Taxes

@BDnLacy (324)
United States
January 29, 2007 4:39pm CST
I was discussing taxes today and it accured to me that the US goverment is picking on cigarette smokers. Now I smoked for many years but stopped due to family health problems. But the other day I saw where Mississippi will be adding more taxes to tobbaco products, with cigarettes being the hardest hit. Now I know they are doing this to convince people to stop smoking. Which is a good thing. Because smoking does cause server health problems. They say anyway. I know a guy that died at the age of 85 of natural causes and smoked 2 packs a day. BUT!! I see on the news atleast 2 times a week how obesity is the leading cause of health problems and is fast growing to be the #1 cause of premature deaths. So why isn't fast food and junk foods taxed in the same manner? I mean if the whole idea of raising taxes on tobacco is to prevent future health problems and to stop the drain on the economy by lower state paid health insurance. Why isn't the same standards set for obese people as for those that smoke? Atleast most people that smoke have jobs and do pay for most of their own exspenses, and obese people tend not work and draws some sort or public assistance in order to continue to buy the foods that made them that way. Type 2 diabetes is the leading cause of childhood illnesses, which is caused mainly by obesity. So I believe the goverment should also raise taxes on foods that causes people to get fat. Am I the only one that feels this way?
3 people like this
1 response
@AskAlly (3625)
• Canada
30 Jan 07
I think the biggest problem is inactivity and laziness. I raised 5 boys that I always thought were too skinny. But dog gone it they were active. If we were not hauling them around to some sports activity they were finding something else to do. This did not include 40 hours of television or playstation either. Most of the parents of these kids are lazy as well. There are a million cook books out there that tell you step by step how to cook nutricious meals for an entire month at a time. No matter how hectic it got I had to have meals on the table because the nearest take out or delivery was 35 miles away. They just don't travel that far to bring you a couple of cold pizzas. Maybe a tax would be a good idea. It would put this food on the once in awhile treat list instead of a dietary staple.