Starling Fitness: Daily writings on Fitness, Diet, and Health

Carol’s mom got the cheese because she was a senior citizen. We got the cheese from her. It tasted like Velveeta and I remember thinking, “This isn’t real cheese.” Suddenly, that’s how I imagined the government. They think Velveeta is cheese. They probably think Lifesavers are fruit.

Since then, I’ve learned that the government is not one single entity. What scares me is exactly which entity would be put in charge of “Junk Food” if there was a Twinkie Tax. You probably think I’m joking. “Twinkie Tax, ha ha! That’s funny!” You say this with a smile to yourself…

A Twinkie Tax is a tax on junk food. It concentrates on food with high calorie levels and low nutrition values (soda, food with hydrogenated oil or high fructose corn syrup, etc.). This tax has been proposed by legislators in California, Washington, Nebraska, Illinois, Texas and New York. No one thinks twice about all the taxes on alcohol and cigarettes anymore. Canada already taxes junk food. Is that how it’s going to be in forty years for us?

It’s a messy issue. Here’s what people have to say about it:

Pro:
Center for Science in the Public Interest – Tax Junk Foods
USA Today – ‘Twinkie tax’ worth a try in fight against obesity by Suzanne Leigh
MSN – Let’s Hear It For a Fat Tax by Gersh Kuntzman
Prevention – Is It Time to Reconsider the Twinkie Tax? by Jan Eickmeier

Con:
Free Market Project – Supersized Bias by Richard Noyes and Paul F. Stifflemire, Jr.
The Center For Consumer Freedom – Eating: A Taxing Endeavor? Reason Online – The War on Fat by Jacob Sullum
MSN – Politicians sink their teeth into your diet – by Howard Mortman

This debate has been going on since U.S. News & World Report suggested a “Twinkie Tax” as a “smart idea to fix the world” in 1997. I really don’t know what I think about this issue. I have been eternally grateful that the government forced the food companies to put ingredients and nutrition facts on their products. Considering what passes for cheese in the government’s eyes, however, I doubt I trust them enough to decide what is junk food and what isn’t.