The Fat Tax........................

[cruiser]

There are so many interests at work in regard to some of these issues. Cigarettes are taxed at a very high level and there are PSAs trying to dissuade smoking. On the other hand the federal government was/is subsidizing tobacco farmers. Alcohol causes many health problems too. It also eats up tax dollars(law enforcement, etc>). Some cities make people arrested for DUIs responsible for the costs associated with the arrest.
This train of thought could be carried into other areas. Should childless people have to pay taxes directed toward school costs? The FED, STATE and LOCAL GOVT. would have to hire tons of people to keep track of everything...LOL

[Quinn]

I would agree that we are looking at complex set of interealted issues beset with "slippery slopes;" however, the problem of obesity is probably the simplest of all the related issues to tackle and doesn't have to involve the creation of yet another massive bureacracy. In fact, most of what we as a society would need is already in place.

-Quinn

[cruiser]

Yes, obesity is a huge(pardon the bad pun) problem. There is a large increase in Type 2 diabetes, even amongst children as young as twelve according to a newspaper article I read recently.

[lurker]

ok here is a concept for the poor. fucking cook!

the costs of eating poorly will catch up with you monetarily as well as physically.

i hate that lame argument that there aren't enough choices when you don't have money. its such a cop out.

Poor people do cook. Usually as much or more than people of means. It is still more expensive to buy healthy food. Have you compared the cost of good canola or vegetable oil vs. lard? Lard is cheap and available everywhere. Pork and pork byproducts full of fat and cholesterol are much cheaper than good cuts of beef or turkey.

Obesity is not just the poor. Being "rubenesque" used to be a sign of wealth and means. People are obes because we sit in forn of the computers so much, we watch so much TV, and play video games. We don't teach physical education to youths the way we used to. I once asked my neice and nephew what they did at recess that day in school. They responded with "what is recess?" Then promptly informed me that there school doesn't do that because of the dangers in the neighborhood.

[lurker]

Food addiction and dependency is the nastiest one of all.

A person does not NEED alchohol to survive. If they can stop, they never have to take another drop.

A person does not NEED drugs to survive. I they can stop, they never have to use it again. Even with abuse of legal drugs, alternative treatments can be found.

Noone can survive without eating. Yes, you can drink all the diet shakes and never eat. But ask anyone who has ever used them how that works.

Stopping obesitiy is a matter of teaching the benefits of exercise and activity before people fall into the habits that lead to it.

And for us old geezers..... sit a McValue Meal on the tailgate of a pickup and drive away, we'll be running all day trying to get it!

[hwbs]

well it is true if u want to eat healthy , it is very costly on a weekly basis...where on the other hand u can go to mcdonalds and eat for like 3$...the real key will always be a combination of resistance training , cardio , and diet....wheu u do all 3 , it is a much easier..