Patch Poll: Should We Tax Soda To Discourage Obesity?
Recent studies suggest that drastic methods must be taken.
The big news coming out of last week’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Weight of the Nation conference in Washington, D.C., was a public health report that predicts that if Americans keep getting heavier at the current rate, 42 percent of the population will be obese by 2030.
Childhood obesity in the U.S. has more than tripled in the last 30 years, according to the CDC, which states that in 2008, a third of U.S. children were overweight or obese. The percentage of children 6 to 11 defined as obese rose from 7 percent in 1980 to almost 20 percent in 2008
And, America’s obesity problem may hinder the number of organ donors. The pool of potential living kidney donors may be shrinking because of the national obesity "epidemic," ABC News reported May 13. In a single-center study, almost a quarter of willing donors were initially excluded because they were too heavy, Dr. Mala Sachdeva of North Shore-LIJ Health System Transplant Center on Long Island, N.Y., and colleagues reported at the National Kidney Foundation meeting in New York. And only a small percentage of those patients were ultimately able to lose enough weight to donate a kidney, despite their initial motivation, Sachdeva said.
There are many ideas about how to fight this battle of the bulge. One is taxing soda, as Chicago is considering.
Is that a small step toward the solution? Take the poll and tell us what you think.
Number 1s
Patch readers disagree with Billboard when it comes to songs that will stand the test of time.
Last week’s poll asked Patch readers their opinions about popular music. Billboard picked a list of "Hot 100" No. 1 songs for the time period including May 7, at the beginning each decade, going back to 1970, as listed on Digitaldreamdoor.com.
Which one of these songs will endure and be remembered 50 years from now? Fifty-three percent of readers said "ABC" by The Jackson 5 has staying power. A total of 29 percent said we will not be humming any of the others. Here are the rest of the results.
- 1980, April 19-May 30: "Call Me" by Blondie; 8 percent
- 1990, April 21-May 18: "Nothing Compares to You" by Sinead O'Connor; 2 percent
- 2000, April 8-June 16: "Maria Maria" by Santana, featuring Wyclef Jean/The Product G&B; 0 percent
- 2010, May 1-May 14: "Nothin' On You" by B.o.B. featuring Bruno Mars, 5 percent
Ian Rahal
7:25 am on Monday, May 14, 2012
They should tax VIDEO GAME sales. The sedentary lifestyle of today's kids is the issue. Note this article from Reuters News Service:
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/05/10/health-tv-kids-idUSL4E8GA0A020120510
We all drank pop, Hawaiian Punch, Hi C, with zero issues decades ago. But we rode our bikes, played whiffle ball, baseball, football, rode our bikes, etc. This is just another power grab for more tax dollars for our bankrupt state. Why doesn't Obama take on Hollywood and the video game industry, let alone the violent message that many of these movies and games portray???
Ryan
2:36 pm on Monday, May 14, 2012
Or you know, parents can monitor what their children do and watch. Video games, sugary drinks, junk food... all these things can be monitored by a parent. I've played video games my whole life, and now as an adult I am quite fit. It's all about moderation.
Caryn Coyle
9:07 am on Monday, May 14, 2012
The government is making us fat and sick by poisoning our water and our food. Why doesn't anyone say NO to GMO and remove the "flouride" -- we would all be a lot healthier!
Kent Frederick
10:19 am on Monday, May 14, 2012
So, you want Americans to have teeth as bad as the British? When I was a kid, most elderly people wore dentures. Now that the Baby Boomers are hitting retirement age, you don't see as many people wearing dentures.
Ryan
2:34 pm on Monday, May 14, 2012
Yeah... this is a ridiculous comment. As a dental student who has done real research on the subject, the monitored fluoride content in water has no real "ill" effects to people. Fluoride helps prevent cavities, and lessens the toxicity of the bacteria in your mouth. When fluoride started being added/monitored in US water sources, the incidence of caries/cavities went down by a huge margin. The only problem that might arise is fluorosis, which involves discolored spots on teeth due to way too much fluoride. This is a rare occurence and usually has extenuating circumstances.
thefunkychicken
9:23 am on Monday, May 14, 2012
When I was kid we actually played outside , and liked it.
TV had only 8 or nine 9 channels and we only watched it after dark.
Soda was a treat at somebody's birthday party not a everyday drink.
Video games are a waste time and money. Anybody for a game of PONG?
Ian Rahal
9:34 am on Monday, May 14, 2012
Dear Caryn: being in the food business we hear this nonsense on a daily basis by the likes of Dr. Oz, Oprah, etc, etc etc. Note the website below:
http://www.webmd.com/healthy-aging/news/20080611/life-expectancy-reaches-new-record
The food chain has never been safer nor more nutritional if one can read. The abundance of quality vegetables, fruits, juices and basic foodstuffs has never been better but irresponsible journalism to sell add space and frighten uneducated consumers has become are real profit center for the mass media.
Life expectancy is the key measurement that one has to consider. The key issues are lifestyles: smoking, drinking, obesity, etc. Sure diet plays a role, but the couch potato syndrome is the issue.
G.Ryan
10:06 am on Monday, May 14, 2012
Once again the government is sticking their bureaucratic notions in our lives...now telling us what we should drink or eat? Why don't they mind their own business and get to work restoring a quality of life back to us Americans and stop taxing us every time we move! Start a "debt" diet Washington. It is time we start "taxing" them every time they lie, cheat and steal from us!
NancyC
11:05 am on Monday, May 14, 2012
We have parks in almost every neighborhood here in Elmhurst. In our 20 years here by Butterfield park, raising 4 children, we had to JOIN sports leagues and haul the kids to parks furthest away from our neighborhood for games and practices. (Till they were old enough to get themselves there on bikes) What ever happened to pick up games in the darn parks in the hoods??? Now that was equal opportunity in grabbing some fun. Oh, it's too dangerous. We need larger families, and smaller homes so we can have one dedicated parent home all day in the hood checking up on neighbors, teachers, and the kids running through the yards free and independent as little fledglings in the spring time. Maybe less central air conditioning would also get kids out of the "hot" house - or fewer maids to clean- and of course fewer toys and video games- I and my siblings, after grabbing a quick sandwich after school, would rush out of the house till dinner time - mostly to get out of the house work and chores that were ever present. It worked and we never had a problem with weight and we learned how to work out social problems on our own with all the other kids in the hood. We could also have checking accounts and jobs at a much younger age leaving little time for too much shenanigans.
Alex Keown
11:18 am on Monday, May 14, 2012
I'm a Pepsi junkie and made the choice on my own to switch to Diet Pepsi and lost quite a bit of weight (also cut sugar from my coffee). I didn't need the government to tell me what I needed to do to begin losing weight.
Jim Pokin
12:29 pm on Monday, May 14, 2012
If the nation's in danger of raising a generation of overweight diabetics who shouldn't expect to live as long as their parents, maybe the federal government should take an interest. If the issue needs to be framed in a pragmatic way, think of a future with a shortage of fit young people to serve as soldiers, fewer people able to hold down a full-time job and pay taxes and the increasing burdens on the world's most costly health care system. Or, we could decide to ignore the problem and hope it goes away.
Alex Keown
1:31 pm on Monday, May 14, 2012
But doesn't that line of reasoning create avenues for the federal government to create stringent guidelines for everything in life -- because then we would be living for the good of the state and not the good of the individual.
Jim Pokin
10:38 am on Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Right: the "slippery slope" argument. Government shouldn't involve itself in solving real problems because of fears it will create new, theoretical problems in the future. That argument will probably prevail. We should all invest in companies that make insulin, to profit from all the misery to come. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/13/business/economy/slippery-slope-logic-vs-health-care-law-economic-view.html
G.Ryan
1:12 pm on Monday, May 14, 2012
What about people taking responsiblity with what they ingest...what happened to that common sense concept?
The Lone Gunman
5:41 pm on Monday, May 14, 2012
People are sheep. They do what they're "programmed" to do. Otherwise you wouldn't have "dumb sports shows" or the "housewives of where-ever". On the other hand , we need to get the government involved in what they should be regulating and dis-involved in things they shouldn't be doing like phony wars on manufactured reasons.
Sandy Kaczmarski
1:22 pm on Monday, May 14, 2012
I have a problem with McDonald's being forced to provide "healthy alternatives" like apple slices and juice instead of fries and soda. If you want to eat healthy or are on a diet, you don't eat at a fast food place. I know a guy who weighs more than 300 pounds and drinks "diet" beer -- the entire six-pack! A little common sense would go a long way.
Alex Keown
1:28 pm on Monday, May 14, 2012
I remember an episode of Sanford and Son when Lemont gave Fred "diet" beer with half the calories of regular beer. Fred's response was "good, I can have two."
Ian Rahal
5:56 pm on Monday, May 14, 2012
Right on G.Ryan. Remember some so called consumer safety group tried ot have Girl Scout Cookies banned???? Give me a break! Better yet, give me a thin mint! Hell, Bill Clinton's favorite hangout was the local McDonalds! It's gotta be right!
Shane
6:08 pm on Monday, May 14, 2012
Another tax of any kind is insane!!! We are already taxed to death. My family consumes soda at a responsible level and are in reletivly good physical shape. So this whole thing about just another tax grab for more of my money that was not earned by the government is a load of you know what.
John Tovar
7:44 pm on Monday, May 14, 2012
I'm 62 years old-- I'LL decide what I'll eat or drink. For those who are concerned about the cost of health insurance getting more expense, you're right but NOTHING we do will stop that. no matter how well we eat insurance will go up.
Independence666
8:06 pm on Monday, May 14, 2012
Hey, I've got an idea, why don't we tax political correctness? Maybe that will get some of these busybodies to mind their own business.
Mike Bruno
7:58 am on Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Sin taxes are, IMO, generally a bad idea. How about we stop subsidizing corn, which is the source of most of the sweeteners in processed food (as corn syrup)? Heaven forbid that we consumers should pay what things actually cost. A soda tax seems to be something that addresses a symptom and not a root cause.
Jan
5:28 pm on Tuesday, May 15, 2012
It's a kneejerk reaction, a very small bandaid to a much bigger problem. Why aren't vegetable and fruit growers subsidized? Make these things as cheap and available as the junk.
Ian Rahal
5:50 pm on Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Check this show out airing on HBO the home of Mr. Maher:
http://theweightofthenation.hbo.com/
Now u tell me, do u really think consuming 100% fruit juice makes a kid fat??? Juice is predominately FRUCTOSE, not REFINED SUCROSE as Mr. Bruno well points out. Maybe the TV stations and related industries should start pointing the fingers at themselves don't u think???
Jane
7:40 pm on Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Maybe we should focus on clean air as a way to a healthier population!
1. A Columbia University study of pregnant women and their children in New York City has provided clinical evidence that links environmental pollution with childhood obesity.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RrZ7j4pN234
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2130945/Prenatal-exposure-air-pollution-linked-childhood-obesity.html#ixzz1uzKjUfXc
2. Ohio State study found that young mice exposed to air pollution had higher blood sugar levels, larger fat cells, and more fat cells in their abdominal area than a control group of young mice on the same diet, who were not exposed to air pollution.
http://www.filtersfast.com/blog/index.php/2011/01/fight-obesity-with-cleaner-air/
Joe O'Donnell
11:49 am on Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Tobacco and alcohol are already taxed heavily, right? How much more egregious would this soda tax be? (I'm not asking sarcastically. I really want to know what people think.)
Jim Court
9:42 pm on Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Has anyone read the Hidden Addiction by Janice Phelps? It shows sugar as the precursor to other addictions. Great book.