U.S. food policy is retarded

[William Wallace]

As evidenced by this new study of the impact of soda taxes. They found that a sin tax on sugary drinks wouldn't do much to prevent obesity as it's currently being implemented. It would have to be much higher and applied to all sugar-sweetened drinks.

I find two things highly retarded about this. Firstly, as long as they get the response they want - less soda consumption - fuck everything else. No matter how much of people's money they tax away and how involved the government gets, it's all good so long as us serfs eat properly.

Secondly, we subsidize corn production. So shit made from corn, including HFCS, is much cheaper than it would be otherwise, and people consume more of it. That makes us fat; therefore, the solution is to tax foods that contain sugar made from corn.

“As an economist, part of the reason that I think these taxes are appropriate is because the government provides a large subsidy to farmers of corn and soy so the prices of these goods that contain high fructose corn syrup remain below market prices. So to me, it makes sense that the government should consider taxing products that contain these ingredients,”...

That makes absolutely no sense. How about withdrawing the agriculture subsidies for corn? That way we're not financing the problem and then paying to fix it later on down the line.   

[lordxizor]

How about withdrawing the agriculture subsidies for corn?

But that would make too much sense!

[zerogravityfat]

i'm amazed there is no serious study on corn syrup, i heard somewhere that corn can be found basicly in every single thing we eat here, and it's no coincidence that US is the most obese nation, one study to torpedo them all.

[lordxizor]

I don't think it's so much the corn syrup being any worse for you than sugar, its just that it's sneakily put into so many products that you'd never expect. Everything from bread to crackers to fruit juices all contain way more sugar than they need to have. Even things that are considered healthy contain a ton of sugar. A packet of Quaker instant oatmeal is like 25% sugar. Everyone knows that soda is bad for you, but when things that are marketed as healthy contain huge amounts of sugar, that's a problem.

[MetalMike06]

Wait, so the government is basically wanting to tax something that they largely subsidize to begin with?

[Nigerius Rex]

Wait, so the government is basically wanting to tax something that they largely subsidize to begin with?

Yes.

[Tanatra]

There is also an import cap on sugar, which makes the US even more dependent on HFCS. Agriculture industry lobbyists probably had something to do with that. I read once that the best foreign aid we could have possibly provided to Haiti would have been to end the import cap and start buying their sugar cane.

[El Barto]

Secondly, we subsidize corn production. So shit made from corn, including HFCS, is much cheaper than it would be otherwise, and people consume more of it. That makes us fat; therefore, the solution is to tax foods that contain sugar made from corn.

 
That's really pretty damned funny.

[William Wallace]

Secondly, we subsidize corn production. So shit made from corn, including HFCS, is much cheaper than it would be otherwise, and people consume more of it. That makes us fat; therefore, the solution is to tax foods that contain sugar made from corn.

 
That's really pretty damned funny.

What a morbid sense of humor you have.

[7StringedBeast]

If people actually ate less, didn't drink as much soda, and actually got off their asses to exercise we wouldn't need ridiculous food policies like soda taxes.  No one takes responsibility for themselves anymore, that's the damned problem with your country right now.  Everyone expects the government to solve all our problems.