Quote: (04-17-2016 11:48 AM)EDantes Wrote:
Maybe just taxing the shit out of fast food and processed food like we do cigarettes would help with it, I honestly wouldn't feel to bad about that considering how much it racks up in healthcare costs anyway.
If a 12 oz soda costs as much as a 2 packs of Marlboro Reds then maybe people would think twice about buying it.
The simplest solution to obesity epidemic is that ^^. Tax sugary food and junk food for the real consequential cost it has upon society, the same way they did with cigarettes.
Quote: (04-17-2016 12:10 PM)Dantes Wrote:
This is a community that is generally against higher taxes and government regulation. I'm surprised at some of the responses suggesting it's the government's problem to correct.
Of course in a fantasy utopian land we'd like there not to be taxes upon things, in reality things are a lot different. One way or another you are going to be paying for it, for example, if smokers weren't taxed by paying for expensive cigarettes, then it would be you as a non-smoker paying more of your income tax to subsidise and pay for the health care system, which now needs more funding because there are more smokers.
Quote: (04-17-2016 12:29 PM)sylo Wrote:
This is such ridiculous horse shit. People are obese, fat people are lazy, and scoff at personal responsibility. So, because you do not want to fix the person, you tax the substance they are abusing. What this does is piss real men like me off. I want to drink a huge soda every once in a while. Sometimes I will eat Ben and Jerry’s for dinner. I have this right, because I am an individual. The moment you start to fuck with my food, because someone else is fat, is the moment I start fucking with your livelihood.
I refuse to pay more for something I want because you think some other people will benefit from the lack of it. You are actively calling in the government to get concerned with my personal eating, and you want to punish everybody because some of the people cannot control themselves.
You are actively promoting more regulation in my everyday life. You are advocating a restriction of civil liberties, SHAME ON YOU.
Relax, noone is imposing upon your civil liberties, you are more than welcome to purchase a huge soda, noone is stopping you from doing so or suggesting it should be illegal. You should be paying a higher tax on that soda. Why? Because that soda has an adverse health causation upon society at large. You only drink it once in a while? Well, then the tax doesn't even really affect you because it's such a minute amount.
Think about how much diabetes is costing you via your income tax right now. Whether you like it or not, you are already being taxed for other people drinking soda right now. If the health care system was being funded by fat people because they drink taxed soda everyday, then actually you as a healthy skinny person will be paying less income tax.