First Tobacco ... Now Soft Drinks ...

Hmmmm I can remmeber a long time ago when they began taxing tea.
How did that turn out for them?

Every person/society has a breaking point.
I cant wait to see what gets raised/taxed next.

That's the plan.

Having all the over-reactors rise up and kill each other off, they profit from complacency, ignorance, fear and anger.

Pick a side.

"Divide and Conquer"

The powers that be win either way.

Originally posted by Tentickles

The more they tax us the more there is a possibility that the people will rise up against it.

Seriously.

STOP TAXING US!

[edit on 10-4-2009 by Realtruth]

Originally posted by cnichols


First Cigs and Alch. Now Soda. Next Burgers & Fries. Next Chips and Dip. Where does it stop?

i tell you where it stops, it stops with over half of Americans not morbidly obese, it stops with a decrease in heart disease and other serious health related issues caused by obesity. It stops with Americans finally leading healthier lives and not just lives.

Americans can't do this themselves, looks at all the fat people around you. If Americans could stop by themselves they would have done so already. The American people need this forces on them as a muzzle is forced on a dog, as its the only way us lazy Americans will ever change.

I for one support any steps that encourage leading healthier lives. Period.

I saw this article on msnbc that said thin healthy people are more of a burden on the health care system because they live the longest. Smokers actually don't use as much because they die sooner. Now I am a smoker and I'm getting tired of hearing that my habit is a drain on health care.

www.msnbc.msn.com...

"A Dutch study published last year in the Public Library of Science Medicine journal said that health care costs for smokers were about $326,000 from age 20 on, compared to about $417,000 for thin and healthy people."

Originally posted by smokecrops
i tell you where it stops, it stops with over half of Americans not morbidly obese, it stops with a decrease in heart disease and other serious health related issues caused by obesity. It stops with Americans finally leading healthier lives and not just lives.

Mmmm, interesting they're not talking about taxing salt isn't it.

Anyway, it looks like you are living the perfect life and as a result you have not to worry about someone else determining your choices for you via tax legislation.

Perhaps you actually believe that this move has to do with health issues.

Interesting ...

reply to post by smokecrops


I do just fine living my own life. I am not over weight and I do not even have high cholesterol as it is within its expected range for my age.


Guess what that means I don’t need your help deciding what to do in my life. You and all of these worthless government fools can stay out of my life thanks. Maybe they should tax people who like to interfere in the lives of others. Maybe they should tax nosey do gooders who decide it is their right to decide how others live. Maybe people could shut their trap and let others live their own private life that is not directly affecting others.

Remember what goes around comes around. Something you find to be a good thing that interferes with another’s life can come back to haunt you. There was a time in Germany when people thought it would be good to interfere with other people’s lives, look what that got them.

Raist

Originally posted by texas thinker
What next ??? You get caught farting in public and cap and trade kicks in?

Where is your carbon credits? Flatulence and no carbon credit? That'll be a $5 fine sir. ($10 if it's in an elevator:lol

Seriously I believe that as a whole we will all just lay down and take it like a man, right up the ol' chute, just like always because for the most part the Johnny Q Publice is just too damn LAZY to do anything about it. Sorry, end rant now.

Technically, farting would only be affected by a methane tax, not a CO2 tax (though they have been going after dairy farmers for bovine flatulence).

reply to post by schrodingers dog


I find your analysis of this to be incredibly one sided.

Remember who the gov is... it's us. I know you don't really believe it is, but it is.

There are people out there, myself included, who have petitioned and called our congressmen and women asking that these things are taxed. So don't act like it's some shadow gov causing this... it's folks like me.

Why?

For two reasons...

1. Because, of the cost I bear. These costs are far ranging, from the amount of effort it takes me to get Soda Machines out of my child's school, to emotional cost of seeing so many of my friends and their children ending up with diabetes.

2. There are very conflicting incentives for eating healthy. The only incentive for eating healthy is one's subjective experience. This is primarily composed of messages some advertising unhealthy things, others advertising healthy things. On the whole however, unhealthy foods are cheaper. This is an economic stimulus which is an incentive which causes many people to eat unhealthy.

I believe that if you truly want Americans to have choice, then don't tip the scales with cost.

Fact: The food supply is saturated with unhealthy food. The majority of the edible items sold in stores are healthy only in small extremely small quantities and used very infrequently.

Fact: It's incredibly less expensive to eat unhealthy than it is to eat healthy.

Fact: Diabetes and Obesity, and other food related diseases are at the highest and most dangerous levels ever.

I'm ecstatic that this tax is finally making into legislation.

reply to post by HunkaHunka


I can't see how my analysis can be viewed as one sided as it really doesn't take sides.

It is merely yet another warning of what is to come.

If you really believe that this is driven purely by our government's concern for our health then all I can respectfully suggest to you is to sit and wait, the chickens I mentioned in the OP are sure to come a' knocking. Sure they'll want to roost, but they'll also present you with a tax bill.

reply to post by schrodingers dog



I believe your analysis is one sided because it assumes that people like me aren't actually asking for this.

I can't tell you how many times I have called my reps and senators on this matter asking them specifically to increase taxes on items such as soda and fast foods so as to make the "choice" for food less of an economic decision.

If you want someone to blame for this, don't look to some amorphous "government", look to the people who are behind this specific movement... like me.

That's all I'm saying... it's not "the gov" doing this... it's the congress responding to the efforts of me and people like me.


I actually see this as a case where government is working. As I finally see my efforts paying off.


[edit on 10-4-2009 by HunkaHunka]

Originally posted by schrodingers dog
reply to post by HunkaHunka

 

I can't see how my analysis can be viewed as one sided as it really doesn't take sides.

It is merely yet another warning of what is to come.

If you really believe that this is driven purely by our government's concern for our health then all I can respectfully suggest to you is to sit and wait, the chickens I mentioned in the OP are sure to come a' knocking. Sure they'll want to roost, but they'll also present you with a tax bill.

In the not too distant future, they may ask us to take a bird flu vaccine for our own good.

Supporters of the current insanity should be the first in line.

If another war starts, they will ask us to endure another decade of chemtrails for "weather modification" as the attempt to scrub the DU from our air.

If these chumpstains that run the govt. cared so much about us then why:

1. fluoride in the water

2.mercury in the shots

3. melamine in baby formula

4. permitted use of cheapest coal products=mercury and lead in the air


They're digging mass graves as I write, but I guess this is just for cemetary upgrade.

Yeah. This administration is moving us toward their goal of one nutrition source:

Soylent Green.

reply to post by schrodingers dog


I agree.

And what's more, it isn't the job of the government to mollycoddle us and to allegedly protect us from ourselves.

If the US had social healthcare, then I would view this differently.

But this is simply a money making exercise, dressed up as concern for our well being, with the intention of making sure that Insurance profits are maximised.

If they had our well being at heart, they would impose a mega-tax on fast food joints which are as culpable as the tobacco industry in purposely addicting people and then reaping the profits.

That's right - processed carbs and sugars are highly addictive.

I, for one, am weary from all this useless negativity without action.
(Safely cloaked by the anonimity of an internet chat forum.)

If one can step back to observe things un-mired by their own prejudices they might realize:

1. Our country is a tad over 200 years old and in it's infancy.
2. Democracy is a fun little experiment. It ain't perfected yet and there are no guarantees.
3. Government without failure is like religion without sin.
4. Our nation was founded on escaping repression, tyranny and false taxation by action, courage and blood.
5. Freedom isn't really free.
6. If the American landscape doesn’t meet your idea of a “pretty view” simply look elsewhere.
7. Those who are quick to blame the government in action are the same who seek it’s protection in times of peril.
8. Just because you happen to be living your life in this era, don't falsely believe that you are unique.

(Source: a bunch of misquotes from various free thinkers I admire.)

Grow your own tobacco, make you own sodas, don’t wear your freakin’ seat belts. I don’t care! Kindly stop whining.

Go riot, attend a tea party or take the easy route and simply moan in here. But better yet, run for office and stand for real progress. Don’t just curse the system, become the system.

In short, "It is better to light a candle than curse the darkness.”

By the way, in order to bring about effective change, I suspect you'll need to organize and appoint leaders. (Sound familiar?)

There, that should offer you all some fresh fodder for ranting.
You can conveniently attack me by the item # listed above.

Peace Out……KK ( Got the meds right today)


[edit on 10-4-2009 by kinda kurious]

reply to post by HunkaHunka


In other words, yours is the view that is one sided.

What makes you think you know better than others what is or is not in their best interests?

Originally posted by texas thinker
What next ??? You get caught farting in public and cap and trade kicks in?

Where is your carbon credits? Flatulence and no carbon credit? That'll be a $5 fine sir. ($10 if it's in an elevator:lol

Seriously I believe that as a whole we will all just lay down and take it like a man, right up the ol' chute, just like always because for the most part the Johnny Q Publice is just too damn LAZY to do anything about it. Sorry, end rant now.

I love how this is all new to everyone. "This is an Outrage!!" I hear Tony Harrison from The Mighty Boosh now. "You're Joking!"

Can't you grow you own soda? Oh wait...

that's cordial and fizzy water.. Umm..

At least they're picking on legal things now, makes the rest of the populace jumpy. Otherwise it'd just be "Suck it up criminal!" as usual. Freedoms.. you only get what you're given. And only so they can take it away.




(least I just ended up watching a clip from the boosh, now thats a pickmeup if ever..)

I LOVE IT! What goes around comes around. Now that they have gone after the drinkers and the smokers, it is time to go after the sugar addicts. Hey, misery loves company. Who's next? Couch potatoes? If they figure out how to tax laziness, and then you betcha. I tip my hat to the new revolution. Pretty soon they will have a bunch of bored, pissed off healthy people with nothing to do for fun, perfect for a revolution. Then maybe this time we will go French revolution style, Robespierre, kill at the Wallstreet fat cats and the lawyers and the politicians, set up some Napoleon type dictator and invade Canada and Mexico.

Look around, suburbia is nothing but a big prison, and we are all slaves to our corporate masters. Bad habits and mistakes are now crimes. Why should anyone expect to be treated any different. Oh, and there are many people who prefer to be told how to live, they don't want liberty, why do you think religions are so successful.

reply to post by Realtruth


I agree that this is a divide and conquer plan.

The way I see this is that they are using this like they use many other things of this nature. To kill two birds with one stone.

I didn't read the entire thread (got up to page four before posting) and I'm actually surprised I didn't see anyone mention this. Five days from now is taxday.
As of right now there are hundreds of cities planning protests on the 15th. My small town in NWArkansas is even having one! These protests have been following the tea party theme for a while now.
So, when these protests get ugly (and they will) the politicos will be able to blame it on the anarchists that are upset over the soda pop tax. Why wouldn't they? (Most people don't even realize that these tea party protests have been going on, as it isn't being talked about by the Government mouthpieces.)

It is pretty cunning actually... They are trying to provoke outrage by people who were going to protest this very thing anyhow by making it PAINFULLY obvious that they are doing the very thing that people object to... counting on the idiocy of the masses.

And when the MSM starts calling all of the protestors anarchists, 90% of everyone you know in your daily life will agree with them.

Obama: "We MUST raise taxes on certain items because of the recession"...

Me: "YOU PEOPLE started this whole mess! Screw your recession."

Obama: "That man is an anarchist. Lock him up."

The Government thinks about 10 steps ahead of anyone in the country. They PAY people to do this sort of thinking for them. Think-tanks composed of sociology professors and the likes.

But the day is coming very soon that their arrogance WILL beget ignorance.
Then hell will break loose and things will change.

But for now, we are still at the point where they are making examples of certain demographics. Wait until they run out of demographics.

My Opinion

This goes back to what I've been saying all along people don't like being free!!! we must have laws for every single thing!! someone annoys you by partying too loud what do the babies do? they call the Police!!!

I think the people who want all these laws should just come out and say what they really want!! a dictator to tell them what to do all the time.

People are actually asking for less freedom because something annoys them or they disagree with a certain thing.

In my opinion we need a whole lot less laws and whole lot less whiney people who dislike freedom.

Freedom is not free!!! people must learn to tolerate others. I don't agree with recycling but I aint gonna try and stop others from doing it!! I don't call the cops when my neighbor is too loud becuase it's none of my business.

thats my opinion

reply to post by Miishgoos


The idea of life without law only works if people respect the wishes of others.
Having a neighbor blare his music at 100 decibels is extremely egocentrical.

Utopia only works if people are enlightened enough to put the desires of others before their own. If everyone did that, there would be no crime.

Yes, we need law. What we don't need is an oligarchy of power hungry, extremely wealthy eugenicists dictating not only how they are going to spend my money on the behalf of the irresponsibilities of another, but to cover that irresponsibility they are going to tax me so the system doesn't fail because of it.

I can't believe people put up with it at all... but they do.