I am offended (is this the right board?)
 

I couldn't decide where the hell to post this: so, is this cool on general?



http://www.gamespot.com/all/news/news_6029873.html
New York to tax video games?


News


The tax would help fund obesity prevention programs.

According to an Associated Press report, New York state Assemblyman Felix Ortiz has proposed a 1 percent tax increase on video games, junk food, and TV commercials, citing that these things are responsible for the growing obesity problem in New York. Ortiz said that the final proposal may include additional items as well. The money raised from the tax would be used to fund obesity prevention programs and establish additional health programs for schools. However, the proposal's chances of passing appear to be slim since Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno said he would not support the tax.

We'll post more details as they become available.

By Giancarlo Varanini, GameSpot [POSTED: 06/12/03 12:06 PM]

----------------------

now as a couple of you know, I am a major jokester, I laugh at about everything and so on..... and I've been offended maybe three times in the last five years.

it is no crime to offend me. by all means, try (not this thread heh), but i don't know. this little article felt like a personal attack......

wanna see what you folk think.

i find it rude and absurd.

All I have to say is, thank you Senator Bruno. It's nice to know there's at least one law maker that isn't a dumbass looking for an easy (and incorrect) solution to a problem.

it's just proposed, no way in hell something like that is going to become a law.

i can see the point with junk food, sure. and i am in agreance that comercials cannot help...... but videogames?

well i think on my friends and actually i may change my mind. they do eat more junk when playing.

hmmmm.

i was heavily offended and now just do not know. i, myself, don't do the junk food thing much at all. i play all the time but rarely do the whole slacker/bum around/gorge of food thing.

i was pissed because I read into it

"videogamers are all fat and should pay a tax to help fight obesity".

i'm just sitting here thinking "they want me to pay what for what? obesity?"

i mean hell look at my pic. my stomach isn't tiny. but i can't burn calories.... i rarely eat but half a meal a couple times a day.

i guess i take it too personally...

<-- Gamer and skinny bastard.

If they are assuming all gamers are overweight, they are very mistaken.

Wow, your tax dollars at work. I think someone recently proposed something like that in Canada, don't know if anything's happening with it though. I certainly hope not.

heh, Me and a friend just did reports in English about Video Games.. haha.... And through reports, that he found (his was over excersize and gaming).. It has been shown that gaming actually is better than watching TV. heh... Also that games are rising more and more upon how much physical movement is exerted<sp>. Thus they don't really cause obesity.. Ever see any DDR Freaks? They tend to be in great shape because of this video game, yet..... I'm willing to bet..

If You Tax It, They Will Not Come.. (hehe)

This is very sickening. I mean this gets me mad beyond just the tax for games, the "obesity" crap gets to me too. Some peoole who "look" obese are actually very healthy. if your 600 pounds, okay I don't know, but there are few cases where that could be healthy. But I think "obese" is more of a physical look. Yeah I know you people will bring up how that statement is wrong, but I mean by how America is "OBESE AT LARGE"... Cause quite frankly, most of my friends are healthy even the quote, unquote "obese" ones.

BTW, might as well Tax normal food, as some bodily makeups will still gain weight just by eating, so according to them.. food needs to be taxed as well.... what a load of crap.
k... I'll stop now.

EDIT!! Oh i forgot, yeah like Spectre said, I too, am one skinny bastard :) And Boy do I like my FPS's. There are many Gamers in this world, Blockbuster already pissed us off before when they "classified" what a gamer was, and soon Blockbuster asked gamers how they should be "classified" so the could appeal better, not worse. Now a politician is doing the classifying? Bad move, he won't be in office much longer.

lol

yeah.. and people said Hillary wouldn't become the NY senator

I think they are trying to tax the wrong thing as far as video games. I don't play video games, I'm a PCer myself. I would imagine you can get the blood flowing pretty good playing either. It's the stereotype they're going after. It would make more sense to me to tax: televisions, cable and sattelite providers, and publishers. Most politicians are clueless. Let's have a cheer for Bruno turning it down. Although he's probably on Microsoft, Sega, and Nintendos payroll.

most serious gamers are skinny nerds. like me. this is nonsense.

If they pass a "fat tax," when do they pass a "stupid fuckhead" tax.....

I think they'll make more money off that...:)

oh so very true spec....let me get off on a rant here....

I would venture to guess that gamers as a group are less overweight by percentages.

Now, gamers are very noisey and all but there are no more then 10 million of us. There are 300 some odd million people in the US, even if 100% of gamers were obese it would not have a huge impact in the % of obese americans.

As always the politions are clueless and blame the evil "gamers" instead of looking at the more obvious problems being, fast food (McHealthy anyone?), TV (ZERO interaction plus sucks up WAY more time then games, which have a end), and how about the fact that money for after school programs/parks/music/art/etc (alternatived to video games) are almost non-existant today. This leaves todays kids with less options to do which are active.

oh yeah (sorry for the rant) another thing about gamers is our age group teens through mid/later 20's. IMO we are younger and have much more active metabolisms then older people who sit at work all day stuffing their faces with fast food frys.

ummm...let me end this rant with this.
Politions are nothing more then old men who blame whoever their largest $$$ contributer says to blame and are completely clueless about everything in life, except for lying to the publics face.

<----- Skinny as fuck and a gamer

Nave a nice day :)

IMHO They are just trying to get a piece of this HUGE billion dollar pie.

Damn, I'm chubby and I don't own a video game!

But hey, I'm a teacher! That could be it, couldn't it?!!
Bump all teachers on the tax-scale!
That'll teach the fat bastards!

How lame is this. The point of the matter is that although people are offered all these choices like watching tv and playing video games, there is nothing that forces them to do so. If the consumer decides to plop their ass down in front of the tube while gobbling down artery clogging processed foods, it's theri own damn choice and their own damn fault. Especially if they already made that choice, 1% higher taxes is not gonna discourage anyone from a sedentary lifestyle. However it is enough to demonstrate the really how stupid those dumbasses are that are governing the society.

Just thought of this, how much of that money the government would be collecting off this proposed tax would actually go to anti-obesity programs? If you said none, you're probably right. "Good job passing the law guys, raises all around!"

Grrrr... damn you, now I'm offended too... And skinny... And a gamer.

Actually...I think they already have that tax. You should see the taxes that are built into a pack of cigarettes. I did a paper on this several years back, and as I recall around 65% of the total cost of a pack is tax. It's something that most people don't really care about because it does not affect them. Sooner or later though, as more and more people quit smoking and lost revenue is realized, the government will vilify and tax something else. I predict caffeine and coffee. I love coffee. I think I'll go have a cup now, before it's taxed. :rolleyes:

How do you tax a commercial? How do you pay the tax on a commercial? If you don't pay your tax on commercials, will they remove commercials from your TV? Where do I go to sign up?

Wow. A senator that's a moron and doesn't have the pulse of his community. That's a change.

However, we do vote them in...

Another attempt at social engineering. Change behavior and outcome through government programs. The only thing I want my government to do is keep me safe from "enemies both foreign and domestic".

00

I agree with you Peetster.

But the fact is that the government is also in the health care business, through Medicaid, Medicare, various public helath organizations, etc. Which, of course, means we the taxpayers foot the bill for all this.

And the simple fact of the matter is: fat people cause more health dollars to be spent then even smokers. Fat people get diabetes, have increased circulatory problems, problems with bone structure, on and on.

While I think you are correct, Peetster, I believe the government DOES currently have an interest in changing this behavior. How much money can we spend on taking care of people whose health problems stem from being overweight? This is surely not the answer, but it IS an attempt.

The only thing I can say that hasn't been said already is, at least this isn't a Federal Bill.

yeah.. all the fat people can move to some other state that's NIMBY

haha. too true,man. read this....

stupid asses

and if ya want my feedback on this stupidity, hit up my blog.

xanga

*roflroflrofl*

well said, man.

i want to agree, but I can't. Yes, it is great, good, wonderful that they are indeed trying to find sollutions.

however, if the atempt is nothing short of a flat out idiotic thought, then I have to say "just quit".

"Winners never quit and quitters never win, but those who never win and never quit are idiots." www.despair.com (not plugging the site, just stating the source of the quote)

also the RAA (recording industry people) have now started to tax recordable cds, because they figure that EVERY recordable cd is used to steal peoples cd or burn the evil mp3's, and they want their money back, those fucking bastards, how can you not see the stupid stupid logic in that argument!

BTW, it's the RIAA, and there's always been a little "tax" just as you describe on VCR tapes, cassette tapes, and now CDs. It also applies to the devices that can record.

To address the original thought of the thread, lobbyists for the gaming and snack food industries will be all over this dumb idea and help squash it.