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CDC Chief: Soda Tax Could Combat Obesity

Councilman

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CDC Chief: Soda Tax Could Combat Obesity - Political Hotsheet - CBS News
While Democrats await the results of bipartisan negotiations over health care reform in the Senate Finance Committee, one of the proposals put before the committee received a nod of approval from health officials today: taxing soda.

The committee -- the last congressional panel expected to produce its own recommendations for health care reform -- listened to arguments earlier this year both for and against imposing a three-cent tax on sodas as well as other sugary drinks, including energy and sports drinks like Gatorade.

The Congressional Budget Office estimates that a three-cent tax would generate $24 billion over the next four years, and proponents of the tax argued before the committee that it would lower consumption of sugary drinks and improve Americans' overall health.

At the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's "Weight of the Nation" conference today, CDC chief Dr. Thomas Freiden said increasing the price of unhealthy foods "would be effective" at combating the nation's obesity problem, reports CBS News chief political consultant Marc Ambinder.

To paraphrase Betti Davis In All About Eve a (1950) movie. "Fasten your seatbelts it's going to be a bumpy ride."
First we heard about the talk of taxes on elective plastic surgery and Botox and now something I predicted many years ago it coming to light. Taxing soda to ostensibly combat obesity. I don't believe it for one minute. I believe there is an all out push to gain more, and more control over the daily lives of
Americans and use any means available to achieve that end.
This will continue and reach into the grocery store and attempt to control through taxes at first your purchases of any item determined by the NANNY state mentality to be detrimental to your health. Fatty foods, those that contain nitrates such as Bacon & Wieners which re under attack already are going to serve as the tip of the iceberg.
I can't tell you everything I believe or I run the risk of having this topic hidden as a conspiracy theory. All I am doing is reporting to the readers herein that taxes being used for more than just raising funds is a reality and is expanding for your own good because you cannot make intelligent decisions on your own.
By paying attention to this expansion we only remain vigilante as we were told we must. As Sgt. Friday would say: Just the facts Ma'am.
 
I fully support the tax.
 
What will the left want to tax next? The air we breathe?
 
In theory, a soda tax is wrong because people should be as free as possible to purchase a service if the service only effects them. (when there is no negative externalities)

However... if we continue to supply healthcare (which EVERYONE pays for) since someone's poor health choice hurts us all, there should be a mechanism to put it more in a market equalibrium.

And since I am against the current healthcare plans by the Democrats as well as medicare and medicaid I suppose I can still stick to being against a soda tax.

However, if healthcare costs are payed for more collectively, then it would only make sense for someone's health choices to be made more collectively as well. This is because an individual who buys soda does not privately pay for the negative health effects on their own.
There would need to be a soda tax so we are not all harmed by the consumer's choice.

so... to link this to the thread, if a soda tax reduces obesiety, and we all pay for someone's obesiety with higher taxes from more healthcare costs, then a tax to reduce obesiety makes sense.

I am curious what everyone thinks about this thought.
 
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Now if only there were a universal health care system for those taxes to go back into to balance costs, this kind of taxation would make sense.

Better yet, let's stop letting the sugar industry block legislation that limits the amount of sugar added to virtually ALL products. I highly recommend the documentary "Big Sugar" to explain the history of sugar in the United States.

The sugar industry is one of the most corrupt, meddling organizations in America. They have pushed their dollars in congress so hard that sugar is now added to virtually everything, even things that don't make sense. Seriously, check the ingredients on even the most unsuspected products, and you'll find sugar is one of the top ones.
 
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Now if only there were a universal health care system for those taxes to go back into to balance costs, this kind of taxation would make sense.

Better yet, let's stop letting the sugar industry block legislation that limits the amount of sugar added to virtually ALL products. I highly recommend the documentary "Big Sugar" to explain the history of sugar in the United States.

The sugar industry is one of the most corrupt, meddling organizations in America. They have pushed their dollars in congress so hard that sugar is now added to virtually everything, even things that don't make sense. Seriously, check the ingredients on even the most unsuspected products, and you'll find sugar is one of the top ones.

At least when it comes to how sugar is in everything... I think that has more to do with the American diet then some conspiracy :p

If you think that this is important, then I would be interested to see the sources of why you think that way.
 
Please look up the documentary I mentioned, it was created by the CBC which is a trusted source. Sugar is addictive and is in everything, thanks to sugar industry lobbying. It's not a conspiracy, as I don't subscribe to unproven theories.

Congress makes it seem like it is trying its best to fight the obesity epidemic, when the answer, in terms of restricting food additives, is really quite simple. Annual investments of millions of dollars in lobbying made by the sugar industry (as well as the tobacco industry) has prevented the regulation of these products. Instead, the government has taxed them to make additional revenue.

I wish people would wake up to the fact that the corporation has the financial levrage to control government, and is the primary reason why most of the beneficial laws that should come into place never do.
 
Now if only there were a universal health care system for those taxes to go back into to balance costs, this kind of taxation would make sense.

Better yet, let's stop letting the sugar industry block legislation that limits the amount of sugar added to virtually ALL products. I highly recommend the documentary "Big Sugar" to explain the history of sugar in the United States.

The sugar industry is one of the most corrupt, meddling organizations in America. They have pushed their dollars in congress so hard that sugar is now added to virtually everything, even things that don't make sense. Seriously, check the ingredients on even the most unsuspected products, and you'll find sugar is one of the top ones.


lol, the other day I bought 'sugar free' apple juice and couldn't help but laugh at the label that said sugar... 48g
 
Doesn't bother me either. I rarely drink pop.

I think they should do alot more to make fatty junk food more expensive and healthier food more affordable.

I would rather everyone have the freedom to consume what they want. I always seem to err on the side of freedom, for some reason.
 
Eliminate HFCS and we'll be much better off. HFCS is more dangerous than we realize, however our corn industry is vital to our Agricultural identity.
 
Now if only there were a universal health care system for those taxes to go back into to balance costs, this kind of taxation would make sense.

Better yet, let's stop letting the sugar industry block legislation that limits the amount of sugar added to virtually ALL products. I highly recommend the documentary "Big Sugar" to explain the history of sugar in the United States.

The sugar industry is one of the most corrupt, meddling organizations in America. They have pushed their dollars in congress so hard that sugar is now added to virtually everything, even things that don't make sense. Seriously, check the ingredients on even the most unsuspected products, and you'll find sugar is one of the top ones.


Yeah, let's unemploy all those folks, too. That's a great idea.
 
I would rather everyone have the freedom to consume what they want. I always seem to err on the side of freedom, for some reason.

They are still free to eat whatever junk they want to, just have to pay alittle more to do it. It's not a ban, it's a tax. Do you not know the difference?
 
They are still free to eat whatever junk they want to, just have to pay alittle more to do it. It's not a ban, it's a tax. Do you not know the difference?
You do realize the American Revolution was started by a tax on tea right? Why would we want to go back to arbitrary and excessive taxation like that again? I say anyone in government that wants more taxes for these types of reasons should be tarred and feathered in classic fashion.
 
They are still free to eat whatever junk they want to, just have to pay alittle more to do it. It's not a ban, it's a tax. Do you not know the difference?

It's a punitive tax. You do know what punitive means?
 
I drink soda daily and I'm fine with a 3 cent tax. I would disagree that it will have much of a health impact because the tax alone won't deter folks from drinking it. IMO.
 
I drink soda daily and I'm fine with a 3 cent tax. I would disagree that it will have much of a health impact because the tax alone won't deter folks from drinking it. IMO.


I drink beer daily and I pay a sin tax on it.
 
In theory, a soda tax is wrong because people should be as free as possible to purchase a service if the service only effects them. (when there is no negative externalities)

However... if we continue to supply healthcare (which EVERYONE pays for) since someone's poor health choice hurts us all, there should be a mechanism to put it more in a market equalibrium.

And since I am against the current healthcare plans by the Democrats as well as medicare and medicaid I suppose I can still stick to being against a soda tax.

However, if healthcare costs are payed for more collectively, then it would only make sense for someone's health choices to be made more collectively as well. This is because an individual who buys soda does not privately pay for the negative health effects on their own.
There would need to be a soda tax so we are not all harmed by the consumer's choice.

so... to link this to the thread, if a soda tax reduces obesiety, and we all pay for someone's obesiety with higher taxes from more healthcare costs, then a tax to reduce obesiety makes sense.

I am curious what everyone thinks about this thought.

They never pay for the negative affects on their own anyway. Healthcare costs go up because of people like them and we all pay. It's like people who drive SUV's. They drive up gas prices for the rest of us. They act like it only affects their pocket book, but that is bull****.
 
You do realize the American Revolution was started by a tax on tea right? Why would we want to go back to arbitrary and excessive taxation like that again? I say anyone in government that wants more taxes for these types of reasons should be tarred and feathered in classic fashion.

No, that was taxation without representation issues. In other words, those people could not elect the people that passed the tea tax. What the stupid tea baggers didn't get is their name was retarded. They have representation and those representatives pass laws to tax them.
 
Absolutely.

We need cigerrette style taxes on:

Anything with HFCS in it
All red meats
All shellfish
All pastries
Any food that is fried
Any fruit juices including any additives
Anything containing alcohol
Any bread outside of 100% whole wheat
Eggs
Pork
Coffee
Actually go with any food containing additional sugar or contains any caffine.

I mean, they all are bad for you in some way shape or form. Everything that isn't a vegetable (except for potatoes, we can tax those, they're extremely high stachy that leads to obesity) or a fruit should be taxed on a similar rate to cigerettes. I mean, its for your own good
 
Absolutely.

We need cigerrette style taxes on:

Anything with HFCS in it
All red meats
All shellfish
All pastries
Any food that is fried
Any fruit juices including any additives
Anything containing alcohol
Any bread outside of 100% whole wheat
Eggs
Pork
Coffee
Actually go with any food containing additional sugar or contains any caffine.

I mean, they all are bad for you in some way shape or form. Everything that isn't a vegetable (except for potatoes, we can tax those, they're extremely high stachy that leads to obesity) or a fruit should be taxed on a similar rate to cigerettes. I mean, its for your own good

It will be a cold day in hell before they tax my freedom fries!
 
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