Chunky contretemps

We obviously don't want our government policing our eating habits, but making light of obesity, as Dave Shiflett seems to do, is also not wise ("Chief of the Fat Police," March 27). We are a country of "fatties," and it is a matter of concern: The externalities of this situation were completely ignored by Mr. Shiflett, suggesting he's yet to enjoy the body-contact-with-strangers game, which has increased as airlines shrink from enforcing the rule that you must buy two seats if you can't fit into one. Let's not make light of serious health issues, even as we resist the Nanny State.

Bob Chitester

McKean, Pa.

DAVE SHIFLETT REPLIES: Generally speaking, the politicos should keep their wandering mitts out of the bedroom, the barroom, the boardroom, and the kitchen. In my neck of the woods, some schools are sending home letters informing parents that their children are overweight. That sort of expansiveness is much more troubling than a spare tire or two.

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