Smoking ban, fitness tests for healthier nation [junk food would be taxed and everyone would be..]

News.Com.Au

[Sub-Driver]

Smoking ban, fitness tests for healthier nation

By Sharri Markson

April 20, 2008 01:36am

SMOKING would be banned for everyone born next year, junk food would be taxed and everyone would be subjected to a fitness test by 2020.

By comparison, the cost of healthy food, including fruit and vegetables, would be reduced to reflect its low environmental impact and obvious health benefits.

These are just a few of the ideas from 100 of the nation's health experts who discussed the best way to combat obesity, reduce illness and promote a healthy lifestyle.

Health Minister Nicola Roxon said one idea put forward in a submission was an annual national fitness test where citizens would receive a financial incentive if they pass.

Health stream participants in the 2020 summit also discussed increasing public education about how death can be a "positive experience" to avoid patients panicking when they reach hospital emergency departments.

Health participant, Meredith Sheil, a former Westmead Children's Hospital pediatrician, said many participants had suggested a ban on cigarette sales by 2020.

"A lot of the health submissions suggested a ban on smoking by 2020," she said.

[Sub-Driver]

Ah the Utopian Nanny State....sounds more like the Communist Manifesto....

Soon to be incorporated in the Democrats election platform...

[GOP_Lady]

Welcome to the nanny state. You asked for it, and you got it. Disgusting. I won’t live like this. I’m supposed to be free.

[GOP_Lady]

And some GOPers’ platform too. Extremely sad and puzzling.

[GOP_Lady]

SUPER NANNY-STATE PING!

[KevinDavis]

Just look at some freepers who think that smoking should be banned and yet they complain in why Government is too “big”

[thecabal]

Health stream participants in the 2020 summit also discussed increasing public education about how death can be a "positive experience" to avoid patients panicking when they reach hospital emergency departments.

Please tell me that this is Iowahawk or The Onion. Please.

This is what socialized medicine gets you. Training to lay down and die for the good of the state like a good little sheep.

[GOP_Lady]

Bureaucrat's like these need REAL jobs.

[Lexington Green]

The free man owns himself. He can damage himself with either eating or drinking; he can ruin himself with gambling. If he does he is certainly a damn fool, and he might possibly be a damned soul; but if he may not, he is not a free man any more than a dog.
— G.K. Chesterson

[GOP_Lady]

I call them CONTROL FREAKS!

[Doe Eyes]

Just look at some freepers who think that smoking should be banned and yet they complain in why Government is too “big”.

Just look at most freepers who think that smoking marijuana should be illegal and yet they complain that Government is too “big".

[FocusNexus]

Link:

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,23566377-2,00.html

[GOP_Lady]

I can't wait until I'm in Vegas in three weeks where I'll be doing ALL FOUR BIG NO-NOs — SMOKING, DRINKING, GAMBLING AND BUFFETING. I'm going to enjoy every moment of it and enjoy being with other happy adults.

[FocusNexus]

“NSW Premier Morris Iemma, who sat in on the health stream, said there should be a shift towards preventative health and warned that health expenditure could consume the entire State budget by 2037.”

That’s what happens when you have universal, government paid healthcare — they will try to control all your activities. (Never mind that the money the government spends is actually the money the government takes away from the people, as taxes).

[darkangel82]

They don’t call it Sin City for nothin’.

[truthguy]

This is not far off. It would be the inevitable result of a government run national health care system. Once the government starts running the system we would have to start rationing health care. Costs would start to sky rocket (you think they are sky rocketing now) and the little tyrant bureaucrats who run the system would start to look for ways to cut costs. These proposals would be just the type of things that they mandate. Stay tuned

[darkangel82]

Absolutely(and unfortunately). true
ping

[doodad]

They are implementing something similar at my workplace. If you don’t submit, they will not subsidize your health care, which we already pay too much for.

In general, since they are helping pay, I can understand their stance. But, they are only going after smokers and the overweight. No testing for drugs, no survey for other unhealthy lifestyles, and no decrease in costs for those like myself who don’t require the maternity care that all our single moms do.

[SandRat]

I can hear now what some of the Korean War and later Veteran “DIGGERS” will say in response — and none of it is polite to say in mixed company.

[darkangel82]

I’ve heard(and said) worse, believe me.