If the government is going to constantly raise taxes on smokes and booze, then so it should be for all fast foods and junk foods. Maybe this could prevent our city being overrun with scooters and their hippo-sized drivers. —Junk Food Is Killing You, Tubs

This article appears in Oct 7-13, 2010.

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80 Comments

  1. why the fuck is it anyone’s business, what anyone else does. as long as there are no laws being broken, who really gives a fat flying fuck.

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  2. I’m with LS.

    I might not understand how people can let themselves get huge (like 300-400lb huge), but I don’t concern myself with it unless it’s ME that’s hitting the 300lb mark (200lbs kind of seems like a depressing concept when it comes to myself being a female of 5’3″ and all :P).

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  3. Maybe we need to take away these large peoples “handicapped” permits & instead make them park as far from the store/resturant as possible. That way they have to walk further & they’ll get slimmer.
    OR
    We can make their disability, or welfare checks so small that they can either afford rent , but they can’t afford to eat, or they eat & get kicked out of their place for failing to pay the rent !…yeah,that’s it we’ll starve them to a slimmer healthy body type ! After all don’t you lose your welfare if you don’t have an address ? WHICH COULD SAVE US TAX DOLLLARS ~:p…..r i g h t

    YEP, let’s punish these terrible ,horrible human beings. Much better use of resources, cutting back on these obese people, than say trying to cut violence & gun crime in our communities.

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  4. The government has no right to dictate what people eat. If we tax fast food, then the people who typically buy fast food (i.e. people with low income), won’t be able to afford to eat anything. And I, for one, would rather have people eat shitty food than no food at all.

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  5. Lol More, funny sarcastic point. The only thing I can say is that these people (smokers and alcoholics included) do cost us to maintain the free health care they will inevitably need, but ultimately, we will all need health care right?

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  6. not if you’re one of those ‘healthy’ joggers that just suddenly drops dead on the track.
    ….

    unless health care pay for the toe tag…
    still, that’s only pennies.

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  7. Thing IS everything can be attributed to something bad when it comes to health care issues (as in the person’s own fault). For example, even though I have type one diabetes, it’s my own damn fault if I, say, don’t keep my cholesterol under control (diabetics tend to have issues with cholesterol and tend to need medications to control it because normal levels for diabetics is actually lower than normal levels for non diabetics)so if I don’t and I have a heart attack, who’s to say that it wouldn’t’ve happened anyway, or if it’s because I didn’t take my meds properly (and eat properly)?

    Some fat people are perfectly healthy, while some thin people (who don’t smoke, drink, eat crappily) are sick…who’s to say what causes what? Plus I know plenty of thin people who eat poorly and don’t get off their arses to exercise ever. When you start taxing food or dictating what people eat and don’t eat or what you’re going to cover health care wise, you start down a very slippery slope.

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  9. How much does a free angioplasty cost, anyway?

    Its actually cheaper to eat healthier, people just assume that it costs more. Bananas are 69-89 cents a pound. A Big Mac meal is what, 8 bucks or so?

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  11. That’s what thought comes into MY head too, Cranky when people say fast food is cheaper. Fast food is EXPENSIVE. You can get a chicken breast and a can of veggies with a thing of bistro express rice for 8 bucks, likely.

    Mind you, side kicks, KD, weiners, etc… are pretty cheap so….

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  12. Oh Donkey. You’ve just stolen my heart! I live on cheerios. They’re great for a snack before bed or when I get a sugar low or if I get ravenously hungry at 2am because I find they don’t put weight on me at all. So I can eat that and still lose weight 🙂

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  14. Oh, dear PK, I love cheerios… but I’m pretty sure Donkey said Cheetos… which are… well, delicious too! Mmm…

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  18. tsk… kitty reading what she wants to read…

    fast food IS cheaper… if you stick to the daily dietary requirements….which most people who eat fast food do not.

    ie. eating two double-baconators a day (*cringe*) is about 2000 calories and so you’ve eaten all your calories for the day for like 13 bucks. (horrid calories mind you, but they’re all there)
    8-10 fruit or veg alone are running you half that if you buy bulk… then there’s the 3 cups of dairy (Or soy milk for PK)…. the meats are a fortune unless it’s canned tuna (mmmmmm), and then what… those legumes.. I think they’re cheap (bulkbarn)

    problem is, people eat too much of the crap because it’s all EMPTY calories and they get hungry quicker.

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  19. My favourite Donkeys were male… Eeyore and Donkey on Shrek. 🙂 But that’s ok, Donkey, I remember that you’re of the female persuasion. NGF just isn’t as attentive.

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  23. I just cried laughing at this bitch…cheerio’s….lol….Donkeys a girl….lol. I think I’m over tired and really need a weekend.

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  25. Sorry guys, been a long day….frig it’s been a long WEEK. Been hittin’ the full throttle hardcore today and I almost cried when I cut someone off on the phone. One of those days, my friends. One. of. those. days.

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  26. Thanks Ralmn…you too! I’m hoping for good weather…I bought a lot of Halloween decoration so me and my little guy are going to decorate the garden as a cemetery tomorrow and pick up more pumpkins. It’s suppose to be sunny but cold I heard. Either way..better then rain.
    (I cry over a lot worse PK…lol.)
    Happy Thanksgiving all!!!

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  27. The fundamental flaw here with the OP’s bitch is that taxing something doesn’t discourage enough people from using it. Cigarettes and gas are taxed out the ass but people still drive cars and smoke. It would just be another revenue source for the government to draw upon.

    It would be a small step for the government however, they are already heavily invested in the addiction business of alcohol and gambling. Studies have shown junk food activates the same reward centre of the brain that triggers addiction to other substances. Might as well toss Twinkies in there too.

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  29. LS, your avatar reminds me of The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

    Imaging the sin-tax the revenuers could get from pot…more people would eat junk food & more tax on that

    pay no attention to me, the cold medication is kicking in.

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  30. ooh what a cool creepy house…love that flick hp- meatloaf, tim curry, ms. sarandon

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  31. And Charles Gray, who was a British agent in “You Only Live Twice” AND played Ernst Stavro Blofeld in “Diamonds Are Forever”

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  32. hey cool, that’s what the bear said, but he couldn’t remember his name…nerd rawk

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  34. He also played Mycroft on a couple of Sherlock Holmes episodes with the superb Jeremy Brett, who was briefly considered for James Bond but lost out to George Lazenby.
    Take notes peeps – this will be on the final.

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  36. Just a thought….why not tax the companies that are making HUGE profits by making people destroy their health…and not the people who grew up in the kind of environment that wasn’t quite conductive to healthy habits…? I see parents at grocery stores with a cart full of junk food, processed food, food full of chemicals I can’t pronounce the names of, and then they ask for a pack of cigarettes…. If you grow up with parents like that, how can anyone expect the kids to learn to lead healthy lives? (and no, not all fast foods are cheap comparatively speaking…a flat of Coke costs a lot more than the same amount of water from the tap, for example.)

    I know that if they tax the companies, they will end up raising the price of junk food. But the end result that we want to see, namely reduced consumption of junk food due to raised cost, would happen while it is first the companies that pay the price.

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  37. The fact IS, junk food tastes good. When I eat crappy food I feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Just THINKING about junk food and fast food when I’m hungry makes me feel all warm and fuzzy and when you’re hungry (appetites DO vary from person to person) sometimes it’s HARD not taking the easy route and satisfying it with junky crap.

    Also: there’s a huge rise of two person income families, which means both partners are working and no one’s around like in the 50s, 60s and 70s in the same numbers at home to cook an actual healthy meal. It’s must easier to throw something in the oven or microwave or order in/stop by the local mcdicks, especially when you’re butt tired from working all day. I know I don’t feel like cooking when I get home from work. And I know I’d rather stick a fork in my eye than go to the gym.

    So perhaps that could explain some of the obesity epidemic since the 70s. More woman going to work = more two income families = more demand for crappy, easy to put together meals = companies/fast food chains marketing more and more crap to consumers.

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  38. excuse me ,pretty kitty,but large fat people are NOT healthy…the strain on the heart,the bones and labouring to breathe are not signs of a healthy lifestyle..just lose the weight,eat correctly and at least walk on a daily basis….to make obesity seem normal is a dangerous prescient,our society must fight this disease before it overwhelms our health system as well as our next generation.

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  39. I used to go to fast food restaurants a lot but my husband started on healthy eating after a bit of a health scare, and he refuses to go to fast food restaurants now. So I ended up not going to fast food restaurants. Then once in a while, I get this craving and I’d go to one. But the funny thing is, I don’t find the fast food taste good anymore. I also get sick after eating the greasy stuff.

    So now we make “comfort food” at home from scratch (for example, I’d make mac&cheese but not with KD stuff), or go to non-fast-food restaurants to have burgers and things instead. It is not that labour-intensive (I loath cooking but I can still make 15-minute meals). A sandwich with lots of vegetables is always a quick and healthier alternative. If you are too tired even to make a sandwich, maybe what you need is to build stamina. I hate exercise myself, so I don’t do it, but eating better certainly gives me more stamina to do things with.

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  42. I’m moving to Yellowknife. Everyone says “omigosh it must be soooOOOooo expensive there!” Nope. Housing is a bit more, but everything else is actually cheaper. For example, bananas in Yellowknife are $0.48/lb, versus $0.89/lb here. Milk is way cheaper, but that’s because we pay the highest price in the country for it here.
    Also, their tax is 5%. FIVE PERCENT. Heaven!

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  45. Back to the fatties….instead of taxing fast food how about we shut down the drive throughs so they have to get out of their cars to go in then make the line up a treadmill

    If the McNewbies take a long time with the order then the fatties could jog off a couple of pounds while waiting for their fix.

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  47. There is a hotel where you cycle for 15 mins (I believe) and get 1 meal free. They use the cycling to generate electricity. Not a bad idea at all!

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  48. halifaxmentor: there are plenty of thin people who are unhealthy. I know lots who eat like crap and don’t work out — they were just lucky enough to be born with great metabolisms. That was my point. And there are plenty of fat people who don’t have heart disease or problems with their bones or whatever. And not all fat people eat like crap. I’m not exactly small and if I don’t take medication to correct a metabolic disorder I’ll gain weight on a 1200-1500 cal diet (grazing to keep my metabolism up) or stay the same. I shit you not. The insulin doesn’t exactly help to keep the weight off too. My point? It’s a lot harder for some to be “thin” than others. I have to work damn effing HARD to keep the weight off. Probably harder than you (because I’m guessing you eat perfectly — unless we have a pot-kettle situation here *eyeroll*).

    So please spare us your holier than thou commentary.

    BTW: smoking costs the healthcare system more than obesity does.

    Anyway, notsonewt you can actually make a pretty decent mac and cheese from scratch with skim/1% milk and light cheddar and a nice burger with extra lean ground beef on a george foreman grill 🙂

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  49. Cycling for food? What a thought. Maybe they could implement that in our prison systems.
    Hell, they could cycle our cities green 🙂

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  51. Donkey, P’N’B – like the idea 🙂 inmates and social assistance people generating clean power, great idea….but wait…we can’t make these poor dears dance for their supper.
    Even though I dance for my dinner every day.

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  52. As far as inmates, er sorry – clients of the correctional system, are concerned, if we could harness the energy generated through pumping iron and sodomy our prisons could become energy self sufficient. Another bold step towards fulfilling our Kyoto commitments.

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  53. Things I have learnt today: Mumford has a Banana Republic (thanks Donkey), you can make mac&cheese with 1% or skim milk (thanks PK), and there is much rear end loving at local jails (thanks Ivan).

    I like the cycling for food idea. If Cebu prisoners can dance 4-5 hours a day in the maximum security prison, our prisoners can cycle 1 hour a day to create a greener city.

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  54. …and don’t forget donkey is a girl bitch. i just can’t think of any famous female donkeys at the moment…heehaw

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  56. Aww…aren’t they cute.

    sarah palin is famous, oh right she’s not a donkey, just an a**.

    How about the Donkey that Jesus rode into Jerusalem.

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  57. Just finished a tomato from my garden, I am going to bottle the last of my tomato’s in about an hour.
    So far i’ve gotten 32 jars of sweet green tomato chow chow, I have 18 bottles of hot spicey salsa, & 16 bottles of mild salsa, & 16 bottles of pickled beets. I’m using the bottling the last of my tomato’s as stewed with fresh spicy oregano I grew…everything is from my garden except the onions in the salsa….not one of my onions lived ! I got all those tomato’s plus all the ones I gave away as fresh & eaten myself from 8 tomato plants.

    I absolutely SUCK at growing onions…& I haven’t figured it out yet. Tomato, peppers, hot & sweet, celery, beans sweet peas snap peas, beets not a problem …onion growing as a gardener… I suck !

    It’s a lot healthier eating than a big mac ~;)

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  58. I have a better idea… why don’t we not get payed at all and let the government decide what’s good for us and dole it out in a weely quota? I think the government, over the years has chipped away enough at our personal freedoms. I think that obese people live a pretty poor quality of life.

    ie..
    1. they get stared at and made fun of
    2. they can’t fit in movie seats, restaurant booths, or airplane seats.
    3. they cannot truely enjoy a walk in the park
    4. they experience all kinds of medical problems.

    I think that is tax enough…

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  61. whoa pretty cute donkeys pg! Woooo, why isn’t it donkies … meh whatever

    I’m going to the movies bitches! Uh, have a swell afternoon!

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  63. That’s 8 bottles of stewed tomato & I dug up the garden today, that’s it until next year…Although I seem to remember reading this is a good time to plant garlic, for next year…I’m going to have to check on that at Withrow’s.

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  64. Oh Ivan there is no Ivan in your name :0

    I saw ‘Easy A’. It was ok, just ok. Trying to be one of those ’80s teen coming of age stories.

    Nice profile pic. Hahaha

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  65. Yeah Donk – this is the first time I’ve worked without *Ivan* We’ll see how it goes. My avatar was originally going to be “The Cleveland Indian” but I was lucky enough to find something even more tasteless. Imagine that. >; )

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  66. lovin it commander. we had a movie marathon in our cave this weekend
    iron man 2, it was as expected. mr. rourke and rockwell were the best
    alice in wonderland. *mouse ears*
    district 9. *****
    get him to the greek. funny stuff
    donkies is how it is spelled in the bitch world

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  67. Sounds Rawk-tabulous Painey. Gotta see District 9 at some point. We ate copious amounts of seared flesh, went for walk in the woods, watched the new Wallander on Showcase, read a book about Sir Francis Drake and slept for many in the afternoon sun with a furry cat haunch next to my face.
    Dis is truly as good as it gets.
    Screeee!

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  68. I went through the entire series of Viva La Bam.
    Laughed my ass off all weekend.
    LS reminds me of Vito from time to time with his semi-coherent, drunken ramblings….

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  69. you made me look zZz. sounds funny…i’m still laughing at the furry walls in get him to the greek

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  70. I love Viva La Bam… I own all the seasons. Vito actually makes me sick to my stomach… hmm I guess he is a lot like LS.
    His toenail actually makes me vomit.

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  71. Those furry walls rawked. ha ha. The new av is a bit crazy… uh… Ivan. I dunno, but those nipple chains just give me the willies…

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  73. My own are a lot more understated.(YIKES!) I had it narrowed down to this and a couple of shots of him wrestling naked with Borat. In it’s own way – this was creepier. I think I’m gonna have to check out this Viva la Bam. And I may have to put aside my irrational loathing of Russell Brand (THIS HOMUNCULUS ROLLED IN PUBIC HAIR GETS TO TOUCH KATY PERRY – WTF!) and see”…to the Greek”
    Filed away for future reference – Thanks Bitches >: )

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  74. aha, the borat side-kick…thought he looked familiar. mr. brand gots nothing on you admiral^^

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  76. jonah hill was much funnier and cuter…unless of course you like drug-addicted brits^^^

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  77. I was down at the market near pier 21 the other weekend and on the way back to the car we saw this art expo place… with jewelry inside.

    right behind reception there was what I thought was a patch of furry wall…
    turns out the section is actually completely made of rubber bands!
    It’s a Rubber Wall that looks like the loopy towel fabric.
    how crazy is that?!?!?
    Pretty Damn Crazy….yes.

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  78. SOBova has a thing for pasty-faced malnourished tubercular Brits. She really *mouse eared* the 10th Doctor. The new one – not so much.

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  79. I watched That Get him to the Greek movie last night….The furry walls were ok….but I didn’t laugh as much as I thought I would.

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