Have we as a society come to such a low point that we are even debating passing taxes to try and control some people's bad dietary habits?

Would it be good or bad? I'm all for people being healthy, I make it a habbit to eat healthy but do we have to try and tax stupid people into eating healthier?

Would it even work?

Interesting...

http://www.theindychannel.com/health/31079697/detail.html

Just another way for the government to control the way you live.

i'm interested in them restoring people's freedom of choice and letting them die as a consequence of their choices. but no, they have to put them on life support and say "Look, We're Saving Somebody's Life"...

It is true that it is becoming a big problem, obisity that is. It is 100% preventable (ok you might be able to argue in a few cases it was genetics good luck!). Something that is, for the most part, preventable and yet is such a problem is quite interesting.

I don't know why you'd even want to be over weight. You can't do anything, play sports, live life, feel good about yourself. I don't understand why that isn't enough motivation to watch it a little bit.

And don't get me wrong I like to eat bad stuff on occasion. Key words are "on occasion".

If the state pays for the healthcare of someone obese, it becomes a valid debating topic.

well, there is also the problem that people don't actually notice it happening if they're not paying attention. i didn't find out that i was like 30 lbs over-weight until i showed up in a hotel room in Detroit and stepped into a bathroom with really big mirrors. OMG! what the heck happen?

Legalize cocaine!

Life support is stupid. If you a required to be on life support to remain living, especially if you are a fat ass, you don't deserve it.

Also, I find it rather stupid that they use a cheese burger as the example. Eating a single cheese burger doesn't make you fat. It's eating 100 mcdonalds cheese burgers that does.

actually, i think it's the McFries that does it. the body has a tendency to get rid of unused protein rather quickly.

We've managed to tax cigarets to near extinction . . .

I see people who allow a 6-7 year old to get morbidly obese and I realize that many of that childs life decisions have already been made. I wonder if there should not be a price to pay? In 30 years I'll be paying for that kids diabetes care, making her mom pay a tax on the Doritos does not suddenly sound like such a bad idea.

you really need to look down at the sidewalk or street in any American city before you state that we've taxed cigarettes to near extinction.

when my kids are my age (about 30 years) cigarets will be something that they only see in old movies

when I was there age in the early 80's, I remember people smoking in McDonalds, banks, hospitals, everywhere

so yeah, they're on the way out

yeah, kinda like how nobody smokes pot anymore and they need to decriminalize it so that the jails have room for people who aren't drug addicts.

Well said.

cigarettes will never be out of use. even if every tobacco user died, and obviously stopped smoking, people would still smoke them. just like people will get tattoos and eat fat foods or do massive lines of yao or drive cars killing everybody and the planet, to boot.

you can decide what i put in my lungs or stomach when i can decide what YOU put in YOUR lungs and stomach. You'll far more disapprove of the choices i force on you than i'll disapprove of the choices you force on me.

I can't eat undercooked red meat? you can't eat vegetables. vegetarians die every day. stop killing yourselves? I can't smoke cigarettes? you can't not smoke cigarettes. why on earth do you get to decide what i do or do not do?

i pay far, far more than my share of health care, so don't throw that 'we have to pay for you' bullfluff back at me.

id say go for it... if you are fat you use more resources, so they should be charged more for over buying :P

I'd be okay with a fat tax, as long as the govt also starts a fitness bonus on which the fat tax is spent.

Pay up, fatties.