Relatively ancient and inactive
Saying that imposing a tax for being obese is nice but it isn't that simple. What are you going to do, make mandatory semi-annual check-ups so that they can determine your fat tax? This wouldn't go over well at all if you tried to enact.
I'm saying what should be done, not how to get it done. I have plenty of ideas to improve life, but, alas, most of them wouldn't go through Congress.
I don't plan on living to 40.
Suit yourself.
So I, a thin person, have to pay a tax to buy unhealthy food? There is some kind of discrimination that i do not like here.
There are many problems that lead to obesity that I think a one size fits all solution tax is not going to fix obesity.
For example, I have heard that many school's lunch menu does not fit the dietary needs of the government food pyramid because the food budget has not increased. As a result, many kids are eating a somewhat unhealthy but free lunch.
There is also a income problem with some families. Some families may buy microwavable food or cup noodles because they lack the time to cook or the money to buy healthy food. (In this case, I think a tax will worsen the situation because while they are eating less junk food they probably will still not get dietary needs.)
In my case, I am a perfectly fine 160 pound 19 year old kid who eats lots of junk food and probably has a genetic predisposition to be thin.
and if a tax is implemented, I will probably make my own potato chips, other fried stuff, ect
The revenue raised with these taxes can be used to subsidize healthier food for the poor. Plus, there's so much money rolling around in America that it's ridiculous. The government spends $700 billion on the military-industrial complex, while education spending wasn't increased in 2008. There are many problems, and these are mostly solvable through the taxes alone, let alone the other crap floating around the budget. As for your predisposition to be thin, you're 19. That 'predisposition' will disappear with time.
And you aren't? Think about the people who actually are obese. Obese people have rights just like everyone else. Someone who doesn't understand what its like to actually be obese, shouldn't force anything upon anyone else. It is the individual that must come to the conclusion themselves that they want to change. Forcing such laws would only cause problems.
I think I'm being perfectly altruistic. I'm offering a solution to one of America's problems despite it lowering my taste buds happiness. Please keep in mind that drugs are illegal (but its MY BODY!), soda is already specifically taxed more in certain states (WHAT ABOUT MY FREEDOM TO DRINK SUGARY WATER?!), etc. I'm not coming with this idea from thin air.
The minute you say taxes, people will go "Hey, go fuck yourself."
And besides, eating the occasional burger would not kill you. Nor should you empty twice as much of your wallet for the same meal.
Fast food was designed to be prepared quickly. People just get addicted to it.
I don't eat extremely healthy (then again, Asians always eat healthy, don't we?). Regardless, it's not the food you consume that causes you to be fat. It's the way your body processes the food. If you refuse to exercise, the energy you receive from your food is stored as fat. Exercising consumes energy. When you do not have enough energy to meet the needs of your body during exercise, you consume fat. Want to hurt obesity? Make people exercise.
Not only that, but the simple thought of just fifteen minutes of aerobics could probably solve everything. Obesity works on an exponential factor. The fatter you are, chances are, the fatter you will come, should you not put a halt to it.
Oh right. I'm fat. I'm 160lbs at 6'.
No wait, DM saw my picture. I'm not fat. Muscle weighs more than fat. Yay.
You can eat the occasional burger. It will cost more, and some money will go towards the poor. As for exercise, yes, that's also a solution, but unless you have a solution to getting Americans to exercise enough to reverse the obesity trend, my idea works and yours doesn't.
None.