We should also tax people who don't do muscle strengthening exercises such as dance or weight training. Even if you're thin, your body will be unattractive if it's flabby or your posture is bad.

Um... the point here, unless I'm completely missing it, isn't to make us more attractive to you, its to make us less likely to have diabetes and other junk food related health issues.

I'm not giving an agree/disagree at this point, but your argument is just silly.

actually your'e wrong. more unattractive => less likely to have kids => less strain on the economy.

plus who wants to see more bad dancers?

Actually you're wrong. Kids are not a strain on the economy, the elderly are. A population with fewer children has a higher percentage of elderly, which use more government services. Adding more of a burden on the rest of the society paying for them. Look at France, Germany and Japan to see this in action.

So, if we make more kids, somehow the elderly will disappear? Or automatically die off?

fsilber, I hope you're being ironical here? A lot of people have weak muscles because of various disabilities, many of them invisible to the person passing them in the street. I hope you'll never find yourself in that situation but keep in mind that, like all of us, you're just a roll of the dice away from it..... If I were you, I wouldn't tempt fate the way you are doing.

Kids do use more govt./social services: public schools, libraries, school buses, etc! Kids also need regular health care and they should get it. We do have the highest infant mortality rate of all industrialized coutries. In spite of all our supposed pro-life hysteria and our wealth, we can't provide health care for our babies and pregnant women. So statistically, those at the beginning of life and those at the end of it do make greater use of society's resources, to which those at the end of life have greatly contributed and those at the beginning will contribute.

The elderly, of which I am one, wouldn't need so much health care if they had had access of preventive health care before they hit 65 (many uninsured working people, whose numbers are presently growing by leaps and bounds, will actually wait to get tested till they reach the magical Medicare 65, but by that time it will be too late for many conditions that could have been treated much more cheaply sooner).

This isn't a problem in all other industrialized democracies where access to health care for all age groups isn't an issue and where people live longer and healthier lives at a much lower cost per individuals than we do.

Incidentally, senior citizens devote a lot of time to volunteer activities (helping in hospitals, at food banks, schools, etc), as well as baby sitting their grandkids, and unfortunately now more and more often actually raising them completely. How much do you think their volunteer work is actually worth and could society afford to do without it?

Ridry:

Um... the point here, unless I'm completely missing it, isn't to make us more attractive to you, its to make us less likely to have diabetes and other junk food related health issues.

I'm not giving an agree/disagree at this point, but your argument is just silly.

Why shouldn't I push the government to pursue change that I care about? As for habits that increase health costs, instead of taxing them, why not just increase those people's co-pay?

Fsilber, do I need to point out that you have to have health insurance in order to have co-pays?

fsilber, I consulted a renowned psychic and she looked into her crystal ball and guess what unbelievable thing she predicted for you?

You're going to get middle aged and then old. You're going to get arthritis and be stiff in the morning (everyone eventually does). Your muscles will sag, your back will bent and you'll be thinking (like us oldsters!) what on earth was I thinking?

The good news is that you'll find a mate down the road who won't mind your body sagging, and your own standards for attractiveness will be greatly revised so that you'll realize you'll still find him or her attractive. The good news is that you'll still be able to attend the dances at the senior center, though you might need to share a walker with your partner to do so! (yes, you can dance with a walker...). In other words at some point you'll grow up, let's hope you wont have to wait for athritis to hit you before this happens.