The government cannot excessively tax fast food because food is a necessity. Nobody *needs* cigs in order to survive. No one needs alcohol or other drugs to survive (although I know the addiction is strong, but if you never started, you wouldn't be addicted). That's why the government can tax them. There would also be a problem in the definition of what is fast food or not. Would Subway be a fast food, even though some of it is good for you? And some gourmet foods are just as bad for you as a Big Mac, but that couldn't be taxed because its sold at some high scale restaraunt. A lot of french food is lathered in butter, but I wouldn't call that a 'fast food.' So do we just heavily tax everything that is unhealthy? There could be a case made that any and every food in excess is unhealthy. If you eat nothing but lettuce, you're eating poorly because you're not getting the proper nutrients from just one food. x34-Yes, there is a right to smoke. But there is no right to not be taxed for it. People get taxed on everything that is not a necessity. We get taxed on clothing, which I might not like because we have to have clothing. But the government decided that taxes on clothing could be used to raise money. Part of having our rights means having to give something back to our government who gave us those rights.
Princess, I'm not saying there shouldn't be ANY taxes on cigs, I just disapprove of the excessiveness and lopsidedness of these so-called "sin taxes". Nobody needs fast food to survive, either. And even if a "burger tax" was proposed, I would oppose that as well. The thought that certain activites need to be taxed for our own good is preposterous. Its all about wanting more revenue, plain and simple. If they want to tax because they can't meet their budgets or want a myriad of new programs, fine. They should just come out and say that... I'm sure many politicians would LOVE to hear more people believe that The government doesn't give any of us rights... they only acknowledge and protect the inalienable rights given to us by our Creator...
Moreover, smokers create a positive (if ghoulish) benefit for nonsmokers. Because they die earlier, smokers avoid health care expenses that might have otherwise been incurred over a longer life. They also save society money in Social Security payments and private pension benefits. Nice I never thought of it this way!
Yeah but still who wants to breathe in that ****.... Whether or not it will kill you (I happen to think it does even though they can't prove it ... LOL) it will sure ruin the air around you. All you smokers, do you remember what it was like to not be a smoker and have to endure that stuff.... or is that why you became a smoker?!
Fast food's not a necessity. Hell, judging by some of the asses on people I see out and about today, fast food is the opposite of a necessity. A carrot and a brisk mile's run are necessities.
Moreover, smokers create a positive (if ghoulish) benefit for nonsmokers. Because they die earlier, smokers avoid health care expenses that might have otherwise been incurred over a longer life. They also save society money in Social Security payments and private pension benefits. When that element is factored in, a Rand Corporation study found that the net cost smokers create for nonsmokers equals about 28 cents a pack at 1993 prices. Yes, but in their short little lives, smokers manage to cram in an extraordinary amount of health care expenses -- upper respiratory infections, emphysema, cancers of ALL types, increased risk of heart disease. This causes ALL of our health insurance to go up. Even us non-smoking, non-meat-eating, exercise-daily, haven't-been-to-a-doctor-in-years individuals. And if, as the study implies, many smokers are lower income, great! That just means they don't have any insurance so the local hospital system has to eat the cost of their care. And who gets to pay for that ultimately. Of course, the taxpayers. I understand that there are many people who smoke and that's fine. We all have our vices. But to pass it off as if it's actually a benefit to society is irresponsible.
I avoid many public places and many functions that I truly miss (live music, watching a game in a bar, etc) because I utterly loathe the smell of cigarette smoke. seven bucks ain't cheap enough.
BrianKagy, please notice that I did not say "fast food" was a necessity, just that food was. Certain amounts of fast food have been a life saver for 2 income households and single parents. I like fast food-I always have. But I'm not fat or unhealthy. People that eat fast food are not fat and unhealthy. People that have poor eating and exercising habits are fat and unhealthy. The food we buy at the grocery store is not taxed at all because of that reason-it is necessary to our survival. Fast food is taxed, however. If you are simply talking about taxing it because it is bad for you (like cigs), there are some things to be considered. Not all of it is *terrible for you.* And as I pointed out in my last post, there is plenty of gourmet food out there that is just as bad. Even Chicken Fried Steak, which is considered a Southern home-cooked staple, is not good for you. And Americans have been eating that stuff for years! Should we tax flour, eggs, steak and oil so we can't make that dish anymore? Eaten in moderation with a well-balanced diet and moderate exercise, fast food is not going to have the same effects as cigs do. Eating fast food does not cause deaths or illness causing death (as I mentioned above-poor eating habits and exercise habits do). Smoking cigs does cause death or illness. If the government needs to increase taxes to meet their budget, why not tax cigs more heavily? What would be something better to tax instead? Go Mrs. JB!!!
What good are you dying in the hospital for 5 years from ephezemah while I pay for Medicare/Medicaid or pay higher insurence premiums? Latest reports show that 99% of cigerette butts found on the roadways are discarded from smokers. That really pisses me off. Let me tell you how attractive it is to pull up next to a curb piled an inch thick with butts. What is the REAL percentage of smokers that actually dispose of their cigerettes incorrectly ... especially in cars. We have strict rules against drinking and driving ... but hey, even you can recycle the bottles and cans.
Only certain foods at the grocery store aren't taxed - the basic foods. Bread, Milk, etc If you buy a gallon of blue bell, you are gonna get taxed.
Princess, I know you didn't, but you said it couldn't be "excessively taxed" because food is a necessity. Food is, fast food isn't. True, but a Big Mac will contribute a lot more to fatitude and overweightableness than a turkey sub from Subway. I think the majority of people who eat enough fast food to suffer a tax increase on it aren't in the kind of shape they should be. I'm glad that you're not a tub. Fat princesses look silly. But we do have a problem in this country with porkers. I'm not crusading for tax increases here, but anything that would make it harder on fatties to indulge gluttony wouldn't bother me at all. If I were to crusade for anything, it would be in favor of the excessive taxation of ex-girlfriends.
I don't know what you are implying, but I don't think I like it. Rumors of me being overweight on this BBS are strictly that, rumors.
Kagy-Thanks for acknowledging that! Fast food still is food however, and I doubt they can tax it (or BlueBell) excessively. If you eat 6 turkey subs a day, it's not good for you. Overeating is just as big a problem as eating junk food. Perhaps junk food should be excessively taxed like cigs, but not all fast food, since I think of Subway as a fast food. And please don't tax ex-girlfriends. Some of us are nice!
Imagine paying 30 dollars every two weeks for dirt weed. (oops, I might have disturbed tbagain) "California Dreaming"
OK, that is it, the next time I sit next to a smoker, I am going to start ripping some serious air biscuits. If I have to breath in their 2nd hand smoke, then they can breath in my 2nd hand anal wafers. DaDakota
