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It seems Germany is rereading Hitlers socialist program as they now want to tax overweight citizens and forcefully remove fat kids from class.
It seems many in Germany are rereading Hitlers socialist program as they now want to tax overweight citizens and forcefully remove fat kids from class. Overweight people should pay higher taxes in order to cover the extra costs they create for German’s healthcare system, a conservative MP has said. “The question must be admitted whether the immense costs that, for example, arise from excessive consumption of food, can be permanently paid out of the consolidated health system,” said Marco Wanderwitz, the conservative MP for the state of Saxony.
“I think it’s sensible that people who knowingly live unhealthily carry a responsibility for it in a financial respect,” said Mr Wanderwitz, who is also head of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrats’s group of young parliamentarians .
He was supported by Juergen Wasem, an economist who said foods like chocolate should carry health warnings.
“As with tobacco, we should tax the purchase of unhealthy consumer goods at a higher rate and pay that tax into the health system,” he said.
Germany’s health system is funded by a series of mandatory health insurance funds, all of which are reporting serious deficits as the system is overused.
Bild, the German newspaper, estimated that treatment for obesity-related illnesses cost Germany some £16 billion a year.
Recently the German Teachers’ Association recommended weighing children in class each day and reporting the seriously overweight to social services, who would have the power to remove them to clinics.
Although opposition politicians blasted the “fat-tax” proposal, researchers at the Jacobs University in Bremen claimed its work proved that the majority of the public would back a tax on people whose unhealthy lifestyles landed them in hospital or under other medical care.
Do Jewish citizens require more heathcare? Let’s hope not.
Sources for this story.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/germany/7904990/Overweight-people-should-pay-fat-tax-to-cover-healthcare-costs-German-MP-says.html
You can be sure the USSA will not be far behind Hitler and the Germans. This fascism is world wide.
I am not sure how it works in Germany but here in the USSA the Great Health Scam works like this.
o FDA et al allows poisons in our food and drink
o These poisons cause MANY health problems including
o Overweight problems
o Cancer and CVD
o The “Medical Profession” will often treat problems such as sugar diabetes with toxic useless drugs
Sugar Diabetes is often rooted in overweight which itself is rooted in our “food supply”.
Elements in our “food supply” which promote Overweight
o FDA
o Medical Profession
o HFCS
o MSG
o Aspartame
o Most Artificial Sweeteners
o Sugar
o Soy
o Simple Carbs
o Soda, sugar sweetened or no cal
o Fast Food
o Processed Food
o School Lunch
o School Vending Machines
o MANY Others
So punishing the victim instead of informing him and outlawing the poisons and the toxic institutions promoting the poisons is the way to go in a society being driven into extinction by its own subverted “government”.
Right on Lou – you hit the nail on the head with your comment!
What is the connection to Hitler’s “socialist” program ? The comment about Jewish citizens’s health care cost also is totally uncalled for.
Relating the facts would suffice.
Something needs to be done to shake people up and make them accept responsibility for the problems they cause to others. My family lives in the same country as hordes of obese people, however, we are aware of what we eat, have healthy lifestyles, and none of us (or our friends) are overweight, let alone obese. It is unfair that we should bear the burden of paying for healthcare for self-indulgent lazy people who prefer to blame others for their problems. Two of my chairs have been broken by obese people who sat on them, and one actually broke my toilet! The wear and tear and damage caused to public and private property by these people is paid for by all of us. They should be taxed.
You ROCK, Lou!! (Saved me the time and energy in writing it…)
It is an interesting concept, taxing overweight people because of the burden on the healthcare system. I get nervous when they start weighing kids in classrooms. My son was warned about being overweight because of the BMI scale. If you look at him, you can’t find any fat on him, he’s just has muscle from martial arts. Rather than punishing people, try to fix the problem in the first place.
Like Lou suggested, education is the answer, not useless drugs and poisonous “diet” foods. If people ate properly, most diseases out there would disappear.
Agree with Lou and Barbara… I think the parallel between the use of tobacco and poisoned food is way more appropriate (we CHOOSE to consume the stuff that contains poisons that lead to health problems – knowingly or not) than comparing fat people and Jewish people… and we can Choose to educate ourselves and make the choices that are conducive to healthy lifestyles and bodies… and are less taxing on the health system – be it in Germany or in America. I know I am way more productive when I do my yoga, eat healthy and avoid “holiday” foods – cakes and such… I get at least twice as much done than my obese colleagues who gulp doughnuts every morning, and then get “depressed” in the afternoon… I realize it may not be “politically correct”, but these are my observations – of my own body and of the others around me…
I’ve got the feeling Lou’s BMI is above normal and he subscribes
to Fox News’ G.B..
Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, the FDA has poisoned itself by taking a bite into Big Business (Pharma- and Food Industry). A drastic change in Lou’s proposed food regulation requires divine help.
I can’t see much help coming from the already disillusioned, money impaired health care providers either.
It is after all up to the individual to make the right choices. But as well, we should have the right not to pay for the tab we didn’t run.
I believe, Angela’s comment hit the nail right on the solar plexus.
Bon appetite!
I’m with Angela. We live in a society that doesn’t take responsibility for their actions. When I see a morbidly obese child, I look at their parents and think “that is just as much child abuse as starving them would be”.
I eat moderately, I walk around my block for cheap exercise, and I try to keep myself in decent shape. It’s not hard.
Smokers pay more in health insurance premiums, why should obese people? It’s not like it’s something that they can’t help.
@angela Ignorant, selfrightous folks like yourself are exactly what this artcle is talking about. Genetics are as much a part of this as anything else, as well as access to the time and place to get proper amonunts of excercize, which can be very difficult in our suburban drive everywhere, apt living, 60 hour desk job work week American lifestyle. Oh and I am aware of all the healthy home cooked fresh foods I eat too. Very little bottle, boxed or canned food in my life, yet I still struggle everyday (since I was a child) with my weight just as my Father does and his Greeck Mother did…
Personal Responsibility. If you smoke, drink, party too much, eat too much, don’t exercise and stretch, and don’t take care of yourself. IT IS YOUR FAULT. It’s not the FDA’s fault, it’s not the health care systems fault, and it’s not the governments fault. You are responsible for your actions and the good Lord will hold you accountable for them.
I thought the reference to Hitler’s Germany was totally uncalled for. The German people have ruthlessly examined themselves to try to understand how Hitler and the Nazi era could ever have occurred, and taken very aggressive measures to change their society to prevent a recurrence.
As far as making people take responsibility for the burden they place on the healthcare system by unhealthy lifestyle choices, this seems warranted to me. At the same time, our government is definitely part of the problem in terms of people eating in an unhealthy way, as it allows agribusiness to use it’s influence to try to prevent us from knowing what is in our food, whether it’s organic, etc., allowing the medical profession to advocate chemical solutions for health issues, and allowing poisons in our air, water and food.
We need more information, but we also need to be held accountable. I certainly wouldn’t want unhealthy foods to be outlawed. Remember who would be defining “unhealthy” – the same corporate interests that we are complaining about!
I agree with Lou. Aptly put.
As someone who is overweight with health problems, I can sympathize with people in this predicament. Nobody WANTS to be overweight. But one’s weight can easily get out of control due to illness, disability, age, poverty, health complications that compound one’s other illnesses, etc.
Things that WOULD help the situation:
- free training programs on how to prepare and consume raw foods, how to start a juicing program without super-expensive equipment
- focus on organic foods and natural nutritional supplements
- a reduction in pollution and airborne illnesses
- moral support and acceptance for all body types
- support for alternative medicine practitioners (acupuncture, chiropractors, massage therapists etc.), for patients in public health clinics or on Medicare
- free exercise and physical therapy programs for low income people
- free health care and free dental care
- more food banks to help with food expenses
- more “meals on wheels” programs for the elderly and disabled
Obesity is partly a personal finances problem. Unfortunately, it costs much more to consistently eat full and balanced meals than it does to eat almost nothing and subsist on carbs, beans or cat food. Yes, there are still people today who are in dire need!
Did you know that most overweight people eat far, far less than slim people? This is not a good thing! Their metabolism suffers, and obesity worsens. Yo-yo dieting just exacerbates the problem.
We’re all frustrated with the economy, and with the social fallout from obesity and poverty, in general. But placing the blame on the overweight patient is certainly not the answer. These people are already being penalized in a myriad of ways (poor health, social and job discrimination, poverty conditions), so taxing or penalizing them further is like punishing people for contracting an illness!
I thought the reference to Nazi Germany’s persecution of the Jews was the perfect comparison.
If Germany hasn’t figured out how the Nazi’s took over, all they have to do is look at the USA. You create a situation where you are the victim (9/11), then you don’t allow any discussion about it. Anyone who questioned the “official” explanation was dubbed unpatriotic. Then hunt down the person who was responsible for the act (Osama didn’t do it… he said early on that he wished he had.) When you don’t get him, you go after someone else who had nothing to do with it but it no longer matters. The country will do whatever you want. You also pass lots of legislation to “protect” the citizens. Amazing that they got such a huge amount of legislation ready in such a short period of time. It gets passed without being read.
So now we have an epidemic of fat people. The latest fat increase is directly related to asparatame and HFCS. Do we take those products off the market? No, we encourage people to eat addictive foods responsibly. That’s like telling an alcoholic to only drink one or two drinks per day.
Why some people can eat HFCS and Nutrisweet and not get fat… that is the mystery. Too many people cannot.
I suspect all the yoga-loving, BMI-charting self-righteous posters also have fairly nice disposable incomes. Try shopping for groceries on $21 a week. Yup, that’s what happens when one person in the household is on disability (because of stage-4 mets cancer) and the other is only working 24-32 scatter shot hours a week making it impossible to get a second job. I’d love to buy organic broccoli and free-range chicken. Instead, what I can afford is generic macaroni and cheese for 38 cents a box that makes two meals for us. Check out the nutrition label on a box of m&c. I cringe every time I take a bite. But that’s life right now.
Exercise you say? I’m sure the people that work at my plant will rush out and get on that exercise bike or walk a few miles… right after standing on concrete or working the production line for 12 hours a day. Then they get to go home and take care of the kids, clean the house and do whatever else needs to be done. Or, of course, go to that second job (at least they can). I’m pretty sure after that kind of day, some people – call them crazy! – might want to take a break.
Too many in this country simply do not see the reality for the other people living here. They believe that everyone has the same opportunities as them. That, yeah, things are tough but by gosh if they can manage to buy organic broccoli and do an hour of yoga every day, then everyone can. Horse crap! Stop being such a pompous asses. Be grateful you can do what you can for yourself and your family and leave those that do the best they can alone.
Having been an active athelete and dancer, and from a family who ate out of the garden and aware of healthy foods, it has puzzled my doctors (natural and allopathic) why I have always weighed more than the charts, have great difficulty in losing weight, and have gained significant weight after childbirth, rather than during. Big-Pharma has it’s place in the obesity problem, as “they’ve” been allowed to sell anything as food and medicine,for profit, with a very wide berth in actual health regulation. Does anyone really trust them or the FDA at this point? It’s ALL about $$$. (Check out movie: Flow…about our water) Everyone must come to realize that when one group of folks (the “biggers”) start being singled out to tax and “remove from” and blame for a system gone amuk…we are on our way to dangerously acceptable prejudices that stem from rampant ignorance. And target children? Genetics play a huge role in this situation. I don’t eat donuts, let alone a pile. There is a misconception here that someone has to eat tons of food and not move, or not want to move, to be overweight. This has been exaggerated in the media and has led to the acceptable degradation of human beings who are bigger, whether they may have eating disorders, glandular, metabolic or other challenges. Many medications are the actual culprits. They give them out and then degrade the person for reacting to what the substance(medicine) creates in the body. For anyone who has never had a significant weight problem or felt the agony of a close friend or relative with this challenge, you don’t know. There is so much more acceptance and compassion for alcoholics, drug addicts, gambling and shopping addictions etc. (which are all maladies that could be COMPLETELY avoided) where eating and being in the body cannot be avoided. Many girls who have eating disorders, who puke up all their food, actually believe the problem with overweight people is that they don’t throw up after eating. How complex this is, and for people to believe that everyone can just change it and it’s only the overweight person’s “fault”, is so ridiculously simplified, it makes as much sense as to tax and remove: red-haired, long-toed, violet-eyed, overly-hairy, especially smelly-footed, smelly-breathed folks. I’m sure we can find a category for everyone. Large-person-hating has become too “ok” in our society. Makes the rest of the torture of individuals (or animals) too palatable. For those who commented about there being no obvious connection to what happened in Germany to Jews……go stick your little skinny ass in the oven and your head will be in perfect inhalation position.
Hi Barb, I don’t disagree with your listing of events and how they were and are manipulated by their government and ours. But the Germans looked much more deeply, at how their culture got to the point where they would let the government manipulate them in that way. They found they had a culture that respected authority without question. They have made a pretty amazing change in that cultural factor. It would be courageous for us to do a similar examination of how we got to the point where the government can manipulate us in so many ways.
Aspartame and HFCS are factors, but bigger than that, in my view, are the subsidies that make fast food and artificial food cheaper than real food. Why would a family buy a head of broccoli when they can feed the whole family for that price using subsidized meat, corn and soy as the primary ingredients.
So you’re telling my that my 350lb sister should have to pay for a medical condition that genetics caused called Graves Disease, which is genetic and made her thyroid go hyper to the point of almost killing her and then medical science decided to kill her thyroid and now she’s got all this weight she didn’t have before just because you think she eats wrong? She probably eats less than you do in a day let alone a week and now with Government run healthcare and yours and others Hitler-like thinking on human cloning of our society, you say she should have to pay more for mistakes of others and genetics. Well aren’t you living on high horse, maybe somebody needs to knock you off it so you can see the real world! Learn some compassion people, not every overweight person got there through laziness and slovenliness. It can just happen through no fault of your own, especially in the diseased and poisoned world we live in today. I hope one day you all get some firsthand knowledge to teach you!
I find it hard to believe that most overweight people eat far less than slim people. I was just at the store where a heavy set young girl ordered her lunch of a bag of chips, a footlong plus sandwich with everything on it and a side piece of a large breast of fried chicken. No I do not feel sorry for her that she is overweight when she eats that and yes I think she should be taxed!
There are plenty of ways to eat healthy and inexpensively! Fiber is not expensive!! Eat lentils, beans, and high fiber breads some of which you can purchase at the 99 cent store!
And contrary to popular belief that Whole Foods is whole paycheck —I was there over the 4th of July and they were selling their top ground beef product (no hormones, free range—not organic) for 1.00 a pound. You just have to watch for the deals.
We tax people who smoke, we tax people who drink and I think we should tax food that is crappy. Tax the chips, the chocolate, the fried foods and put it into a health care for all plan! I eat healthy and yet I sometimes like some junk and I’m willing to pay the tax on it.
I am an independent freelance worker who recently had to apply for health insurance. I am extremely FIT and guess what? I had a terrible time getting it! However someone can be obese and work for a company and have no problem at all being covered. Yet they contribute significantly to the rise in health care costs.
Not all people who are overweight are also living in poverty. I live in one of the wealthiest areas of the country and trust me there is no lack of obesity here.
It all comes down to two things;the food you put in your body and a the exercise you put out. All income levels can control that. Being ill and being poor isn’t a license for overeating.
Your body is the only place you have to live—TAKE CARE OF IT AND TAX THOSE WHO DON’T.
Informing the citizens??? Like you cant find the information EVERYWHERE already? Like on the packages themselves, the internet, the news. Get real. If you want to stuff your face with high calorie empty foods, you are going to get fat. Im a farmer and I cant eat like that even with MY physical work every day.
They are going to be in MY insurance pool with their diabetes, cholesterol and high blood pressure issues jacking MY rates up. Im all for taxing the hell out of candy, soda & all vending machines. Lets start there.
It isnt YOUR RIGHT to be fat and unhealthy and cost ME anything!
Fat people arent victims… I and all other healthy people are victimized by an unhealthy population of people who dont want to get control of their lives and habits.
Hey- Im a farmer. Not a yogini and not much above poverty level either. And Im not FAT.
Nothing pompous about it- people are responsible for themselves as to what they put into their mouths.. When did they become MY responsibility?
First of all, Hitler was a fascist, not a socialist.
Get your history straight before it is repeated.
The Tea Party are also Fascists.
Look up the definition.
True, people are responsible for themselves, but taking children out of school and putting them in clinics is criminal and definitely not in the child’s best intersts. It would be better if they and their parents were given nutrition classes.
And I live in the country and see plenty of fat farmers, so that is no defense against poor eating habits.
OK- heres the thing. I went to last years local graduating High School class and guess what. Not ONE fat kid. What a pleasure to behold. Beautiful healthy teenagers.
Not only that- I dont see any fat farmers where I am. Dont know where you are, but Im in the Midwest. I see some who could knock a bull down and break someones jaw with a single swipe of those paws of theirs.., but they arent fat like what we are talking about here. “Lazy fatties” is not farmers at all.
The information about good health is EVERYWHERE to be found if poeple want to know about it. Give classes??? WTH…. go on the internet. Pick up a book. Look at your food. can you even identify it???? No???? Then dont eat it.
While there is no such thing as healthy cheap food that doesnt stop me and others from eating good food in NORMAL proportions. I just had bluberries and a handful of oat meal mixed in. With a multi vitamin. I had liver for breakfast. I usually have three eggs and saugsage and guess what….. no cholestrerol issues. I eat a high protien/low quantity diet. Once meal is carbs every day. Sale items are whats in my grocery basket.
Im not at the gym. Im not making big money. But I take care of myself because no one else is going to. There are NO ifs, ands, buts about this issue. Society is not to blame for your addictions or obesity. YOU ARE. Society doesnt owe you a thing. The fact it is beginning to get tired of paying for your fatness should be a wake up call.
I actually do believe kids should be taken away from parents who are too stupid to care for them, by the way.
I cant even believe there IS a debate about this. Its right up there with making restaraunts put CAUTION-HOT LIQUID!! on their coffee. Like they are to blame for someone guzzling or splling hot beverages and burning themselves. Unbelieveable.
Want to konw who’s to blame for your problems? Just go look in a mirror.
thank you
Connie, since the government is taking over health care why don’t they just take over rationing food too. Then, if someone gets fat and sick from everything that LOU just mentioned (all of which are true and ignored by big daddy and big mama) then maybe the people will wise up and realize that a dictating government really doesn’t care about your health at all. May the power and glory reign for government for ever and ever. Wait….wasn’t those words supposed to be dedicated to GOD?
Ach tung Connie !!! SO true. Ve must follow the program or be taxed. You are SO right. It has nothing to do with the chemicals like MSG and Aspartame and HighFructoseCornSyrup hidden in almost all foods and damaging our metabolism. And when they find out judgemental people create more stress hormones in their blood, well, then they shall come for you. and who will speak up for you connie ??
This article points out a perfect example of a new problem CREATED by the State.
How about implementing a health care system where the people who are obese have to pay their OWN elevated health costs and higher insurance premiums?
Where the federal/national government keeps its tax-aholic nose out of health care entirely and lets the free market deal with the problem.
Mmm. Where are you going to draw the line for the term “overweight”? Many people are perfectly healthy and actually eat healthy food, and yet are a little overweight due to hormone imbalances, menopause, thyroid issues, lower metabolism, etc. You can’t punish people for that. Some of you strike me as typical do-gooders, “if I can stay thin so can everyone else” approach.
This whole fat tax thing is of course merely a scam to get money out of people at a time of severe financial crisis. If some of you are too stupid to see that, then….well…..I feel sorry for you.
Hitler? Fascism? Jews? Drew, sir, are a witless fear-mongerer.
Heaven forbid people pay for the risk they cause. I suppose you think it is also a “Hitler” policy to charge higher auto insurance rates to drunk drivers. Wow, I sure hope Jews don’t drink more!
And I hope Jews don’t smoke more, either, because cigarette taxes are used for healthcare. Nazis, no doubt!
Obesity is a medical condition, no different from diabetes or schizophrenia. To tax “fat” people for putting a burden on socialized medicine is like taxing diabetic or schizophrenics.
This is a typical of crappy totalitarian commie death care systems. First they take over medical care. Then they refuse to pay one thing after another. It starts with obesity, then comes “heroic care”, then comes this, that and the other. The commie medical system is always on the take. Bureaucrats constantly need more and patients get less. In the end is it a slow form of genocide.
Way over board here! When Michael O’Leary (from Ryanair) said that he wanted to charge more for fat people to compensate for the increased consumtion of air fuel nobody brought up the Jews. With the News of the World out of the picture you think you can step into its shoes and write this diatribe? There is one politician coming up with this ‘bright’ idea and you go around pointing the finger at ‘tze Germans’?! What is this website anyway? Aren’t you supposed to promote a healthy attitude towards a better diet? I don’t say tax people for being fat but why don’t you smart guys here come up with a better solution then hit people where it hurts: exactly, their wallet. I’ve been preaching about healthier diets to people who ought to look into it for years, with very little result. In a way, as fascistic as it might sound, this guy has a point, like it or not. But to point the finger at an entire nation for one guy making this remark is down right brainless. Digging out Hitler and the Jews is disgustingly tasteless. Not that i wouldn’t be used to it by the English media (and hence the English since people in general are very gullible – yaya, don’t mention the war and all, right?). You oughta be ashamed of yourselves! And i wonder if you have the guts to leave this post on the site…
I say TAX anyone who lives a Dangerous Lifestyle: Joggers and Cyclists to start. After all, how many times do you see somone in the Emergency Room with a sprained or twitsted ankle or fallen off thier bike.
@CalDre: You’re speaking after my heart. I am German and am appalled by the diatribe of this article. I would have expected to read this sort of anti-German misogyny from THE SUN or the late NEWS OF THE WORLD. Somebody told me the war was over and we’re all supposed to be friends now – German, English, Jews, Obese People …
I think homosexuals should pay a similar tax since their unhealthy and deviant sexual practices spread AIDS and other STD’s.
i agree with both sides of this argument. the government (usda, fda, etc.) does poison the populous with food. by additives that are toxic or toxic-ally derived(like hfcs, canola oil,etc.), or by gmo, or just plain degeneration, like white bread(where even vermin won’t eat it because there is no food there!). but people have to take responsibility for themselves and what they eat and drink! as adults we have all been taught snack cakes and sodas are bad and veggies and fruits are good. we know the difference, yet many choose to eat crap over real food. i for one choose health and eat nutritiously. unfortunately, i can’t afford to always choose grass fed beef or organic veggies, so i am at the mercy of big agra and pray i’m not eating a gmo food. and the the chemicals used in my food will pass through without harming too much. if the government would implement good food policies instead of outlawing good food (like raw milk, supplements, and organics) we would at least stand a fighting chance against obesity.
@Chuck – “Obesity is a medical condition, no different from diabetes or schizophrenia. To tax “fat” people for putting a burden on socialized medicine is like taxing diabetic or schizophrenics.”
Wrong, most obesity is based on BEHAVIOR (people like to focus on the 1% of people who have genetic reason for it, rather than the 99% who stuff their face and watch TV rather than exercise, b/c exercise is “hard” and “not fun”).
Anyway you get around the genetic obestity problem by, as proposed, taxing the unhealthy foods that make you fat. That way, people who eat controlled, but are fat nonetheless, don’t pay more. It’s actually ingenious, and a far cry from “Nazism” (i.e., how is taxing unhealthy foods to pay for the medical care system costs in a publicly-funded health care system at all equivalent to starting a world war and murdering millions of people????)
Obesity is an epidemic in many developed nations around the wporld. A fgat tax is juist one methods that governments are trying in an attempt to prevent obesity among theior citizens, which comes with enormous healthcare costs. Tell us what you think at: collegeeatingdisorders.webs.com