Monday 23 November 2009

What Else Can Be Taxed? Hmmm, I Know! Meat


Another view into our future because, as we well know, if it happens in the US, it's only a short while before it gets to us. This article in the New York Daily News closely follows steps 2, 3, 4 & 5 of the tobacco control template. Always remember, though, that it is for your own good.

Make meat-eaters pay: Ethicist proposes radical tax, says they're killing themselves and the planet

But in all these moves against tobacco, transfats and sodas, we’ve been ignoring the cow in the room.

That’s right, cow. We don’t eat elephants. But the reasons for a tax on beef and other meats are stronger than those for discouraging consumption of cigarettes, transfats or sugary drinks.

First, eating red meat is likely to kill you. Large studies have shown that the daily consumption of red meat increases the risk that you will die prematurely of heart disease or bowel cancer. This is now beyond serious scientific dispute.

Oh. Do you mean the debate is over, evidence is overwhelming, that sort of thing. Seems strangely reminiscent, that.

When the beef industry tries to deny the evidence, it is just repeating what the tobacco industry did 30 years ago.

Those evil farmers who are supplying demand, eh?

The clincher is that taxing meat would be a highly effective way of reducing our greenhouse gas emissions and avoiding catastrophic climate change.

One more for the bandwagon boys, I think we're going to need to bridle up another horse.

Of course, this idiotarian berk is going to have a problem selling this to the public. After all, eating meat can't harm anyone apart from the one with a fat juicy steak at the end of their fork, can it. Can it?

Meat-eaters impose costs on others, and the more meat they eat, the greater the costs.

Oh look. Passive meat-eating.

The anti-smoking totalitarian template is available from all good righteous gatherings at no cost but to our freedom to live a life as we choose.




12 comments:

banned said...

"eating red meat is likely to kill you. Large studies have shown that the daily consumption of red meat increases the risk that you will die prematurely "
That'll be why the human race evolved from ant'n'beetle scavenging scaredy people shivering in the tundra to big bad meat eaters " Red In Tooth & Claw " Badass motherf*ckers at the top of the food chain ?

Grandad said...

If God had meant us to eat meat he would have made us carnivores.

Oh.

Hang on...

He did.

Anonymous said...

I was waiting for the other shoe to drop.

I suppose they'll be trashing quite a bit of medical opinion to force this through.

Blood types have their own chemistry requirements. People with blood type O, for instance, do well on animal protein (I know, because I'm one of them).

At some point, we can expect the 'science' to be declared "settled".

Theiving b@stards.

Neal Asher said...

"Large studies have shown that the daily consumption of red meat increases the risk that you will die prematurely of heart disease or bowel cancer."

Be interesting to know what he means by 'prematurely' since the average maximum age we live to has been ever increasing.

If there's any problem with our planet its the billions of us, surely a bit more premature death is what's required?

manwiddicombe said...

Life is a terminal disease.


"passive meat-eating" made me laugh. Too much.

James Higham said...

Tax all vegans.

Antipholus Papps said...

Remember kids, holistic is just another word for totalitarian!

Anonymous said...

but surely beans and sprouts also make a lot of wind,isn't that methane too.

Anonymous said...

What is an ethicist?

I know, someone who failed to get any actual qualifications.

Dick the Prick said...

I wish they would all just fuck right off and with that i'm off to MaccyD's as my mum went to the butcher's this aft but it was closed for some other fucked up reason.

Anonymous said...

If the price of meat goes up any further I'm seriously thinking of taking some sharp knives to carve myself some illiberal "idiotarian" steak. I've been told it tastes like pig.

Nick39 said...

I too rolled my eyes at the term "ethicist"

So some people define their career as a professional tell-other-people-how-to-live and give it a scientific sounding name.

I preferred the old fashioned word: prod-nose