I felt confused on this one, but voted to increase regulations.
For instance, I believe that places like McDonald’s should be forced to offer healthier alternatives and supply calorie, fat and nutritional information on their packaging. Alcohol should also have labels that give some information as to how much one can drink before being too drunk to drive (etc) and warnings for pregnant women, diabetics, etc. Alcoholism is a major disease, but I’m not for complete prohibition, just creating more awareness.
Cigarettes should be as expensive and taxed here as they are in the US and especially Europe. For example, if I’d had to pay NT$180-200 per pack for the past years, I may have quit ages ago. I’m clearly aware of the risks. Major brand cigarettes here are still only US $1.30 or so, while in Europe, they’re around 4 euro and in the states between US $4-5 per pack.
I would like to vote no on all options. I want life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness and that last one is one that cannot be defined because it will be different per individual.
Don’t force McDonalds to serve veggie burgers! People have the option to eat right. We’re not cattle. We’re not rabbits. Don’t make the government protect me from myself! Just protect me from fanatical Arabs and disgruntled postal workers.
[quote=“Alien”]I felt confused on this one, but voted to increase regulations.
For instance, I believe that places like McDonald’s should be forced to offer healthier alternatives and supply calorie, fat and nutritional information on their packaging.[/quote]
Why should the government force any business to offer any product or service? If you think McDonald’s food isn’t healthy enough for you, then don’t buy their product. McDonald’s is a business. If it were profitable for them to sell “healthier alternatives,” then they would be doing it. Seeing as how McDonald’s doesn’t exactly force its customers at gun point to eat a Big Mac, why should the government force them to sell things that aren’t profitable within their business modle? I agree that McDonald’s should provide nutritional information so that customers will be better informed, but I don’t think publishing high calorie or fat numbers is going to be a big realization to anybody. Please don’t tell me that McDonald’s is liable because I might have health problems after years of CHOOSING to eat their product.
I’m not saying that I think cigarettes should not be taxed heavily, but why is it the responsibility of the government to protect you from your own habits? As you said, you are clearly aware of the risks.
[quote=“Alien”]I felt confused on this one, but voted to increase regulations.
For instance, I believe that places like McDonald’s should be forced to offer healthier alternatives…[/quote]
I stopped listening to my Mom about what I should/shouldn’t eat/drink/smoke/fuck when I was in my early teens. And now you want George Bush to make those decisions for me? :shock: :shock:
Let’s all give a big hand to [color=red]Alien[/color], the newest member of the Fascist 5 (now 6)!
I haven’t eaten fast food for eons and eons. I’m just saying that it should be a priority for those companies to offer some healthier alternatives for people who do, or have few options when they need to eat and run.
I think KFC has a chicken salad now. But they still only offer FRIED, of course that’s in their name, but grilled chicken does taste better and has far less fat. I understand that it’s available in some countries, maybe even the US?
Walk through a 7-11 in Taipei sometime and find ONE item that is healthy (non beverage). I know loads of people who eat 7-11 crap almost every day. If they’re not becoming obese, they’re probably getting high cholesterol and risks of diabetes and heart disease.
My Grandma smoked hand-rolled cigarettes and drank a glass of corn whiskey a day till she had a stroke. And she was 96. If you want to rant about unhealthy food, complain about that stewed pig fat the Taiwanese seem to love so much. Or ducks tongues. Or Dongshan Duckheads. Sheesh. You’d think the only unhealthy food in the world is American and comes served wrapped in
[color=red]Ol[/color][color=white]d G[/color][color=blue]lory.[/color]
Anyway, there are too damned many people in the world as it is. Maybe the American fast food industry is doing us all a favor.
I think individuals should be able to decide their own habits…
if they want to smoke and drink all they want be it hard liquor, cigarettes or drugs, dangerous sexual behavior, go for it.
on the other hand, don’t expect the government and hence other taxpayers to foot your medical bill when you get lung cancer, lose your liver, or some other medical problem. why should the rest of us be subsidizing for someone else’s lifestyle and mistakes.
and don’t bother or endanger other people’s lives because of your lifestyle. ie don’t drink and drive, don’t smoke in a crowded enclosed area. i think this is one of the few times government needs to regulate for a public health/safety issue where acts of others could affect your lives. I don’t think cigarettes companies should be heavily taxed in order to discourage behaviour. i don’t believe in using taxation to affect choice. it might happen anyways, but its effects should be minimized. however, if governments are going to be footing the bill for medical care and assuming such disease is caused by smokers caused by cigarette products, then maybe that’s preferable to non-smokers subsidizing smokers not that it’s entirely right to blame cigarette companies although if they used nicotine to make addicts of people there might be another claim (arguably this interferes with the consumer’s freedom of choice).
This is different from the govt telling Mcdonalds to put more healthy food. let the people decide (if they can or cannot is another question).
The only area the government should regulate in consumer products is disclosure/labelling although it’s ridiculous to me that companies have to put warning signs/disclaimers on unintended or plainly dangerous use of products eg dont use this electrical appliance while taking a bath. if someone electrocutes himself, hey, that’s one less idiot in the world. but the gray areas of this type of regulation are many.
in the end people have to relearn to be responsible for their own choices. (where choice is possible anyways).
Alien wrote: [quote]Alcohol should also have labels that give some information as to how much one can drink before being too drunk to drive (etc) [/quote]
there are too many variables for a thing like that to ever be possible, we all know this!
weight, body chemistry, drug interactions, built-up resistance…
why not just tell people how bad it is for their bodies and mention that, if consumed in sufficient quantity, it will make you do dumb things (like drive when you know you can barely walk).
give me less regulation and more education please. i can make up my own mind about what stupid things i do to myself.
On the subject of chicken: I loved the “Kenny Rogers Roasted Chicken” (yep, THAT Kenny Rogers) chain in Malaysia, very nice chicken and a good choice of side dishes, including healthy ones (which I avoided ).
They have Kenny Roasters in Philippines too. I like the little cornbreads because I always make my own and it would be nice to buy them for a change.
But I would reckon fat content for Kenny R is about half of the fried from KFC, which is ungodly at like 60 fat grams (a day’s worth) and around 600 calories for one chix breast.
Think some people aren’t smart enough to watch nutrition, and with some companies selling cheap, and engorged portion sizes, the average moron consumer is bound to wind up a fat ass and suffer a coronary by time they’re 40.
IYBF, What the heck is “poached” chicken? Is that when illegal hunters kill endangered chickens?
http://www.maisonculinaire.com/pdf/corp_alcsalads.pdf California Poached Chicken Salad
Diced poached chicken breast combined with julienne celery, carrots, onions, avocado and fennel. Tossed in wasabi aioli and garnished with almonds and three sprouts.
I hope nobody has trademarked this name. Who wants to be a @#%#ing billionaire when they could be a @#%#ing … millionaire?
[quote=“Richardm”]
Diced poached chicken breast combined with julienne celery, carrots, onions, avocado and fennel. Tossed in wasabi aioli and garnished with almonds and three sprouts.[/quote]
But avocados are majorly fattening! 30 fat grams and 360 calories for a medium one. Aioli and almonds are killers too!
[quote=“Alien”][quote=“Richardm”]
Diced poached chicken breast combined with julienne celery, carrots, onions, avocado and fennel. Tossed in wasabi aioli and garnished with almonds and three sprouts.[/quote]
But avocados are majorly fattening! 30 fat grams and 360 calories for a medium one. Aioli and almonds are killers too! [/quote]
Yes, I strongly believe that the government should protect us from avocados, aioli and almonds.
Could you please trade recipes on another thread? :offtopic:
Sheesh. You’d think the only unhealthy food in the world is American and comes served wrapped in
).