Soft Drink Tax to pay for Healthcare?

[piasabird]

Before the government starts abusing Overweight people (Insert Definition Here), You do realize that fat people die early and cost the government less money, not more? The government needs to give their family a bonus when they die early, because they pay into Social Security, but never get a chance to receive any! They are basically paying into the system so your grandma can get her social security.

Ahem.....

You have to eat, but you dont have to Drink Alcohol, Coffee, or smoke to live. So Tax them some more. Then you can tax all the giant SUV owners, and Truck owners. Tax them by the weight of their vehicles.

I bet you cant wait till O'Bamma's health care kicks in so we can deny your grandma's health care. She lived too long so she gets no more health care.

 

[StageLeft]

Originally posted by: eits
at first, i wasn't sure i liked the idea... now, i kinda do.

if you want to do things that have a good chance of giving you a disease, fine... but you'll have to pay for it more than the person who doesn't.

But, technically, pop is not the problem. Weight is. If you want to be honest with your approach you need not tax pop but tax weight.

As pisabird points out, dying early can save money. Either smoking or weight in the netherlands recently they found that engaging in one of them had a net savings to the state. There isn't enough data to really show how it impacts things, though, either costing more or less, at least in the US. I am surprised, too, because it can't be that hard to look through history and run the numbers for a statistician.

 

[Jaskalas]

Craig mentions the 'do nothing' approach, as if Washington has the authority to do this in the first place. The beautiful thing about power is the more you use it the less you'll have. You're sowing the seeds of your own revolt. The real reason you cannot play nanny state with our tax dollars, is because we will not allow you to.

 

[Craig234]

Originally posted by: Jaskalas
Craig mentions the 'do nothing' approach, as if Washington has the authority to do this in the first place.

Of course they do. You can find all kinds of examples in our history where the government did nothing when it should have done something (and others the other way around).

 

[ccbadd]

Originally posted by: Common Courtesy

Originally posted by: ScottyB

Originally posted by: Fear No Evil
Obama said he wouldn't raise the taxes of 95% of the people. Is he a liar?

Obama doesn't make laws.

He proposes them
He authorizes them.

And they don't become law without his signature!

 

[Ns1]

Yes, next up, taxes on hamburgers!

 

[Red Dawn]

Originally posted by: Ns1
Yes, next up, taxes on hamburgers!

It won't be a tax on me, I never eat at fast food places.

I don't see any of these taxes besides the Cigarette tax being implemented. Just because they are throwing the ideas about doesn't mean they'll implement them, after all these guys want to be re-elected and the majority of American voters (and Americans) are fat asses. You do the math

 

[Doc Savage Fan]

Where does it all end...taxing high fat foods, alcohol, fried foods, twinkies, ice cream, candy? Or taxing people who don't exercise on a regular basis? What is it that compels civilized human beings to so strongly desire to control the minutia of other people's lives and behavior? I've met the enemy, and he is us.

 

[Genx87]

Originally posted by: Doc Savage Fan
Where does it all end...taxing high fat foods, alcohol, fried foods, twinkies, ice cream, candy? Or taxing people who don't exercise on a regular basis? What is it that compels civilized human beings to so strongly desire to control the minutia of other people's lives and behavior? I've met the enemy, and he is us.

When I see shit like this proposal it makes me realize the religious right and left wing liberals are the same people. Each trying to force their world view down our throats and control our lives via big govt. The best is when both play kettle to each others pot.

 

[Fingolfin269]

Sometimes imy blackberry has a posting mind of its own... (Edited out accidental reply)

 

[SammyJr]

Originally posted by: Genx87

Originally posted by: Doc Savage Fan
Where does it all end...taxing high fat foods, alcohol, fried foods, twinkies, ice cream, candy? Or taxing people who don't exercise on a regular basis? What is it that compels civilized human beings to so strongly desire to control the minutia of other people's lives and behavior? I've met the enemy, and he is us.

When I see shit like this proposal it makes me realize the religious right and left wing liberals are the same people. Each trying to force their world view down our throats and control our lives via big govt. The best is when both play kettle to each others pot.

I don't see the similarity. Liberals aren't trying to ban smoking or soda. You can just pay for your bad habits. And I speak as someone who has drank 2 bottles of Mountain Dew today, so far. If the price went up another 25 cents or 50 cents and was put into health care, fine by me!

 

[SunSamurai]

Originally posted by: soulcougher73

Originally posted by: Possessed Freak
Linky...

The Senate Finance Committee, looking for ways to pay for health reforms, has been considering the possibility of attaching a federal excise tax for the first time to soda and other drinks sweetened with sugar, high-fructose corn syrup and other sweeteners. Increasing the taxes on alcoholic beverages has also been on the congressional table.

It seems unlikely that these ideas will make it into the health-care legislation that Congress will tackle this year. In an interview with CNBC, committee chairman Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., said they're "on life support." Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, described them as "nuisance taxes."

However, some leading health experts applaud the ideas, saying these kinds of taxes could cut consumption of high-calorie soda and help obese Americans lose weight; and they argue that more taxes on alcohol could reduce drinking and pay for some of the costs of alcoholism and cirrhosis of the liver.

Other Sweeteners... does that include diet drink sweeteners? Are they safe from the tax?

I wonder what is next to be taxed for the general good.

So if Americans were to cut comsumption or soda and alcohol how would they be making any tax money to pay for this health care? I see they thought this one through as usual.

It sounds more like you didnt think it through actually. Obviously if people were eating more healthy then they would need less to pay for health-care. You make it sound like if people buy less soda, then suddenly all the funding from its tax stops completely. Dur?

 

[eits]

Originally posted by: BoberFett

Originally posted by: eits
at first, i wasn't sure i liked the idea... now, i kinda do.

if you want to do things that have a good chance of giving you a disease, fine... but you'll have to pay for it more than the person who doesn't.

I wish I could follow people like you around for a day and make a list of all the horrible things you do and should be taxed on. Most of you assholes would go broke, but I guess as long as they aren't coming for you (yet) then it's OK. :roll:

breakfast = feta cheese omelet with a banana
lunch = roma tomato slices with salt, pepper, and grated parmesan cheese, peanut butter and apple butter sandwich on whole grain wheatberry bread, and some watermelon

i quit smoking a while back. yeah, sometimes, i eat pretty unhealthy things (pizza, ice cream, brownie, etc.), but i'm not habitual about it, so paying a little more for these things really won't bother me. if i constantly ate that shit, yeah, my pocket would go empty.

 

[eits]

Originally posted by: Red Dawn

Originally posted by: Ns1
Yes, next up, taxes on hamburgers!

It won't be a tax on me, I never eat at fast food places.

I don't see any of these taxes besides the Cigarette tax being implemented. Just because they are throwing the ideas about doesn't mean they'll implement them, after all these guys want to be re-elected and the majority of American voters (and Americans) are fat asses. You do the math

yup

 

[soulcougher73]

Originally posted by: aeternitas

Originally posted by: soulcougher73

Originally posted by: Possessed Freak
Linky...

The Senate Finance Committee, looking for ways to pay for health reforms, has been considering the possibility of attaching a federal excise tax for the first time to soda and other drinks sweetened with sugar, high-fructose corn syrup and other sweeteners. Increasing the taxes on alcoholic beverages has also been on the congressional table.

It seems unlikely that these ideas will make it into the health-care legislation that Congress will tackle this year. In an interview with CNBC, committee chairman Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., said they're "on life support." Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, described them as "nuisance taxes."

However, some leading health experts applaud the ideas, saying these kinds of taxes could cut consumption of high-calorie soda and help obese Americans lose weight; and they argue that more taxes on alcohol could reduce drinking and pay for some of the costs of alcoholism and cirrhosis of the liver.

Other Sweeteners... does that include diet drink sweeteners? Are they safe from the tax?

I wonder what is next to be taxed for the general good.

So if Americans were to cut comsumption or soda and alcohol how would they be making any tax money to pay for this health care? I see they thought this one through as usual.

It sounds more like you didnt think it through actually. Obviously if people were eating more healthy then they would need less to pay for health-care. You make it sound like if people buy less soda, then suddenly all the funding from its tax stops completely. Dur?

A soda tax is not all of a sudden going to make America any healthier. Even if soda went away their are still a million other things that make us fat and unhealthy. Twinkies, cookies, etc. TAX IT ALL. No wait...dont.

 

[Modelworks]

All a tax on soft drinks will do is make the government richer.
So what next ? Going to tax PB&J sandwiches ? They contain sugar and fat !

Want a healthier America ? Pay people to lose weight. Give them so much cash for how much they lose. You will see people falling over each other to lose weight.

 

[eits]

Originally posted by: Modelworks
All a tax on soft drinks will do is make the government richer.
So what next ? Going to tax PB&J sandwiches ? They contain sugar and fat !

Want a healthier America ? Pay people to lose weight. Give them so much cash for how much they lose. You will see people falling over each other to lose weight.

you know how easy it is to lose weight when you smoke or do crack or use steroids or take ephedrine drugs, etc?

 

[jpeyton]

Paygo

 

[Fingolfin269]

Originally posted by: eits

Originally posted by: Modelworks
All a tax on soft drinks will do is make the government richer.
So what next ? Going to tax PB&J sandwiches ? They contain sugar and fat !

Want a healthier America ? Pay people to lose weight. Give them so much cash for how much they lose. You will see people falling over each other to lose weight.

you know how easy it is to lose weight when you smoke or do crack or use steroids or take ephedrine drugs, etc?

Or go to the gym.

 

[NaughtyGeek]

Originally posted by: Genx87

When I see shit like this proposal it makes me realize the religious right and left wing liberals are the same people. Each trying to force their world view down our throats and control our lives via big govt. The best is when both play kettle to each others pot.

Hey look, someone with a brain, sweet.

Hmm, there have been linked studies in other threads that smoking DECREASES an individuals cost on the system, there are references here to obesity studies that show fat people cost the system less, yet some "moral" prick still gets up on his mighty high horse and tells us how those people should pay more taxes because they're costing society money? This legislation is nothing more than a way to tax people more with the shield of it's good for you backed by the fictional idea that the targeted group is somehow costing you the "moral" moron money. GTFO of what I do with my body and my life otherwise you may eventually find the breaking point of some folks who've had enough of your "superiority" and shoot you in your friggen face.

 

[eits]

Originally posted by: Fingolfin269

Originally posted by: eits

Originally posted by: Modelworks
All a tax on soft drinks will do is make the government richer.
So what next ? Going to tax PB&J sandwiches ? They contain sugar and fat !

Want a healthier America ? Pay people to lose weight. Give them so much cash for how much they lose. You will see people falling over each other to lose weight.

you know how easy it is to lose weight when you smoke or do crack or use steroids or take ephedrine drugs, etc?

Or go to the gym.

ok, first, this is america... lazyasses as far as the eye can see. secondly, because we're lazy, we want to use things in order to look thinner in addition to working out... not all of which are healthy and without side effect. third, my point was that if you want the government to pay people to lose weight or whatever, that does virtually nothing to promote health.

cutting smoking, increasing lung capacity, increasing blood oxygen levels, vo2 max, decreasing body fat, etc... those are healthy objective pieces of evidence to show health.

 

[Harvey]

Originally posted by: Possessed Freak

Topic Title: Soft Drink Tax to pay for Healthcare?
Topic Summary: First the smokers, soon the sugar lovers...

Other Sweeteners... does that include diet drink sweeteners? Are they safe from the tax?

I wonder what is next to be taxed for the general good.

And your problem with building in the hidden health costs to everyone into the price of the products that are the source of the problems they cause is what?

 

[EagleKeeper]

the problem is that the funds will not go toward UHC or related.

Jsut like the SS, Transportation and Airport taxes; the government does not use it for the promised intent and keep them off limits for not related purposes.

 

[Harvey]

Originally posted by: Common Courtesy

the problem is that the funds will not go toward UHC or related.

Jsut like the SS, Transportation and Airport taxes; the government does not use it for the promised intent and keep them off limits for not related purposes.

That's a problem with the execution, not the concept.

 

[Schadenfroh]

If you raise taxes on tobacco because it is unhealthy, logically alcohol, sugar (including CS) and fatty foods should have elevated taxes as well.