So now the talk is to lump us with a “sugar tax” in a move towards combatting Australia’s rising obesity problem, which means we will all end up paying more for sugar and products containing sugar, I suppose, and all because an increasing number of people in this country have no self control and in their corner is some dipstick who has decided that if people are fat, it really isn’t their fault and for want of someone better to blame, it must be the Government’s fault. Well…it isn’t.
People become fat when they dismiss what they know they should be eating (and we all know what we should be eating!) in favour of stuffing themselves with the things they know they shouldn’t and they opt to eat it on a daily basis. As a result, they become fat. If, having already packed on some kilos, they continue to choose foods high in unhealthy fats and sugary content they will be on the road to becoming morbidly obese. When this happens it is actually their own fault. Ditto if their children are overweight. That is their fault too.
We all know that to maintain a healthy body we need foods high in fibre, vitamins and minerals. We also need to get off the couch! But it has become increasingly common for people to do all sorts of stupid things (drugs, alcohol, unhealthy diets) to themselves and then when their health and quality of life goes belly-up, it’s always someone or something else’s fault because it’s easier to point the finger elsewhere than it is to fess up to having done the wrong thing themselves. This is what is happening with the obesity epidemic.
People are overweight because they have become lazy. Convenience food is easier than peeling, slicing and cooking those veggies. That sticky doughnut gets the nod over a piece of fruit or a handful of nuts and why go out and do something physical when you can flop on the couch with the telly and a packet of chocolate biscuits and/or a bag of sweets instead? Because the couch is not a great option, that’s why!
But to blame the Government??! What has the Government to do with people and their bad health choices? Well nothing if you ask me! So why are some people making it a Government problem and expecting the Government to fix it? Seriously, all the government health warnings, healthy star ratings, Heart Smart ticks and healthy eating programs in the world are not going to have any impact on people who do not want to change their bad habits, so to tax the whole nation over the stupidity of those with absolutely no self control is just plain ridiculous and it’s also very unfair. I mean, most of us buy sugar because we either use it in tea and/or coffee and/or in some of our cooking. This is not to say we are all heading for morbid obesity as a result of this sort of minimal use therefore why should those of us who shop, cook and eat sensibly have to cop it?
The obesity problem sits squarely with those who refuse to reign in their unhealthy choices, and the associated problems which afflict them as a result are of their own making. Dealing with those problems is their responsibility. Not yours. Not mine and certainly not the Government’s. So why should the Government be pressured into tackling it?
And why should the rest of us be lumbered with another tax?!