Virginia Town Slammed by Media Deserves Major Kudos!

This whole town in Virginia became fodder  for some reporter – everything from being too fat, too unhealthy and *GASP!* lots of smokers! 

Smoking — a common sin in West Virginia — has been hard to control, Tweel said. When the health department tried to restrict smoking in local bars and restaurants, a group of local businesses fought it all the way to the state Supreme Court. (The restrictions were upheld in 2003.) Even hospitals have fought smoking restrictions in the past, Tweel said.

W. Virginia town shrugs at poorest health ranking

And it also seems the residents themselves were the last to know they’re “so bad”:

Of the 40 Huntington-area residents interviewed for this story, many had heard something about West Virginia being one of the unhealthiest states. But only one — Tweel — knew about the latest report showing how bad Huntington compared with other metro areas.

Best of all, their politicians actually seem to care more about their constituents than the latest government money-grubbing frenzy:

Local politicians tend to be equally tepid about improving health, said Dr. Harry Tweel, director of the Cabell-Huntington Health Department.

“People here have an attitude of ‘You’re not going to tell me what I can eat.’ The cultural attitude is ‘My parents ate that and my grandparents ate that,’” he said.

Mayor Felinton echoed Tweel. Felinton had stomach surgery last year to help him lose weight and has been walking to work about three days a week. He has shed nearly 80 pounds and became sort of a local poster boy for weight loss. But in the midst of a re-election campaign last month, he said he had no plans to plunge into a fight over fat in restaurants.

So, they fight for their business, their way of life that they prosper in, the citizen’s themselves are not complaining – they’re actually LIVING – and apparently not standing for government interference.

Wisconsin, we need to learn a lesson from these unheard-of American heros.