Allow me an EVIL LAUGH!!!!!
Bwaa haa haa haaaaaa haaa haaaaa!!!!!!!!!!!!
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6275T720100308
The title of this masterpiece is: “Tax soda, pizza to cut obesity, researchers say”
You’ll forgive me a few more giggles and snorts.
Why, you may ask?
Because I can count on ONE HAND the number of slices of pizza AND sodas I’ve had in the last six months. If we go to a year, I won’t even need all of the fingers of both hands.
Yet… still fat. Yup. Me, and loads of other fat people.
Now, I do agree with one point in the article, buried WAAAAYYYY down at the end, “…that agricultural subsidies should be used to make healthful foods such as locally grown vegetables, fruits and whole grains less expensive.”
Totally agree, also that we should quit subsidizing corn and HFCS, but the rest of it? Pretty much bullshit. I’m sure raising the prices on things like soda and pizza made the consumption of those two particular things go down. The thing is, there’s no proof that it made the consumption of healthy things go up, they say that in the comment part of the study. They don’t even mention that it made the subjects of that study lose weight, not even in the study article, just that they quit eating those two things near as much. And that they THINK that the resulting decline in caloric intake per year, MIGHT result in losing 5 lbs a year. Not that it did, in the course of this 20 year study. But that it MIGHT.
The article does not link to the study, but I have some bitchin’ access so… http://archinte.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/170/5/420
The study itself stresses that this strategy MAY be effective, BUT that the increase in cost of unhealthy foods MUST be matched by a decrease in cost of healthy foods, and an increase in availablity of healthy foods. Meaning that if we just raise the price of soda and pizza, people are going to find other low cost calorie dense foods to buy, unless the government quits supporting the corn lobby and start subsidizing the agriculture of healthier fruits and vegetables and works to make those foods more available EVERYWHERE.
But the fact of the matter is that fat people don’t eat that differently from thin people in the same economic class and location. http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/reprint/25/4/390.pdf
The study cites the success of heavy taxation on getting people to quit smoking, and I know that it does work because my husband is working on quitting for that very reason, it’s fucking expensive. There is one flaw with this reasoning though: You can’t just quit eating. No one NEEDS to start smoking.* We all NEED to eat.
As I, and the researchers, said above. If we’re going to make the calorie-dense/nutrient-poor foods like pizza and soda more expensive, there has GOT TO BE a corresponding decrease in the cost of healthy, nutrient-dense foods, or it will not work. This sentiment is NOT a footnote to be included at the very bottom of an article on this study. It’s the most important part of the study, not that fat people might get skinny, but that if we quit subsidizing foods like corn (which has a fairly low nutrient yield for the amount of calories, and most of which ends up becoming HFCS), and start subsidizing a variety of healthy foods more people will be able to eat healthy and BE healthier. Fuck thin. Thin doesn’t mean a thing. Healthy is what we should be aiming for.
And if you tax “bad” foods without providing access to affordable “good” foods, all you’ll be doing is penalizing poor people for being poor, by starving them. And while I realize a whole lot of people in this country are all about penalizing the poor for being poor, people with souls are not.
*Continuing to smoke, however, is another matter. It took me three tries to quit smoking (I’d started smoking to lose weight as a teen, see how that works?), and what did it was my doctor telling me, “Your asthma has increased in severity to the point that if you don’t quit smoking, you will die. Not at some nebulous point in the far future. NOW.”
Polimicks 
But, but … being fat WILL kill you. You can’t possibly live past about 90, 100 … 110 years, at the very oldest.
What I want to know is why we’re not taxing heavy polluters for how they’re killing us (more provable than the link between pizza and obesity, I assure you), but we’ll charge Old Fat Dave a dollar or two on his pizza, that might last him 3-4 meals as a matter of fact. (That’s how it is for me, the few times I eat pizza.)
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But, you see…by ignoring the latter half of the studies conclusion, they get the ZOMG SENSATIONALISM bonus on the “capture the attention of the american public” roll.
And, you know, the whole “you’re below a certain income level, you don’t deserve to eat healthy” thing that seems to run fucking rampant.
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hallelujah, on all counts (to you, not the idiots that think that taxing fatty food will suddenly make everyone thin).
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What I love is when they push “healthy” things like diet soda, teas, and juices, most of which have just as high sugar or also have HFCS
it’s like either do it right, or leave our damned food choices up to us.
Wish the article had a little more details. They didn’t mention frozen packaged pizzas, but you can’t always go by the picture they have up either. Are they just taxing restaurant pizza, school pizza, ?
I agree particularly about the decrease in the cost of healthy food. That alone could lead to healthier food choices.
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You know, the study didn’t specify, either, I don’t think. I’ll re-read it later for more detail and see if they actually do mention it.
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Dear researchers: Your privilege is showing. Maybe you should try and fix the supply problem before you tinker with the economics of demand, folks. How about you start with the food deserts instead, and give people access to quality nutrition instead of processed junk from the corner store?
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Uhh.. yeah… right. Once in awhile Ambrose and I order in a pizza. Usually something like a chicken primo. I generally eat 2 slices. There are always pizza leftovers usually 2 meals worth.
I had one of Ogre’s cherry zero cola’s last night because sometimes cola will settle my stomach like nothing else will. I might have a soda a week or every other week if it’s around and I have a craving or something – most often I have it as a mixer with a drink but I don’t drink all that much. I stopped buying soda – even Hanson’s soda unless I have a purpose for it… Even when I did buy it, a six pack would sometimes last me months.
They want to make obesity a simple matter of calories in/calories out. It’s not that simple in most cases. Yes, some people are fat because they overeat. Then again some people who eat a lot are blessed with high metabolisms. I sometimes get bitter about that.
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You know why I gave up soda? It wasn’t the sugar. It was the sodium. I don’t have high blood pressure, but the sodium in even half a can of soda will make my feet, ankles and fingers swell like nobody’s business.
If Coke Zero didn’t have aspartame, I might be able to drink it (low sodium/no sodium), but with the aspartame allergy, it’s off limits.
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Fing…Douchehelmets. So they hurt businesses and someone comes up with some alternative that can’t be classified as pizza “It’s a Calzone!” or everyone goes to eat at Taco Bell and McDonalds instead
…oh, wait, WHY do people eat pizza? Because it’s Fucking DELIVERED and no one has to go GET it, it’s a three minute PHONE CALL, and they can keep WORKING.
Because sitting in front of a computer for 18 hours a day frantically trying to finish a project wouldn’t possibly have an effect on your health…naaaah.
So instead, lets look at why Hawaii has a six year higher average life expectancy than any other state in the country.
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