In countries with Socialized Medicine, should Government legislate what people eat?

LOL! TBH, I don't know what we are arguing about either. It is self evident that taxation, as with all the other conditions of living in society, is enforced, with penalties for non-compliance. I have not, at any stage of our discussion, argued otherwise.

 

I apparently am subscribed to this thread, meaning I've posted in it -- so I started a search to find my post and your post intrigued me since I've never, ever!, had heard of "vegemite" and "marmite" before.

It looks horrendous!

Normal people have a bit of filet de saxe, chicken-curry, Black Forest ham, crab salad, spring salad, summer salad, cucumber salad, filet americain, serano, cooked ham, smoked ham, paté, filet americain, etc. (endless really) on their toast,...

Leo!

That stuff looked aweful,...

It reminded me of Sirop de Liège -- but that stuff is made from apples and pears!

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I wonder why this thread is still active?

The question of the OP has been answered by people who live in countries with "socialized medicine".

The answer is: "No, governments shouldn't legislate what people eat".

 

Vegemite has always been Australian as kangaroos, Australian Rules football and Uluru. Kids from a very young age grew up on it, I did. When returning to Australia for a visit, we always bring back a good supply.

The travesty is, Kraft has always made Vegemite and Kraft is now in the hands of the Americans. How Unaustralian is that???

 

No, that is not my argument at all. My argument is that people are not being forced if they willingly agree and comply. The threat may be there, but it is of no consequence for those who are a willing party to the transaction.
I agree with you that there is the threat of force for those who are unwilling to pay, and I agree that penalties will often be applied to those who fail to pay.
My original statement was that I have not been forced.
We seem to be arguing about perceptions.

 

Pssst...Kraft has always been in the hands of the Americans. They sell us crap processed cheese and apparently sell you guys the nasty, dark viscous crap that's left over from making that cheese.

 

This is a conundrum! You want capitalism to succeed but at the same time you don't want people willingly eating food that is statistically associated with high health costs to die.

It's that question of "should we let people die"? And since America has made it apparent that we can not let people die, then we should put a tax on crappy foods just like we put a tax on cigarettes. The problem here is there are plenty of non-obese individuals that want to indulge in crappy food and not want to be taxed for it.

There is no right or wrong answer. Either we let people die or we do something about it.

 

No. Instead, those countries should be allowed to fail so that they learn the errors of their socialoid ways.

 

You can make that argument of all taxes. You don't get to pick and choose where your taxes go, never have and never will. If you think taxation is theft, or coercion, or whatever, well... bad luck.

So you object to taxation for anything? Think it would be OK if people don't contribute to the military budget?

No I thought you were talking about having social healthcare forced on you, not taxation forced on you. You're not forced to use "social healthcare", you can go private or you can just opt out all together. But no, you can't just "opt out" of taxes. And no you can't nominate where you taxes go.

"People" can do whatever they like in their own homes. We're talking about business'. I really hope I don't have to explain why there are health and safety regulations in hospitality and the food industry?

Nope. You can smoke outside, or in private property, not business' though.

Are you serious? No taxation = No government. Before you say it... no, that is a bad/stupid idea.

Willful ignorance? The US taxpayer refuses to pay, so who pays? The Hospital, which means insurance premiums go up. And there you have it, you are already paying for social healthcare.

 

No. That would be a betrayal of everything socialized medicine stands for.

 

Would we have any need for our nationalized and socialized wars on abstractions or more socialized medicine, if we simply solve for a natural rate of unemployment, such that we eliminate most poverty when due to a simple lack of income. In other words, would we need more public sector intervention or less public sector intervention in that case?

 

Neither statement is entirely correct.

Vegemite was invented in 1922 by food technologist Cyril Callister and produced by the Australian company Fred Walker & Co. It is not a by-product of making processed cheese - it is a yeast extract. Vegemite has been established by the British Medical Association as a rich source of vitamin B.

Vegemite was established as a trademark in Australia during 1922. In 1925 Fred Walker established the Kraft Walker Cheese Co as a joint venture with J.L.Kraft & Bros. The Vegemite brand was much later sold to the J.L.Kraft company, but I believe is now back in Australian hands.

 

LOL, Marmite is the original yeast extract which is rich in Vitamin B. The Australians developed Vegemite simply because supplies of Marmite were scarce after WW1. They are quite similar products, but Marmite tastes a little better. Both are very salty.

 

Really? So there are no employed people who have incomes well above the poverty level, yet still lack proper healthcare?

 

Marmite tastes like crap compared to Vegemite. You've been living in the UK far too long Leo.

The Vegemite vs Marmite issue raged here for a while between us Aussies and Brit expats so we put it to the test. We had a taste test to people who've never tasted either. Most preferred Vegemite.

 

Aussie: "Vegemite is great!"

Brit: "Marmite is better!"

Aussie: "Nuh-uh! Vegemite is better!"

American: "Hey, have you ever fried waffles in bacon grease and then topped them with the cream filling from a Twinkie?"

 

if socialized medicine means forcing citizens to eat vegemite and marmamite to be healthy, america should rethink this whole thing

 

No, my statement was correct (well except for the little joke at the end). Kraft has always been an American company since its inception.

Nope, Kraft still owns it and, as far as I can tell, has since 1935. http://www.kraftbrands.com/kraftvegemite/Pages/default.aspx

 

Aussies aren't forced to eat Vegemite. It's something that just happens. Kids from an early age aquire a taste for the stuff and it stays with you until death.

I have two grandsons,, one 28 months, the other four months old. The eldest little guy has his Vegemite on toast every morning, just as his mother did at that age. It's a very rich source of the B group vitamins and a very good appetite stimulant for kids.

I'm a happy little Vegemite!

 

Wow, that sounds amazing! I'll have to try it some time.

 

Sounds absolutely putrid!

 

It helps to use clean grease, like the kind that is produced by microwaving bacon or using a George Foreman grill, rather than the debris-filled stuff that results from simply frying bacon in a plain old pan.

 

It was a biased test.

The Marmite was on toast.

The Vegemite was on Nicole Kidman's nipples.

 

Do Nicole Kidman's nipples taste different from other nipples?

 

Dunno.

But I may switch to Vegemite in the hopes I may find out.