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One day we'll all be eating nothing but vitamin fortified, government sanctioned, gruel: cause that's all that will be left that the government hasn't banned.
Why tax sugared foods? If the goal is to reduce the demand on foods that have too much sugar, then why not abolish government subsidies on sugar? If food companies would pay for the true cost (whatever that is, I'm being lazy at the moment and did not research it) of sugar, then may be they wouldn't use so much or use substitutes.
However (cynical, unsubstantiated statement alert!!!), I'm afraid the actual goal is to separate the consumer from his money while the government and sugar industry still get theirs.
There is a bit of truth in that. Any corporation that can increase profits, with either government regulations or deregulation will do so, with the generous help of all the political parties in and out of power.
why would you want more government intervention into your life
why right does the government have to tax or limit any food
where does it stop
Exactly. What ever happened to personal responsibility? People are too stupid to know what's good or bad for them so the govt has to make x and y unavailable or unattractive by taxing it? Smokers will still smoke, regardless of the tax, as will those who enjoy alcohol. So what? It's their choice.
Not everyone who eats sugar or hamburgers or whatever is fat or unhealthy. Some people have great metabolism. Some people, such as myself, are so active in sports that those things, although not a normal part of my diet, are things I enjoy. It's my choice. Why don't we reward people who are ALREADY doing healthy things instead of discouraging EVERYONE who falls into the sugar/salt/whatever category? I don't want to be like Europe or any of these other nations the libs so love but would dare not pick up stakes and live.
It is unbelievable to me the hype, propaganda, and just out and out lies people will swallow. Costing themselves more in the long run on the very things they enjoy. This country becomes more and more taxed and less and less free everyday. The obesity epidemic has a lot more of a problem, than just soda. Lack of proper health care for those with genuine medical reasons. (Food addicts, thyroid, etc.) Neglectful obese parents. This tax is another way for politicians to line their pockets with "fat" rolls of cash while we pay more for things. If the sugared soda tax is passed, what's next? A higher tax for ALL things with sugar? Sugar itself? Isn't one general tax enough? Sugared soda and obesity is a ruse. Follow the links...
Myth: Soda Causes Childhood Obesity (http://www.obesityscam.com/myth6.1.htm - broken link)
Whatever happened to the purpose of being elected into government service was simply to protect the rights and freedoms of the peopel? Just let us go about our day to day business, secure in the idea that government is only there to protect us from someone else trying to infringe on our rights?
Salt in my food, or sugar in my beverages are not a threat to my liberty, so I do not need government protecting me from salt or sugar, and I surely do not need government to tax me on sweet beverages in order to protect me from sugar.
There is a bit of truth in that. Any corporation that can increase profits, with either government regulations or deregulation will do so, with the generous help of all the political parties in and out of power.
There was actually very little truth in his post.
Sugar is not being subsidized. Corn is being subsidized and chemically altered to be used as a cheap substitute for sugar.
Our government is the one that pushed HFCS as a cheap substitute.
Corporations were only too happy to jump on board to use it as an ingredient.
It's funny that you're trusting that the same government that has helped promote all this crap will now 'fix' it for you and the only way to fix it is to tax it beyond your capability to afford it
Makes it pretty obvious why a Just Say No approach won't work, regardless the subject
Exactly. I live in an agricultural area. The gubmint pays farmers NOT To cultivate their land. Go to the grocery store next time and see where your produce is coming from: China, Mexico, Chile, Argentina, etc. We could be growing carrots HERE in the U.S. and instead the gubmint is paying farmers not to produce and glut the market to keep prices artificially high. It's stupid.
The same gunmint that decided it would be a good idea to cultivate the High Plains and doubled the homestead acreage and gave free train tickets for people to move there and work the land. You know the story: they plowed the land of all the natural, drought resistant buffalo grass, thus exposing the topsoil. When a drought DID come, the crops died, the winds blew, and there were dust storms for the next 10 years. The Black Blizzard, also known as the Dust Bowl Era, displaced farmers traveling out West, Grapes of Wrath style. I live in the High Plains and the survivors of that era can tell you stories that would break your heart. Yeah, by all means, let's hand over more decisions to the gubmint. In fact, the acre of land directly opposite the outside road
Geofra, the subsidy is on corn, not sugar. Sugar in food is better than corn in food for sweetener.
The body can digest sugar better than corn.
HFCS (corn derived) is cheaper than sugar thanks to subsidies. It's not only sugar; HFCS is a sweetner substitute and replaces a lot more than corn.
Example: Next time you shop take a good look at that Aunt Jemima "syrup". It's not maple syrup like you may think. Do you see the word "maple" on the label at all ?
It's a bottle full of HFCS and chemical flavoring
Now study that shelf..see that the products that are HFCS based do not have the word "maple" in their product. Look at the price..very cheap.
Now look for the smaller bottles of "maple syrup" (Maple Grove Farms is one) and their price...more expensive.
Look at their labels....100% pure maple syrup.
Now look at Aunt Jemima label....a laundry list of chemicals and HFCS.
WAKE UP PEOPLE...you're being fattened just like cattle at the slaughter house !!!!
Exactly. I live in an agricultural area. The gubmint pays farmers NOT To cultivate their land. Go to the grocery store next time and see where your produce is coming from: China, Mexico, Chile, Argentina, etc. We could be growing carrots HERE in the U.S. and instead the gubmint is paying farmers not to produce and glut the market to keep prices artificially high. It's stupid.
The same gunmint that decided it would be a good idea to cultivate the High Plains and doubled the homestead acreage and gave free train tickets for people to move there and work the land. You know the story: they plowed the land of all the natural, drought resistant buffalo grass, thus exposing the topsoil. When a drought DID come, the crops died, the winds blew, and there were dust storms for the next 10 years. The Black Blizzard, also known as the Dust Bowl Era, displaced farmers traveling out West, Grapes of Wrath style. I live in the High Plains and the survivors of that era can tell you stories that would break your heart. Yeah, by all means, let's hand over more decisions to the gubmint. In fact, the acre of land directly opposite the outside road
The government shut off the water to farmers in San Joaquin valley, to protect a minnow. The entire area was a real bread basket for the nation, I used to see carrots from Fresno in the produce section of grocery stores as far away as South Carolina, and now the farms are all drying up.
The government shut off the water to farmers in San Joaquin valley, to protect a minnow. The entire area was a real bread basket for the nation, I used to see carrots from Fresno in the produce section of grocery stores as far away as South Carolina, and now the farms are all drying up.
Not just any minnow but a non-native species!
CRP was initially designed to give agricultural farms a "rest", to protect the soil from depletion/erosion as well as to reduce the amount of product this supposedly protecting crop prices. Part of the theory was to help avoid another Dust Bowl in the US, IIRC.
CRP has been dramatically decreasing and the sell-off of CRP land that will fail to bring-in a paycheck for farmers has been evident for more than a decade now. That and the fact that the price for farmland enjoyed a similar rally to the residential?commercial real estate markets.
Personally, every time I look into participating in a agricultural program in which the government $$ are involved I get a bad taste in my mouth and walk away. The most recent example was this past week, looking at a program in which the conservation department re-stocks farm ponds with fish for free. The strings were not worth it to me. The state would forever own the fish in those ponds and I'd have to allow trespassers across my land to fish whenever they wished. No, thanks, I'll buy the fish myself.
When you dance with the devil eventually you have to pay the price.
CRP was initially designed to give agricultural farms a "rest", to protect the soil from depletion/erosion as well as to reduce the amount of product this supposedly protecting crop prices.
CRP has been dramatically decreasing and the sell-off of CRP land that will fail to bring-in a paycheck for farmers has been evident for more than a decade now.
Personally, every time I look into participating in a agricultural program in which the government $$ are involved I get a bad taste in my mouth and walk away. The most recent example was this past week, looking at a program in which the conservation department re-stocks farm ponds with fish for free. The strings were not worth it to me. The state would forever own the fish in those ponds and I'd have to allow trespassers across my land to fish whenever they wished. No, thanks, I'll buy the fish myself.
When you dance with the devil eventually you have to pay the price.
I also looked into a few of those programs..WHIP (wildlife habitat incentive program) was another one but, as you stated, the devil is in the details and you have to sell your soul and it's just not worth it.
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