Re: In today's news...
That kid might have abused a box of twinkies that his friends gave him, but that's about it. The mother didn't make her child eat all that food; he CHOSE to eat it. It's his own fault for being fat, nobody elses. If the mother - or his friends - had tied him down and force-fed him donuts for weeks-on-end, that would be one thing.
From the information given so far, here is my analysis:
A) The mother should have turned to friends/relatives for help in raising her son if she really didn't have the time for him. This is something most anyone could forget to do, however, so it's not something to hang her for.
B) The lawyer said the mother took advantage of every program she could, but only stated the one example, so I cannot put the blame on the state fully; however, I WILL blame the program in particular for turning her away (BULLSHIT they couldn't help, they could have at least attempted to), and I WILL blame the state for bitching that she didn't take advantage of ANY program, when she clearly tried at least one.
C) The kid chose to eat all that food - nobody forced him to. I'll say what I always say about these situations: "The cheeseburger didn't make you fat, you eating as many as you did made you fat." The state needs to quit blaming the mother.