Taxes to Control Your Habits

MA is like a trial balloon.
If it gets adopted here you can bet it will get rolled out to the rest of you shortly!
Our 'universal' health insurance, rising taxes and nanny state mentality...
Is what the rest of the country will look like if the people do not grab the power back to where it was intended to reside!
I agree you get what you wish/vote for.
Too many people are not cynical enough to question what our elected officials do.
I was just at one of my business customer's workplace and a contractor was talking about permit fees...
$32,000 to the Town just for permits to upgrade gas fireplaces at a time share!
You wonder why it costs so much to vacation!

Richard S. wrote:So what's next? Red meat? What other foods deemed unhealthy will taxed, Snack Foods? Eggs? Dairy?

Are we all going to be eating tofu in 20 years.

This is a good question. On one hand I really hate to see taxes enacted to try to influence behavior since it generally doesn't work but on the other hand if they (Wash DC) are determined to pay for health care for everyone I want the chance to opt out of the tax to pay for it. Kinda like the lottery which I see as un-enforced taxation which I don't participate in. I say smoke if you want, drink if you want, eat all you want & exercise as little as you want, but don't ask me to pay for the consequences of your decisions.

I don't have a problem providing for health care for kids since they shouldn't be punished for the idiocy of their parents. (I would rather the parents have to pass a test prior to being able to procreate, but that a whole other can of worms! ) But when people, like some of my relatives, overeat themselves into diabetes, smoke themselves into emphysema, couch potato and snack themselves into 75 extra pounds and heart disease I really don't feel the desire to contribute to their health care by paying more taxes. I think penalizing the producers and consumers of the "snack" foods may be one way for me to opt out of paying for this national health care Wash DC seems determined to put into place. Since I choose to exercise & eat a fairly healthy diet (although I can kill a bag of Cool Ranch Doritos watching a baseball game) I am selfish enough to ask why doesn't the rest of the population do the same to lower their health care costs?

The tough question for me to get on board with this is how to decide the "bad" foods. You know how the "bad" food list changes from year to year - I forget - are eggs a good food or bad food at this point? And you know the list of bad foods will be determined more by the power of their lobby group than by the actual quality of the food. I am willing to be appointed the "FOOD CZAR" and make these tough decisions, although I have paid all my taxes through the years so that may dis-qualify me for the appointment. (Note....the previous statement is no way to be taken as politically partisan since in my mind both parties are equally corrupt! )

I've been eating 4 eggs for breakfast every single day for over 20 years, & I drink like a fish.

Still waiting for someone to pay for my healthcare!

My wife could be driving a Cadillac if I went without insurance...

Richard S. wrote:So what's next? Red meat? What other foods deemed unhealthy will taxed, Snack Foods? Eggs? Dairy?

Next.
http://www.prisonplanet.com/feds-prepar ... hange.html

OMFing GOD .

My blood is BOILING after reading that!!

I shouldn't be surprised. That is a famous MA technique -- indirect taxing. Makes the politicians look less like the bad guy. For example, MA is going to repeal the tax break on utilities (phone/electric co.'s get tax free property to put poles, transformers, etc) get on their equipment, forcing them to raise their prices. "WASN'T US", the state will say!

Speeding tickets are another indirect tax -- " IT WAS THE COPS, NOT US! "

Unbelievable......

LOL... a "taking a dump" tax. Now I must of heard it all but I'm not betting on it.

Richard S. wrote:LOL... a "taking a dump" tax. Now I must of heard it all but I'm not betting on it.

We in the peoples republic of Maryland have whats called a "Flush Tax" thanks to Gov. Robert Ehrlich. I get to pay a sewage tax even though I am on a septic system. What is even crazier is that our church has to pay this tax on the "chapel property" (a separate land parcel from the newer church that has a historic chapel) that doesn't even have a bathroom! You can't even flush there and we have to pay the "Flush Tax"!!

Anyway, going to the bathroom is one habit I'm not willing to give up!