Posts Tagged ‘politics’

Here Come the Soda Tax

September 9th, 2009

jones-soda-orange-you-glad-for-change-obama-label

Last month, I predicted that America will soon be paying 5 bucks for a can of Coke.

And it looks like that prediction may be coming true.

In an interview with Men’s Health magazine, President Obama was asked “would he consider so-called sin taxes, on soda and other sugar-laden products, or on activities that sabotage the health of the masses?

His response:

I actually think it’s an idea that we should be exploring,” the president says. “There’s no doubt that our kids drink way too much soda. And every study that’s been done about obesity shows that there is as high a correlation between increased soda consumption and obesity as just about anything else. Obviously it’s not the only factor, but it is a major factor.”

But even the most powerful man on the planet needs to keep an eye on what’s politically feasible:

“Obviously there is resistance on Capitol Hill to those kinds of sin taxes,” he says. “Legislators from certain states that produce sugar or corn syrup are sensitive to anything that might reduce demand for those products. And look, people’s attitude is that they don’t necessarily want Big Brother telling them what to eat or drink, and I understand that.

It is true, though, that if you wanted to make a big impact on people’s health in this country, reducing things like soda consumption would be helpful.”

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OrangeGladObamaSomehow, I don’t think that this is the type of change that the people at Jones Cola had in mind when they came up with their Orange “You Glad For Change” Cola to commemorate the inauguration of President Obama.

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You're Fat?… It's your Fault

July 8th, 2008

As reported in the Daily Telegraph, British politician David Cameron has declared war on the “culture of moral neutrality” by “calling on the obese, the idle and even the poor to accept some responsibility for their plight.” (see video here)

Going further, Cameron says that “Britain risks creating a society where nobody is prepared to tell the truth about what is good and bad, right and wrong… Society has become far too sensitive to people’s feelings with no one prepared to say what needs to be said…. Instead, we prefer moral neutrality, a refusal to make judgments about what is good and bad behavior, right and wrong behavior. Bad. Good. Right. Wrong.”

About obesity in particular, Cameron said “We talk about people being at risk of obesity instead of people who eat too much and take too little exercise. We talk about people being at risk of poverty or social exclusion. It’s as if these things – obesity, alcohol abuse, drug addiction – are purely external events like a plague or bad weather.”

He goes on to speak about personal responsibility – “We have seen a decades-long erosion of responsibility, of social virtue, of self-discipline, respect for others, <and> of deferring gratification instead of instant gratification.”

Wow, strong words indeed.

I can only imagine the nasty emails in his Inbox this morning.

If the comments from this blog post are any indication, then the honorable Mr. Cameron will definitely need a shovel to clean up all of the @$%#& and &$%#@* and ^#$$@& when he is finished with today’s emails.

So, Is He Right or Wrong?

100% politically incorrect and 100% right.

Barring any genetic abnormality, such as a congenital leptin deficiency, we ARE responsible for our weight gain. We get fat if we ingest more calories than we expend.

End of story, right?

Wrong.

Obesity is not the same as alcohol or drug abuse. I don’t need to drink or smoke, but I do need to eat. I just don’t need to eat bacon and Bagel-fuls. or processed foods. or high fructose corn syrup. or Big Macs. or Beefaroni. or Slurpees. or Frosted Flakes. or triple latte mocha sugar bomb coffee desserts. or…

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The U.N., World Bank, IMF & their Food Riots

April 29th, 2008

Over the last few days, representatives of the U.N. met with 27 international agency heads in the Swiss capital, Bern, to chart a solution to food price rises that have caused hunger, riots and hoarding in poor countries.

As reported by Reuters, the United Nations said today that “We consider that the dramatic escalation in food prices worldwide has evolved into an unprecedented challenge of global proportions.”

This group, consisting of the heads of U.N. agencies, funds and programs, the IMF and the World Bank under the leadership of U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon , will set priorities for a plan of action and make sure it is carried out.

The recent surge in food prices is said to be due to several factors, including increased demand in developing countries, higher fuel costs, drought in Australia, the use of crops for bio-fuels, and speculation on global commodity markets.

The group is also urging countries not to use export bans as a tool to maintain the food supply of their own country.

So let me get this straight:

World leaders (business, gov’t, NGO) use the IMF/World Bank to encourage the governments of ‘developing nations’ to sell farm land to multi-national corporations. Farm land that used to sustain the native population is used to grow flowers and other export-only crops like coffee and cocoa.

Al Gore and the environmental-industrial complex creates an atmosphere of fear and political correctness throughout the world. The expansion of bio-fuels is one of the results of this fear.

The financial leaders of the world create another world wide panic over sub-prime mortgages and the related ABCP.

We are told that the world is running out of oil.

We are told that as China & India grow, oil supplies will become more scare due to increased industrial and automotive use.

Now we are told that the world is running out of food.

What the @**&%$#

Why do we give ‘these’ people control over our lives?

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