More on the “obesity tax”
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- December
- 22
Over the weekend, I wrote about Gov. David Paterson’s proposal to tax soft drinks, the so-called obesity tax. Give it a try, I suggested, but monitor it carefully. Make sure the tax is doing what was intended.
After the column appeared I got an email from a woman who says she has maintained a 50-pound weight loss for three and a half years through Overeaters Anonymous. She had some interesting thoughts on food and addiction.
In keeping with the organization’s philosophy she asked that her name not be used, and she stressed that this was her personal opinion not that of the organization.
Here’s what she wrote:
“A recreational drug is a substance one ingests because it has a psychotropic effect. In this case, junk food is typically consumed for the purpose of mood elevation—a psychotropic effect. Most intelligent people do not consume these substances for the purpose of nutrition. Intelligent people recognize that they partake of these substances as a ‘treat.’ Junk food is in fact a mild intoxicant.
Food-like drug substances that are particularly addictive are typically those with high amounts of chocolate, refined carbs (especially sugar), artificial sweeteners, caffeine, fat, salt, or spices—and particularly food-like substances that mix these addictive additives. The more that are mixed, the more likely it is that the result will provoke an addictive response in the consumer.
Obese people are often addicts, addicted to this particular type of recreational drug. Food addicts, or compulsive overeaters, are people who get high off ‘taste hits’ or who have some other biochemical sensitivity to food or food ingredients that provoke an addictive response. Some research has tended to show that food addicts are people with hyper or hypo sensitivities in the neurological response of their senses of taste and smell.
This entry was posted
on Monday, December 22nd, 2008 at 3:35 pm by Noreen O'Donnell.
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Garbage I say. Anything can be addictive. like biting your nails. gonna tax that?
I wrote paterson and Journal news a letter. Havent heard word back. wonder if i will. thats ok. because i plan on sending my next one to Daily news and others.
I taste aspartame, It’s disgusting. I have no choice but to like sugar besides i like it anyway just fine. I dont over do it. Anything overdone is no good for you everything is about moderation. But taxing us on taxed dollars doesnt answer anything. The idea that we are all sitting back allowing a sugar tax is ludicrous. We have all the representation in the word now for being taxed. I for one am standing up and trying to be heard and will continue.
My sister in law told me the other day that one person sending a letter can’t make a difference. I disagree. Just ask Thomas Payne. and a few others.
Let’s see the money used correctly.
Today on the news .. i heard 9 million take mass transit. So lets do some math.
round trip would be 38 million dollars a day. (not counting tolls) the MTA cannot run on 38 million dollars a day? why because their execs are making 300k. thats why. so raise the faire to 3 dollars and close down service. thats real helpful. So booth and railmen get fired so he can make his 300k.
I dont see a single news agency harping on the fact that these taxes are unconstitutional and wrong. they ask the question to perk up and tease the news. but do they help the public do anything about it? no. Instead they have feeders that say, 5 cent deposit on bottled goods isnt a tax. when the govt hopes/counts/and makes it so you dont redeem it, its a tax.
So sure just because you are overweight tax sugar because you dont eat it. so the rest of us have to suffer.
Lets see. we make money, pat stat/fed/local/county/ss taxes. with what is left we wind up buying foods and goods that are then taxed again. plus some foods and goods have additional costs. so .08% plus 5 cents plus….
and there you have it. you pay for things with money already given to the state and government. and do state/fed govt officials pay these same taxes? no they dont. sales tax yeah, but many state workers are exempt from state taxes as are federal employees exempt from fed tax. If I am wrong I would like someone to prove it.
Maybe it will save some lives!! Besides, have you seen the size of kids today??? is there no “PE” as we know it???
If I wasn’t run over by some crazy kids in 01 I’d still be playing golf two-three times a week and walk every hole!! I’m a little lose in the middle and it kills me! but these people don’t care! This I think is a form of depression!When you watch these huge people eat at restaurents do they look HAPPY???
The two main soda companys have been getting fat maybe this will tighten up there belt!
Merry Christmas Noreen!!
I did say MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Happy New Year!!
Colour1