side trip
Weeks ago Heidi and I had planned to take the kids to the Wisconsin Dells for the winter break. As it turned out a few days of splashing around in the “water” was just what the doctor ordered.
The one challenge was finding somewhere to eat, somewhere on the healthy side that is. Lots of places offer the magical trifecta of vast amounts of sugar, fat, and salt. Fast food abounds, as do over weight Americans.
I saw this article in the NRN. Should peoples eating habits be legislated? Is that the role our Government should play in the land?
What should be done about this epidemic, surely we can’t just say it’s “their” problem, not when the problem effects all of us, both financially and the human cost.
I support a hefty tax on fast food to both deter the behavior, and to pay for the problem. The same way we do with cigarettes. You?
7 Comments to “side trip”
Leave a Reply
This isn’t just an American problem. Jenny Craig (founded by Australians and now owned by Nestle) is opening 17 stores across France.
Just reforming farm subsidies would be much more direct and more effective. If you just tax fast food, we’d still be subsidizing the production of cheap unhealthy calories while taxing just one outlet for them. People would still be able to buy cheap junk food like frozen pizzas, hot pockets, twinkies, etc.
great point, admittedly simply taxing fast food seems a very blunt instrument.
they already “play in our land” ie FDA, EPA, Monsanto, tyson, kellogs, and so on.
I think its always a good idea to use government to tax/punish those actions we don’t like or agree with, what could ever go wrong with that?
Maybe we could enact a dessert tax as well? Desserts aren’t helping the average American stay slim and trim and wind up contributing to our rising healthcare costs and waist sizes.
The Government puts a “healthy” tax on Tobacco because demand is inelastic. If revenues started dropping off significantly, they’d reduce the tax. (my uneducated guess is that the demand for fast food is inelastic as well as long as its fast)
I will never return to the Dells, precisely because of the restaurants.
If you apply a tax on fast food, McDonalds and Dominos will find a way around it, while Be’Wiched and Punch Pizza somehow wind up getting stuck with it.
A more realistic idea is taxing soda, but here’s how that will go down…
The groups advocating it are going to be the sort of “all-or-nothing” dolts who hate everything. The legislation produced will be poorly crafted, failing to exempt diet and non-calorie drinks, as well as carrot juice and, like, soy sauce or some weird thing.
Opponents of the legislation will use this as a bludgeon. But the all-or-nothing types will fall on their sword over it.
Suddenly, the debate moves from one based on concrete science (corn syrup kills) to sketchy science (Splenda kills). Even if the tax legislation succeeds, those of us who agitate for better food decision making are thrown in with the absolutist nags who hate Diet Sprite and soy sauce.
I agree with Morgan. If we’re going to spend political capital, let’s use it to end the ludicrous farm subsidies that, in addition to being unfair and unnecessary, encourage very poor food choices. Then, let’s speak with our pocketbooks.
ummm what is more tax going to do to cut back on obesity? unless you use the money to send everyone to a health retreat/spa/farm for 3 weeks a year, free, where they are taught to cook and eat and enjoy healthy food. And how about take the farm subsidies and give them to the organic/sustainable producers, and make healthy food cheaper. And organic yummy creative salad bars everywhere!
just some thoughts. and artificial sweeteners ARE EVIL.