Tax the fat

The current economic crisis has left dozens of states scrambling to come up with new, innovative ways to balance their budgets. Some of these states need as much as $40 billion in additional revenue to do so. After weeks of careful consideration, these states have decided to do what America does best: tax their way out of the situation. But in a situation such as this, taxes can be dangerous. Raising taxes on the wrong people could result in losing re-election. So rather than come up with a fair plan that may actually succeed, politicians, as they usually do, come up with a more popular plan that will create the illusion of fixing the problem and still ensure that they can win in the next election.

In the most recent case, lawmakers all around the country, from both sides of the political spectrum, have decided the best way to fix budgetary problems is to increase taxes on cigarettes. In addition to state-level tax increases, the federal government also plans to raise cigarette taxes from 39 cents to $1.01. You're talking more than an extra $1 per pack. You've really got to hand it to our politicians; this is a pretty flawless plan. If taxes were increased on anyone else -- say, for example, the salaries of everyone in Washington who have caused this mess - there would be public outcry the likes of which we have never seen.

But if you tax a group of people who have already been painted as vile and disgusting, no one will complain. In order to get around the idea of being unfair, most lawmakers allude to the fact that smoking is a dangerous and deadly habit, so the tax will help people. It will lead to people quitting, fewer people getting sick from smoking and less of a strain on our health care system. Genius. But I can no longer sit idly while people in this country continue to be ignorant toward smoking.

Today, obesity is quickly becoming the No. 1 most preventable death; some experts think it already has. It is estimated that there are at least 58 million overweight people in this country; 40 million of these people are clinically obese. You rarely hear anything about this. There is no fight to wean people off McDonald's as there is for smoking. Rather, you see ridiculous displays of "self-confidence," such as that idiotic banner in D-Hall that claims, "I will no longer worry about my weight." This is just as dangerous as me saying, "I will no longer worry about smoking an extra pack a day."

We should all worry about our weight, because being too fat will kill you. We should not aim to look like people in Hollywood, but aim to eat healthily enough so we can make it past 50 without having a heart attack. Obesity, which is classified as being 20 percent or more overweight, can lead to the same dangerous illnesses as smoking does: type II diabetes, cardiovascular disease, breast and colon cancer, gall bladder surgery and high blood pressure. Not to mention, 25 percent of all Caucasian children are overweight. Could you imagine if 25 percent of children were smokers?

In a way, obesity is doing way more harm to our bodies than smoking is. At least in the case of cigarettes, we are willing to admit that they are dangerous, which has led to more people taking caution, and even banning it in public places to reduce the effects of secondhand smoke (a ban that I am a great supporter of). But, there is never an ad campaign that states, outright, that being overweight is dangerous and will kill you. Some people will throw the "it's genetic" card at you, but is addiction not inherited as well?

As long as we are going along with these tax increases on cigarettes, why not break into the obesity market as well? Could you imagine the amount of tax revenue state and federal governments would make if there were an extra dollar charged at every fast food restaurant for choosing to eat unhealthily? Maybe we could add a 30-cent tax on every bottle of soda, and, this is a stretch, start treating passengers on airplanes like we treat luggage: the more you weigh, the more you pay.

And remember: At the end of the day, if you need help losing weight, you can always turn to smoking. It will help the economy and curb your appetite. Talk about killing two birds with one stone.