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Originally Posted by cotonpal
I do not want the government deciding what foods are healthy to eat and what foods are unhealthy and should be taxed because the government has shown itself, over many decades, to be ignorant of what consitutes a healthy way of eating.
I do not want the medical profession, so ignorant of what constitutes good nutrition and what eating habits support ill health, to decide who is allowed to be obese and who should be taxed for it.
The science on the dangers of cigarettes was clear and unequivocal. Nutrtional science, as Dr Richard Feinman stated in his book “The World Turned Upsidedown” is an oxymoron. Taxing cigarettes made sense based on the science. Taxing food and the obese makes no sense since it would be based on eroneous data.
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I agree that taxing foods is wrong. Having the government telling me what I can and cannot eat is wrong, because, the governors don't know, and the governors can be influenced.
If the sugar companies put a couple of millions in the campaign funds of a candidate, do you think that candidate would tax sugar? (substitute any other food for sugar).
One person may do better eating a vegan diet, another a carnivore diet, and so many variables in between. Who is to say what is best for everyone, even if tacit bribes aren't part of the equation?
I agree with Ms Arielle in that obese people are not that way because they want to be. But I also think that many are obese because they are more interested in the foods they love than being lean.
I come from an obese family. Parents and siblings are all over 300 pounds. I was well on the way. Extend this to grandparents, and most of the aunts and uncles on both sides of the family. I didn't have much of a chance, and they didn't set a good example.
Did my parents choose to be obese? No but daily trips to the doughnut store, lots of pasta, dessert at every meal, snacks galore, sweet cakes for breakfast french fries, white bread, apple pie, and other bad habits didn't help.
My dad got type 2 diabetes, and instead of cutting out the sweets, he ate drugs that upped his insulin until the insulin burned out the blood vessels feeding his heart and those inside his kidneys.
Every day he would have doughnuts and coffee with his obese brother, who is also not with us anymore. He knew the doughnuts and the other sweets were the problem, but chose to eat them anyway. He didn't choose to be obese, but didn't choose to control his cravings either.
As a young guy well over 250 and rising, I saw my parent's early demise as one of my possible futures. That woke me up.
I tried a few until I found out what diet was right for me, which may or may not be the best diet for the next person. My weight is in the 170s and holding for decades now. It puts my BMI at the top of the normal range.
I eat a limited diet, and my portions are much smaller than the average person's. I want to eat more, and I love doughnuts, french fries, macaroni, layer cake, and a zillion other things I don't eat anymore. After 30+ years, I still miss them.
If you don't have a medical reason why you are obese, I firmly believe you should pay more for your health care.
Why should people like me who fight to keep their weight down. Those who deny themselves doughnuts, key lime pies, macaroni, pancakes, cinnamon buns, french fries, bread, and dozens of other foods we love, even though we dearly miss them, pay for people who choose to eat the wrong foods and cost the health care system billions of dollars.
After all, drivers who get a lot of tickets pay more for car insurance. Shouldn't obese people pay more for health insurance?
It certainly would be a fairer way than taxing certain foods.
In the end, medical science couldn't save my dad's heart and kidneys, or mom's brain after multiple strokes. They lived a shorter life, but enjoyed eating a lot more than I do. They didn't choose to be obese, but it was their choice.