Tax Unhealthy food in restaurants and grocery stores to help pay for healthcare

[francolettieri]

Why don't they start adding surcharges to unhealthy foods and softdrinks (they have already discussed softdrinks), both at restaurants (fast food), convenient stores and in grocery stores to help pay for healthcare reform?? That way people with very unhealthy diets would be contributing more to the system than people who eat healthy. I try to eat healthy but I admit I treat myself to ice cream,hamburgers, fries and tacos sometimes. It wouldn't bother me the least bit to have to pay an extra tax whenever I comsume something that makes me more likely to have a heart attack or develop diabetes. The amount of tax added should be based on how much damage a product does to your health (cigarettes would probably be the worst) I think its the perfect idea to improve the country's health, reduce incidents of obesity and resulting diabetes and heart disease which results in strain financial strain on our medical system. Adding this tax would also force fastfood restaurants and beverage manufacturers to become innovative and invent healthier products so they won't be subject to tax. Items subject to extra taxes at grocery stores should be...mayo, red meat, chips, candy, cigarettes, white bread..etc...

This country needs a nutrition revolution to sweep through. We need teen idols like Miley Cyrus, Demi Lovato, the Jonas Brothers and Britney spears to make it look cool for kids to eat apples, oranges, whole wheat bread, red and black beans, spinach, green tea, etc...

We also need to start cracking down on behaviors that contribute to injuries which lead to high medical costs. Not wearing your seatbelt, helmet when biking, talking on the phone or texting when drivings all contribute to large amounts of people being hospitalized (many without insurance who can't pay back hospitals for treatment) All these things should be punishable by fines.