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08/24/2009 Archived Entry: "Sin Tax"

So the Sun Sentinel ran an article on a snack food tax.

Now the article is not bad. It brings up some data, and points of view on the matter and wraps it up with a little bow. It is a nice story that is about as boring as it can get. No major celebrities in a scandal, no political corruption. An article that does it's best to remain neutral. That is not what I am going to do here. The simple fact is that obesity in the US is a problem. A big fat one. [1][2] We did not get fat because we were eating apples and oranges and having salads. The obesity problem happened because we ate Frito's instead of an apple. And we did from the comfort of our couch and the the remote control in the other hand and a bottle of Coke on the coffee table in front of us.

So the article mentions the good, bad and undecided in how a sin tax affects areas and people. Let me make a few points. Taxing cigarettes works. [3]. Now it is not just taxing but a general public attitude in a negative manner toward smoking. However we have gone a bit to far on the taxing of cigarettes to the point where those who want to smoke are creating a black market for it. [4]. If we create the image of making smoking an underground activity we will return to the days of prohibition and backdoor smoking establishments. But the tax has helped cut down on smoking. A tax on Twinkies and Ho Ho's and similar items would do the same. However is that enough? No, of course not. When you shop look at the price of organic foods and hormone free milk. It costs more. In a bizarre manner healthy foods cost more. Also they don't taste as good as some of the packaged junk foods. look if you had a choice between brussel sprouts and double stuffed Oreos most are going for the Oreos. That is because we like taste of Oreos better. I am also one of those. Broccoli has no place in my home. I can't stand the stuff. It tastes nasty. Sure it's good for me but that is not enough for me to suppress my gag reflex.

Now when you get to that basic a level as to what tastes good you begin to understand why someone will get their lunch at McDonald's 5 days a week. We eat what we like. So why should we go for a sin tax? Because so many of us have turned our brains off. We stuff our face with four bags of Salt & Vinegar chips and don't realize that this is not a good thing. Programs like Overeaters Anonymous didn't come about because people used the reasoning side of their brain. They came about because we listened to our brain tells us we were hungry and we need to deal with this now. Snack foods do a great job of dealing with that issue. They don't do a great job of supplying our body with nutrients our body needs.

So when it comes to eating many of us are stupid. So should we arrest them? Unlike what many think it is a crime to be stupid in Florida. It is called culpable negligence.[5]. No, because then we would fill the prisons with fat unhealthy people. So we tax the foods they eat. Then we make sure the prices on things like fruits and veggies(except broccoli) aren't cost prohibitive. A bag of chips should not be cheaper than a good granny smith apple. A bottle of lemonade should not cost twice as much as a bottle of coke.

I am not saying that we should eliminate junk food. I want junk food. I like junk food. However I am smart enough to realize that I should not eat Arby's Beef and Cheddar 5 times a week. That I need to get off my arse and ride my bike more. However I can easily do 40 miles on a bike and spend an hour do a winery tour and continue to ride with a bottle of wine in one hand. I may not ever be a GQ model but my cholesterol level is way below 200. I may hate broccoli but I make my own homemade healthy foods. I still eat the porterhouse but I lift 50 lbs beehive boxes on a regular basis. So if you want to tax my Twinkies and Ho Hos, go for it. Just make the price of my organic lemons a little cheaper.