"No... Most people I know do not have a TV in their bedroom. Must be a European thing, I guess..."
Really?? wow...that's unusual in my experience. So you're saying in Europe people generally don't have TVs in their bedrooms, eh? No one likes to throw on some pr0n at night to spice things up a bit??
From my experience (warning 100% anecdotal), most people I know have multiple tvs all around the house...in the bedrooms (most people I know with kids have their own tvs), in the kitchen/dining room, living room (a given)...etc.
Hell, about the only place I don't have a tv is in the can...and once I get another mythtv frontend going, I'll likely have one in one of the bathrooms.
I know I'm extreme a bit, I'm a tv junkie, but, seriously, most everyone I know has a tv in their bedroom. Hell mine is my nightlight...I have to have it on to go to sleep. I set the timer so it turns off after I crash...
"'m still not sure why cooking is always lumped in with the stereotypical female thing. There's a lot of guys that are good cooks, and some of the best professional chefs you see on the food network are men. There are surveys [columbuswired.net] out there that show that cooking is not just a female-dominated thing. Women are more likely to cook, "for the family", so it's more of their chore. Men are more likely to cook as a hobby, so they get into some of the more gourmet stuff. So I'd say this "stereotype" is "busted",..."
Actually, the women cooking thing is an OLD outdated stereo type from my experience.
You are right, these days, men seem to be more into cooking, and the best chefs in the world are generally male.
I dunno when it was exactly when women/moms stopped even knowing HOW to cook. I mean, the last 3-4 girls I've dated and passed on...their present day husbands need to thank me, I had to teach them how to cook and clean. Hell, I might just open an old fashioned 'finishing school' and try to make a little bread off the situation.
I like to cook, it is as much a hobby to me as home brewing, tinkering around with computers, trying to play guitar a little, etc. I'm often shocked at how many people these days just do not cook home cooked meals, and eat out all the time.
I didn't realize how bad it was till shortly after Katrina.
I stayed at a friend of mine's house with his wife and 2 kids (aged about 10-11). He was having to work out of state, so it was just me and them. I was shocked how often they ate junk food. She would come home with the kids, and easily 4 out of 5 week nights, they had some kind of fast food with them...Sonic, McD's, Popeye's...etc. The other nights of the week, the 'home cooked meal' most of the time, was pre-packaged or frozen prepped stuff. Hell, the only time it seemed they got a from scratch meal was when "I" would cook for everyone rather than just myself (I offered to do this quite often, but, we were on slightly different schedules).
I now understand why kids today are so obese. You rarely saw the fat kid in my day, but, now...it almost seems rare to see the odd fit kid running around. That the parents are walking tubs is a given. And I think it has a LOT to do with people not cooking, and to a large extent...mom's not cooking (yes, dad's should help too). Hell, when I was old enough growing up, "I" was directed to help start the family meals since I got home earlier from school than my parents did from their jobs. Both my parents worked, yet we had home cooked meals most of the time. Pizza or the fast food thing was an occasional treat.
"This will devolve into a conversation about her hair, at which point I recommend you start padding your couch with some soft pillows."
Fsck that...
It is my house, my bed and my couch. If she is pissy, she can go sleep on the couch. And hell, with all that extra big hair she has, she doesn't even need a pillow.
"No, but a few nights on the couch. Where nobody will tear away the blankets, and since the couch is in the living room, I can watch TV until I fall asleep. The fridge with beer is also closer...."
Wait...is this YOUR house you pay for?
If it is...let her sleep on the couch, etc.
Besides, don't you already have a TV in your bedroom? It isn't hard to put a beer fridge in there too...
:)
Geez guys, when you live with/marry a chick...you don't have to have a "spine-echtomy". Keep you balls and if they don't like something, let THEM leave the room, etc. Quit pussing out...
"Just because they're true doesn't mean they want to be reminded about them. It's like telling that girlfriend she should go on a diet, or that she looks fat in those jeans."
Err...what else are you going to do? Stand by in silence while she blimps out on you?
Tell her like it is (there are more subtle ways that work without the direct confrontation you know). I mean, if she won't try to keep her looks for you, there are a dozen others out there waiting in line for you to hook up with that do keep up their looks.
I mean, if I'm going to work to put forth the effort it takes to eat right, exercise and try to look decent...I'm not hanging around with anyone that isn't going to try to keep good looking to keep my interest 'up'...men are visual beings after all.
"Oh, so you defend your use of a stereo type by promoting another stereotype that women like to talk on the phone way too much?:)"
Actually that one is true. Geez...I can get on a phone, say what I need and be off within minutes 99% of the time.
The girls? They drone on, and on, and on...and on...usually repeating themselves multiple times. And this is when they are happy and in a good mood. God help you if they are wanting to talk about a problem them have. And yes, I did finally figure out, they just want to talk about it, they aren't looking for answers like guy does when he talks to a friend about problems...
So, I just set the phone down and watch tv...picking it up occasionally to say "uh-huh" and throw in an occasional "I understand". That last one goes a LONG way on brownie points, and keeps you from having to listen or care....
"Imagine they made a website targeting a male stereotype, showing a laptop being used in some sports context on a backdrop of explosions and guitar riffs"
Hey, it works for selling BEER!!
You forgot to add lots of scantily clad women all around said laptop, that would really help.
And frankly, I cannot imagine a single guy getting offended at such a website or commercial.
"Find and buy a pink jacket/shirt and wear it for a month. When someone comments,"
Err...I have a couple of pink shirts, at least one each of a Polo button down, and knit pullover shirt. I've worn pink shirts for years since High School. Never had any type of 'weird' comment, nor have I ever felt uncomfortable with such. I'd not have bought them if I did for some reason.
I guess you're trying to imply some guy wearing a pink shirt would feel gay or effeminate? I guess I'm pretty much at ease with my heterosexuality. Then again, I'd not have thought it would have bothered anyone, I see plenty of guys wearing a pink shirt from time to time. Hell, it is a nice cool color during the extremely hot summers down here in the south.
Hey, we didn't get these stereotypes out of thin air, most often any stereotype comes from observed reality of the actions/traits a certain strata of the population exhibits a great deal of the time.
I really hate this PC era...everyone needs to lighten up a bit, learn to laugh at themselves, and others. Quit looking for a reason to be offended.
"Whether you like it or not, negotation is a part of life. The federal government was not given certain powers, those powers were given to the states. There's nothing in the constitution forbidding the states and the federal government making an agreement for the federal government to do something that it is allowed to do but the states can't or won't in exchange for the states doing something the federal government can't or won't do.
If you don't like it then run for office on that plaform or support someone else to run for you."
Well, we need the states to quit giving so much $$ to the Feds so that they can use it to blackmail them.
".08 isn't "drunk", but that's really not the point. The BAC limits aren't about being "drunk" which is a pretty wishy washy measurement, they're about impairment. Reasonable science indicates that alcohol impairs your ability to react as quickly and that not being able to react as quickly on the roads leads to an increase in accidents. BAC is already adjusted for build, weight and sex by the biological factors involved."
I was more happy to support the old 0.1 BAC as impared, as that that is a much more realistic number. The.08 was pushed through by groups like MADD, whose ultimate goal is to abolish drinking.....08 is just too low. A person is still very much able to drive at.08 without problems, and that is a ridiculously low number...just a couple stiff drinks in an hour, and you can be dangerously close to the new legal limit, without actually posing a threat to anyone.
"Of course, you could just refrain from drinking and driving."
Sure, I suppose I could go to a bar, and sip water, while all my other friends and every other patron is drinking to their pleasure. Yeah..that would be fun.
If you think even a statistically significant minority of people at a bar are drinking reasonably enough to drive under the legal limit, or getting cabs or designated drivers, you are really not dealing with reality. That just doesn't happen.
The only way you'll keep people off the road after having some drinks, is to ban public sales of booze in a bar type situation, and only allow it at home.
"You're an idiot. Blood alcohol is blood alcohol. The big guy can drink a little more than the little woman. Just not as much as you'd like."
Sure, BAC is BAC....but, different people can handle and function to MUCH different levels at given BAC. At.04, someone might be really out of it...but, others at.08 are just barely starting to show any signs of intoxication at all. Some people just have more tolerance than others.
"Refusing to take the test results in it's own penalties."
Depends on the state. Here? I'm not taking ANY tests to give them evidence against me. Worst case, you get reckless driving and a suspended licnese up to a year. You shut up, lawyer up...and you'll be out without a DWI on your record, and even with a suspended license, you can get permits to drive to work, stores, etc....
"For example, you can't take and analyze a urine sample road-side during a traffic stop. A breathalyzer doesn't involve drawing blood, or require a lab or a technician's time to analyze each reading."
And in many states, unless you are involved in an accident, usually with serious injury to another party, you cannot be FORCED to take an invasive test like a blood test.
"Actually, it measures presence/absence of ketones in the air. Also, they have you blow "continuously" for several seconds (the mouth doesn't hold that much). Finally,.08 is considerably drunk, but it isn't you're-falling-over-how-could-you-possibly-think-you-could-drive drunk."
Keytones!?!
So, I wonder if you could make an argument against this evidence if you are on Atkins or some other form of low carb diet that puts you into a constant state of ketosis?
And as for.08...that is NOT drunk, not for most people. The.1 was more fair, but,.08 can get a grown man on just a few glasses of wine with a meal depending on situation.
It really should be more subjective somehow...I mean, you can have someone that is severely impared on 2 drinks, and another big fella that can have 4-6 beers in a short period and be perfectly fine. I guess they had to have a number somewhere, but,.08 is WAY too low.
I really hope some of the attempts to break the feds power over the states by blackmailing them over funding can work here soon. It was the MADD groups that are really after NO drinking permitted that forced them to force all the states to raise the drinking age to 21...and lower the limit to.08.
"An individual smoking can make all the people around them sick."
Well, segregate the smokers together, they obviously aren't bothered by smoke. If an establishment is smoke free....non-smokers can go there. But a business should have the choice of who they want to cater to. No one holds a gun to anyone's head to be a patron or worker at a place that allows smoking or non-smoking.
"What I'm not sure is the role that breathalysers have in the conviction process. If the cop is an independent observer, then both he and the machine are likely to agree before a judge convicts. But if the cop is swayed by the readings, then there is no serious review of the machine's results. My guess is that the cop thinks you're guilty when he pulls you over, so the machine is just justifying his position after the fact, but I have no way of knowing if that is really the case."
Talked to a lawyer about my state. If I were to get pulled over, and knew I was over the now ridiculously LOW limit of.08...the smart thing to do is not say a word. If the cop wants you out of the car, at that point he is taking you to jail no matter what, so I will not give him any evidence. I will refuse the field tests (nothing more than filming you stumbling as evidence), and put my hands out for the cuffs. I'll refuse to take any tests too. Here, that will result in loss of license for a year I think, but, you won't have a DWI on your record, and worse they can charge you with is usually wreckless driving. A good lawyer, and you get suspended license,but usually a permit that will allow you to drive to work, for food...etc.
It would suck, but, at least no DWI on your record. Check with your state laws first...know what they do and what your rights are, but, the one thing that hold true...shut up, and lawyer up for anything he cops arrest you for, even if you are innocent.
"Same with where I live, but boneless chicken breast is about $5/lb. "
Hmm..that is a bit more than I pay...wow.
I usually wait, and periodically, bonless skinless goes for about $1.99/lb, and I stock up on it, but, normally, like at Sam's (not the frozen stuff, the fresh stuff) it runs about $2.89/lb or so off the top of my head.
I live in the New Orleans area.
I do find that our liquor, beer and wine is MUCH cheaper overall here than in other areas. I always just chalked it up the area generally drinking so much that we get it sold on a 'volume basis'.
:)
Just curious, what type of prices are around the states for other things like:
Ground beef (80%lean)? - $1.89/b at Sam's a little more in regular stores
"Let us also not forget that many families are either single parent or have two working parents and thus there is a lack of time to prepare all of this delicious nutritious food. At my house we've been trying 20 minute recipes but in general they do end up costing more than just going out to eat."
Single parent, ok, I'll grant you that is a bit more difficult, but with two working parents? Fsck that...it can easily be done.
I know..I grew up with two working parents, and we ate home cooked meals TOGETHER AS A FAMILY at least 6 out of 7 nights a week...usually 7 nights, until I got in my late teens. Mom would usually cook something good on Sunday. Leftovers from that were often either a meal or ingredients in a meal or two during the week. Sometimes, she'd start something off before work in the crockpot...I remember when I came home from school, it was my job to put veggies or something into it. As I got older, it was my job to start things off in the kitchen, and I'm glad about that as that I'm a pretty damned good chef myself at this point.
No, it can be done. You might have to cut out a trip or two during the week running little Johnny or Suzie to some structured play event, but, that's ok...go play in the neighborhood or something.
A single parent can do much like I do as a single guy that is busy all week. I like to try to hit the gym 4 days or so a week after work, so I don't get home till 6:30-7pm in the evenings which is a bit late to start totally from scratch cooking.
So, I do most of my weeks cooking on Sunday. I cook 2-4 different entrees, make a salad of some sort (lettuce, 3-bean, slaw..etc). I often grill a bunch of stuff. So, during the week, I have lunches...and either full dinner, or ingredients I can quicklyl warm up into a different meal. It can be done, and you can end up eating MUCH healthier, and usually much cheaper that with pre-made stuff that has God knows what in the ingredient lists.
You are given 24 hours in a day, it is up to YOU to figure how to spend them. Maybe it is time to re-examine some of the behaviors of families in the past, and see what they did with their time in order to have home cooked meals together.
Geez, and what is the deal with women these days? When exactly did they quit knowing HOW to cook? I've had to teach most of the last women I dated how to cook even basic things. Hell, I've taught them how to cook and clean...maybe I should open a finishing school and make a little bread off the effort before I send them on...hahaha.
But I digress. It is easy to cook,and to be economical, it helps if you know how to cook (which takes practice like anything else). I decide what I'm going to eat that week, based on what is on sale at the grocery stores around me. I go out on Sat or early Sunday...hit each store to get the bargains, and I plan my weeks menu around that.
Food is an important part of our lives, it enables us to live, and with proper choices can make us live longer and healthier. Why not make it something a family does together on the weekend? Sounds like a good life skill to pass on to your kids no?
I'll reserve my rant on how shocked I've been lately at all the FAT kids I see running around these days for another thread.
Hmm...no one seems to bitch that much when they raise the taxes on smokes and booze. They justifiy the 'sin' taxes, especially on cigarettes...because of the health risks, and hope it is an incentive to quit.
This tax, especially on foods and drinks that can kill you if not used in extreme moderation (apparently they aren't) is for the same reasons, no?
So, look, if you're gonna bitch about these (and I'm sure new creative behavior modification taxes in the future), then complain in general about using any tax to try to modify behavior. They should not use the threat of tax to promote good or curb 'bad' behaviors if you are an adult.
What do you bet that in a future in the US, if you have a national medical system, with computerized national records, that can easily be tied to other systems out there that collect info on you (like with grocery store purchases? Drug stores? Liquor stores?) that you are charged and taxed based on your health risk behaviors? Don't think they'll do it?
Did you think they'd ever even consider taxing you a 'sin' tax for buying a soda pop??? Me neither...
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Really?? wow...that's unusual in my experience. So you're saying in Europe people generally don't have TVs in their bedrooms, eh? No one likes to throw on some pr0n at night to spice things up a bit??
From my experience (warning 100% anecdotal), most people I know have multiple tvs all around the house...in the bedrooms (most people I know with kids have their own tvs), in the kitchen/dining room, living room (a given)...etc.
Hell, about the only place I don't have a tv is in the can...and once I get another mythtv frontend going, I'll likely have one in one of the bathrooms.
I know I'm extreme a bit, I'm a tv junkie, but, seriously, most everyone I know has a tv in their bedroom. Hell mine is my nightlight...I have to have it on to go to sleep. I set the timer so it turns off after I crash...
Actually, the women cooking thing is an OLD outdated stereo type from my experience.
You are right, these days, men seem to be more into cooking, and the best chefs in the world are generally male.
I dunno when it was exactly when women/moms stopped even knowing HOW to cook. I mean, the last 3-4 girls I've dated and passed on...their present day husbands need to thank me, I had to teach them how to cook and clean. Hell, I might just open an old fashioned 'finishing school' and try to make a little bread off the situation.
I like to cook, it is as much a hobby to me as home brewing, tinkering around with computers, trying to play guitar a little, etc. I'm often shocked at how many people these days just do not cook home cooked meals, and eat out all the time.
I didn't realize how bad it was till shortly after Katrina.
I stayed at a friend of mine's house with his wife and 2 kids (aged about 10-11). He was having to work out of state, so it was just me and them. I was shocked how often they ate junk food. She would come home with the kids, and easily 4 out of 5 week nights, they had some kind of fast food with them...Sonic, McD's, Popeye's...etc. The other nights of the week, the 'home cooked meal' most of the time, was pre-packaged or frozen prepped stuff. Hell, the only time it seemed they got a from scratch meal was when "I" would cook for everyone rather than just myself (I offered to do this quite often, but, we were on slightly different schedules).
I now understand why kids today are so obese. You rarely saw the fat kid in my day, but, now...it almost seems rare to see the odd fit kid running around. That the parents are walking tubs is a given. And I think it has a LOT to do with people not cooking, and to a large extent...mom's not cooking (yes, dad's should help too). Hell, when I was old enough growing up, "I" was directed to help start the family meals since I got home earlier from school than my parents did from their jobs. Both my parents worked, yet we had home cooked meals most of the time. Pizza or the fast food thing was an occasional treat.
Me too, till she started getting porky on us.
Later after finding out she had a bun in the oven, I gave her some slack. Hope she gets back to her old figure soon tho...
Fsck that...
It is my house, my bed and my couch. If she is pissy, she can go sleep on the couch. And hell, with all that extra big hair she has, she doesn't even need a pillow.
Wait...is this YOUR house you pay for?
If it is...let her sleep on the couch, etc.
Besides, don't you already have a TV in your bedroom? It isn't hard to put a beer fridge in there too...
Geez guys, when you live with/marry a chick...you don't have to have a "spine-echtomy". Keep you balls and if they don't like something, let THEM leave the room, etc. Quit pussing out...
Err...what else are you going to do? Stand by in silence while she blimps out on you?
Tell her like it is (there are more subtle ways that work without the direct confrontation you know). I mean, if she won't try to keep her looks for you, there are a dozen others out there waiting in line for you to hook up with that do keep up their looks.
I mean, if I'm going to work to put forth the effort it takes to eat right, exercise and try to look decent...I'm not hanging around with anyone that isn't going to try to keep good looking to keep my interest 'up'...men are visual beings after all.
Actually that one is true. Geez...I can get on a phone, say what I need and be off within minutes 99% of the time.
The girls? They drone on, and on, and on...and on...usually repeating themselves multiple times. And this is when they are happy and in a good mood. God help you if they are wanting to talk about a problem them have. And yes, I did finally figure out, they just want to talk about it, they aren't looking for answers like guy does when he talks to a friend about problems...
So, I just set the phone down and watch tv...picking it up occasionally to say "uh-huh" and throw in an occasional "I understand". That last one goes a LONG way on brownie points, and keeps you from having to listen or care....
Hey, it works for selling BEER!!
You forgot to add lots of scantily clad women all around said laptop, that would really help.
And frankly, I cannot imagine a single guy getting offended at such a website or commercial.
Err...I have a couple of pink shirts, at least one each of a Polo button down, and knit pullover shirt. I've worn pink shirts for years since High School. Never had any type of 'weird' comment, nor have I ever felt uncomfortable with such. I'd not have bought them if I did for some reason.
I guess you're trying to imply some guy wearing a pink shirt would feel gay or effeminate? I guess I'm pretty much at ease with my heterosexuality. Then again, I'd not have thought it would have bothered anyone, I see plenty of guys wearing a pink shirt from time to time. Hell, it is a nice cool color during the extremely hot summers down here in the south.
I really hate this PC era...everyone needs to lighten up a bit, learn to laugh at themselves, and others. Quit looking for a reason to be offended.
Well, we need the states to quit giving so much $$ to the Feds so that they can use it to blackmail them.
".08 isn't "drunk", but that's really not the point. The BAC limits aren't about being "drunk" which is a pretty wishy washy measurement, they're about impairment. Reasonable science indicates that alcohol impairs your ability to react as quickly and that not being able to react as quickly on the roads leads to an increase in accidents. BAC is already adjusted for build, weight and sex by the biological factors involved."
I was more happy to support the old 0.1 BAC as impared, as that that is a much more realistic number. The .08 was pushed through by groups like MADD, whose ultimate goal is to abolish drinking.....08 is just too low. A person is still very much able to drive at .08 without problems, and that is a ridiculously low number...just a couple stiff drinks in an hour, and you can be dangerously close to the new legal limit, without actually posing a threat to anyone.
Sure, I suppose I could go to a bar, and sip water, while all my other friends and every other patron is drinking to their pleasure. Yeah..that would be fun.
If you think even a statistically significant minority of people at a bar are drinking reasonably enough to drive under the legal limit, or getting cabs or designated drivers, you are really not dealing with reality. That just doesn't happen.
The only way you'll keep people off the road after having some drinks, is to ban public sales of booze in a bar type situation, and only allow it at home.
Designated drivers,"
Yeah, like this is the 'norm'. [rolls eyes]
You kidding yourself if you think even a sizeable minority does this.
Sure, BAC is BAC....but, different people can handle and function to MUCH different levels at given BAC. At .04, someone might be really out of it...but, others at .08 are just barely starting to show any signs of intoxication at all. Some people just have more tolerance than others.
Depends on the state. Here? I'm not taking ANY tests to give them evidence against me. Worst case, you get reckless driving and a suspended licnese up to a year. You shut up, lawyer up...and you'll be out without a DWI on your record, and even with a suspended license, you can get permits to drive to work, stores, etc....
Rough, yes, but better than a DWI
If you don't want people to drink and drive at all...why do you have public bars that serve alcohol to people?
You drive by and see all those cars parked outside a bar? You seriously think 99% of those people driving homw aren't over the 'legal' limit?
Be realistic....
And in many states, unless you are involved in an accident, usually with serious injury to another party, you cannot be FORCED to take an invasive test like a blood test.
Keytones!?!
So, I wonder if you could make an argument against this evidence if you are on Atkins or some other form of low carb diet that puts you into a constant state of ketosis?
And as for .08...that is NOT drunk, not for most people. The .1 was more fair, but, .08 can get a grown man on just a few glasses of wine with a meal depending on situation.
It really should be more subjective somehow...I mean, you can have someone that is severely impared on 2 drinks, and another big fella that can have 4-6 beers in a short period and be perfectly fine. I guess they had to have a number somewhere, but, .08 is WAY too low.
I really hope some of the attempts to break the feds power over the states by blackmailing them over funding can work here soon. It was the MADD groups that are really after NO drinking permitted that forced them to force all the states to raise the drinking age to 21...and lower the limit to .08.
The feds should NOT have that power.
Well, segregate the smokers together, they obviously aren't bothered by smoke. If an establishment is smoke free....non-smokers can go there. But a business should have the choice of who they want to cater to. No one holds a gun to anyone's head to be a patron or worker at a place that allows smoking or non-smoking.
Talked to a lawyer about my state. If I were to get pulled over, and knew I was over the now ridiculously LOW limit of .08...the smart thing to do is not say a word. If the cop wants you out of the car, at that point he is taking you to jail no matter what, so I will not give him any evidence. I will refuse the field tests (nothing more than filming you stumbling as evidence), and put my hands out for the cuffs. I'll refuse to take any tests too. Here, that will result in loss of license for a year I think, but, you won't have a DWI on your record, and worse they can charge you with is usually wreckless driving. A good lawyer, and you get suspended license,but usually a permit that will allow you to drive to work, for food...etc.
It would suck, but, at least no DWI on your record. Check with your state laws first...know what they do and what your rights are, but, the one thing that hold true...shut up, and lawyer up for anything he cops arrest you for, even if you are innocent.
Hmm..that is a bit more than I pay...wow.
I usually wait, and periodically, bonless skinless goes for about $1.99/lb, and I stock up on it, but, normally, like at Sam's (not the frozen stuff, the fresh stuff) it runs about $2.89/lb or so off the top of my head.
I live in the New Orleans area.
I do find that our liquor, beer and wine is MUCH cheaper overall here than in other areas. I always just chalked it up the area generally drinking so much that we get it sold on a 'volume basis'.
Just curious, what type of prices are around the states for other things like:
Ground beef (80%lean)? - $1.89/b at Sam's a little more in regular stores
Ribeye Steaks? - About $6.x/lb when not on sale
Fresh Tuna? - $11.x/lb when not on sale
med-large Shrimp - $2.99-$3.99/lb
Head of Lettuce? $0.99-$1.89 depending on sales
These are prices around the New Orleans area...
I hear ya...those are Atkin's staples!!!!
Wow..where DO you live? That is $$$.
You can buy whole chickens normally for about $0.79/lb...on sale usually for like $0.49/lb.
Single parent, ok, I'll grant you that is a bit more difficult, but with two working parents? Fsck that...it can easily be done.
I know..I grew up with two working parents, and we ate home cooked meals TOGETHER AS A FAMILY at least 6 out of 7 nights a week...usually 7 nights, until I got in my late teens. Mom would usually cook something good on Sunday. Leftovers from that were often either a meal or ingredients in a meal or two during the week. Sometimes, she'd start something off before work in the crockpot...I remember when I came home from school, it was my job to put veggies or something into it. As I got older, it was my job to start things off in the kitchen, and I'm glad about that as that I'm a pretty damned good chef myself at this point.
No, it can be done. You might have to cut out a trip or two during the week running little Johnny or Suzie to some structured play event, but, that's ok...go play in the neighborhood or something.
A single parent can do much like I do as a single guy that is busy all week. I like to try to hit the gym 4 days or so a week after work, so I don't get home till 6:30-7pm in the evenings which is a bit late to start totally from scratch cooking.
So, I do most of my weeks cooking on Sunday. I cook 2-4 different entrees, make a salad of some sort (lettuce, 3-bean, slaw..etc). I often grill a bunch of stuff. So, during the week, I have lunches...and either full dinner, or ingredients I can quicklyl warm up into a different meal. It can be done, and you can end up eating MUCH healthier, and usually much cheaper that with pre-made stuff that has God knows what in the ingredient lists.
You are given 24 hours in a day, it is up to YOU to figure how to spend them. Maybe it is time to re-examine some of the behaviors of families in the past, and see what they did with their time in order to have home cooked meals together.
Geez, and what is the deal with women these days? When exactly did they quit knowing HOW to cook? I've had to teach most of the last women I dated how to cook even basic things. Hell, I've taught them how to cook and clean...maybe I should open a finishing school and make a little bread off the effort before I send them on...hahaha.
But I digress. It is easy to cook,and to be economical, it helps if you know how to cook (which takes practice like anything else). I decide what I'm going to eat that week, based on what is on sale at the grocery stores around me. I go out on Sat or early Sunday...hit each store to get the bargains, and I plan my weeks menu around that.
Food is an important part of our lives, it enables us to live, and with proper choices can make us live longer and healthier. Why not make it something a family does together on the weekend? Sounds like a good life skill to pass on to your kids no?
I'll reserve my rant on how shocked I've been lately at all the FAT kids I see running around these days for another thread.
This tax, especially on foods and drinks that can kill you if not used in extreme moderation (apparently they aren't) is for the same reasons, no?
So, look, if you're gonna bitch about these (and I'm sure new creative behavior modification taxes in the future), then complain in general about using any tax to try to modify behavior. They should not use the threat of tax to promote good or curb 'bad' behaviors if you are an adult.
What do you bet that in a future in the US, if you have a national medical system, with computerized national records, that can easily be tied to other systems out there that collect info on you (like with grocery store purchases? Drug stores? Liquor stores?) that you are charged and taxed based on your health risk behaviors? Don't think they'll do it?
Did you think they'd ever even consider taxing you a 'sin' tax for buying a soda pop??? Me neither...