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B. INCREASED POLLUTION WILL KILL THOUSANDS
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- SK/N226. PRECAUTIONARY PRINCIPLE: Disad A. PRECAUTIONARY PRINCIPLE EXAGGERATES RISKS
- B. IT STYMIES TECHNOLOGY AND PROGRESS
- SK/N227. ROBOTS: Solvency 1. UNDERWATER ROBOTS HAVE MANY LIMITATIONS
- 2. THEY HAVE NOT FOUND MISSING MALAYSIAN AIRPLANE
- 3. EFFICACY OF JELLYFISH-SMASHING ROBOTS IS UNPROVED
- N228. SAFETY NET CUTS Disad A. REPUBLICANS VEHEMENTLY OPPOSE OCEAN FUNDING
- B. REPUBLICANS WILL INSIST ON CUTS TO SAFETY NET FUNDING 1. INCREASED SPENDING WILL SCUTTLE CURRENT BUDGET
- 2. THE RYAN BUDGET WILL SLASH THE SAFETY NET
- C. SAFETY NET CUTS WILL DEVASTATE AMERICA 1. THE SEQUESTER HAS DEVASTATED THE SAFETY NET
- 2. RECESSION HAS GUTTED PUBLIC HEALTH SPENDING
- 3. FURTHER CUTS WILL INCREASE POVERTY
- 4. FOOD STAMP CUTS WILL DEVASTATE AMERICA a. MILLIONS DEPEND ON FOOD STAMPS
B. INCREASED POLLUTION WILL KILL THOUSANDS SK/N225.11) Andrea Hricko [Southern California Environmental Health Sciences Center], ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVES, December 2012, p. A470, GALE CENGAGE LEARNING, Expanded Academic ASAP. To evaluate environmental impacts of these infrastructural enhancements, one must first look to emissions at the ports, starting with the ships themselves. Ships burn bunker fuel--a thick, high-sulfur byproduct of traditional fuel-oil refining--and are large contributors to air pollution throughout the world, and especially in port communities. James Corbett, a professor at the University of Delaware School of Marine Science and Policy, has calculated that ship emissions may cause as many as 60,000 deaths a year worldwide from heart disease and cancer. SK/N225.12) Andrea Hricko [Southern California Environmental Health Sciences Center], ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVES, December 2012, p. A470, GALE CENGAGE LEARNING, Expanded Academic ASAP. Corbett [professor, University of Delaware School of Marine Science] and Policy says the mandatory use of lower-sulfur fuel in ships resulting from implementation of the North American Emission Control Area (ECA)--which went into effect (1 August 20 (12--has the potential to reduce sulfur dioxide emissions and associated health effects near coastlines. The North American ECA was negotiated between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the International Maritime Organization and requires that ocean-going ships switch to lower-sulfur fuel within 200 nautical miles of the U.S. shoreline. Corbett notes, however, that growth in trade volume could erase the health value of the ECA within one or two decades. SK/N225.13) Andrea Hricko [Southern California Environmental Health Sciences Center], ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVES, December 2012, p. A470, GALE CENGAGE LEARNING, Expanded Academic ASAP. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency last evaluated diesel particulate matter in 2003 and concluded it is a "likely human carcinogen." However, in 2012 the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) elevated its own classification of diesel engine exhaust from "probably carcinogenic" to "carcinogenic to humans" on the basis of sufficient evidence that exposure is associated with an increased risk for lung cancer. In California, the state Air Resources Board has estimated that, each year, emissions of fine particulate matter from freight transport activities contribute to 3,700 premature deaths in the state. SK/N226. PRECAUTIONARY PRINCIPLE: Disad A. PRECAUTIONARY PRINCIPLE EXAGGERATES RISKS SK/N226.01) Cheryl Day, FEEDSTUFFS, April 14, 2014, p. 1, GALE CENGAGE LEARNING, Expanded Academic ASAP. A serious flaw of the precautionary principle, in regard to establishing regulations, is who decides which risks or what level of risk would warrant not moving a new product forward. Fear-instilled perceived risks voiced by activist groups frequently take precedence over fact-based evidence and science. While open, transparent discussion is important in establishing trust for a new product or technology, assigning an equal value to each voice along the regulatory approval process, especially on subjects beyond the scope of the participants' knowledge, can lead to decisions based on popularity rather them by facts, Walton [chief marketing officer for Recombinetics] concluded. SK/N226.02 David Hartley [Temple U. Law School], TEMPLE INTERNATIONAL AND COMPARATIVE LAW JOURNAL, Fall 2012, LexisNexis Academic, p. 345. Additionally, the precautionary principle is not always as straightforward as it may seem. It has a number of different formulations that can dictate action when there is: "an absence of adequate scientific information"; "no scientific proof"; "no conclusive evidence"; or "lack of full scientific certainty." Different situations in different sectors may call for different formulations of the principle, which can lead to confusion. SK/N226.03) Cheryl Day, FEEDSTUFFS, April 14, 2014, p. 1, GALE CENGAGE LEARNING, Expanded Academic ASAP. Most regulatory systems, including in the U.S., adhere to the precautionary principle --a rule of thumb that action should not be taken if the consequences are uncertain and potentially dangerous. However, more often than not, he said, the principle becomes so twisted that it does not accomplish what it is designed to do. B. IT STYMIES TECHNOLOGY AND PROGRESS SK/N226.04) David Hartley [Temple U. Law School], TEMPLE INTERNATIONAL AND COMPARATIVE LAW JOURNAL, Fall 2012, LexisNexis Academic, p. 345. The precautionary principle is not met with universal praise. There is considerable potential for over-regulation with extreme scientific uncertainty that could hamper development. This can be particularly contentious when diametrically opposed scientific views are involved, with one view signaling that regulation is necessary and the other showing no need. The impacts of over-regulation include stymied economic and technological growth. SK/N226.05) Cheryl Day, FEEDSTUFFS, April 14, 2014, p. 1, GALE CENGAGE LEARNING, Expanded Academic ASAP. Taking a "better safe than sorry" approach to regulation is not necessarily wrong--until the precautionary principle becomes so distorted due to prejudices that it diverts progress, Dr. Mark Walton, chief marketing officer for Recombinetics, told the National Institute for Animal Agriculture's annual conference. SK/N226.06) Cheryl Day, FEEDSTUFFS, April 14, 2014, p. 1, GALE CENGAGE LEARNING, Expanded Academic ASAP. Using the precautionary principle as a framework for regulatory decisions can be a prescription for disaster and ultimately can halt progress, he [Mark Walton, chief marketing officer for Recombinetics] said. The burden of proof has become so high that many individuals and companies have simply stopped trying to introduce new innovations. SK/N226.07) Cheryl Day, FEEDSTUFFS, April 14, 2014, p. 1, GALE CENGAGE LEARNING, Expanded Academic ASAP. Dr. David Edwards, director of animal biotechnology at the Biotechnology Industry Organization, agreed that there is both opportunity and need for new technologies to produce more food in an environmentally sustainable way, but the precautionary approach has hindered technological advancements. Edwards said the precautionary approach has significantly delayed the approval process for new products of both plant and animal biotechnology. SK/N227. ROBOTS: Solvency 1. UNDERWATER ROBOTS HAVE MANY LIMITATIONS SK/N227.01) Anna Mulrine, THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR, October 18, 2013, pNA, LexisNexis Academic. There are reasons UUVs [unmanned undersea vehicles] haven't caught on so far, however. One key roadblock to their development and widespread use has been communications. "It's literally easier to communicate with the Mars rover than it is to communicate with a UUV at 100 nautical miles under water," Work [former undersecretary of the Navy] says. Radio waves don't travel well under water, so UUVs must surface and extend antennae to transmit data. As a result, "just communicating with a UUV is very difficult," he adds. SK/N227.02) Anna Mulrine, THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR, October 18, 2013, pNA, LexisNexis Academic. In years to come, UUVs [unmanned undersea vehicles] are not likely to replace manned nuclear-powered attack submarines. They are not fast enough to follow - or advanced enough to hunt and track - adversaries' submarines, for example. SK/N227.03) STATES NEWS SERVICE, May 29, 2014, pNA, GALE CENGAGE LEARNING, Expanded Academic ASAP. AUVs [autonomous underwater vehicles] like the one that hunted for Flight 370 are laden with advanced technology, but they have their shortcomings. During a search, they travel in a predetermined pattern, retrieving reams of information and returning it to the surface, where it can be analyzed, says Mahmoudian, a researcher at Michigan Technological University. Thus, they can spend a lot of time gathering data on things that are not, for example, a missing airplane. 2. THEY HAVE NOT FOUND MISSING MALAYSIAN AIRPLANE SK/N227.04) STATES NEWS SERVICE, May 29, 2014, pNA, GALE CENGAGE LEARNING, Expanded Academic ASAP. The news was not good. An underwater drone armed with the best technology on the planet had descended repeatedly to the bottom of the Indian Ocean, trying to find Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. Time after time, it turned up nothing. SK/N227.05) CNN WIRE, April 17, 2014, pNA, GALE CENGAGE LEARNING, Expanded Academic ASAP. Bluefin-21 has now searched a total of 120 square kilometers (46 square miles) in its first four trips to the ocean floor, at depths between 3,2000 to 4,700 meters. The Bluefin was forced to abort its mission twice this week; the first time after it exceeded its depth limit and the second time over a technical issue. SK/N227.06) CNN WIRE, April 17, 2014, pNA, GALE CENGAGE LEARNING, Expanded Academic ASAP. A prolonged undersea search for the missing Malaysian jetliner could cost nearly a quarter of a billion U.S. dollars if private companies are used, Australia's top transport official said Thursday. Martin Dolan emphasized that the $234 million price tag is a "ballpark rough estimate" of an extended search and salvage mission. SK/N227.07) Julie Makinen, LOS ANGELES TIMES, April 15, 2014, p. A4, LexisNexis Academic. If the Bluefin-21 finds the wreckage, salvage operations could take months to get underway. Vessels operating in the search area, Gurley said, can only look at the bottom of the sea, not pick anything up. "It requires a whole different set of gear," he said. "It's another couple of months to start being able to retrieve and bring things up from the ocean bottom." 3. EFFICACY OF JELLYFISH-SMASHING ROBOTS IS UNPROVED SK/N227.08) THE ECONOMIST, October 19. 2013, p. 85(US), GALE CENGAGE LEARNING, Expanded Academic ASAP. During their trials, the researchers found a JEROS fleet of three could chop up 900kg of jellyfish an hour. The process, though, has come in for criticism--and not just for its brutality. Some scientists point out that chopping up jellyfish could increase the problem by releasing sperm and eggs (which can thus meet and fertilise), and even embryonic jellyfish called polyps that grow inside adults. And they worry that disembodied tentacles could still sting swimmers. N228. SAFETY NET CUTS Disad A. REPUBLICANS VEHEMENTLY OPPOSE OCEAN FUNDING SK/N228.01) Center for American Progress, US OFFICIAL NEWS, November 20, 2013, pNA, LexisNexis Academic. Prior to final passage of its WRDA [Water Resources Development Act] bill, the House voted 225-193 to include an amendment by Rep. Bill Flores (R-TX) that would prevent the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers--the primary agency regulated by WRDA--from participating in any activities related to the National Ocean Policy. Rep. Flores has successfully included several similar anti-National Ocean Policy provisions to bills in the past, despite its potential benefits for coastal states and regions. SK/N228.02) STATES NEWS SERVICE, May 30, 2014, pNA, GALE CENGAGE LEARNING, Expanded Academic ASAP. Rep. Sam Farr, D-Calif., co-chair of the House Oceans Caucus, released the following statement after the Republican controlled House passed an amendment offered by Rep. Bill Flores, R-Texas, to the FY 2015 CJS appropriations bill that will strip funding for the National Ocean Policy: "Republicans claim they want to run government like a business. If this is how they run a business then it's time for the shareholders to fire the board of directors.” SK/N228.03) STATES NEWS SERVICE, May 30, 2014, pNA, GALE CENGAGE LEARNING, Expanded Academic ASAP. [Sam Farr, co-chair of the U.S. House Oceans Caucus:] "The Republicans' opposition is driven by an extreme far right agenda that seeks to roll back any progress made by the Obama Administration in ocean management.” B. REPUBLICANS WILL INSIST ON CUTS TO SAFETY NET FUNDING 1. INCREASED SPENDING WILL SCUTTLE CURRENT BUDGET SK/N228.04) Billy House, NATIONAL JOURNAL DAILY, April 1, 2014, pNA, GALE CENGAGE LEARNING, Expanded Academic ASAP. Even Ryan admits that the proposal has no practical impact right now, as appropriators from both parties aren't focusing beyond fiscal 2015. And spending levels for the next fiscal year starting in October have already been set under the two-year deal the Wisconsin Republican worked out in December with Democratic Sen. Patty Murray, chair of the Senate Budget Committee. 2. THE RYAN BUDGET WILL SLASH THE SAFETY NET SK/N228.05) Ed O’Keefe THE WASHINGTON POST, April 2, 2014, p. A4, LexisNexis Academic. House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) introduced a budget proposal Tuesday that would cut more than $5 trillion in federal spending over the next decade, primarily by effectively repealing President Obama's signature health-care law and greatly reducing funding for social programs. SK/N228.06) Ed O’Keefe THE WASHINGTON POST, April 2, 2014, p. A4, LexisNexis Academic. "This is the definition of class warfare," said Rep. Chris Van Hollen (Md.), the ranking Democrat on the Budget Committee. He blasted Ryan for proposing hundreds of billions of dollars in cuts to education, the food stamp program and the Medicare prescription drug program. "Mitt Romney said he wasn't interested in helping the 47 percent. This budget sets out to prove that," Van Hollen told reporters, referring to comments made by Ryan's 2012 presidential running mate about the nation's economic divide.
SK/N228.10) Jonathan Weisman, THE NEW YORK TIMES, April 2, 2014, p. A19, LexisNexis Academic. But the toughest cuts would come from domestic programs that have already been reduced steadily since 2011, when Republicans took control of the House. Mr. Ryan's 2024 domestic spending figure would be lower in nominal dollars than such spending was in 2005. Adjusted for inflation, it would be a 29 percent cut from today's levels, and 28 percent below the average level of spending in former President George W. Bush's administration. SK/N228.11) Billy House & Sarah Mimms, NATIONAL JOURNAL DAILY, April 10, 2014, pNA, GALE CENGAGE LEARNING, Expanded Academic ASAP. Still, Ryan's plan does represent a sort of Republican manifesto on dealing with the nation's finances. And Ryan had said in unveiling the plan last week that he thinks "it's important to show our vision as a party for the future." The federal government is now about $17.5 trillion in debt. His budget pushes higher defense spending--and cuts and changes to Medicare, Medicaid, food stamps, and other social safety-net programs. C. SAFETY NET CUTS WILL DEVASTATE AMERICA 1. THE SEQUESTER HAS DEVASTATED THE SAFETY NET SK/N228.12) Jared Bernstein [Center on Budget and Policy Priorities], THE AMERICAN PROSPECT, May-June 2013, p. 57, GALE CENGAGE LEARNING, Expanded Academic ASAP. Republicans and many Democrats agree that spending must be cut. While the president's new budget offers a grand bargain that reduces Medicare and Social Security outlays in exchange for new tax revenues, thus far almost all the reductions have come from the discretionary parts of the budget. That includes programs like Head Start, WIC (the nutritional program for low-income pregnant mothers), child care, and housing subsidies. SK/N228.13) Jared Bernstein [Center on Budget and Policy Priorities], THE AMERICAN PROSPECT, May-June 2013, p. 57, GALE CENGAGE LEARNING, Expanded Academic ASAP. The sequester is just now beginning to reduce Head Start slots. The National Education Association estimates that about 50,000 preschool students will ultimately lose out on the program, and recent anecdotes are downright scary. News reports from Indiana tell of random drawings "to determine which three-dozen preschool students will be removed from [Head Start], a move officials said was necessary to limit the impact of mandatory across-the-board federal spending cuts." 2. RECESSION HAS GUTTED PUBLIC HEALTH SPENDING SK/N228.14) Jennifer Li & Andrew Elligers, JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH, June 2014, p. 38, GALE CENGAGE LEARNING, Expanded Academic ASAP. The recent economic recession and its aftermath negatively impacted many local health departments (LHDs) across the U.S. Seven surveys conducted by the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) between August 2009 and February 2012 produced informative data (NACCHO, 2012). Each wave of the study showed that in comparing the current and prior fiscal years about 40% of LHDs nationwide had lower budgets, about 50% cut at least one program, and about 45% experienced staff reduction. Since 2008, LHDs lost almost 40,000 employees. SK/N228.15) Jennifer Li & Andrew Elligers, JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH, June 2014, p. 38, GALE CENGAGE LEARNING, Expanded Academic ASAP. LHDs [local health departments] reported that job losses negatively affected their abilities to provide environmental health services, increased stress on the remaining workforce, and resulted in low employee morale. According to one respondent, personnel reductions due to budget cuts had "put an enormous strain on providing customary environmental health services." SK/N228.16) Jennifer Li & Andrew Elligers, JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH, June 2014, p. 38, GALE CENGAGE LEARNING, Expanded Academic ASAP. Several respondents indicated reduced vector control services and described impacts to mosquito control. Some examples included eliminating mosquito surveillance trapping, not spraying for mosquitoes as frequently, and not providing any mosquito control services. SK/N228.17) Alicia Ault, FAMILY PRACTICE NEWS, December 1, 2013, p. 42, GALE CENGAGE LEARNING, Expanded Academic ASAP. Federal budget cuts continue to take a toll on cancer research and, unless a budget agreement is reached within a few weeks, will continue to have far-reaching impact into next year, according to the leaders of several cancer centers. Since they went into effect March 1, the cuts mandated by the Budget Control Act of 2011--better known as sequestration--mean that fewer clinical studies have started and fewer patients have been enrolled in existing trials. The cuts also have led to the submission of less-innovative grant applications in hopes that they will be more easily approved by the budget-hamstrung National Cancer Institute, the directors of three NCI-designated cancer centers said at a press briefing. 3. FURTHER CUTS WILL INCREASE POVERTY SK/N228.18) Jared Bernstein [Center on Budget and Policy Priorities], THE AMERICAN PROSPECT, May-June 2013, p. 57, GALE CENGAGE LEARNING, Expanded Academic ASAP. The U.S. safety net performed a lot better than you thought during the recent downturn, which was the deepest since the Depression. Thanks to expansions to the Child Tax Credit, the Earned Income Tax Credit, food stamps, and unemployment insurance--all beefed up by the $840 billion Recovery Act--the safety net almost wholly mitigated the rise in child poverty. Even middle-income households saw most of their income losses substantially offset by tax and transfer policies that sharply ramped up to help them. 4. FOOD STAMP CUTS WILL DEVASTATE AMERICA a. MILLIONS DEPEND ON FOOD STAMPS SK/N228.19) Derek Wallbank & Alan Bjerga, THE WASHINGTON POST, March 10, 2014, p. A13, LexisNexis Academic. About 47 million Americans got food stamps in November, the latest month for which data were available, the USDA said Friday. SK/N228.20) THE CHRISTIAN CENTURY, November 27, 2013, p. 7, GALE CENGAGE LEARNING, Expanded Academic ASAP. While technically the recession has been over for four years, SNAP spending has continued to rise. That's because the economic recovery has been tentative and largely jobless, so people continue to qualify for benefits. The weak recovery also means the economy still needs stimulus. If anything, Congress should be expanding SNAP access and benefits, not cutting them. b. REPUBLICANS WILL INSIST ON FOOD STAMP CUTS SK/N228.21) Editorial, THE NEW YORK TIMES, March 21, 2014, p. A28, LexisNexis Academic. The Republican Party has spent years stigmatizing the food stamp program while trying to cut benefits or make them harder to get. In last month's farm bill, conservative lawmakers thought they had imposed an $8 billion cut in the program. In the last few weeks, though, it has become clear that that cut isn't going to materialize, thanks to a few states more generous than Congress. And this has infuriated a party that doesn't believe that poor families should get public assistance in buying groceries. c. FOOD STAMP CUTS DEVASTATE THE POOR SK/N228.22) Derek Wallbank & Alan Bjerga, THE WASHINGTON POST, March 10, 2014, p. A13, LexisNexis Academic. "These federal cuts [in food stamps] have made it harder for our state's most vulnerable residents to put food on the table. The state has intervened on behalf of these low-income New Yorkers," Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo (D) said in a statement Feb 25. d. CUTS WILL PUSH MILLIONS MORE INTO POVERTY SK/N228.23) Jared Bernstein [Center on Budget and Policy Priorities], THE AMERICAN PROSPECT, May-June 2013, p. 57, GALE CENGAGE LEARNING, Expanded Academic ASAP. Food stamps, now known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), kept 4.7 million Americans, including 2.1 million children, out of poverty in 2011 and are particularly effective at keeping children out of severe poverty--that is, below half of the poverty line. In 2011, SNAP lifted more children--l.5 million--above half of the poverty line than any other program. e. MALNUTRITION & ILL HEALTH WILL INCREASE SK/N228.24) MODERN HEALTHCARE, February 3, 2014, p. 22, GALE CENGAGE LEARNING, Expanded Academic ASAP. It's hard to imagine a more penny-wise, pound-foolish policy than Congress' latest cut to the food stamp program. The cut, which comes on the heels of the 5% across-the-board reduction in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program imposed last November, will result in more obesity, more complications from diabetes and more hospitalizations--all to save $8.6 billion over 10 years in a $1 trillion farm bill. SK/N228.25) MODERN HEALTHCARE, February 3, 2014, p. 22, GALE CENGAGE LEARNING, Expanded Academic ASAP. Providers looking to improve the overall health of the population they serve and to reduce hospitalizations increasingly recognize that they must deal with the social problems that lead to disease or it will undermine their efforts to treat it. It's no mystery what those social problems are: poverty, unemployment, stress and malnutrition. Food stamps help alleviate each of those problems. They reduce poverty by supplementing the incomes of the very poor. They create jobs because every additional dollar spent on food generates $2 in additional economic activity. Economists consider food stamps the most effective form of government stimulus because of their high multiplier effect. And, of course, food stamps relieve stress and malnutrition within poor families by putting more and better food on their tables. SK/N228.26) MODERN HEALTHCARE, February 3, 2014, p. 22, GALE CENGAGE LEARNING, Expanded Academic ASAP. Malnutrition in both of its forms--not having enough to eat and poor nutrition--has a direct impact on health and healthcare spending. A study published last month in Health Affairs found that hospitalization for hypoglycemia--the low blood sugar that occurs when diabetics don't get proper nutrition--is 35% more likely among poor diabetics than among those with higher incomes. SK/N228.27) MODERN HEALTHCARE, February 3, 2014, p. 22, GALE CENGAGE LEARNING, Expanded Academic ASAP. Hospitalizations for hypoglycemia are also 27% more likely to occur in the last week of the month. Not coincidentally, that is around the time when many poor families' paltry incomes run out, cupboards go bare and families no longer have food stamps. That data, drawn from 2.5 million hospital admissions in California between 2000 and 2008, reflect only admissions with a primary diagnosis of hypoglycemia. Episodes of low blood sugar also lead to blackout-associated accidents and adverse drug events, which are leading causes of emergency room visits and hospitalizations among diabetics. Many more such incidents are handled by outpatient providers. SK/N228.28) MODERN HEALTHCARE, February 3, 2014, p. 22, GALE CENGAGE LEARNING, Expanded Academic ASAP. Hunger isn't the only problem exacerbated by cutting food stamps. It forces the poor to look for ways to make their skimpier food budgets go farther. The easiest way to do that is to increase the salt, fat and starch in their diets, especially if they live in urban food deserts without adequate supplies of fruits and vegetables. That's a recipe for increased obesity and increased hypertension. Over time, that widens the pipeline of people headed for heart attacks, strokes and dialysis from failed kidneys. SK/N228.29) MODERN HEALTHCARE, February 3, 2014, p. 22, GALE CENGAGE LEARNING, Expanded Academic ASAP. The saddest impact of malnutrition in America is the impact it is having on poor children, whose ranks are growing. Medicaid now finances 40% of all births in the U.S. A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine last week found that 1 in 8 children are now considered obese when entering kindergarten. By the time they reach the eighth grade, the fraction is up to 1 in 5, with an almost similar number considered overweight. In the long run, these kids are prime candidates for diabetes, heart disease and premature arthritis. In the short run, their diet-related conditions will undermine their ability to do well in school. Hungry children cannot learn nearly as well as their well-fed peers. 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