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Do penalties for smokers and the obese make sense?
AP ^ | January 26, 2013 | MIKE STOBBE

Posted on 01/29/2013 7:10:13 PM PST by walford

Faced with the high cost of caring for smokers and overeaters, experts say society must grapple with a blunt question: Instead of trying to penalize them and change their ways, why not just let these health sinners die prematurely from their unhealthy habits?

Annual health care costs are roughly $96 billion for smokers and $147 billion for the obese, the government says. These costs accompany sometimes heroic attempts to prolong lives, including surgery, chemotherapy and other measures.

(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: health; obamacare
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To: walford

The question should be: do we want to live in a free society? Apparently, a lot of people don’t.

It’s really about controlling other people’s lives, the cost excuse is pure bogus hooey. Carried to its logical extreme (and that is exactly what they intend to do), a government board of our betters would be micro managing every single aspect of our lives.

If the nanny stater’s motives were so pure, they would be limiting what all these EBT cards could buy. Ever noticed the mountains of unhealthy crap people on food stamps buy? Or the obesity level of those same people? A protected constituency.


21 posted on 01/29/2013 7:35:10 PM PST by ChildOfThe60s (If you can remember the 60s.....you weren't really there)
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To: Steve Newton
Stills are unlawful at this time.

I do make my own beer, within legal guidelines.

I would never extend a digit or two at John Law and try to get around the legal guidelines.

Honest. Really, really.

/johnny

22 posted on 01/29/2013 7:36:28 PM PST by JRandomFreeper (Gone Galt)
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To: DBrow

$35.00 of every carton sold in MA is tax and our
ghastly governor,Devil Patrick,wants to add another $10.00 a carton.

To add insult to injury,they tax the tax.(Sales tax)

.


23 posted on 01/29/2013 7:38:51 PM PST by Mears
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To: walford
"Faced with the high cost of caring for smokers and overeaters, experts say society must grapple with a blunt question: Instead of trying to penalize them and change their ways, why not just let these health sinners die prematurely from their unhealthy habits?"

Taken as a group, they do anyway! The author assumes medical intervention has more of an impact than it really does. Once the disease has taken root, it's a little late to start thinking about changing the 50 years of unhealthy habit that got one to that point. The intervention -- paid for by many without the habit -- might help one to live a little longer, but it's not ever going to be possible to undo all the damage.

24 posted on 01/29/2013 7:43:45 PM PST by Sooth2222 ("Suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of congress. But I repeat myself." M.Twain)
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To: mylife
My great great grandfather died at 89 and smoked for his whole life. Prostate cancer and old age got him just a few years after this photo was taken.

Image Hosted by ImageShack.us
25 posted on 01/29/2013 7:44:58 PM PST by cripplecreek (REMEMBER THE RIVER RAISIN!)
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To: butterdezillion

Let us appoint a commission and evaluate all possible unhealthy lifestyle choices. You might choose to live in Tornado Alley near railroad tracks, a factory or along the Gulf of Mexico. Maybe you watch TV more than read or wear non-hypo-allergenic makeup. Maybe your exercise habits need to be monitored to determine if it is adequate. Maybe your eating bleached flour rather than whole wheat flour. Maybe you’re drinking non-organic milk or drinking from plastic bottles rather than glass.


26 posted on 01/29/2013 7:50:37 PM PST by walford (http://natural-law-natural-religion.blogspot.com/)
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To: walford
if govt has sanctioned the goodliness of homosexual anal intercourse, despite the evidence about domestic violence,suicide, drug abuse, alcohol abuse and rampant deadly and debilitating diseases that are endemic to the homosexual community, then why worry about smoking and obesity...

most of the world is obese...most of the world smokes....

27 posted on 01/29/2013 7:52:15 PM PST by cherry
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To: cripplecreek

Stylin’ in da camp!


28 posted on 01/29/2013 7:55:13 PM PST by mylife (The Roar Of The Masses Could Be Farts)
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To: cripplecreek
Cut down in the prime of life by that filthy nicotine habit.

There's been a lot of griping about cigarettes over the years. Mash here to hear Tex Williams explain it.

/johnny

29 posted on 01/29/2013 7:58:47 PM PST by JRandomFreeper (Gone Galt)
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To: walford

Maybe you’re not eating enough cabbage or getting enough sleep. Maybe you don’t do Michelle Obama’s regular purges. Maybe you worry too much. Maybe you live with people who don’t cover their face when they sneeze. Maybe your pants are too tight or you wear high heels. Maybe the botox treatments don’t allow your eyelids to properly close, or maybe your lying is causing your eyelids to blink too much. Maybe you don’t go to the bathroom soon enough after coitus. Maybe you have coitus too frequently or too seldom. Maybe you don’t take power naps every day. Maybe you let your toenails grow too long before trimming.

For all these and many other instances of negligence or sloth - you shall die!


30 posted on 01/29/2013 8:02:09 PM PST by butterdezillion
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To: walford

People dying earlier save the government money. I don’t understand their logic at all.


31 posted on 01/29/2013 8:09:21 PM PST by dila813
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To: walford
Instead of trying to penalize them and change their ways, why not just let these health sinners die prematurely from their unhealthy habits?

This is why private health care is so important. You might not like smokers, fat people, tall people, etc., but it is not the government's job to decide whether or not they should get health care. That's between them, their wallet, and their doctor.

32 posted on 01/29/2013 8:09:53 PM PST by xzins (Retired Army Chaplain and Proud of It! True supporters of our troops pray for their victory!)
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To: Steve Newton

To the best of my recollection the tax revenues from smokers far outweighs any drag they have on the system from their “unhealthy choice”. Last I heard it was at least double what the supposed health costs are...


33 posted on 01/29/2013 8:11:00 PM PST by jurroppi1
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To: walford
When the government is the arbiter of what unhealthy behaviors are harmful to the collective, .....

....you are already living in a totalitarian dystopia.

Remember that in Thomas More's original "Utopia", people who didn't "get thar MAHNDS RAHT" </off Strother Martin> were simply put to death.

34 posted on 01/29/2013 8:14:35 PM PST by lentulusgracchus
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To: Steve Newton

Millions.

http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/taxfacts/displayafact.cfm?Docid=403


35 posted on 01/29/2013 8:15:01 PM PST by Mears
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To: walford

Tough call. I am going to have to think on this one, but first I’m gonna have a smoke then finish my triple chocolate sundae.


36 posted on 01/29/2013 8:16:27 PM PST by Michael.SF. (Obama lied, Stevens died.)
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To: jurroppi1

See Post # 35


37 posted on 01/29/2013 8:16:50 PM PST by Mears
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To: butterdezillion
For all these and many other instances of negligence or sloth - you shall die!

That's right, slothful people don't deserve to live.

......What do you mean, you didn't get the memo? That's no excuse!

38 posted on 01/29/2013 8:17:42 PM PST by lentulusgracchus
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To: lentulusgracchus

Furthermore, short people got no reason to live.


39 posted on 01/29/2013 8:22:38 PM PST by butterdezillion
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To: ChildOfThe60s
A protected constituency.

What, are you complaining there, cracka?

You sounding kinda uppity to me, judging your betters. Don't you make me go get a rope!

40 posted on 01/29/2013 8:24:00 PM PST by lentulusgracchus
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