Philly's Soda Tax doubles price of products, Mayor claims it's price gouging.

[superpunch]

Sugary drinks absolutely increase healthcare costs. Things like obesity, diabetes, etc. cause expensive problems. It costs healthcare less to live healthy than to live like a fat, stupid, idiot.

I am a bigot against stupid people, you called it. So no, I would not support a tax on water.

Wrong, stop making stuff up.

 

[Pixelated Porn]

Look for yourself. There's quite a few studies out there showing that sugary drinks are addictive, and more evidence still that caffeinated drinks are addictive. I am not going to spend my time finding what is freely available to you. Hell, you can probably find some anecdotal evidence in your own experience. Haven't you ever known anyone addicted to sodas? I was born and raised in the midwest in the 80's and 90's, and I'll be damned if nearly everyone's mom wasn't hooked on Mt. Dew or Dr. Pepper.

Yes, I do get a paycheck. No, I don't want to give the whole paycheck to the government. Again, you devolve into hysterics instead of rational discussion. I bet I pay more vice tax than anyone in Philly. I choose to do so. But I don't give hand over my whole check because I choose not to blow my whole check on stuff that has a vice tax.

So you are not going to find evidence to support your claim? Sure buddy.

Someone in another thread brought up an interesting point in regards to being obese----- say you are obese and you die earlier than you would otherwise....you are actually saving money not wasting it. It in general costs more money to live medically so if you die early then you are saving the system a ton of fucking money.

 

[superpunch]

So you are not going to find evidence to support your claim? Sure buddy.

Someone in another thread brought up an interesting point in regards to being obese----- say you are obese and you die earlier than you would otherwise....you are actually saving money not wasting it. It in general costs more money to live medically so if you die early then you are saving the system a ton of fucking money.

Exactly. So, to lower healthcare costs, this tax should logically be on water instead of soda. Soda kills you and you die young and lower healthcare costs. Water keeps you alive to 100 and makes you increase healthcare costs.

But no one will change their mind because they don't honestly believe what they're saying. They're just trying to rationalize their bigotry against overweight people. This is why we need fat acceptance.

 

[Huked on foniks]

Soda is fucking terrible for people and cheap as fuck, maybe this will force people to have better health choices since they obviously can't help themselves.

Again you have no say what people do to their bodies you elitist prick.

Spending too much time on the internet has been proven to be unhealthy so you're being taxed on it. Sounds good to you?

 

[KILL KILL]

You're delusional if you think the money being raised will go for healthcare. The money is probably already spent before it even comes in.

So hurting lower income families is acceptable to you if you approve of the outcome? How elitist of you to dictate how people should live their lives. Thank god there's intellectuals like you around...

They could always drink water...

EDIT: I'm against this tax by the way

 

[Pixelated Porn]

Exactly. So, to lower healthcare costs, this tax should logically be on water instead of soda. Soda kills you and you die young and lower healthcare costs. Water keeps you alive to 100 and makes you increase healthcare costs.

But no one will change their mind because they don't honestly believe what they're saying. They're just trying to rationalize their bigotry against overweight people. This is why we need fat acceptance.

it is sad to see how much people would like to persecute things they don't do via taxation
all the taxation does is get money for the government and increase the size of the government

america is supposed to be the land of freedom and of choice...which makes it dangerous but also more rewarding

 

[Buck Swope]

america is supposed to be the land of freedom and of choice...which makes it dangerous but also more rewarding

Hell yeah!

 

[Pixelated Porn]

Hell yeah!

hey, tell me you wouldn't

 

[AgedFlatus]

Hell yeah!

When I see fat people like this I'm torn. I want to roundhouse them as hard as I can in the gut(kick through) to see which is worse, the internal injuries, or my foot. Or stand near and cut farts at them knowing they can't do bugger all about it.

 

[Ol'Ironhead]

Who the fuck are you to dictate how someone should live their life?

Free will shouldn't be restricted just because you don't approve of another person's behavior.

and better health choices usually is a lot more expensive for some welfare families. If you didn't take that into consideration.

 

[west42]

Anyone on the left realize that the time to push for govt to dictate every aspect of our lives might NOT be when the repubs hold the House, Senate, and Executive branch?

 

[clmetal]

It's fucking soda. Who cares?

Anyway, stores probably will eat much of the incidence of tax if they haven't already. Soda isn't exactly a necessity. And with products that are not necessities, as the price goes up, people buy less. Once the sales start hurting, stores will decrease the price, eat more of the increase themselves, and settle at a new equilibrium price.

It not just soda. They've identified over 1000 drinks they tax.

And stores have been raising the price of everything. For most its easier now to just avoid supermarkets and wawas in the city.

I dont drink soda either but vitamin water, ice tea, propel, Gatorade, Bai are thing i buy for my kids after sports. And people

 

[Jack Reacheround]

It not just soda. They've identified over 1000 drinks they tax.

And stores have been raising the price of everything. For most its easier now to just avoid supermarkets and wawas in the city.

I dont drink soda either but vitamin water, ice tea, propel, Gatorade, Bai are thing i buy for my kids after sports. And people

None of those are necessities. The only drink that is a necessity is water. People will buy less, they will have to lower their prices some, and that means they eat some of the tax. That's how it works.

 

[SammyPops]

I'd rather just have the FDA change some rules and improve the quality of the food we eat.

Fat tax isn't fair. Neither is liquor taxes- not when there is no special tax for other detrimental activities like watching violent TV, listening to violent and degenerate music, or women's magazines.

the 2nd paragraph makes a good point, one that is beyond societies' understanding I believe.

 

[SammyPops]

You understand that these fat people have medical insurance??? Right????

And we all pay higher rates b/c of these fat people.

 

[Lanx]

lol, juices were on the surge for all the wrong reasons, pretty much i was correct in my previous post.

ShopRite thought that any juice "FROM CONCENTRATE" is taxed (it's not, only if ADDED sugar), so they labeled it like this, and healthy people thought the drinks were on baller sale!

When they went to the cashier they found out it was TAX instead, so they had to go to customer service to get a refund, this coupled with the icy ass snow that just fell this weekend meant that the lines were super extra long.

 

[Pixelated Porn]

And we all pay higher rates b/c of these fat people.

Do we? Do you have anything to back it up? Do you think they cost more than people who are not fat but live 20 years longer? It is not fat people but PEOPLE LIVING LONGER that you see cited in the increase cost of healthcare along with EXPENSIVE MEDICINES.
It is the fucking assholes with cancer and AIDS that will not just fucking crumple up and fucking die that are the problem.
All those narcissistic children with cancer that will not just get the fucking clue. Kids that need to be on machine assistance to breathe....like hey, you are spending my check little dudes.

/OBVIOUS SARCASM to not offend anyone, but my point stands

 

[kpt018]

I am trying to imagine a government incapable of choosing policy preferences based on what it deems good and bad. How would that work? What is a criminal law? What is an economic regulation? Are they both not examples of the government trying to influence us to make choices it deems "good"? And many of them are complete prohibitions on actions or inactions rather than mere influence. Is a tax break for having and or raising children wrong? Or a deduction for giving to charity? Or a mandate to own car insurance?

What makes it not okay for government to influence your decision give to causes it deems "charitable" but not to chug rockstars all day long? You talk about a slippery slope, you had best check the footing behind you.

A progressive vice tax is not feasible, but if it was, would that remove your objection? Or do you really think the government shouldn't make laws that influence the choices people make?

Is it hard to draw the line at letting people be responsible for their own health without government intervention? Again, where do we draw the line? There is an infinite number of things that are bad for us that could be taxed, although I would admit they are not all equally common. If sugar is the devil in this case (I have no argument against the terrible effects of having too much), why stop at soda? Why not tax donuts? Or anything with sugar (which is almost everything)? We have no choice but to draw a line, right? Unless you propose we tax everything with sugar above a certain size. But why stop there, sugar isn't the only thing that has health consequences. Why not bacon cheeseburgers?

It's a bit of a strawman to bring up economic/tax and environmental regulations as well as criminal law. Obviously the conversation is about the government's role in influencing our behavior as it pertains to our own health.

I am not one of these types that fails to acknowledge that an advanced society needs systems in place for the mutual benefit of all. Of course we should have laws that dictate what is acceptable and what is not. I personally draw the line at health and my biggest problem is that it is quite arbitrary.

 

[Jkillah]

I would be more OK with soda taxes if they reduced or eliminated taxes on vegetables. I don't think improving people's health is really their goal though. I think the government officials were just looking for another revenue stream and thought there would be less public outcry taxing something unhealthy. I know that every time my state needs money they increase the tax on alcohol and cigarettes.

 

[ncordless]

Is it hard to draw the line at letting people be responsible for their own health without government intervention? Again, where do we draw the line? There is an infinite number of things that are bad for us that could be taxed, although I would admit they are not all equally common. If sugar is the devil in this case (I have no argument against the terrible effects of having too much), why stop at soda? Why not tax donuts? Or anything with sugar (which is almost everything)? We have no choice but to draw a line, right? Unless you propose we tax everything with sugar above a certain size. But why stop there, sugar isn't the only thing that has health consequences. Why not bacon cheeseburgers?

It's a bit of a strawman to bring up economic/tax and environmental regulations as well as criminal law. Obviously the conversation is about the government's role in influencing our behavior as it pertains to our own health.

I am not one of these types that fails to acknowledge that an advanced society needs systems in place for the mutual benefit of all. Of course we should have laws that dictate what is acceptable and what is not. I personally draw the line at health and my biggest problem is that it is quite arbitrary.

In a more perfect scheme, we would have a system that gives health grades to the food we manufacture, and tax the manufacturer based on the grade. They will pass the tax on to the consumer.

The problem with trying to differentiate between things like environmental regulations, criminal laws, and business regulations, and trying to separate out vice tax attempts to influence our behavior is that lots of those laws are there to protect health. Something as obvious as homicide, or limits lead in gasoline, or laws that require a 40 hour work week, are there to protect health.

I agree that where we the draw the line is going to be rather arbitrary. Your line is arbitrary, Philly's line is arbitrary, my line would be arbitrary. Often, when a line is drawn it is arbitrary, and yet the situation demands that a line be drawn. That's what democracy is for. If we are going to have arbitrary lines, it is better than they are created by the will of the majority.