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The annual "which states have the fattest people" report was released recently by the non-profit "Trust for America's Health" and the "Robert Wood Johnson Foundation" and unfortunately, a collective yawn was stifled by most readers. It's the same old story.

"Oh, those crackers in Mississippi and Alabama are neck-and-neck (or perhaps gut-to-gut) on who's got the most obese people. Isn't that just like those rednecks? Oh well, who cares? If they want to be fat and disgusting, that's their business. Could I get another low-fat latte, please?"

For anyone who pays taxes, these numbers should be infuriating. Among the 55 to 64 year olds, Mississippi had the highest adult obesity at 32.5 percent for the fifth year in a row! Three additional states now have adult obesity rates greater than 30 percent, including Alabama (31.2 percent), West Virginia (31.1 percent) and the great state of Tennessee (weighing in at 30.2 percent).

Mississippi also gets the dubious honor of having the highest rate of overweight and obese children at 44.4 percent. They are followed by Arkansas and Georgia, both with about 37 percent of their kids judged to be clinically obese. This childhood obesity rate virtually assures that that when these kids reach age 50, they will carry on the fat tradition.

Demographics don't lie. These baby boomers are about to enter Medicare, they're overwhelmingly obese and unhealthy and they could bankrupt the healthcare system of the United States unless something changes.

For the record, Colorado was the leanest state with 18.9 percent of the adults ranked in the obese range. Massachusetts was second best at 21.2 percent and Connecticut was third at 21.2 percent of the state ranked as obese. Many public health experts would contend that even in the so-called "healthy" states, the rate of adult obesity is still obscene.

Here's why. The people who TRY to be healthy, who eat healthy food and regularly exercise are subsidizing people who seem to be acting irresponsibly and it is costing everyone in the United States billions of dollars. Obese people tend to contract debilitating and very expensive chronic diseases such as diabetes, kidney disorders and heart disease. The lean citizens of Colorado and other states are paying for the fat people in Mississippi and other states through their tax dollars that go to Medicare.

Medicare is the federal insurance program that pays medical claims for citizens over 65. Several years ago, healthcare economists calculated

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