Should fast-food be regulated like tobacco?

[ehh]

http://www.slate.com/id/2139941/nav/tap1/?GT1=8019

I certainly think so, this country has a serious problem.

[pk500]

Re: Should fast-food be regulated like tobacco?

No. Where does the government interference stop? When do people stop relying on Uncle Sam to run their lives and actually get off their fat azzes and take responsibility for themselves?

If people are so f*cking lazy that they want to engorge themselves with fast food and kill themselves, let them. They don't have to eat it. They actually could eat healthy and exercise without the government telling them to do it, as hard as that might be for some to believe.

Take care,
PK

[Skerik]

Re: Should fast-food be regulated like tobacco?

Anyone who has so little self control that they rely on the Government to prevent them from getting fat is a pathetic loser.

[Misfit]

Re: Should fast-food be regulated like tobacco?

Nah. Tobacco is regulated not just because its bad for people but because the regulations bring in money. People are addicted to tobacco products and taxes aren't going to make them stop buying their cigarettes and so forth, making the taxes a source of revenue for this country. While some may argue that fast food is addictive in it's own way (in the documentary Supersize Me, the film maker claimed that after a while he was depressed when he wasn't eating McDonalds and the food their made him feel happy), it is likely not as addictive as tobacco and taxes would harm their profits. And while some would say, "Good, they make too much money by selling this crap," it still is not fair to cut into their profits just because they provide a legal service that millions are willing to pay for. And fast food's primary benefits are that it is cheap, fast, and tastes good (though that is a matter of opinion) so anything that increases the price of a cheeseburger will likely have a large impact.

[RockinDaMike]

Re: Should fast-food be regulated like tobacco?

No. Where does the government interference stop? When do people stop relying on Uncle Sam to run their lives and actually get off their fat azzes and take responsibility for themselves?

If people are so f*cking lazy that they want to engorge themselves with fast food and kill themselves, let them. They don't have to eat it. They actually could eat healthy and exercise without the government telling them to do it, as hard as that might be for some to believe.

Take care,
PK

i totally agree. If anything maybe make it easier for retararaunts/fast food places that promote healthy food to get started, like tax breaks or something and there might be more selection for people who need food quickly.

[mudtiger]

Re: Should fast-food be regulated like tobacco?

Ahh, the nanny state.

It's amazing how many people welcome it with open arms.

[mgoblue]

Re: Should fast-food be regulated like tobacco?

No. Where does the government interference stop? When do people stop relying on Uncle Sam to run their lives and actually get off their fat azzes and take responsibility for themselves?

If people are so f*cking lazy that they want to engorge themselves with fast food and kill themselves, let them. They don't have to eat it. They actually could eat healthy and exercise without the government telling them to do it, as hard as that might be for some to believe.

Take care,
PK

I agree wholeheartedly

[99Potential]

Re: Should fast-food be regulated like tobacco?

Me eating a Double QP with cheese in a public place does not directly affect someone else's health like someone smoking in a public place does........

[born_bad]

Re: Should fast-food be regulated like tobacco?

Absolutely not. If you allow to the government to control what you can eat, why not take it a step further and have the government force you to exercise 5 times a week, too?

As mentioned, if people need the government to tell them what to eat, how much to eat, etc., then they're morons and I don't want the government interferring with my freedoms/choices because the morons can't control themselves.

[JRod]

Re: Should fast-food be regulated like tobacco?

No. Where does the government interference stop? When do people stop relying on Uncle Sam to run their lives and actually get off their fat azzes and take responsibility for themselves?

If people are so f*cking lazy that they want to engorge themselves with fast food and kill themselves, let them. They don't have to eat it. They actually could eat healthy and exercise without the government telling them to do it, as hard as that might be for some to believe.

Take care,
PK

I agree with this but you have a narrow-minded view of the effects of an obese nation. First there's really no way that a government can regulate this. Can they regulate twinkies or donuts? No they can't and won't.

Fast-food obesety is a symptom of our growing class devide in this country. If you can buy an entire meal at KFC for 2.99 why would you go to the store by vegatables, chicken and something to drink. Take it home, cook it and eat. Its cheaper just to get fast-food. In large urban lower class areas grocery stores are non-existant.

Now why even PK should care. If you think that obsesety doesn't affect you, you are dead wrong. If you have health insurance; over the coming years, you will start to see your premiums and co-pays go up. Obese persons in general have more health issues than average body types. And in health insurance the healty subsidize the sick.

If you want to tackle obesity, I would start in the schools. Get out the sodas, candy bars, chips and whatever high calorie snacks are available.

There's no easy answer to this one. Almost everything in our society contributes to this problem. Dependence on cars. Cities and communities not being designed for pedestrian use. More service type jobs and sedentary work. Customers demanding super sized everything.

[Jimplication]

Re: Should fast-food be regulated like tobacco?

Should fast-food be regulated like tobacco?

No, I enjoy reaping the rewards of practicing self control and being healthy. Every day I put a fair amount of effort into being healthy and undertaking healthy practices.

If people don't want to live a healthy lifestyle, then that is their prerogative. As it stands, such people are a part of the motivation by which I live my life. I see what their lifestyle does to them in time, and I work hard to avoid it.

People need to start taking responsibility for their actions. If you want to eat unhealthily, become overweight, have clogged arteries, and increase your risk of death by the time your are 65, then that is your decision and no one elses.

America is a very lazy country, and I don't think this lazyness should be regulated at all. In fact, I say encourage it. Keep the government out of it and let people live how they want to live. Forty hard, but great years, and then death? Fine. A life of moderation and health, death at age 85? Fine.

Do what you want, but keep the government out of it. Just please inform yourself and take responsibility for your actions. The government holding your hand and guiding you through life is just an excuse for you to bitch and cry about it later when you find things didn't work out the way you wanted.

[mgoblue]

Re: Should fast-food be regulated like tobacco?

I agree that obesity is a large problem in the country today, but I just don't think that the government should necessarily be involved. Starting in the schools is a good idea, but it still comes down to the parents that don't monitor what their kids eat at home. Parenting by tv and bag of chips is probably more common than we'd think.

[pk500]

Re: Should fast-food be regulated like tobacco?

There's no easy answer to this one. Almost everything in our society contributes to this problem. Dependence on cars. Cities and communities not being designed for pedestrian use. More service type jobs and sedentary work. Customers demanding super sized everything.

Don't forget video games as a cause, either. There are so many fat kids who sit around all day with console and handhelds instead of going outside and playing all day like I did when I was a kid in the 70s.

My kids are one of the few in their peer group who don't have a handheld or a console, and they're not allowed to play on mine. But both of them are thin and healthy, and that matters a hell of a lot more than playing the latest game.

Take care,
PK

[pk500]

Re: Should fast-food be regulated like tobacco?

Parenting by tv and bag of chips is probably more common than we'd think.

Absolutely. And because of the increasing government regulation and interference in our lives, there's an entire generation of parents now in the U.S. that expects the government and schools to make parenting decisions for them.

Pathetic.

Take care,
PK

[EWRMETS]

Re: Should fast-food be regulated like tobacco?

One of the reasons why people eat fast food is that it is very cheap. If they could figure out a way to put a tax on fast food that was deemed unhealthy, it would raise the price and lower the amount of people who bought it. I'm not saying the government should do it, but it's not as crazy as some of you make it seem.