Europe finds more ways to make people less responsible: Some Italians to get money to lose weight

Everything becomes a reason for entitlements. Every reason is good enough not to rely on one's personal efforts, not to pursue accomplishments by oneself.

The State is here to help you, isn't it?

(Emphasis mine)

What better incentive than money to drop a few pounds?

Gianluca Buonanno, the mayor of Varallo, a town of 7,500 in northern Italy, thinks it might work. The town is offering cash to overweight residents who slim down and more if they keep the weight off.

"We wanted to encourage people to lose weight, and we thought that both the money and the idea of joining a group could be stimulating," Buonanno said last week.

The town's offer is the latest effort by public officials and employers to encourage people to exercise and trim their weight. Participants in the week-old Varallo initiative will be given $67 when they reach their ideal weight. If they don't gain any weight back after five months, they will receive $268.

If they maintain their ideal weight for a year, they will get $670 more. So far, 30 people have signed up, Buonanno said.

Participants must present a medical certificate that they are overweight. They can choose to get help from a dietitian, who helps determine their ideal weight, and a personal trainer.

Buonanno's inspiration? His own need for a diet.

The mayor said the town has set aside about $13,000 for the project. It is looking for sponsors to expand the program.

The prevalence of obesity in Europe has tripled in the past two decades.

Dave Rankhorn, a tourist visiting Rome from Illinois, thought about the idea.

"I have always wanted to lose weight but never had the motivation," he said. If someone told him he'd get paid to lose weight, "I would be there, I would do that," he said.

I guess that's why Michael Moore thinks Europe is so great.

How much time do you think before companies such as McDonald's or Ben & Jerry's are forced to "sponsor" this socialist madness? In the name of the common good, you know, for people can't possibly be deemed responsible for what they choose to eat.

[Hat tip: Janinka]