Bugs Bunny Carrots to Lose Weight
02 Jul 2005
What is the best incentive to lose weight? We’ve all heard numerous ways. But Alberta’s new Health Minister thinks that people need a new approach to be svelte. Her formula? Give people financial incentives to shed pounds. And unlike me she’s not being tarred-and- feathered, and called obeseophobic.
Iris Evans says, "We need to create an atmosphere of wellness". And unlike most politicians this one is practicing what she preaches. The 62 year old former nurse has lost 60 pounds in the last two years.
So what’s her idea? The Minister suggests giving tax write-offs, like a carrot to a donkey, to those who sign up for gym memberships and other athletic activities. Her idea is still in its early stages, but in a debt-free province there’s a good chance Alberta will be the first province to lure people off their duffs with a financially proactive approach to health care.
What makes it more likely to become a reality is that Alberta’s long-standing Premier, Ralph Klein, has a lot of carrots to hand out in this oil-rich province. Klein also works out daily and says, "It demonstrates to me thinking outside the box".
Will it work? Pessimists say that even if this idea becomes law, the effect will be minimal on the province’s health. They argue that a small percent of people are dedicated to sweating it out in the gym. That you could provide the gym for nothing and the non-committed will still stay on the couch looking at TV.
Whether or not it becomes law I applaud Iris Evans for being much smarter than this medical journalist. Like me, she realizes that we are all fed up paying taxes and any tax credit is music to our ears. That’s why several years ago I believed I had a brilliant idea, to tax the obese.
This idea didn’t seem too bizarre at the time. After all, in our materialistic money-mad society it’s all about the money. We’ve all seen how people lie, cheat and steal
even when they already have millions of dollars. Like it or not, for centuries money has been the great motivator.
So why not give a carrot (in the form of a tax credit) to obese people to lose weight. It’s a chance at a lower tax bracket by shedding pounds. Everyone likes to talk about money they’ve made buying stock X when it was only fifty cents. So why not give them the opportunity to tell how they’ve legally sent less money to those d—–politicians?
Letters that flowed to my desk showed that I wouldn’t last 24 hours in politics. The recurring message? "Go back to medical school and learn something about eating disorders". Or, "How could I dare to suggest such a demeaning tax. You seem to suggest that fat people eat like pigs and that it’s soooo easy to lose weight".
The message was loud and clear that I was obesophobic and if there was ever a stupidity award I should get it.
Some asked, quite logically "why not tax drunken drivers and drug pushers". I agree with them, but for those I’d go even further, toss them in jail and throw away the key.
Fortunately some readers congratulated me for speaking the truth about a taboo subject in our society. And some nurses believed they should receive hazard pay for the back-breaking job of having to move obese patients.
Readers may not believe it, but I have great empathy for those who are obese because of genetics. But this applies to very few of the population. Genetics doesn’t explain how a nation, particularly the U.S., has developed an epidemic of obesity in less than a lifetime. The answer is obvious, too many calories of every kind.
I wish The Minister Evans well. Increasing the amount of time exercising does help to fight obesity. Perhaps strong biceps muscles might push people away from the table. However, exercise alone won’t solve the problem.
As for an obesity tax I guess I’ve learned a political lesson. Being tarred and feathered once is enough for me. I’ll let someone else tempt with that big carrot.
