People are up in arms about President Obama’s apparent willingness to impose a federal soda tax to fight obesity and fund health care for the masses. Ah the Rules for Radical Revenue Generators: 1) Identify the undesirable group or class, in this case fat kids and their fat parents. 2) Isolate the identified target by publicly vilifying their behavior. 3) Tax the hell out of the identified villain.
This is a win win revenue generator for the federal government because they are either going to tap into sugar money through a direct tax, or through the extortion like effect the constant threat of taxation will have on sugar related lobbies. These are also not mutually exclusive. Even after instituting a sugar tax, the fed will constantly threaten to raise, or promise to lower, the federal sugar tax.
President Obama’s comments were printed in an AFP article that went to great lengths to editorialize about the “Fittest in decades” Exerciser-in-Chief.
The president — reported to be one of the fittest US commanders-in-chief in decades — stressed that “obviously there is resistance on Capitol Hill to those kinds of sin taxes.
Obama, who said he works out nearly every day in order to clear his head and reduce stress, described himself as “a healthy eater” with low blood pressure.
He keeps a bowl of apples in the Oval Office. “It was our first step toward health reform,” he said.
Barf.
And just in case you didn’t get the point, the final paragraph makes explicit that while President Obama is the shining example and poster child of optimal health, the rest of you fat slobs are a drain on the state, and are therefore rapidly being considered a liability deserving of second class citizenship through taxation.
Two-thirds of American adults are obese or overweight and obesity-related illnesses cost the United States nearly 150 billion dollars a year, health officials were told at the July conference.
AFP must want access to something.
The only president with unhealthy habits in the last 30 years is Bill Clinton. Both Bushes were in good shape for their ages and actively exercised. Reagan was healthy enough to survive a gunshot wound at age 70. The current president is certainly healthy, but he’s no more healthy than George W. Bush at his age.
This should be no surprise. The Clinton Administration did it to smokers and big tobacco (and are still doing it) though at the time it seemed to have more to do with taking the attention and focus off of Clinton’s sexual escapades as well as other personal issues. 1) Identify the undesirable group or class, in that case smokers and tobacco companies but mostly smokers. 2) Isolate the identified target by publicly vilifying their behavior – again smokers. 3) Tax the hell out of the identified villain – smokers and big tobacco.
Will Congressmen Jerrold Nadler and Barney Frank go for this?
Ha! They may require dietary re-education.
And speaking of smoking, has His Flatulence stopped that odoriferous habit yet? Inquiring minds want to know…
Has “His Flatulence” stopped the habit of blowing smoke up the buttocks (well-sculpted or not) of Americans? Or has he stopped smoking?