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NY Bill Proposes Fat Tax On Games, DVDs, Junk Food
eldavojohn writes "GamePolitics is writing about a proposal to tax things that make your kids fat. The logic from its author: 'Almost all experts agree that the primary reasons [for the obesity epidemic] are increased consumption of larger quantities of high calorie foods, snacks and sugar sweetened beverages... and lack of physical activity as vigorous play is replaced by sedentary activities such as watching more television, movies and videos and playing video games. This bill would raise revenues from modest surcharges on the very food products and sedentary activities that are linked to the lifestyle changes involved in the explosion of childhood obesity in the last 20-30 years.' Not as explicit as Japan's fat tax but we're getting there."
Do i get a tax break for buying celery?
What's next, Wii subsidies?
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
"Almost all experts agree that the primary reasons [for the obesity epidemic] are increased consumption of larger quantities of high calorie foods, snacks and sugar sweetened beverages... and lack of physical activity"
So wait...you're trying to tell me that the first law of thermodynamics is true? Lies!
"I zero-index my hamsters" - Willtor (147206)
And I say, let them eat cake.
when you will have to go underground to get a decent rat-burger (with fries) and a cold beer...
They prefer the term "Concierge".
when I just read this article linked from the main page.
Judging by a large portion of the people I work with, and the cruft found between their keyboards when they whine their keys aren't working correctly, I'd say the study is spot on.
We will bankrupt ourselves in the vain search for absolute security. -- Dwight D. Eisenhower
Hey, what kind of bandwidth do you get in your militia bunker? Mine sucks, but it's probably because I shot the cable guy because he looked like CIA.
ad logicam Claiming a proposition is false because it was presented as the conclusion of a fallacious argument.
In practice, it would penalize those who don't sneak out in the middle of the night and crap on their neighbors' lawns.
"We should just burn fat people instead of coal"... problem solved.
1) Legalize marijuana
2) Regulate and tax it
3) PROFIT!!!
There's not even a ??? step to worry about with this one.
Murphey's fighting Occam, and we're in the stands.
When fat is outlawed, only Outlaws will be fat.
How about using the proceeds to make healthy foods taste better?
Reading made Don Quixote a gentleman. Believing what he read made him mad.
Kids don't play outside anymore. When I was a kid, my friends and I would go ride our bikes, go build a tree fort, play hide and seek, or play a million and one other games we made up on the spot. Sometimes we fell down, sometimes we got hurt, and once in a while we even learned something.
When I was a kid, me and my friends would work on the family farm or in a coal mine. Sometimes we fell down, sometimes we got hurt, and once in a while we even learned something.
Now get off my lawn!
Set your phasers on "funky"!
This madness must stop and stop now! I will not pay one red cent in new taxes anywhere!
The people with the guns and jails think otherwise...
At least I have 2 Senators.
I have seen some studies where they found that how good a certain food tastes is completely subjective. My father is diabetic (genetic, not weight induced), so our family tends to eat very little sugar and related foods. This means that when I was little, we NEVER had sodas in the house. In fact, it wasn't until I was playing at a friends that I first tried it, and I couldn't stand the taste of it. I thought it was absolutely revolting.
You can see the same trends if you look at different cultures. People who grow up with certain foods acquire a taste for that type of food. French people acquire tastes for wine, bread and cheese while Greek people acquire tastes for seafood, olive oil and pastas. Unfortunately North America (US/Canada) has adopted junk food as their national food.
The big problem is that junk food tends to be a little more "seductive" and the taste of it is acquire quite a bit easier and quicker than some of the healthier foods out there. Now a days if you travel back east where the good food is, you can still get the traditional meals, but you will also see America's prime exports such as McDonald's everywhere.
The problem with junk food is not a taste problem, it is a cultural problem.
Don't forget exercise DVD's that people buy for the same reason. If this tax goes through, those will be taxed as well.
Most of those things are not provided by taxes, but by the fact that relatively few people want to live there.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
At least I have 2 Senators.
One of whom consumes as much TV time as 50 other US Senators ;)
The most dangerous place to be in Washington is between Charles Schumer and a TV camera......
I want peace on earth and goodwill toward man.
We are the United States Government! We don't do that sort of thing.
Act like it. Tell you child "NO", and then stick to your guns
Unfortunately, the last time I tried to use firearms to obtain compliance from the kids I had to spend a few hours at the police station filling out paperwork ;)
I want peace on earth and goodwill toward man.
We are the United States Government! We don't do that sort of thing.