Junk food tax idea gaining acceptance

reply to post by ElectricUniverse


This arguement will be like the ones the smokers faced.

The people who don't partake will preach how those who do shouldn't and the ones who do will tell the ones who don't to mind their own buisness.

In the end the holier than thou crowd will get their way.

reply to post by ravenshadow13


How about we tax everyone who thinks like ravenshadow13, for trying to be everyone's dictator because she thinks "it is for the best of all"...

Someone very smart once said...

"Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants, it is the creed of slaves"

That someone was called William Pitt... For those people in need of some American history....

Originally posted by jd140

In the end the holier than thou crowd will get their way.

Or wind up in the camps that we built....

Didn't you hear? There is a revolution a comin'

Another very smart American once also said...

"The urge to SAVE humanity is almost always a false front for the urge to rule."

That American was H.L Mencken.

But I think there are too many Americans who are more interested in the gossips involving models, and movie stars, not to mention in trying to emulate, and wanting for all Americans to emulate starving emaciated models, instead of trying to exercise the most important muscle in the body...the brain.

this is just totally stupid i work in a factory in the south . the snack machines already charge a 1.25 for a regular size snickers and 1.50 for 20 ounce bottle of soda that half the time they replace with 16 ounce bottles god knows what they will charge if they here gov might be making new tax. its really crazy they already charge 6.99 for nachos with chili somethings got to give

In writing this I didn't know if I should be angry or laugh. What do these health freaks want us to eat lima beans forever? Canada is looking nicer every day

This is aimed at the poor.

I don't care what "encouragement" argument is thrown in. It's sanctimonious, self-righteous, and I'm sick of it.

I come from a family of cooks, raised practically in grocery stores, and know the prices of food line on shelves better than I know my own SS#.

I know the price of fresh fish, meat, dairy, fruits and veggies.

Too many families in this country - with both parents working and trying like hell to do good - still can't afford to eat the best. Between cap and trade - GOOD FOR THE ENVIRONMENT - which will raise amenity bills, the price of gas, the price of food - something has to give. And once again, the cost of giving is pawned off on the poor and less fortunate.

Hamburger helper and ramen cloud too many grocery carts in the stores. The same people who buy these things would buy fish and poultry and the rest if they could afford it!

The cost of living is a g-damn joke, and with food pricing soon to sail higher thanks to inflation, lets throw more tax on it!

Note - we're gonna need severe HC in this country soon, as too many hard working, back breaking families will be suffering serious malnutrition in years to come.

If they were really serious about peoples health, they would put huge taxes on the COMPANIES who make junk food. It's a multi billion dollar market.
Maybe then the junk food companies would seek out alternative healthier ingredients to decrease their tax bill. A win - win situation that will flow on to consumers.

This proposal however will achieve absolutely nothing health wise but make billions in the government coffers, which is what this is really about anyway. $$$ over health.

Tax junkfoods and lower the prices on fruit, vegetables, lean meat, legumes, and fish.

Sounds perfect if done over a 10-20year period.

The very food that TPTB give us to fatten us up and dumb us down are being defended on ATS....lol, totally opposite of this site's cause.

reply to post by Flighty


I agree completely.

The one problem I think stands in the way-
the gov't corporation doesn't lien heavy taxes on other large corporations. It's the buddy system, and all cost gets passed down to us, the consumer.

If this were just a 'fast-food tax', I wouldn't care and wouldn't say boo. But when average, every day folk can't eat whatever they can afford without big brother kicking dirt in their faces, I become enraged.

reply to post by TheOneElectric


I believe the arguement is that the healthy food is to expensive for the lower income to afford and the less healthy is in the price range.

Raising taxes on the less healthy foods will do nothing but harm the lower income. That is why we are against it.

Originally posted by Flighty
A win - win situation that will flow on to consumers.

...who will be forced to pay more; so it is not really a win at all.

*Any time someone says something will be "win-win" - you had best be careful....

reply to post by TheOneElectric


I think you missed the deeper point.

The already hungry and malnurished are about to be visited by a blood-sucking tax that's going to leave them even more hungry and devoid of nutrients.

reply to post by Karlhungis


Tax loving slave-masters could pushing for additional taxes on things like caviar and yahts, however they chose to instead tax items poor people buy like junk food. Personally, I find junk-food is often a low-cost way to get the calories I need to live.

The whole idea of taxing junk food is 1) authoritarian 2) elitist and 3) a tax on the poor. I don't need some authoritarian telling me what I can and cannot ingest or smoke. I don't need some elitist forcing their personal moral values upon me. And I especially don't need the elitist authoritarians going around taxing the poor because they are so blinded with a bossy attitude they can't even see that they are hurting people with their actions.

Its tough for me to believe the number of regressive taxes there are in today's society and other obviously regressive and oppressive laws that people will dare to say they want to force upon others.

Junk Food? Who decides what qualifies for the junk food tax? Will it be based on saturated fats? How about 'un' saturated fats?

Foods with too much sugar? What about artificial sugar? Just think about the irony, considering artificial sweeteners will kill ya faster than real sugar.

What about flour or starches? Is white flour taxable, but not wheat flour? What about whole grain flour? Which wheat is the good wheat? Doesn't all flour start off the same, it's just bleached and processed; so, how many processes will be too many and thus create a 'sin' tax?

Or, will high calories be the taxable offense? What constitutes 'high calories'? What about MRE's? One MRE has a full day's worth of calories, so will those qualify for the sin tax? Then again, wouldn't it be slightly unconstitutional to consider an MRE for the 'sin' tax? Or, will they just tax the Hershey bar that comes in it? Or, maybe the tax will be only on those MRE's that are eaten while NOT in the field, or at war; or your kid eats it.

Does anyone else find it funny (not 'haha funny') that they (TPTB) are also responsible for making it near impossible to actually grow, harvest, and prepare our OWN DAMN HEALTHY FOODS?

Anyone for some seedless grapes, how about seedless watermelon? Yum, yum!

What about all of this Monsato (sp?) lobbying, and the push for outlawing organic farming?

So, let me get this straight:

Their attempting to sell us this idea, based on the UN-healthiness of certain junk foods, so the only way to help us take our health a bit more seriously, is to make us pay more for the junk (or, convenience) foods? All the while, stocking our grocery shelves with chemical infested, lab-produced, synthetic foods and hormone-heavy meats and dairy?

Why don't they just come right out and tell it like it really is, they want to tax 'junk' food because it's the number one seller in the U.S. (after alcohol, gas, and cigs).

Anyone remember the Popeye movie, from back in the day with Robin Williams? The townspeople were deathly scared of the city-tax-guy. Every time the locals heard the bicycle bell "ching-ching", they'd quickly run inside their homes and turn off all lights and hide. This is the picture I keep getting, like a song stuck in the mind, only it's that dang bicycle bell ching, chinging!

Our government is the bicycle guy!

Popeye Movie Review
We have BLUTOcrats in office! And the Olys are running the show!

[Edited] to add and fix link for movie, and add something else:


The government is pushing, pushing, pushing, and pushing everything underground! Black Market USA, here we come!!!

The majority of my 'growing up' and adolescent years were overseas, mostly in Italy. I wasn't even aware that what I knew as normal everyday shopping was actually (what we in the U.S. consider) 'black-market'. That's just how we shopped, for just about everything; from groceries to stereos,clothes and household items, liquor, cigarettes. Even gas. Everything was bought and sold on the 'market', only rich people shopped in the fancy department stores.

Oh, we are so going to have an AWESOME black market!

[edit on 24-8-2009 by SourGrapes]

[edit on 24-8-2009 by SourGrapes]

After thinking about this a bit this might be an attempt to shove more aspartame laced foods down us.

Its becoming like the movie Demolition Man. I honestly think thats really were all this is going. They may ban TP and use 3 sea shells!

www.youtube.com...

I would settle for warning labels.

Consuming massive amounts of garbge while pregnant will harm your child. Eating an entire bag of Doritos is bad for you, fat a$$.

And BTW, they took the double cheeseburger off the dollar menu at Mcdonalds. Why would anyone need to eat fast food ever again?

Originally posted by milesp
I would settle for warning labels.

And let me guess, you want laws to make sure that happens.

What should be the penalty for companies that refuse to comply with this UNamerican law? A fine, jail-time?

How about the repeat 'offenders' who refuse to place warning labels on there products yet continue to sell them - should they be imprisoned?

*Or you could just hand them an unreasonable and extremely large fine... then when they cannot pay it, you throw them in jail. Like in the Soviet Union.

I vote that we, the people, start taxing their taxes.....
escpecially the stupid ones!!

I am underweigth, be a degenerative bone disease....I chose to just try my best to eat foods with lots of calcium than to take their stupid bone rebuilding pills that will more than likely eventually lead me to be permanently addictive to their perscription antacids!! I drink chocolate milk!! And that is one of things that has been brought up that should be taxed!!

so, all you in favor of this grand idea, tell me,

Just how in hades name is me drinking that chocolate milk costing you money out of your pocket? IT ISN'T!!
Go away, leave me alone!