Check this out:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,414861,00.html

Do you think a fat tax is a good idea? If your fat you are at risk of a ton of health issues which can cause everyones insurance to go up as people get fatter.

I will be in favor of a fat tax as long as we also have:

a gay tax,
a singles tax,
a smokers tax


I think you get my drift. Once we start down this slippery slope we need to charge more for All higher risk behaviors.

I am also favor of these type texes.

Originally Posted by colbyt

I will be in favor of a fat tax as long as we also have:

a gay tax,
a singles tax,
a smokers tax


I think you get my drift. Once we start down this slippery slope we need to charge more for All higher risk behaviors.

I don't think you can prove there's a statistically higher risk attached to not being married, or being attracted to people of your gender. Certain behaviors that can be attached to being single, namely unprotected sex, carry a higher risk to one's health.

Of course, driving above the speed limit is also hazardous, and taxed heavily when caught.

Two choices: legislate behavior or offer incentives to act wisely.

Overweight people pay more for health/life insurance, in some cases more for airline seats etc. Taxes are negative reinforcement, discounts are positive.

If the plan is to use taxes for increasing revenues, let's set up some serious tax revenue streams:

Stupidity tax - big bucks potential here
Fart tax - can we blow away climate change?
Heavy perfume tax - if your eyes start watering - tax 'em

You get the idea...

Instead of taxing overweight people, why don't we tax the cause of it: junk food. There should be a huge tax on junk food, fast food restaurants etc...

It would be a lot more politically correct + will encourage people to eat healthier!

I'm done for :\ I do agree that the governments should target the source rather than the victims though.

Originally Posted by seolman

Two choices: legislate behavior or offer incentives to act wisely.

Overweight people pay more for health/life insurance, in some cases more for airline seats etc. Taxes are negative reinforcement, discounts are positive.

You're right, of course, that over weight people pay more for a lot of market goods and services. Health care and insurance, airline travel, furniture, even clothes that demand more fabric. Obesity has gone from a moderate annoyance to a pandemic, tho, to the point where, thanks to diabetes, young people today will be the first Americans to die younger than their parents in my lifetime. These market approaches have failed.

Originally Posted by cowsgonemadd3

Check this out:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,414861,00.html

Do you think a fat tax is a good idea? If your fat you are at risk of a ton of health issues which can cause everyones insurance to go up as people get fatter.

Absolutely not if you are fat you should have to go to fat camp where there are drill seargents who yell at you and tell you that are a fat discusting worthless ...... and make you do sit ups until you have a heart attack or loose some weight.

I dispise fat people. They are discusting. If you are fat and you are offended maybe you should go to gym instead spending so much time on the internet.

If people spent an hour per day exercising the only fat people there would be is people with cushing's syndrome or other metabolic disorders. Most fat people can help being fat they just don't care enough about themselves to commit to make healthy changes in lifestyle and diet.

Wow..

Fat Tax is the only way to destroy a country look at China and Russia!

Obesity in America is actually the fault of George W. Bush and the Conservative Republicans in congress. His disasterous financial and foreign polices have lead people to a depressive state that has caused them to eat more overall and more of the types of foods that cause obesity. Now that we have more democrats in office and Obama as president, I think we can count on the problem Obesity in America being reduced.

If you can't beat em, join em, huh?

Poes law. Red meat for the mentally deranged.

Originally Posted by webspace

Absolutely not if you are fat you should have to go to fat camp where there are drill seargents who yell at you and tell you that are a fat discusting worthless ...... and make you do sit ups until you have a heart attack or loose some weight.

I dispise fat people. They are discusting. If you are fat and you are offended maybe you should go to gym instead spending so much time on the internet.

If people spent an hour per day exercising the only fat people there would be is people with cushing's syndrome or other metabolic disorders. Most fat people can help being fat they just don't care enough about themselves to commit to make healthy changes in lifestyle and diet.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA...

Man...that is good stuff.

OK ALL YOU FAT PEOPLE OUT THERE. YOU ARE OFFICIALLY SUB-HUMAN. UNLESS YOU START CARING ABOUT YOURSELVES RIGHT NOW WE'LL SHOVE YOUR CELLULITIC JELLO-LIKE BUTTS INTO FAT CAMPS AND HATEFUL PEOPLE WHO CAN'T SPELL AND ARE OBSESSED WITH LOOKING LIKE BARBIE OR KEN WILL MAKE YOU WORK UNTIL YOU TURN PURPLE AND HAVE A HEART ATTACK AND DIE. BECAUSE WE HATE FAT PEOPLE.

hehehehehe... man. I'd rather be 30 lbs overweight than hate people.

Originally Posted by seolman

hehehehehe... man. I'd rather be 30 lbs overweight than hate people.

Poor Rush Limbaugh!

Somehow, maybe because of the election I missed the new posts in this thread.

Originally Posted by juliensimon

Instead of taxing overweight people, why don't we tax the cause of it: junk food. There should be a huge tax on junk food, fast food restaurants etc...

It would be a lot more politically correct + will encourage people to eat healthier!

I could go along with that! Or maybe we could also say that food with a fat content over X% can not be bought with food stamps. At the grocery I see an awful lot of people buying all the wrong things because "no cooking is required". That is people with and without "food stamps".

I dunno about a fat tax as such, if you start taxing people because of their looks, appearance, social status, religious views etc, etc... Then thats prejudice...

Originally Posted by Learning Newbie

I don't think you can prove there's a statistically higher risk attached to not being married, or being attracted to people of your gender.

Sorry - I had to interject. There have been multiple studies that have shown married people to have longer life spans than single people. Some speculation is that sharing your life with a partner reduces your stress to lengthen life span.

As for a fat tax - I would have to disagree with it. I am overweight. Not because of what I eat or because of not getting any exercise. I am overweight because after I had my daughter (she is 14) I can not loose more than 5 - 10 pounds and then plateau. I am a very active person, spend a lot of time outside walking, hunting, swimming, I go to the Y and work out. I don't eat junk food - I eat a balanced diet and prefer to snack on an apple, banana, sun flower seeds, etc than a chocolate bar. Science has not come far enough that they can diagnose what changed during my pregnancy 4 years ago and correct it.

Fat tax is the undefined way to keep and collect the money of which is owed and due to the people. We are entitled to our future benefits of living. One may live according to his means and his standards, its not necessary but obituary for him to provide for his co-existence being.