According to The Los Angeles Times a California lawmaker is targeting the obesity epidemic with a tax that would slap a penny-an-ounce levy on drinks sweetened with sugar or corn syrup.
The food industry, not surprisingly, has squared off against the idea, arguing that the tax bill is a punitive assault on personal choice. “The government doesn’t have the right to social engineer,” said J. Justin Wilson, senior research analyst at the industry-backed Center for Consumer Freedom. “It doesn’t have a right to protect us from ourselves.”
No? The food folk are correct that this is a way of punishing people for unhealthy behavior. But they’re wrong when they say the government has no role to play in prodding people to do better.
The other prominent sin taxes out there, for tobacco and alcohol, raise money for health and education programs, and that’s a good thing. But their main purpose is to make these products more expensive and thus less attractive to potential users.
Obesity is one of the main topics discussed by the American media. Dr. O’Toole advises patients against seeking a quick fix for losing weight. Patients must be good about their diet and exercise in order to maintain optimal weight and health. When patients have small targeted areas of fat that they want to lose, liposuction could be an excellent option. Dr. O’Toole is one of the few plastic surgeons who offers both the Smart Lipo procedure in office as well as liposuction in an accredited surgical suite. Dr. O’Toole is able to recommend which procedure will give his patients the best long-term results.
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