Is a tax on meat next? Survey finds support for collecting cash to pay health-care costs

WorldNetDaily.com ^ | Thursday, July 18, 2002

[JohnHuang2]

More than half of some demographic groups questioned in a recent poll supported a tax on meat to cover the cost of health care associated with meat eating, Zogby International said in a statement.

While just 38 percent of white respondents supported the tax, 62 percent of Hispanics did, along with 50 percent of blacks. Fully 68 percentage of blacks living in the West supported the tax.

The poll – conducted by Zogby for PETA, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals – targeted equal numbers of white, black and Hispanic Americans.

Those interviewed also were asked whether they support federal laws that would protect farm animals from on-farm procedures such as castration. Sixty-one percent of whites said yes, as did 78 percent of Hispanics and 62 percent of blacks.

PETA advocates an excise tax on each purchase of meat to cover the cost Americans spend every year to treat hypertension, heart disease, stroke, cancer, obesity and other diseases the organization says are related directly to the consumption of meat and dairy products.

"We're very encouraged that Americans have illustrated a willingness to help protect animals and even pay a tax on meat to cover the enormous cost of health care related to eating meat," says PETA Director of Vegan Outreach Bruce Friedrich in the statement. "But the best thing anyone can do to reduce their health care costs is to simply go vegetarian."

Further details about the poll are available at PETA's GoVeg.com website.

[JohnHuang2]

Thursday, July 18, 2002

Quote of the Day posted by Travis McGee

[TomGuy]

Well, the tactic worked with taxing cigarettes out of existence--and into the blackmarket underground. Government will need some new "victim product."

On a dimly-lit street, near the alleyway dumpster, the following scene takes place:
"Joe sent me."
"Password?"
"cowchips"
"Ok, whatcha need?"
"3 pounds ground round; 1 rump roast; 2 T-bones."

[tomkat]

Civil War II
coming, sooner or later, to the madhouse that used to be your nation ... (?)

[laredo44]

PETA advocates an excise tax on each purchase of meat to cover the cost Americans spend every year to treat hypertension, heart disease, stroke, cancer, obesity and other diseases the organization says are related directly to the consumption of meat and dairy products.

This is classic, liberal tyranny as practiced in a democracy. It is accomplished in three steps:

1. Enact legislation funded by tax dollars. E.g., Medicare.
2. Point out that the recipients are engaging in behavior requiring more tax $$ than if they didn't engage in it.
3. Pass legislation to restrict the offending behavior.

All of a sudden, you've just diminished liberty in two areas. First by taxing one for another's benefit and second by restricting everyone's behavior.

The fight in this case should not be to tax meat to pay for increase health costs of those consuming it (a dubious premise itself) but to stop requiring folks to pay the health costs of other in the first place.

[grania]

The poll – conducted by Zogby for PETA, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals – targeted equal numbers of white, black and Hispanic Americans.

Remember this, if a few weeks down the road PETA gives a percentage of people who want a meat tax as a total, instead of individually for the three populations. This survey doesn't mirror the population as a whole, as proportionately too many blacks and Hispanics are in the tally.

It's only a problem if a total is used (it wasn't here). But I have full confidence in PETA to misuse this data to support their warped agenda.

[Movemout]

The SOBs will be taxing the air that you breathe before they are done.

[tm22721]

simply go vegetarian

Vegetables are my food's food.

BUMP

[Servant of the Nine]

We need a tax on every sale of vegetarian food to make up for the societal costs of mass stupidity

So9

[SheLion]

Yep! They beat the smoker to death with taxes, now they are going to go after something else. NO ONE is safe!

[TheDon]

An accurate description of the true problem. The gov't causes the problem, then describes it as someone else creating the problem, then proposes a new solution to solve the problem.

When gov't advocates an excise tax on each purchase of meat to cover the cost Americans spend every year to treat hypertension, heart disease, stroke, cancer, obesity and other diseases the organization says are related directly to the consumption of meat and dairy products.

I advocate that the gov't should get out of the business of covering the cost of healthcare.

When gov't says it won't allow religion in gov't schools, I say gov't should not run schools.

[SamBees]

No! A tax on everything is next. Why do you think you should be "allowed" to keep all of your earnings? Don't you know there are people around the world who need your money too?

Greedy Americans must be taught a lesson. A UN tax will do that very well.

[SamBees]

Agreed. This is becoming a madhouse where whatever you feared is going to happen, but twice as often as in your worst nightmare.

[SamBees]

What about a tax to help support Gun owning Constitutionalists purchase bullets?

[decimon]

Any Indian reservations large enough to raise cattle? Cyber meat is yet another opportunity for the entrepeneur.

[Black Agnes]

The unintended consequence (or intended,if you're a peta freak) is that for the poor and lower middle class, eating meat will become a thing of the past...

[William Terrell]

Is it obvious why the electorate has been packed with people with a "less mercurial cast" yet? Evidently, a "less mercurial cast" is synonymous with gullible and stupid.

[Sgt_Schultze]

Seems to me that the farm states will be against such a stupid proposal. After all, a large percentage of their harvest goes to feed livestock. Any tax will have the effect of diminishing the demand for meat, thus a decreasing demand for feed grain, thus a lower return on investment.

[dalereed]

"Vegetables are my food's food."

eliminating meat or even taxing it to make it beyond my capacity to buy it is enough to make a guy contemplate suicide.

[maxwell]

The poll – conducted by Zogby for PETA, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals

Yep... Uh huh... This is definitely one study that I will take deadly seriously... Uh huh... And I have monkeys flying out my a$$ too... Yep...

[metesky]

Fat: What if it's not that bad?

In praise of bad habits