Taxing 'Junk' Food

Once again 'officials' are making calls to regulate our food consumption under the remit of preventing obesity. Today the BBC was reporting things which allegedly came from a panel of doctors after politicians recently called for the exact same thing a few months ago.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-21478314

Of course, they kind of hope that you will have the memory of a sieve and not see these doctors calls as been blatantly coordinated with the Government previous calls. For those of you who have forgotten and or have not heard about this previously then check out a previous blog post I wrote a month or so ago:

http://theroseofengland.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/health-facism-nanny-knows-best.html

Once again, the Government (well Parliament actually seeing as Labour is one of the biggest supporters of these moves) is completely ignoring public opinion on this matter.

 When you check through the top rated comments in the messages left on the BBC articles the vast majority see that the cost of decent ingredients is the main contributing factor in an unhealthy public. It might sound presumptuous, but the vast majority of obese people that we see around aren't working, are on the dole and generally cannot afford to buy good food. This is what struck me as kind of bizzare seeing as last month the Government were talking about cutting benefits to obese folk on the dole, which would have only exacerbated the issue.

Of course it is understandable why the Government wants to cut obesity down because it puts a burden on our health system, however there are much more intelligent ways to go about this. Rather than infringe on peoples freedom to eat how they want, why not give a certain amount in vouchers to be spent in supermarkets with your benefits cheque which can only be spent on fruit and vegetables? Why not simply make children go for a run once a day? 

No, of course not. These ideas will help people, its about tax. If the first round of taxes on unhealthy food doesn't work, they'll just increase the tax until people simply can't afford them. Bit like cigarettes, drinking and using your car. Win, win for the Government. More taxes and a reduction in NHS costs. Never-mind about the complete erosion of liberty.

The worst thing about this of course is that 'fizzy drinks' are going to be singled out as one of the biggest contributors to obesity.   
It was only last week that I wrote about a particular incident with coca-cola consumption resulting in death and the real dangers laying with aspartame-rich diet drinks:
(http://theroseofengland.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/idiot-killed-by-cocacola.html) 

I fear that (as always) calories will be attacked and taxed whilst damaging diet drinks are promoted as being the healthy alternative, something which many deny very much. Calories of course are just a measure of energy. 
The suggestion that what is essentially a measurement of Joule's in your food is bad for you is idiotic. It could be quite safe to eat ten times the recommended daily calorie intake if you was doing something strenuous enough to burn them up.

Strangely, the UK isn't the only country that has suddenly began promoting diet drinks as being this healthy alternative. Because giving a toxic substance which causes tumors to children is a brilliant idea, right? Especially when you've signed up to global causes like UN Agenda 21.

Kids in America had all fizzy drinks replaced with 'healthy' options.
(http://www.nbcnews.com/id/12604166/#.USI3V2cYE2U)

 (http://thehill.com/blogs/healthwatch/nutrition/280613-soda-candy-out-under-proposed-school-snack-rules)

Don't believe me about the bad effects of Aspartame? Well here is evidence to suggest that aspartame given to rats caused tumors:
(http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/34040.php)

List supposed Aspartame effects:
(http://naturalsociety.com/is-diet-soda-bad-for-you-4-major-negative-impacts/) 

Diet Drinks cause depression:
(http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-20943509)

Of course this is all very ironic that at a time where they don't even know what livestock is in our burgers (or what drugs those animals were on at the time) they are discussing regulations on things which do not need it. Draw your own conclusions from the information, but all in all its just yet another example of us all being denied our own basic right to live our lives as we wish.