A recent story bothers me more than it should, and I am not sure who the be angry at more, parents, the school boards, or the politicians. Major beverage companies like Pepsi and Coca-Cola have agreed to stop selling sodas with sugar in schools. This agreement was worked out in conjunction with the William J. Clinton Foundation and the American Heart Association. On the surface, it looks good. It is attacking the problems of obesity of younger children in schools.

The problem I have with this agreement is the lack of focus on the bigger picture. Parents will complain to local school boards about the mere sight of "Pepsi" or "Coke" on a scoreboard in the basketball gym, yet forget the large amount of money Pepsi or Coke donates to help fund the sports. Are their kids so weak-willed they can not make an actual choice not to drink the soda? Mom and Dad must not have done a good enough job educating children on nutritional choices.

I think the bigger problem is the lack of physical education classes in all levels of schools. Kids are not getting as much movement today as they were 10-15 years ago. When I was in high school, (graduating class of 1987) we had Pepsi machines. Sometimes I bought a refreshing Mountain Dew after class, and sometimes I did not. What I do remember is that I had P.E. every day, and always had something fun to look forward to, whether it was a new skill, or an in-class soccer game, or running a 12 minute mile. Reviewing back further, I had P.E. every day in junior high and elementary school. My daughter on the other hand has P.E. twice a week, and has to pay expensive fees for any sport or class she wants to try.

Parents have to pay through the nose to get their kids involved in a sports league, or pimp out their children to sell products. My daughter had to sell chocolate bars as her fundraiser. Wait, I thought sugar was bad. Hmm, selling candy must be OK because there is no school involvement. Where is the Clinton Foundation to assist the activities portion of obesity? Using my daughter as a reference, she had to pay a $75.00 sign up fee for softball. Seems reasonable for field rent, I suppose. The fee covers a uniform top. She has to provide her own bat, glove, pants, socks, and shoes, which will add another $100-$150.00, depending on how cheap you can find the supplies and equipment. Next, she must sell $40.00 worth of candy. What about the parents who can't afford something simple as a team sport? Where are the politicians for them? Run this fundraising problem up to the high schools, and you can see where the money raised by Coke and Pepsi come in handy, and should be welcomed by the short-sighted board members and parents.