Virginia Gov. Robert Mc­Don­nell vetoes P.E. bill

In some very real ways, this is a sensible act.

Gov. Robert F. McDonnell vetoed a bill Thursday requiring all elementary and middle school students in the state to participate in at least 150 minutes of physical activity a week, describing the proposal as an unfunded mandate on Virginia’s schools.

His decision followed weeks of lobbying by school officials, particularly in populous Northern Virginia, who argued that the requirement could extend the school day, lead to cuts in arts and music classes and cost millions of dollars to hire new teachers.

Mc­Don­nell, a Republican who frequently praises small government and criticizes federal mandates, has not issued any other vetoes since taking office last year.

“While I strongly agree that we must encourage exercise and physical activity, I oppose unfunded mandates, whether they come from Washington or Richmond,’’ Mc­Don­nell said. “In the fight against childhood obesity and preventable disease, we all have a role to play. Government cannot just pass legislation and make this problem go away.”

Exercise is a terribly inefficient way to control weight. In fact, you either have to be an idiot or a member of the leisure class to support this approach.

It is far better and more efficient to control weight with caloric intake control.

In fact, even if one exercises, meticulous control of caloric intake is still necessary.

So few Calories are burned exercising that, in fact, in a matter of seconds all the time, effort, energy and resources spent on exercising are undone.

This is usually done at home, rendering any school, taxpayer-funded effort a waste.

A better approach, if the school is to increase PE time, is to have the parents of fat kids who do not lose weight held accountable for overfeeding their children and engaging in nutritional child abuse.

Penalties for the abuse can be used to offset the costs of the program.