Fat tax?? What next, Big Brother?

[jsarno]

Originally Posted by Schneed10

Agreed.

Jsarno, it's fine that if you want to smoke, you should be able to smoke. If you want to eat big macs and milkshakes for breakfast lunch and dinner, you should be able to.

But while you're doing that, is it fair for me to pay the same amount towards Medicare as you?

While you're doing whatever you want, exercising whatever freedoms you want, I'm paying for Medicare that you'll probably use twice as much as I will. That's the REAL unfair part in all of this. What people fail to realize is that their health choices do actually financially impact the rest of us. That's the very nature of a risk pool. So doing whatever you want and damn the consequences is actually a pretty selfish way to behave.

Well, I hope that is rhetorical, because I do not smoke, nor drink, nor do I like fast food places.
By taxing a burger won't change what you and I are already paying. In fact, it won't do a thing...that's the point. It's just another way to tax everyone and it in no way will reduce the tax burden on the every day tax payer.
The people that do smoke and eat horrible foods already pay high premiums for insurances such as life insurance and medical insurance that require physicals.
So while I see your point, and frankly, I agree with most of it about the unfair part, this is in no way a solution to change things.
If you can guarentee me the tax will go to something useful, or reduce the tax burden on the hard working american, I'll go for it. But this is just another way for the government to steal money from the hard working man. I hope no one is nieve enough to think this is about anything but money. If we allow this to take place, then they will think they have a free ride to tax whatever they want. Like I said, it's a slippery slope.

[firstdown]

Originally Posted by Schneed10

Agreed.

Jsarno, it's fine that if you want to smoke, you should be able to smoke. If you want to eat big macs and milkshakes for breakfast lunch and dinner, you should be able to.

But while you're doing that, is it fair for me to pay the same amount towards Medicare as you?

While you're doing whatever you want, exercising whatever freedoms you want, I'm paying for Medicare that you'll probably use twice as much as I will. That's the REAL unfair part in all of this. What people fail to realize is that their health choices do actually financially impact the rest of us. That's the very nature of a risk pool. So doing whatever you want and damn the consequences is actually a pretty selfish way to behave.

So I guess we should tax poor people more because they use more social programs more than others.