NM wants extra tax on video games Options

[Spectatrix]

And game consoles and tvs. They're calling the bill the "Leave No Child Inside Act". I fucking hate sin taxes!

http://tech.msn.com/news/articlecnet.aspx?...8&GT1=10938

This post has been edited by Spectatrix: Feb 18 2008, 02:38 PM

[Epic]

actually i could get behind this, IF they showed how the tax money would be going toward things to encourage children to actually be more active outside in a way that video games can't provide (i.e., don't have a dance when a kid can play ddr)

but then again I also support a tax on high fructose corn syrup.

[Testm0nkey]

totally agree with Epic

[jwttu]

ya if they tax then they need to put the money towards healthier/good tasting food in schools, and getting more PE teachers to the schools. A tax in itself won't do much.

[The Fanatic]

Amen, the first step is to get corporate vendors like Coca Cola and Frito Lay out of our school cafeterias...

[FORSAKENR320]

FUCK THAT

if i wanna be fat then it's my damn right to be fat. i got myself there, i don't need some granola eating hippy to tell me i can't have a 72 oz steak deep fried with a side of cheese and bacon sculpted into the shape of a greasy buddha.

the problem lies in these fat fucks not taking responsibility for their own actions, and don't give me any of that psycho-babble. we are all responsible for our own successes and our own failures. we made those decisions to have the extra large fries because we wanted to.

stfu you asshole and take my damn order, supersize my god damn fries before i deep fry your face!

[Epic]

i agree that its your right Brandon, but personally i view HFCS on par with cigarettes, in that I feel it is responsible for a lot of deaths and cases of diabetes. Watching kids chug a 3 liter of soda at dinner, and finding it in pasta sauce even make me pissed.

really, i want to tax HFCS so that manufacturers are enticed to go back to using sugar, because that's something our body can actually process.

[blaarg]

FUCK THAT

if i wanna be fat then it's my damn right to be fat. i got myself there, i don't need some granola eating hippy to tell me i can't have a 72 oz steak deep fried with a side of cheese and bacon sculpted into the shape of a greasy buddha.

the problem lies in these fat fucks not taking responsibility for their own actions, and don't give me any of that psycho-babble. we are all responsible for our own successes and our own failures. we made those decisions to have the extra large fries because we wanted to.

stfu you asshole and take my damn order, supersize my god damn fries before i deep fry your face!

the profanity ladened voice of reason.
I agree 100% with this. The government should not put restrictions on this shit (regardless of how bad it is). The individual makes the choice and deserves to live with the consequences. They just want restrictions so you can live longer and pay more taxes...

i agree that its your right Brandon, but personally i view HFCS on par with cigarettes, in that I feel it is responsible for a lot of deaths and cases of diabetes.

I don't think it is anywhere near the same thing as cigarettes because of the 2nd hand risks. There is no 2nd hand risks of being next to a guy stuffing his face with food drenched in HFCS. If cigarettes only affected the person smoking, then I would be all about no restrictions on them.

[Spectatrix]

For HFCS, I would support better labeling requirements, but not taxing it. I too am a bit fed up with its prevalence in American foodstuffs. I'm kinda confused as to why low-fat versions of condiments all have HFCS when the normal versions have regular ol' sugar.

This post has been edited by Spectatrix: Feb 19 2008, 08:55 AM

[Dogmeat]

we need to ban fat children. This will lower the adult obesity rate in the country.

[impala454]

Yeah because taxing the shit outta things makes people stop using them... *cough* cigarettes *cough*

[THECHICKEN]

Lets tax people for sleeping... when you sleep your matabolism slows down and you burn less fat.

I hate how everything is blamed except for personal responsibility. Taxing is always thrown out there as a solution, when all it does in reality is take money away.... and thats it.

Heres the question, if by buying that video game console and losing $20, you can't buy a football for that kid to go outside... which do you think will be done? Will the parent NOT buy the console and hear the bitching, so they can get the football, or would a normal american parent pay that 20 dollars more and get the game console?

Make kids take extracuriculars...

[Epic]

i realize that i'm actually arguing two different points.

but really, i am just sick of seeing HCFS on everything, so I support a tax that would make it cheaper to use regular sugar. And with cigarettes, there has been legislation before to try to lessen the tax on cigarettes that are lower in chemicals. And people are smoking less I imagine Chuck, because every cigarette is costing them about a quarter so they can't afford to smoke as much!

That's why my dad has been growing his own tobacco and rolling his own cigarettes for years.

[Spectatrix]

Nah, a tax isn't the way to get rid of HFCS. The *obvious* solution is to write a diet book based around cutting HFCS out of your diet and make it popular. I guarantee you food manufacturers will be churning out HFCS-free items hand over foot!

[The Fanatic]

Well, the higher tax on cigs essentially made me quit so I think a tax can work.

[impala454]

Nah, a tax isn't the way to get rid of HFCS. The *obvious* solution is to write a diet book based around cutting HFCS out of your diet and make it popular. I guarantee you food manufacturers will be churning out HFCS-free items hand over foot!

You're kidding right? People don't read books!

Well, the higher tax on cigs essentially made me quit so I think a tax can work.

1 down, 37562093670923602938609283609283069230697230679 to go

[pebkac]

Raising taxes to get people to quit smoking is just a tactic politicians use to raise taxes and not look bad for it.

[Epic]

maybe i'm just bitter that fatty and unhealthy foods are cheaper than healthier alternatives. It seems contrary to my logic, that you should be rewarded by taking care of yourself and statistically lowering your chances for health problems, which cost insurance and government money.

And i don't mean being lean, mean, and muscular as healthy, i mean doing what you can to control your chloresterol, maintain decent blood pressure, etc...

[impala454]

Raising taxes to get people to quit smoking is just a tactic politicians democrats use to raise taxes and not [try not to] look bad for it.

Just had to fix this up slightly

[Spectatrix]

You're kidding right? People don't read books!

No, but from the books there come tv interviews, hordes of people spreading the good diet news by word of mouth, etc. Look at the low carb craze. Or the low fat craze before that.

[impala454]

No, but from the books there come tv interviews, hordes of people spreading the good diet news by word of mouth, etc. Look at the low carb craze. Or the low fat craze before that.

Yeah but when your TV shows are sponsored by Coca Cola or Pepsi, those awesome interviews and spreading of good diet news come to a grinding halt pretty quick

[Spectatrix]

Then how did low-carb become so popular?

[impala454]

Then how did low-carb become so popular?

Because they successfully convinced people it was healthy to eat bacon cheesburgers so long as you didn't eat the bun

Mrs. Bairds isn't a huge corporate sponsor that I see floating around as much as Coke

[Testm0nkey]

most people probably know HFCS is bad and dont need a book about it to be all the crave. its just that its in damn near everything that our society eats. its nearly impossible to avoid when Americans base their lives on convenience

id be up for banning it entirely

[Epic]

cat and i are agreeing on something...wow

[blaarg]

maybe i'm just bitter that fatty and unhealthy foods are cheaper than healthier alternatives.

huh? Last time I checked the produce aisle was a lot cheaper than the frozen dinners...
I mean 8 fucking plums for a dollar...whaaaaaaaaaaat?!?!?!

[Testm0nkey]

when have that many plums been that cheap!?!?!?!?!??!???!?!?


but i did buy an onion for 60 cents yesterday. id just have to buy a lot more vegetables to make a substantial meal for a family. and those stoffers lasagna meals are the shiiiiiiit

[blaarg]

[1] most people probably know HFCS is bad and dont need a book about it to be all the crave. its just that its in damn near everything that our society eats. its nearly impossible to avoid when Americans base their lives on convenience

[2] id be up for banning it entirely

[1] is sooo sooo very true. It is the American individual who is at fault and it's the responsibility of American individuals to change there ways not the government (as [2] would indicate). Why don't individuals take responsibility for their own actions. If people as a whole got fed up with this whole "what IS this shit I'm eating" and switched to better alternatives, the markets would reflect this. I don't see why you need government intervention, it's the people's responsibly to first individually get out of the situation which would shift the collective train of thought.

[blaarg]

when have that many plums been that cheap!?!?!?!?!??!???!?!?
but i did buy an onion for 60 cents yesterday. id just have to buy a lot more vegetables to make a substantial meal for a family. and those stoffers lasagna meals are the shiiiiiiit

are you SERIOUS?!?! Plums are always like handfuls for a dollar... They basically give that shit away.

I have no idea where/why you would buy a single onion for 60 cents. Why not get a kilo which makes them like 10 cents apiece?

[Epic]

whole grain options are more expensive. soda is cheaper than milk. leaner cuts of meat are more expensive than fattier ones. and the price of produce adds up easily and rarely keep unless you're buying groceries twice a week.

i dunno, i just always see everything cheaper to eat poorly.

[blaarg]

even if these figures are slightly exaggerated, I still stand by my statement that cooking a healthy meal is cheaper than eating out or eating shit (excluding ramen) anyday of the week.

It's just it's more time consuming.

[blaarg]

whole grain options are more expensive. soda is cheaper than milk. leaner cuts of meat are more expensive than fattier ones. and the price of produce adds up easily and rarely keep unless you're buying groceries twice a week.

i dunno, i just always see everything cheaper to eat poorly.

I will agree with the three examples you said, but those are definitely the exceptions under certain situations (I mean soda isn't cheaper than water after all, and it makes sense why leaner cuts of meat are more expensive...)
I mean rice is cheaper that chips, fruit is cheaper than fruit roll ups, fucking cheerios is cheaper than super fruity pebbles or whatever the fuck you want to call it, etc...

You make a good comment about the produce. We would have to, heaven forbid, go to the grocery store maybe multi times a week.

I think it's just convenience not necessarily cost that has us eating shit.

[impala454]

ramen = cheapest and most worthless

[Testm0nkey]

are you SERIOUS?!?! Plums are always like handfuls for a dollar... They basically give that shit away.

I have no idea where/why you would buy a single onion for 60 cents. Why not get a kilo which makes them like 10 cents apiece?

because if your froze an onion it would be mushy and disgusting afterwards so buying 10 onions is a waste of money unless you reeeeeeeeeeally like eating that many!?

plums in lubbock arent that cheap at least. i wish they were because they are my 2nd favorite fruit!

food IS based around convenience and not necessarily price. but you cant just say oh well then have people go to the grocery store 3 times a week. if you are able to do that - thats a luxury in America

[impala454]

Yeah I love to cook, hate to clean, so cheap and quick it usually is . If mess and cleanup were no problem, I'd friggin grill stuff in the backyard every day.

[blaarg]

food IS based around convenience and not necessarily price. but you cant just say oh well then have people go to the grocery store 3 times a week. if you are able to do that - thats a luxury in America

how is going to the grocery store 3 times a week a luxury in America:
1) They are pretty much opened whenever you have an inkling to go to the grocery store
2) They are literally minutes away from where you live (assuming you have a car, if you are biking even, it isn't that unmanageable)

That seems like the definition of convenience to me. Its the cooking/cleaning part that people are lazy about...

[blaarg]

Yeah I love to cook, hate to clean, so cheap and quick it usually is . If mess and cleanup were no problem, I'd friggin grill stuff in the backyard every day.

Cleaning can't be all that bad. I mean if you're just cooking for like four people or less, pop in the plates/bowls/silverware into a dishwasher, rub down the grill, and max have about 5 things to hand wash.

Granted it is a lot more work than throwing away a microwavable meal...

[impala454]

Painting a house aint that bad either. I mean, just grab some paint/brushes/ladders, brush on the paint, let it dry, and you're done. Easy!

[Testm0nkey]

how is going to the grocery store 3 times a week a luxury in America:
1) They are pretty much opened whenever you have an inkling to go to the grocery store
2) They are literally minutes away from where you live (assuming you have a car, if you are biking even, it isn't that unmanageable)

That seems like the definition of convenience to me. Its the cooking/cleaning part that people are lazy about...

so you are a single working mother with three kids. going to the grocery store like that is super difficult. try not having a car, working two jobs, and being poor. have you ever lived in america or were you just born with a silver spoon?! theres a reason why obesity is more likely in the poor

[chook]

That book needs to be on Oprah's book club.

Eat fresh fruit and whole grain bread and sandwiches, probably healthy and easy

[blaarg]

so you are a single working mother with three kids. going to the grocery store like that is super difficult. try not having a car, working two jobs, and being poor. have you ever lived in america or were you just born with a silver spoon?! theres a reason why obesity is more likely in the poor

yes, I still think you can go to super market that is pretty much opened 24-7 multiple times a week under the above scenarios.

I guarantee that the person not having a car/working two jobs still manages to play x-box/watch television/has down time where he could be investing in his future health by not popping in fucking hot pockets into a microwave.

I mean other countries are afflicted with single parents/poverty and they seem to deal with it just fine. We are just lazier...

[FORSAKENR320]

yes, I still think you can go to super market that is pretty much opened 24-7 multiple times a week under the above scenarios.

I guarantee that the person not having a car/working two jobs still manages to play x-box/watch television/has down time where he could be investing in his future health by not popping in fucking hot pockets into a microwave.

I mean other countries are afflicted with single parents/poverty and they seem to deal with it just fine. We are just lazier...

hot pockets are expensive




$.50 turkey pot pies are not.... lol

[impala454]

<high voice>Hoooooooooooooooooooooooooooot Pockets</high voice>
















-Jim Gaffigan