First, the war on drugs, insanity approved by most Americans.

(Thanks for letting the camel get his nose under the tent folks)

Next, the war on tobbaco, more insanity approved of by most Americans.

(now his head is in, I think he's coming all the way in...)

Now this, just as I predicted....Yes, I told you so.

Hide the ham: Health fanatics want to slap a "fat tax" on your favorite foods

WASHINGTON, DC -- That scrumptious meal you had for Thanksgiving -- and the festive feast you're probably planning for Christmas -- may get hit with a "fat tax" if certain public health fanatics get their way, the Libertarian Party warned today.

"Hide the ham, guard the gravy, and hold on to your hamburger: The calorie cops are coming after us," said Steve Dasbach, the party's national director. "If we don't stop them, the grease Gestapo will do to fatty foods what they've already done to cigarettes."

In recent months, the "fat tax" -- a new federal tax that would be levied against high-calorie and high-fat foods -- has been endorsed by several organizations as a solution to a national "obesity epidemic."

"Using language strikingly similar to the anti-tobacco jihad, the Calorie KGB is demanding that the government launch a war against fatty foods -- for our own good, of course," said Dasbach. "They want to put a sin tax on food, while fattening the federal coffers."

How shrill has this crusade for a fat-free America become? Here are some recent examples:

* At a conference in Washington, DC on "Obesity: The Public Health Crisis," the president of the American Obesity Association (AOA) demanded new "fat taxes" to fund anti-obesity educational programs. Obesity is a "national emergency," said the AOA -- and a "ticking time bomb in the health care system."

* The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) called obesity "the second-leading cause of preventable death in the United States after smoking," and said, "The time has come to develop a national comprehensive strategy -- analogous to those already in place for tobacco use."

* Kelly Brownell of Yale University said obesity is being encouraged by a "toxic food environment" -- such as restaurants that offer "high-calorie foods, heavily promoted and good tasting." Brownell also said: "There is no difference to me between Joe Camel and Ronald McDonald," and endorsed a "twinkie tax" on high-calorie food to discourage overeating.

* The Center for Science in the Public Interest said a "fat tax" is not enough, and called for a ban on "junk food" advertising, and mandatory calorie labels on restaurant menus.

* A study by Policy Analysis, Inc. concluded that overweight people cost employers $12.7 billion in sick time and additional insurance coverage annually. Other studies claim that 300,000 Americans die from being overweight each year.

What's next? Lawsuits against fast-food restaurants, suggested New York Times columnist Daniel Akst. Such legal action could compensate the "victims" of greasy hamburgers and french fries, he said.

But such suggestions ignore the right of Americans to choose what they want to eat -- and the right of restaurants to serve it, said Dasbach.

"What you eat, and how much you eat, are matters of personal preference and personal responsibility," he said. "Our eating habits shouldn't be the government's business -- and bureaucrats shouldn't be allowed to micromanage our menus or tax our twinkies in the name of so-called public health. If revenue-hungry politicians want to put something on a starvation diet, they can start with the federal budget."

-- Uncle Deedah (unkeed@yahoo.com), December 21, 1999

Answers

to the top

-- Uncle Deedah (unkeed@yahoo.com), December 21, 1999.

And the "science" is screwed. Which is another problem with government fiat. It's not the fat, it's the carbohydrates -- sugar and corn syrup in everything. It's the potatoes, rice and wheat and all the other stuff that the vegetarians hold as holy food. Ref: Dr. Atkins "New Diet Revolution". The "NeanderThin" diet book. The "Carbohydrate Addicts" book. (I don't have the exact titles and authors, but you can find them with a little searching on Amazon).

-- A (A@AisA.com), December 21, 1999.

$20.00 Doughnuts

-- Jimmy Bagga Doughnuts (jim1bets@worldnet.att.net), December 21, 1999.

It's the processed junk too. I just lost 29 pounds in fifteen weeks using Dr. Atkins diet and I've never felt better. I can't tell you how easy it was. Bacon and eggs for breakfast, meat and cheese & salad for lunch. Fresh veggies, real butter, cream, etc, etc.Crab legs dippped in butter, steak. One real key -Give up the sugar -use Stevia to sweeten with - don't use apertame - I came up with losts of great tasty recipes. No more sugar highs and lows. Hyperglycemia under control for a change. There is most definitely something to this. The obesity epidemic is from eating too much of all the wrong stuff. Fat is not a dirty word. And eating meat is not murder!!! (read that on a bumper sticker once).

-- April (Alwzapril@home.com), December 21, 1999.

ROTFLMAO! Got a link Unk?

-- Deborah (infowars@yahoo.com), December 21, 1999.

You would hope that we would stop eating animal fat out of compassion for our fellow creatures.

But, alas, in the end you will have to be strung up by your hind feet, your throat slit, and roasted on an open flame.

After all, you are more devine(made in Gods image) and important than they. Right!

Instant Karma'a gonna get you(heart desease). Take it from someone that had a small heart attack and open heart surgery at age 41.

-- Infidel (Barbarians@thegate.net), December 21, 1999.

My solution: y2k

-- impala (impala@wild.com), December 21, 1999.

Link

-- Uncle Deedah (unkeed@yahoo.com), December 21, 1999.

A!....I knew there was something we have in common. I'm with you on this one...these diet-icrats have got it all wrong. They'll kill more people than they save if they have their way.

-- TM (mercier7@pdnt.com), December 21, 1999.

April, I'm on the very thin side but just now reading your menu makes me what to go on a diet anyway.

-- Ed (ed@lizzardranch.com), December 21, 1999.

Taxes never stopped me from smokin. Not something I'm proud of (especially as I hack) but a fat tax is useless in controlling peoples eating. ...and I've lost 30 lbs on Atkins in 2 months. What do these experts know?

-- Jamie (Jamie42861@aol.com), December 21, 1999.

yes,it's true...carb's are the bad boys. You have to have a more balanced diet. You go girls!

-- More Dinty Moore (dac@ccrtc.com), December 21, 1999.

I think this is highly unlikely. I think the Libertarians are just trying to whip up some hysteria so you will contribute $$ to them.

The science really isn't there for fatty foods. There is reams of medical studies of the evils of tobacco, all leading to the same conclusion. But diet studies are all over the place. There is credible evidence that the problem is not fat in general, but partially hydrogenated fat, and the lack of certain vitamins and minerals (folate in particular).

But what are you going to do -- a large segment of the population is eating up medical costs with their heart disease, cancer, and other lifestyle-related diseases. For some reason, our society cannot say - you smoked and you didn't have your 5 servings of fruits and veggies every day of your life, so we are just going to let you die. Tough.

-- kermit (colourmegreen@hotmail.com), December 21, 1999.

Put that cigarette out Fasten that seat belt don't eat fat I once lived in a dandy country where the citizens elected representitives to do their bidding. The citizens were more important than the representitives. The citizens told the representitives what they wanted done for them. The representitives were servants of the people. Something happened. The representitives started to feel superior to the people. They felt that they should earn more money than the average citizen. They felt that they should tell the citizens which schools to send their children to. They sent their children to private schools. They decided that they should be allowed to pass laws that had nothing to do with their original duty of being sure that our national defense was adequate and attending state dinners. They decided that they should control the tax monies instead of the states. Too soon they decided that they should tell the citizens what to do. This irritated the citizens. The citizens are quietly planning how to regain control of their states rights. This frightens the representitives.

-- citizen (lost@sea.com), December 21, 1999.

I am a atkid-heller carbo addict's plan person too, though I have recognised that the FAT from the animal products I eat may be to blame for some of my weight, as I crave fats almost more than carbs!! I truly believe carbs to be PART of the problem--THE REST, imho, is because of all the steroids and other crap in our meat and milk. BOVINE GROWTH HORMONE!!! Why is it Europeans can eat the same types of diets we have (I eat very mediterranean style) and NOT have the obesity????? PARTLY because their meats aren't doped up!!!! And PARTLY coz we have TOO MUCH FOOD and TOO LITTLE PHYSICAL MOVEMENT!! I am attempting to be a recovering carnivore, but will wait to see if food can be had after Jan. 1st. In the immortal words of Chris Rock: "If you are one of the few people in this world LUCKY ENOUGH to get your hands on a steak, bite the sh*t outta it!". Nuff said.

-- Jess (alisaunde@aol.com), December 21, 1999.

I think the correct solution to a tax like that is to take all those government officials who vote for it, hold them down and stick an extra large Mars bar up their collective asses whilst shouting "Tax this"!!.............

-- Craig (craig@ccinet.ab.ca), December 22, 1999.

Jeff muses........"Why is it Europeans can eat the same types of diets we have (I eat very mediterranean style) and NOT have the obesity????? ".....

I've spent a bit of time in Europe Jeff. And there are just as many fat bastards there are there are here.......you want proof.....watch Austin Powers second movie..........I want my baby back, baby back, baby back ribs..............

-- Craig (craig@ccinet.ab.ca), December 22, 1999.

You could try exploring the LP web site; what they sent was an e-mail to those who have signed up to get their periodic e-mails on subjects such as what Unca D posted.

To sign up for a subscription, send a message to "announce-request@lp.org" with just the word "subscribe" in the subject line.

Or use the WWW form at: http://www.lp.org/lp-announce-form.html

-- A (A@AisA.com), December 22, 1999.

kermit and all -- most prepared foods give you a double whammy -- carbs (usually sugar, with AND hydrogentated fats. That's why butter is OK, but margarine is dangerous. The oils (fats) in avocados, olives, bacon.... are all OK.

When you are on an Atkins' MAINTENANCE phase you can have some complex carbs (like real wheat bread) -- but only minsicule sugar. And you can have a wide variety of vegetables and fruits. Just count (estimare) the daily carbs and eat a hunk of cream cheese instead of a package of "Cheezits".

And for all the vegetarian wackos (secular or religious), there is nothing like running up alongside a cow and biting a hunk out of its flank.

PETA -- People Eating Tasty Animals
If God hadn't wanted us to eat meat, he wouldn't have made it taste so good.
I didn't fight my way to the top of the food chain just to become a vegetarian.

-- A (A@AisA.com), December 22, 1999.

A- ROFLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL... BTW, name's Jess (ica)...my hubby is Jeff...*grin*.

-- Jess (alisaunde@aol.com), December 22, 1999.

Thanks for the post, but please be careful with the hyperbole. There is still a strong Nazi movement in Europe, and crying wolf about it is the last thing we need right now.

-- Servant (public_service@yahoo.com), December 22, 1999.

Hello unk, is it really you, did you see my limericks of a couple of weeks ago, you were featured. Thought you might like to know.

-- Sir R (richard.dale@unum.co.uk), December 22, 1999.

"I think this is highly unlikely. I think the Libertarians are just trying to whip up some hysteria so you will contribute $$ to them."

California tried putting a "Twinkie" tax on us and the gubbers got flooded with piles of twinkies in the mailbox.

Dumb Asses Rule! Left wing Nazi...?

Forget it! Thought Police coming, scanning my com

-- Mark Hillyard (foster@inreach.com), December 22, 1999.

OUT OF THE TRILLIONS OF DOLLARS SPENT ON MEDICINE and health care ONLY 3% is spent on prevention, i.e. exercise,nutrition,anti- oxidants,vitamins etc.

Are we a Stupid race or What??

"Hey lets never look at the cause--always the effect! Kind of like y2k.

-- d----- (dciinc@aol.com), December 22, 1999.

Jess, and others who are misinformed about bGh: Bovine Growth Hormone does only one thing. It makes cows produce more milk. The upshot of this is that a farmer needs less cows to produce the same amount of milk. Thus, his overhead drops and he no longer needs govt subsidies to prop up the price of milk. Milk prices drop, less cows are around, and therefore stop contributing to the greenhouse effect (10% of all CO2 and Methane ((not sure of the % for that)) comes from cows, did you know that?). End result: cleaner earth, cheaper milk, more land producing grain for cows can go to produce people food etc etc. The ONLY downside is that the cows are more susceptible to infections of the udder, and sometimes need more antibiotics. bGh is naturally produced by cows, and is already in the milk you drink, even if the cow hasn't been treated. You probably already get way too may antibiotics anyway, as most Americans think antibiotics cure anything, including viruses (common cold), so the antibiotics in the milk will have little effect on you. I guess Ben and Jerry's and many others prefer paying more for milk and contributing to the greenhouse effect than doing some research.

-- Little Pig (littlepig@brickhouse.com), December 22, 1999.

Richard,

Sorry that I missed your no doubt highly entertaining limrick, it is nice to know that you are still here, using up valuable air. This place is just too big to keep track of anymore, I don't even bother trying.

As to my title being hyperbole, well maybe a little bit, but that's how it always starts isn't it? Just a little here and a little there....before you know it you are taking a "shower".

-- Uncle Deedah (unkeed@yahoo.com), December 22, 1999.

Gotta put my $.02 in here. Been on the Atkins diet about a month and a half now (trying to get into a little better shape before the rollover). I've lost about 18 pound so far and feel great.

Now these left-wing morons want to punish me for something that is making me healthier?

I am truly getting tired of this shit.

-- Clyde (clydeblalock@hotmail.com), December 22, 1999.