Please pass the apple fries?

Seems the Diet Police are once again running rampant in our nation. It has been said that close to 30 percent of Michigan residents are overweight and thus there is a movement afoot to curtail our eating habits.

This obsession about keeping all of us in shape has spread to the entire nation.

Believe it or not there is some discussion about removing obese children from their parents so that some nutritionist can instill sound eating habits into the youngsters. Perhaps the next step will be to remove children from homes inhabited by smokers, alcoholics, drug users, people who drive foreign cars, or people who root for the Detroit Lions (just had to get that last comment in there!)

Where does all this madness end? Frankly, if we are removing children I vote for rescuing little girls from the claws of their mothers who feature them on that ridiculous program, "Toddlers and Tiaras," where dressing in provocative outfits is the norm.

Now that is something we should be concerned about not someone who is a bit chunky.

The national program to keep us healthy is entitled "Kids Live Well" and evidently thousands of fast-food restaurants are participating. Participation means providing meals for children with less than 600 calories.

It means pancakes with fruit -- veggie burgers, apple fries, sliced apples, granola, turkey sandwiches, yogurt and various flavors of smoothies.

It seems like a good idea, but the question is how many children will opt for apple fries instead of those appetizing French fries that have become the standard in fast- food restaurants? And more importantly, will parents steer their offspring into the healthier meals?

The youth of America are an active group. What with travel baseball, pickup basketball games, sports camps and organized sports at schools, there does not seem to be a vacuum on healthy activities. On the other hand we have a nation of overweight, sedentary adults who disdain any type of exercise and continue to line the pockets of the two CEOs of Little Caesars Pizza and Domino's Pizza with lots of cash. And these are the same parents who are now expected to encourage children to pass on pizza and burgers and fill their trays with fruits and vegetables. I think not.

Here is my take on this whole controversy. Parents are responsible for raising and feeding their children and instilling a value system. Some parents understand that obesity can have a deleterious effect on children. Not only does it adversely impact their health, in some instances it has become a source of bullying in schools. So these parents prepare healthy meals at home and restrict the number of visits to fast-food establishments.

On the other hand there are parents who may not be strict when it comes to eating habits for their children.

Are we then to intercede and aggressively subject these parents to some standards established by the government? If we were living in Cuba maybe that would be the answer. But here in the United States we have "freedom of speech" and we should have "freedom of eating."

This is not the first time fast-food restaurants have embarked on a plan to provide healthy meals. Several years ago fast-food establishments began preparing veggie sandwiches for sale. I recall reading about a CEO of a fast-food restaurant who stated that nationwide people were only buying three veggie sandwiches per store. As the saying goes: you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink.

So let's all take a deep breath and allow our youth to make their own choices when it comes to snacks and fast food. In most cases, they will make the decision that satisfies their taste buds. Some will eat healthy and choose the apple fries -- some will opt for the French fries. If that is the biggest problem we face as a nation, then we are doing pretty good.

Now for me I off to the new burger place in our town that just opened last week where the slogan is "Feast On!" I have a coupon for a Big Buford -- it comes with two patties, two slices of American cheese and is served on a toasted bun with lettuce (very healthy) tomato, onions, pickle and a healthy dose of mayo, ketchup and mustard. And it comes with French fries and a Coke -- all for $3. Just don't let anyone in the government know. I don't want to be whisked from my home, end up in a jail cell and be forced to eat Brussels sprouts all day. Yuck!

Editor's Note: Bill Kalmar of Lake Orion, Mich. He was director of the Michigan Quality Council from 1993 to 2003 in the Gov. John Engler administration. The Fort Scott native now writes on a freelance basis.