Much is being made about the study that shows obesity is a real problem in this country and in this state. I agree it is alarming that about one in four North Carolina adults don’t engage in any physical activity. In other words, they’re couch potatoes. But no, we don’t need more government programs and services to try and convince people to lose weight. What’s required is individual commitment to something simple, but not easy: eat less and move around more. It doesn’t take a government program to do this. The vast majority of us chart our own health course.  In a free society we have the right to make decisions — even irresponsible ones such as being obese. However, we also must take responsibility for our own poor choices. One shouldn’t expect that health insurance premiums for a morbidly obese person would be the same as the premium for a person who walks three miles a week and stays at a healthy weight.