Vanilla Frosting Isn't Diet Food

[disneysteve]

The gov't instead has stepped in and generally will pay a little over the going lease price of land. It keeps the small farmer in business for himself,

I don't know how you get rid of this program without killing off the small farmer

Why is it, though, that the government should be supporting the small business man who happens to be a farmer? Does the government support the small business man who owns a restaurant to help him compete against the national chain restaurants in the neighborhood? Does the government support the small business man who is a pharmacist and competes with CVS and Walgreen's down the street? Does the government support the small business man who owns a convenience store when a Wal-Mart opens down the road?

I am NOT an expert on farm subsidies so I readily admit that I don't know how it all works, but it seems to me that it amounts to the government trying to create a level playing field where there simply isn't one to be had. I also seem to recall reading a while back that a lot of farm subsidy dollars actually go to big corporations, not little mom and pop family farms. The end result, apparently, is keeping our food prices artificially high. (Wasn't there just a post about this recently by jeffrey?)

[GREENBACK]

Why is it, though, that the government should be supporting the small business man who happens to be a farmer? Does the government support the small business man who owns a restaurant to help him compete against the national chain restaurants in the neighborhood?

I think you can chalk that up to farmers having a powerful lobby working for them in Washington.

[rob62521]

To GREENBACK's point, it is true that the poor tend to spend more on these things, but that is partly due to them being artificially cheaper than healthy stuff due to government subsidies. If fresh fruit and vegetables weren't more costly than corn chips and Twinkies, I think more poor people would buy them.

I think you are right, Disneysteve! A few years ago I used to do a class field trip to some local sites, and we would then stop at a buffet to eat lunch. I made one rule: you eat what you take. The kids asked what if I only eat dessert. I told them that was OK, I wouldn't be checking what they ate. We did a little nutrition talk before the visit and although they did eat some junk food, the class basically cleaned out the salad bar first because having the salad bar was a luxury to most of them. This was elementary school kids.

[swanson719]

Farm subsidies only make sense in that they keep prices high enough to be worth producing fruits and vegetabls. But the same argument could be made that all small businesses should be subsidized, and with equal, if not more, merit. If we were to grant a large subsidy to family doctors with a small town practice, that would probably benefit more people than a farm subsidy. We can't subsidize everything, but why we subsidize farmers and not other small businesses, I can't answer. It doesn't make sense.

A salad bar is extremely costly to think of it. Chopped ham, hard boiled eggs, dressing, baco-bits, croutons, lettuce, carrots, etc. These foods cost as much as a cart full of non-perishable junk food. So either people need to shop more often and only get what won't waste, or they end up eating junk food for convenience. Which is why fast food is so popular.

[disneysteve]

If we were to grant a large subsidy to family doctors with a small town practice, that would probably benefit more people than a farm subsidy.

Actually, we already do that. There are pretty generous loan repayment plans available for doctors who agree to practice in underserved areas upon completion of their training.

[Inkstain82]

If you get regular exercise (30 minutes or so daily) but eat too much junk food, are you ahead or behind of if you did neither? That's what I want to know.

[disneysteve]

If you get regular exercise (30 minutes or so daily) but eat too much junk food, are you ahead or behind of if you did neither? That's what I want to know.

Well, if you eat too much junk food but exercise 30 minutes/day, you are better off than if you ate too much and didn't exercise.

Of course, you are worse off than if you exercised and didn't eat too much junk food.

Would you be better off eating a healthy diet and not exercising rather than eating junk and exercising? Probably.

[Inkstain82]

Well, if you eat too much junk food but exercise 30 minutes/day, you are better off than if you ate too much and didn't exercise.

Of course, you are worse off than if you exercised and didn't eat too much junk food.

Would you be better off eating a healthy diet and not exercising rather than eating junk and exercising? Probably.

I was afraid you'd say that. Would some socialists please come outlaw snickers blizzards for my own good?

[GREENBACK]

I was afraid you'd say that. Would some socialists please come outlaw snickers blizzards for my own good?

Given the time, Obama will get around to it. There's the messy little trillion dollar headache to deal with first.

[PrincessPerky]

I also seem to recall reading a while back that a lot of farm subsidy dollars actually go to big corporations, not little mom and pop family farms. The end result, apparently, is keeping our food prices artificially high. (Wasn't there just a post about this recently by jeffrey?)

Which is exactly the problem

feel good ideas like farm subsidies, turn into more ways for the big cos to get tax money.

Simple solution is quit it.

[Inkstain82]

Which is exactly the problem

feel good ideas like farm subsidies, turn into more ways for the big cos to get tax money.

Simple solution is quit it.

Without farm subsidies, the market in America would short-sightedly select a lot of foreign-grown food. I consider it a matter of domestic security that we continue to grow a significant amount of food inside the country. It's an example of where government intervention is needed to keep the invisible hand from making short-sighted decisions.

[Scanner]

If you get regular exercise (30 minutes or so daily) but eat too much junk food, are you ahead or behind of if you did neither? That's what I want to know.

$ for $ and pound for pound, nutrition usually trumps exercise, at least in maintaining a normal BMI (which is directly linked to many diseases).

Don't get me wrong. . .I am not saying exercise isn't important. It is for many other reasons. . .wards off depression (probably a Top 10 family doctor visit, ask DisneySteve to confirm or deny this), prevents muscloskeletal problems (causes some too but that's okay), wards off osteoporosis, enhances sex life, and so on. It's a perfect complement to good nutrition.

I have no problem taxing sedentary activities though. . .gambling being one of them. Just because DisneySteve likes to go to the Borgata, sit down and play Blackjack doesn't mean it's written into the Constitution as his God-given, American right . I say tax it to fund healthcare.

[disneysteve]

I have no problem taxing sedentary activities though. . .gambling being one of them. Just because DisneySteve likes to go to the Borgata, sit down and play Blackjack doesn't mean it's written into the Constitution as his God-given, American right . I say tax it to fund healthcare.

That isn't true at all. I play blackjack at Caesar's, not Borgata.

[Scanner]

I am kinda laughing at this thread every time a reply finds it's way to my emailbox.

To think I started a topic, "Vanillad Frosting Isn't Diet Food" and got 3 pages of repies, lol.

[wnlbutterfly]

I am in a school district with that "ketchup is a veggie" rule, yet they won't allow the children to have salt shakers now, because salt is bad for them. Have you ever tried to eat school food without salt? My DD started taking tiny packets with her to use (teachers just looked the other way).

Poor people don't usually pay food tax if they are on assistance. So a food tax isn't going to affect them like it would the middle income. Being someone that has fought weight for a lifetime, I am okay with a sin tax on unhealthy food actually. BUT I do think if they would help if they just disclosed upfront how many calories (at fast food places) each item is, then people would make better choices, not always, but I think a lot of them would. Trust me, if you want nutritional info when you eat out you have to do your homework.