More a-hole libs trying to micro manage other people's live to assuage their personal demons. Mind your own business.
On Dec 19, 11:51 am, wncs <[email protected]> wrote: > ALBANY, New York (CNN) -- Like many New Yorkers, I remember a time > when nearly everyone smoked. In 1950, Collier's reported that more > than three-quarters of adult men smoked. This epidemic had a > devastating and long-lasting impact on public health. > > Today, we find ourselves in the midst of a new public health epidemic: > childhood obesity. > > What smoking was to my parents' generation, obesity is to my > children's generation. Nearly one out of every four New Yorkers under > the age of 18 is obese. In many high-poverty areas, the rate is closer > to one out of three. > > That is why, in the state budget I presented last Tuesday, I proposed > a tax on sugared beverages like soda. Research has demonstrated that > soft-drink consumption is one of the main drivers of childhood > obesity. > > For example, a study by Harvard researchers found that each additional > 12-ounce soft drink consumed per day increases the risk of a child > becoming obese by 60 percent. For adults, the association is similar. > > If we are to succeed in reducing childhood obesity, we must reduce > consumption of sugared beverages. That is the purpose of our proposed > tax. We estimate that an 18 percent tax will reduce consumption by > five percent. > > Our tax would apply only to sugared drinks -- including fruit drinks > that are less than 70 percent juice -- that are nondiet. The $404 > million this tax would raise next year will go toward funding public > health programs, including obesity prevention programs, across New > York state. > > Don't Miss > Paterson's tax hike proposals draw jeers > Lance Armstrong: Strengthen fight vs. cancer > In Depth: Commentaries > The surgeon general estimates that obesity was associated with 112,000 > deaths in the United States every year. Here in New York state, we > spend almost $6.1 billion on health care related to adult obesity -- > the second-highest level of spending in the nation. > > Last year, legitimate concerns about links between consumption of fast > food and the prevalence of heart disease prompted New York City to ban > the use of trans fats in restaurant food. > > No one can deny the urgency of reducing the rate of obesity, including > childhood obesity. Obesity causes serious health problems like type 2 > diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. It puts children > at much greater risk for life-threatening conditions such as > cardiovascular disease and cancer. > > We must never stigmatize children who are overweight or obese. Yet, > for the sake of our children's health, we have an obligation to > address this crisis. I believe we can ultimately curb the obesity > epidemic the same way we curbed smoking: through smart public policy. > > In recent decades, anti-smoking campaigns have raised awareness. > Smoking bans have been enacted and enforced. And, perhaps most > importantly, we have raised the price of cigarettes. > > In June, New York state raised the state cigarette tax an additional > $1.25. According to the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids, this increase > alone will prevent more than 243,000 kids from smoking, save more than > 37,000 lives and produce more than $5 billion in health care savings. > > These taxes may be unpopular, but their benefits are undeniable. Last > month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that, > for the first time in generations, fewer than 20 percent of Americans > smoked. Lung cancer rates have finally begun to decline. As a result, > we are all healthier. > > Just as the cigarette tax has helped reduce the number of smokers and > smoking-related deaths, a tax on highly caloric, non-nutritional > beverages can help reduce the prevalence of obesity. > > To address the obesity crisis, we need more than just a surcharge on > soda. We need to take junk food out of our schools. We need to > encourage our children to exercise more. And we need to increase the > availability of healthy food in underserved communities. > > But to make serious progress in this effort, we need to reduce the > consumption of high-calorie drinks like nondiet soda among children > and adults. > > I understand that New Yorkers may not like paying a surcharge for > their favorite drinks. But surely it's a small price to pay for our > children's health. > > The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of David > Paterson.http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/12/18/paterson.obesity/index.html > ***************************** > > Years ago when I worked in a grocery store, people could buy sodas and > junk food with food stamps. Does anyone know if that's still the case? > If so, it would seem logical to start by not allowing state monies to > buy junk food for kids. --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum * Visit our other community at http://www.PoliticalForum.com/ * It's active and moderated. Register and vote in our polls. * Read the latest breaking news, and more. -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
