Fat Tax?

[TheLegacy]

http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/12/18/pat...ity/index.html

ALBANY, New York (CNN) -- Like many New Yorkers, I remember a time when nearly everyone smoked. In 1950, Collier's reported that more than three-quarters of adult men smoked. This epidemic had a devastating and long-lasting impact on public health.

Today, we find ourselves in the midst of a new public health epidemic: childhood obesity.

What smoking was to my parents' generation, obesity is to my children's generation. Nearly one out of every four New Yorkers under the age of 18 is obese. In many high-poverty areas, the rate is closer to one out of three.

That is why, in the state budget I presented last Tuesday, I proposed a tax on sugared beverages like soda. Research has demonstrated that soft-drink consumption is one of the main drivers of childhood obesity.

For example, a study by Harvard researchers found that each additional 12-ounce soft drink consumed per day increases the risk of a child becoming obese by 60 percent. For adults, the association is similar.

If we are to succeed in reducing childhood obesity, we must reduce consumption of sugared beverages. That is the purpose of our proposed tax. We estimate that an 18 percent tax will reduce consumption by five percent.

Our tax would apply only to sugared drinks -- including fruit drinks that are less than 70 percent juice -- that are nondiet. The $404 million this tax would raise next year will go toward funding public health programs, including obesity prevention programs, across New York state.


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Simply put - at 18 everyone gets a CC with $1000 to watch porn so that with all the exercise, they will loose all that weight



Nevermind

[Evil Chris]

picture is a red X so I think I missed the punchline

Speaking of obese children, I was at the school today for some Christmas activities for the kindergarten classes and I did notice something. Out of over 40 kindergarten students, there is ONE who is over-weight. Only 1.

[Funbrunette]

I'm sorry I read fart tax!

Sad story disturbing picture!

[Cyndalie]

It wouldn't change a damn thing. Taxing softdrinks isn't going to stop kids from getting fat. How about physical education credits and and programs with rewards kids can earn to get things like food and toys.

[Gruntled]

Originally Posted by Funbrunette

I'm sorry I read fart tax!

If there were a fart tax, the healthy vegetarians and vegans would be suffering! So many Beans....

[JoeD]

Originally Posted by Cyndalie

It wouldn't change a damn thing. Taxing softdrinks isn't going to stop kids from getting fat. How about physical education credits and and programs with rewards kids can earn to get things like food and toys.

Exactly, this tax proposal has nothing to do with curbing obesity and everything to do with creative government fund raising. Physical education has been removed from school curricula partly because of budget cuts and mainly in the US because of injury legal liability... When I was in school and got hurt, they bound me up and told me to be more careful. Now someone gets hurt and it's like winning the lottery...

Instead of judo in the rec center, they play mortal combat. Instead of building wagons, forts and go-carts, they play video games. What kids still walk to school? Oh, wait, they can't; it's not safe...

And let's not even start on the personal and family responsibility issues...

Hey Robert! - is he one of your webcam performers?

[DonMike]

That's the issue here. The food industry is so focused on making money that they are not above selling out our kids to make a buck. I grew up eating Count Chocula, Froot Loops (selling sugar AND illiteracy), Fruity Pebbles and many others. If it didn't have tons of sugar and a prize in the bottom of the box I didn't eat it. Except when I ate Live when I wanted to feel adult (because there was no cartoon character on the box). My childhood friends were Twinkie the Kid and Cheeto the Cheeta. And things are worse now then they were back then. At least in between all the junk food I ate I had real meals. Fast food was a treat, not an every day meal. And still I always had a belly. So what chance do these kids have today when things are much worse.

So in typical fashion they are trying to put a bandaid on the problem rather than fix it. If we can't get the food industry to promote healthier foods then how about education, giving kids better options. My mom used to always say, "you should eat fruit instead of candy" but then she always bought red apples and oranges. It wasn't until I discovered Kiwi, Starfruit, Pineapple and Granny Smith Apples that I found I liked fruit but that wasn't until adulthood. If you give kids boring healthy options they'll never get excited about eating healthy. Lowfat Yogurt sprinkled with granola and colorful berries will be more of a treat for them than a tub of Yoplait. All natural peanut butter on whole grain bread will be an easy switch from Skippy on white bread. And spending time with a child while teaching them how wonderful healthy food can be will be a lot more effective than throwing a red apple in a lunch bag. It's up to the parents to teach kids healthy eating and the schools to have physical fitness programs put on by people other than ex-athletes who try to relive their glory days through high school sports teams and who bully and pick on the kids who aren't athletic.

[TheLegacy]

Originally Posted by JoeD

Hey Robert! - is he one of your webcam performers?

I do agree with the idea of curbing healthy eating - but it does start with setting an example. Kids tend to watch TV - games etc. or computer and snack more than every at that time. Plus I do remember as a kid loving all the bad stuff, but it was my mom and adults that made me plan a better eating schedule.

JoeD - if one performer could get me that much exposure then I would want him on staff LOL - but sadly he is not one of my performers, though I can't comment as to how many members fit that profile

[Rochard]

You see this problem when you have an eight year old and you start to notice that half of the eight year olds are, well, "heavy". It's sad. I don't remember this when I was a kid in school, but I'm seeing a lot of heavy kids.