them not be so fat.

While it is true that obesity is a problem in Oklahoma and it is a health issue for children, the responsibility rests with parents and guardians – not with the state or even with their public school teachers.

This is essentially a step toward stateism. The state sets the standard for how much junior should weigh and then strong arms a course of action. This is the Nanny State.

And why is a tobacco trust targeting fat school children?

This is another example of good intentions that are misguided. Sure, obese people could be healthier but that help should come from their families or doctors – not from the government.