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The Need for Regulation: Fighting the Obesity Epidemic

What do you think we should do about the Obesity Epidemic?

  • Total voters
    68
Helix said:
education and disclosure of calories next to menu items.

if someone sees that the burger is over a thousand calories and still wants to buy it, then it's fine by me. but i'd like to have the calories right there while i'm making my choices. calories are on food at the grocery store; they should be on the menu, also.

i'm against sin taxes and advertising bans.
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If you support this freedom, will you support paying for the cost of this freedom through your taxes?
 
Wake said:
We seem to be breaking down, wallowing in our debilitation and lack of willpower. There is a group of people in America that on one hand opines that we Americans should be allowed to slowly kill ourselves through unhealthy food, and on the other hand complain about increasing taxes for the costs of affording the results of said unhealthy living. You should not be able to have it both ways; either support unhealthy living and pay taxes because of it, or don't support unhealthy freedom and don't pay taxes for it.
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This is why it should be OK to mock people. Fatties are fat and you can make comments about it. I don't know if it will solve the problem, but maybe it will shame them into a diet. I take the same line with stupid people. We shouldn't let them sit there wallowing in their own stupidity. Stupid people should be made aware that they are stupid so that they can take steps to correct it.
 
massive public outreach & campaigns.

requiring 3-days of gym per week for all students, grade 1-12.

requiring health insurance companies reward healthy behaviors & penalize poor ones (drinking, smoking, over-eating, poor diet)
 
Ikari said:
This is why it should be OK to mock people. Fatties are fat and you can make comments about it. I don't know if it will solve the problem, but maybe it will shame them into a diet. I take the same line with stupid people. We shouldn't let them sit there wallowing in their own stupidity. Stupid people should be made aware that they are stupid so that they can take steps to correct it.
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It doesn't work. That's just a fact.
 
Boo Radley said:
The will power requried to lose weight is largely exceptional. We're not all exceptional in this category. For many the battle is like being a drug addict who has to take some of the drug every day. The overall problem, as StillBallin75 suggests involves more than willpower.
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I think you are simply making excuses for being a fat ass. Trying to blame your personal faults on evil corporations.
 
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Ikari said:
This is why it should be OK to mock people. Fatties are fat and you can make comments about it. I don't know if it will solve the problem, but maybe it will shame them into a diet. I take the same line with stupid people. We shouldn't let them sit there wallowing in their own stupidity. Stupid people should be made aware that they are stupid so that they can take steps to correct it.
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After reading this comment, consider yourself made aware.
 
I really want to know what a conservative taxpayer thinks about this:

If you support this unhealthy freedom, are you going to support the costs of this freedom through your taxes?
 
Ikari said:
This is why it should be OK to mock people. Fatties are fat and you can make comments about it. I don't know if it will solve the problem, but maybe it will shame them into a diet. I take the same line with stupid people. We shouldn't let them sit there wallowing in their own stupidity. Stupid people should be made aware that they are stupid so that they can take steps to correct it.
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We already make fun of fat people. Rosie O'Donnell didn't get gastric bypass for fun.

It's other countries where fat people tend to be praised because they are seen as privileged and endowed and well-off.
 
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Muhammed said:
I think you are simply making excuses for being a fat ass. Trying to blame your personal faults on evil corporations.
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For the record, I once weighted over 350 lbs. I lost weight and got down to 180 lbs. I currently weight 200 lbs. I run ten miles per day. I eat only 2000 calories a day. No sugar. No sweets. I help work with those overweight a couple of times a month, providing an example. I know something about what I speak of here. Can you do what I do?
 
Wake said:
Perhaps more of those communities need to manifest, quickly, if that's make make any noticeable dent in this problem.

Are you alright with paying more taxes in order to cover the costs of burgeoning healthcare costs that are directly related to obesity?

Do you think taxes should increase to compensate for the cost of the freedom you're supporting?
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I find the primary cause of growing healthcare cost is related to bureaucracy. Yes, obesity does contribute to rising healthcare. Am I alright with paying more for it? Well, it is a tough question to answer. My stance is less government influence and trying to drive down taxes as much as possible. You have to start with a bit less government involved in healthcare. People say I put too much trust in a free market system, but I truly believe in allowing the people to decide rather then a centralized government. Short answer is No, but you have to understand where I'm coming from on it.

I am willing to pay more taxes only to try and drive down this massive deficit we have on our hands. If we don't fully liquidate the debt, then yes I am willing to pay more to get it down. Again, to fully support an absolute free society you got to change a lot more then certain tax items.

Obesity is not necessarily the result of individual choices. This is one of those examples where I think libertarians attribute too much cause/effect to individual agency. The truth is, even in the absence of government coercion, we're not really as free as we prefer to think we are. If it's not the government, there are other forces that are constantly influencing your behavior whether you're aware of it or not, or whether you like it or not.
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Yes, I understand obesity isn't necessarily a choice. I understand complications with thyroid cancer and simple genetics provide a case as well. We're free to make choices, but I understand fully about covert coercion. Our behavior is generally influenced by pop culture rather then government regulation. I get that, but the problem is actually having to spend money (that we don't have) to coerce behavior.
 
Wake said:
I really want to know what a conservative taxpayer thinks about this:

If you support this unhealthy freedom, are you going to support the costs of this freedom through your taxes?
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No, I'm not going to pay. Insurance, whether it's auto or medical, should be priced based on a greater number of variables. I've argued in another thread that driving tests should be more frequent, more challenging, and scored to more accurately determine the risk factor of each individual's driving. Similarly, physical fitness should be a major factor in health insurance prices. This gives people the right to be fat but the incentive not to.
 
AreteCourage said:
I find the primary cause of growing healthcare cost is related to bureaucracy. Yes, obesity does contribute to rising healthcare. Am I alright with paying more for it? Well, it is a tough question to answer. My stance is less government influence and trying to drive down taxes as much as possible. You have to start with a bit less government involved in healthcare. People say I put too much trust in a free market system, but I truly believe in allowing the people to decide rather then a centralized government. Short answer is No, but you have to understand where I'm coming from on it.

I am willing to pay more taxes only to try and drive down this massive deficit we have on our hands. If we don't fully liquidate the debt, then yes I am willing to pay more to get it down. Again, to fully support an absolute free society you got to change a lot more then certain tax items.
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Indeed it's a tough and direct question.

Are you willing to pay taxes to support this unhealthy freedom [NOT the massive deficit] that you defend? If you're willing to support people's rights to slowly kill themselves, then you should also be responsible and support paying for the costs of that unhealthy freedom, imo.


Mathematician said:
No, I'm not going to pay. Insurance, whether it's auto or medical, should be priced based on a greater number of variables. I've argued in another thread that driving tests should be more frequent, more challenging, and scored to more accurately determine the risk factor of each individual's driving. Similarly, physical fitness should be a major factor in health insurance prices. This gives people the right to be fat but the incentive not to.
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You don't support paying for their unhealthy freedom. Do you support these people's freedoms to make poor food choices while undoubtedly becoming obese from it? If you support the bad freedom, you should also support the costs of that freedom you support through your taxes. You can't prop up a fattie's right to feed and then vacate the area when that fattie's obesity drives up medical costs.
 
Boo Radley said:
For the record, I once weighted over 350 lbs. I lost weight and got down to 180 lbs. I currently weight 200 lbs. I run ten miles per day. I eat only 2000 calories a day. No sugar. No sweets. I help work with those overweight a couple of times a month, providing an example. I know something about what I speak of here. Can you do what I do?
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Could I run ten miles a day? Absolutely. I already eat no sugar, I'm diabetic. Unfortunately, the people you work with, the people who apparently need an example, are neither ready, willing or able to do what you do. Maybe you should get them to exercise and eat no sugar. After all, with very few exceptions, it's entirely their fault that they are the way they are.
 
Are you willing to pay taxes to support this unhealthy freedom [NOT the massive deficit] that you defend? If you're willing to support people's rights to slowly kill themselves, then you should also be responsible and support paying for the costs of that unhealthy freedom, imo.
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Like I said...my short answer is No.

I don't feel like it is my responsibility to pay for their unwise choice. With freedom comes risk and the burden of the risk shouldn't fall on another person's shoulders
 
AreteCourage said:
Like I said...my short answer is No.

I don't feel like it is my responsibility to pay for their unwise choice. With freedom comes risk and the burden of the risk shouldn't fall on another person's shoulders
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But if you support that freedom, shouldn't you take responsibility for the cost of it?

A nation has taxpayers. If you support a person's activity to eat bad foods resulting in obesity and burgeoning medical costs, those costs will fall on the taxpayers.
 
Wake said:
I really want to know what a conservative taxpayer thinks about this:

If you support this unhealthy freedom, are you going to support the costs of this freedom through your taxes?
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You clearly don't comprehend personal responsibility. People have a right to be fat, they are also 100% responsible for all of the costs associated with that decision.
 
Wake said:
We seem to be breaking down, wallowing in our debilitation and lack of willpower. There is a group of people in America that on one hand opines that we Americans should be allowed to slowly kill ourselves through unhealthy food, and on the other hand complain about increasing taxes for the costs of affording the results of said unhealthy living. You should not be able to have it both ways; either support unhealthy living and pay taxes because of it, or don't support unhealthy freedom and don't pay taxes for it.
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I don't support government regulation. I do support individuals being responsible for their own health care costs, which would incentivize them to live a healthier lifestyle.
 
Cephus said:
People have a right to be fat, they are also 100% responsible for all of the costs associated with that decision.
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lizzie said:
I don't support government regulation. I do support individuals being responsible for their own health care costs, which would incentivize them to live a healthier lifestyle.
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Where do you think we should begin in cutting back costs targetting these people?
 
Wake said:
Where do you think we should begin in cutting back costs targetting these people?
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I don't think we should specifically target anyone. They often times pay higher insurance premiums already because of their health. They suffer more heart-related diseases because of their health. They tend to die younger because of their health. They're already targetting themselves, why do any more?
 
Wake said:
Where do you think we should begin in cutting back costs targetting these people?
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I'm not sure I understand what you are asking? If people paid for their own health care costs and insurance, we wouldn't need to cut back government costs.
 
lizzie said:
I don't support government regulation. I do support individuals being responsible for their own health care costs, which would incentivize them to live a healthier lifestyle.
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Some. Not enough to see significant difference. Just more people unable to pay for care.
 
Cephus said:
Could I run ten miles a day? Absolutely. I already eat no sugar, I'm diabetic. Unfortunately, the people you work with, the people who apparently need an example, are neither ready, willing or able to do what you do. Maybe you should get them to exercise and eat no sugar. After all, with very few exceptions, it's entirely their fault that they are the way they are.
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This is what we're trying to do. Juvenile diabetis or adult onset (type 2)?
 
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