Should being fat result in having to pay more taxes?

[Granyala]

But it is - if it isn't a choice.

Unless you have a physical condition, being obese is a choice.

Yes there are cases where people are obese through no fault of their own, but many are obese because they have no self control and simply take in more energy than they need.

[Machismo]

Saying that they have low willpower is berating them. Saying that they could 'just' eat less is berating them. No one says it is impossible. It does take a lot of effort though.
And that effort is not helped by a tax only on obese people. That will just mean that they can afford less healthy food, as that tends to be more expensive...
I don't mind sugar taxes in general though.

That's funny, I'm seeing people on this thread say that it is not possible. Refusing to cater to and and attend a pity party is not the same as berating someone. Yes, obese people should just eat less. It's common sense, if they cannot figure out common sense things like that, being "berated" is the least of their problems.

I don't support a tax on obese people, mainly because I find taxes to be burdensome.

[schwarzkopf]

Unless you have a physical condition, being obese is a choice.

Well - a chemical disorder in the brain is physical - but commonly called a mental disorder.

It removes the choice from me on every aspect of my life - including dieting.

[Dug]

The fact that so many people are unhealthy on the inside from food choices despite not being overweight speaks against this. The skinniest person I know eats more than his overweight sister and he never gains weight. She's had to guard her weight her entire life, he is 35, skinny as fuck and eats fast food, drinks soda/alcohol and eats snacks like his life depended on it.

He's got some health issues though whilst she is fit as a fiddle despite packing a few pounds over the optimal weight.

The studies being made into gut bacteria and genes in combination is very interesting. I suspect it'll take a while still before the stigma dies down considering how many get their kicks from looking down upon people struggling with their weight.

The type of food doesn't matter for weight though. I'm sure he eats like garbage but the amount is what needs to be looked at. Sure he'll eat that super megasize combo at the burger joint and maybe some sodas but what else is he consuming? Is that his only meal of the day? What does the sister eat? Exactly how much does she eat? What are they physical activity levels at? Does he move a lot? Is she sedentary? etc

[Realtalk]

Obese people pay more for health insurance why don't gays and transgender pay more? They're just as much if not more of a drain on the system. Thanks to Obamacare we found out how much more.

If all risky lifestyles are given the same weight in terms of health insurance premiums, suddenly equality becomes homophobia. Same as obesity becomes fat shaming.

http://www.wnd.com/2013/12/the-stats...ming-your-way/
http://downtrend.com/71superb/profes...rance-premiums

[Granyala]

Not just for walking EVERYTHING in my life is impossible unless the right conditions are met.

Hmmm... would a "boot in your rear" qualify as "right conditions"?

Funsies aside: what you say is basically true for everyone of us.

[Thetruth1400]

Smoking, Drinking, being female, being short, working the night shift; all of those things cost more for insurance companies. If you want to increase the cost for people being fat, then you have to increase the cost for those that do those as well.

If insurance companies are going to start paying for the treatment of obesity; medicine, diet and exercise and counseling programs, etc, then sure charge more if a patient continues to be fat, but until they're willing to treat the symptoms, no they have no right to charge more.

[Spectral]

Are you concerned about weight, or health? Because all your talk so far focuses on the former, which may not affect the latter.

This is pretty obvious nonsense. The existence of other factors doesn't make it any less obviously true that obese people are unhealthy people, as a rule.

[meekus]

Literally like 1% of fat people "aren't fat by choice" I am insanely tired of hearing this. You are almost always ( 99% of the time ) fat because of your lifestyle and eating habits. I dont know how many times people tell me this, get off your couch.

I may have phrased that badly. All I've been trying to say through this entire thread is that it's not as easy for everyone to stay at a healthy weight. Some people can eat until they are full and stay slim. Others eat until they are full, stop, and still put on weight. Even if slowly (but steadily).

[schwarzkopf]

Hmmm... would a "boot in your rear" qualify as "right conditions"?

Close - but the boot isn't required, just a human presence.

Funsies aside: what you say is basically true for everyone of us.

Indeed, however the conditions I require are not self deliverable.

[Krastyn]

No it should happen directly, otherwise others are effected. Every kilogram above normal weight should be taxed by an additional 10 bucks/month. Thinner than normal people should get a tax cut.

So we should encourage eating disorders so people can get a tax cut, despite the increased costs to health care as a result.

For me, personally to reach my "normal" BMI weight, I'd have to stop going to the gym. It's hard to reach your normal BMI weight if you're tall, and do any kind of sports.

[Machismo]

But you're saying it's just a simple choice of eating less than you burn. In order to do that, you need to know how much you're burning and how much you're taking in. Since you imply it's so simple, tell me how many I burn a day. By your statement, if I need 3000 calories a day, I could eat 2900 calories of sugar before I go to sleep at night, and that's a good way of doing things.

Are you concerned about weight, or health? Because all your talk so far focuses on the former, which may not affect the latter.

I'm not concerned about your weight, nor your health. Those should be your concern. You can demand that I know exactly how many calories a stranger burns, but you are trying to bait me into an idiotic discussion. Every person is slightly different. If you want to know the statistical averages for someone of your size, then there are numerous tables you can look up on the internet. The entire discussion started when people swore they couldn't lose weight, or even eat more healthily. What it really boils down to, is personal choices. People choose to be fat, people choose to be unhealthy.

[Granyala]

Well - a chemical disorder in the brain is physical - but commonly called a mental disorder.
It removes the choice from me on every aspect of my life - including dieting.

Yeah, that sucks, my condolences.

You have to admit though, that this is the exception rather than the norm as far as reasons for obesity go.

[Low Hanging Fruit]

I bet if we worried more about getting taxes from people that avoid them and removing leeches that earn money and services they don't deserve it would fix far more problems then punishing fat people and be far more justified. Now after those things are fixed and we are still in trouble sure.. lets look at what and who is costing us the most and make a determination at that point.

[Deleted]

Something should be done against obesity.. but where do you stop?

Do you tax stupid people for driving their truck against trees? Or for having 6 children even though they cannot support themselves?

Smoking? Genetical disease? What about parents of fat people? Is a genetic predisposition towards A fairer than to B?

Nothing good will come of this sort of social justicing,.. but it is a major epidemic still, and deserves more attention

[Krastyn]

This is pretty obvious nonsense. The existence of other factors doesn't make it any less obviously true that obese people are unhealthy people, as a rule.

Weight can be an indicator of your level of health, but it is not a hard and fast rule. If you're going by BMI numbers, it's easy to be healthy, and overweight.

[Machismo]

Put those taxes into subsiding healthy options ... now that would be useful too.

- - - Updated - - -



Nope - there is just plenty of books and videos and online food companies, very little to no help for ACTUALLY dieting is available.

I'm talking about the diet equivalent of a gym.

Do you want someone to hold your hand, and take food out of it for you? Do you want them to literally sit next to you and force you to stop eating? Jesus, take some responsibility for yourself... or don't.

If you cannot get access to diet information online, then you are not looking.

[turlockmike]

It should cost you more to buy health and life insurance since you are a riskier individual. Also it should cost you more to ride an airplane since planes are limited mostly by weight.

[Kiri]

Put those taxes into subsiding healthy options ... now that would be useful too.

It would be, yes. But realistically speaking, a tax is easier to introduce than a subsidy - simply because it generates money for the state instead of costing some. Obviously though, that is a slippery slope. Most states for example are not exactly in a hurry to abolish smoking, as cigarette taxes give them quite a bit of revenue.

That's funny, I'm seeing people on this thread say that it is not possible. Refusing to cater to and and attend a pity party is not the same as berating someone. Yes, obese people should just eat less. It's common sense, if they cannot figure out common sense things like that, being "berated" is the least of their problems.

I don't support a tax on obese people, mainly because I find taxes to be burdensome.

Most obese people know that they should eat less. But actually going there takes a lot of willpower. You are literally fighting your own body. But I guess in your opinion they are not only weak but also stupid.

[schwarzkopf]

Yeah, that sucks, my condolences.

You have to admit though, that this is the exception rather than the norm as far as reasons for obesity go.

Well - my particular disorder is, but there are a lot of strange things out there that people have to put up with on a daily basis.

Someone I know is required to eat more calories than he can burn - for medical reasons. He can physically do no exercise (literally 0) and requires sufficient non calorific intake from food to heal his wounds (over a period of a year or so) that he puts on weight.

- - - Updated - - -

Do you want someone to hold your hand, and take food out of it for you?

I don't eat a lot - I've already said that.
ALso - I don't expect help ...I'm just a single human that has no value to the planet.

HOWEVER - I don't think it fair to punish me for stuff that is out of my control.

If you cannot get access to diet information online, then you are not looking.

If you want to contribute usefully to my part of this thread, I suggest you inform yourself about said part.

If not - then pointless suggestions are just that - pointless.