09-05-2005 03:25									#91
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Your government sure is evil, kuci.

	09-05-2005 03:27									#92
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This is how all governments work.

	09-05-2005 05:21									#93
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Lotteries are an instrument of social control. They help keep the dispossessed in check by giving them some small and illusory hope of wealth.

	09-05-2005 07:13									#94
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Sorry Agathon, but I don't think State governments are that smart. State politicians see easy money & no political risk. End of story.

	09-05-2005 07:26									#95
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quote: Originally posted by Zkribbler I don't think State governments are that smart.

Unintended consequences are still consequences. Also, while state governments do some pretty boneheaded things, they can be just as cunning as the Feds about keeping the proles down.

	09-05-2005 07:47									#96
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quote: I've long claimed that a small tax should be imposed on candy, and unhealthy eats.

The problem is who defines what is healthy and what is not?

Any one food, if eaten alone is unhealthy, especially if one leads a sedentary lifestyle.

What I see is that the food favoured by poorer folks gets labelled unhealthy, while the food wealthy folks can afford gets subsidised. Case in point would be organically grown produce.

	09-05-2005 08:02									#97
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quote: Originally posted by Ben Kenobi The problem is who defines what is healthy and what is not?

Nutritional dieticians, duh! Maybe if you religionistas weren't so anti-science this would have been a really easy question for you.

	09-05-2005 08:53									#98
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Gambling against casinos is a stupidity tax, not simply a tax on the poor.

quote: Nutritional dieticians, duh!

Pretty much everything is unhealthy if you consume it too much. Human body needs fat, you know.

	09-05-2005 08:59									#99
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Gambling is for people who can't do math.

Often those people are poor.

So yes it's a poor ppl tax, but maybe they'll avoid the casinos a little more often for it.

	09-05-2005 09:28									#100
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Call me old-fachioned , but I believe in the principle of personal responsibility . Which meahs that if you gamble , it is your own responsibility . Gambling is not a tax on anyone , because it is not coercive ( don't gamble , nothing happens to you , but don't pay tax , and very very bad things are done to you ) . Thus , if the poor ( or the rich , or blacks , or women , or unionists , or ###### ) gamble , it is thier own responsibility , and any mess-ups as a result their own fault .

Gambling is for those who have not a grasp of mathematics . Statistics say that the poor gamble more . What does this say about the poor's mathematical ability ? is what JohnT asks .

	09-05-2005 09:49									#101
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quote: Nutritional dieticians, duh! Maybe if you religionistas weren't so anti-science this would have been a really easy question for you.

I saw the tax that Detroit is considering to put against fast food in Detroit. Somehow it seems wrong to charge more for big macs alone, since that is a tax not levied on other businesses.

	09-05-2005 09:51									#102
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Every city I've lived in has a sales tax on food bought at resteraunts. Chicago has an additional 1% sales tax on non-alcoholic beverages.

	09-05-2005 09:52									#103
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quote: Sorry Agathon, but I don't think State governments are that smart. State politicians see easy money & no political risk. End of story.

I never said they did it on purpose. After all, to cite another example, state subsidizing of rugby clubs in NZ (through tax breaks) was not intended to give Tory windbags a pulpit, but it did.

	09-05-2005 11:25									#104
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quote: Originally posted by Lancer She wishes! She's working 2 jobs. I'm ahhh, working on getting a job.

good-for-nothing homebody

	09-05-2005 11:41									#105
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you rang?

	09-05-2005 11:50									#106
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quote: Originally posted by Ben Kenobi The problem is who defines what is healthy and what is not? Any one food, if eaten alone is unhealthy, especially if one leads a sedentary lifestyle. What I see is that the food favoured by poorer folks gets labelled unhealthy, while the food wealthy folks can afford gets subsidised. Case in point would be organically grown produce.

Oh that silly ass "what is good" argument - makes no sense whatsoever.

Of course, any food, if eaten alone sucks. The unhealthy ones suck - even if you eat it together with other stuff. It's not that difficult, there are As to "food that poorer folk can afford being taxed" - I see no problem with this. Less healthier food taxed, better food subsidized - seems the right decision - when the good food will be subsidized, it will become available to poorer people, also. Poor people, esp. in the US don't suffer from undernurishment, mostly - they suffer from too much unhealthy food.


Btw, your continuing worry for the poor touches my heart, ben.

quote: I saw the tax that Detroit is considering to put against fast food in Detroit. Somehow it seems wrong to charge more for big macs alone, since that is a tax not levied on other businesses.

There are plenty of taxes that are levied on some bussiness but not on other. Gas is taxed, for example. "unfairly", of course.


So it's pretty simple: tax bad food, subsidize good food, subsidize community sports and gyms.

	09-05-2005 12:44									#107
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quote: So it's pretty simple: tax bad food, subsidize good food, subsidize community sports and gyms.

Why not make it even "simpler": tax the bad people, subsidize the good people. And only spend the money on good things.

Or is that a little naïve perhaps?

	09-05-2005 12:49									#108
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quote: Why not make it even "simpler": tax the bad people, subsidize the good people. And only spend the money on good things. Or is that a little naïve perhaps?

Oh, winston, you're so funny!

Are you saying that it's as easy to judge about good people as it is about healthy food?

	09-05-2005 12:56									#109
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No, but I do object to other people wanting to influence my behaviour through taxation. And I also take issue with you inherent assumption that the "authorities" will have an easy time determining what's good and what's bad. Or that they always make decisions on revenue and spending out of some mysterious sense of what is for the common good.

	09-05-2005 13:01									#110
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quote: No, but I do object to other people wanting to influence my behaviour through taxation.

Well, whatever then. We can't agree on the basics. I think there's nothing wrong with that.

quote: And I also take issue with you inherent assumption that the "authorities" will have an easy time determining what's good and what's bad.

why inherent? It's one of those things that the government does know better. just like with drugs. are you pro legalization of everything, winston? *whistles*

quote: Or that they always make decisions on revenue and spending out of some mysterious sense of what is for the common good.

Did I say that? I said that better them than a private tycoon, and at times, better them than the person.

Government regulates substances and behavior- It's a good thing.

	09-05-2005 13:25									#111
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That's the beauty of being able to veiw some issues in a pragmatic way. In the case of drugs, most of which are several orders of magnitude more damaging than your ordinary cupboard contents, I personally do trust the lawmakers to have made the right call.

But I also want to say that keeping drugs banned is not a life or death issue to me, so to speak. Opposing frivolous government intervention in general however, is.

	09-05-2005 18:57									#112
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"pragmatic" in this case is a code word for "inconsistent". Pragmatism means that you pick your battles, this is inconsistency in the best case, and hypocricy in the worst. Of course, you think that drugs are damaging ( AND I AGREE! ), so you "trust the lawmake, and the governmentr", in this case... but the same arguments you've thumped so violently, personal responsibility and all that other stuff, work just as well here.

It's the basic conservative fallacy.

	09-05-2005 19:58									#113
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quote: Originally posted by chegitz guevara One should also remember that when you buy a lottery ticket, you get to have fun fantasizing about what you'd do with all that money.

Yup and thats worth a buck to me . . .

I buy a lottery ticket every now and again just for the fantasy. I KNOW the math.

My brother in law got 5 of 6 numbers right on the 649 (winning just over a thousand dollars IIRC). It seemed "so close" but even if someone has the first 5 numbers, your chances of winning the jackpot are still only one in 44.

	09-05-2005 20:05									#114
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Heh, that reminds me of Homer Simpson checking his ticket during the live drawing on TV.

-14...
-D'oh!
-8...
-D'oh!
-26...
-D'oh!
-19...
-Woohoo!

	09-05-2005 21:06									#115
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quote: Originally posted by Flubber Yup and thats worth a buck to me . . .

Or in your case, a Loonie. Hmmm, is the name just a coincidence????

	09-05-2005 21:10									#116
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quote: Originally posted by chegitz guevara Nutritional dieticians, duh! Maybe if you religionistas weren't so anti-science this would have been a really easy question for you.

nice one, Che

	09-05-2005 21:40									#117
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state gambling is a tax on the stupid, and stupid ppl are generally poor... and a greater majority of poor ppl are minorities because of the oppression laid on by the man...

thus the state lottery is racist

	09-05-2005 23:04									#118
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I have always been astonished by the fact that the same 10 millions people who are scandalized by a child inheriting 10 millions$, are willing to pay 1$ each for one of them to receive a fortune amounting to 10 millions$.

	09-05-2005 23:07									#119
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your posts doesn't make any sense, DAVOUT.

	10-05-2005 00:19									#120
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quote: Originally posted by pchang Or in your case, a Loonie. Hmmm, is the name just a coincidence????

naw cause just like a bird it has been SOARING against the US greenback