Bizarre, Politics, Society

La Isla Del Gordo: Puerto Rico Considers Tax For Obese Children

painting1Puerto Rico is considering an extreme response to childhood obesity: a fat tax. Sen. Gilberto Rodríguez Valle has introduced a bill to fine parents of obese children as a form of neglect. The bill suggests that fines would be imposed when the obesity is viewed as a form of neglect though that can be a very difficult line to discern.

Sen. Jose Luis Dalmau defended the fine as “necessary for society” and said that “Here in ‘La Isla del Encanto’ there are no consequences, . . . The obese child is a health problem that can become a financial burden because the child can develop diabetes, heart ailments and other diseases.”

There is little disagreement over the crisis with obesity generally or the harmful effects of obesity. However, the bill would have education officials to identify obese children and confront parents. If there is no improvement in six months, the child would be referred to child-family services authorities as one involving abuse or mistreatment. After six month, the parents would be subject to up to $500 in fines that would increase after another six months to $800.

Child advocates and health professionals oppose the bill because of the underlying medical issues and genetic factors. However, the politicians want to convert this health and parental issue into a legal one.

I understand the motivation given the harmful effect on these children and the fact that some parents continue to supply high-fat diets to children, particularly from fast-food establishments. There can be no serious debate over officials raising the issue with parents and seeking to educate them on options or approaches. However, the threat of a fine seems unlikely to be the type of motivation that will make a difference. It will also hit lower income families more severely since obesity has been shown in higher percentages in lower income brackets. Finally, the line between familial habits and genetic dispositions is difficult for experts to discern. It will be even more difficult for educational or child welfare officials to discern.

What do you think?

85 thoughts on “La Isla Del Gordo: Puerto Rico Considers Tax For Obese Children”

  4. DBQ,
    It is an excellent book–extremely well-researched, though so dense with information that it demands a close reading. I highly recommend it.

  5. Prairie

    I haven’t read that yet. I should get that book. Since my husband has mild diabetes (as does everyone in his family) we control it with diet, exercise and some oral meds and are careful about what we eat. I cook 90% of our meals from scratch. I know a lot of people can’t do this for reasons beyond their control. However a lot of people COULD but don’t.

    We look at the glycemic index when it comes to carbs. Whole grains, brown rice, beans and other carbs that are slow to metabolize. We don’t go overboard in any direction. We don’t scrimp on our ingredients and eat fats, red meat …..in moderation ……and occasionally indulge in some sweets.

  6. SJ, I love your sarcasm. I often point out, fat people are not protected by political correctness. It is always open season on us.

  7. DBQ,
    “we really don’t know what actually causes obesity in many cases”

    Gary Taubes examines this in-depth in Good Calories, Bad Calories. The science isn’t finished, of course. The role of micronutrients were not sufficiently addressed, but overall, the role of hormones and carbohydrates (refined carbs in particular) and fructose was laid out pretty well.

  9. Jill,
    “They could, as Justice Holmes points out, fine corporations for putting nasty chemicals, gmo, and empty calories in their phood products. It would be more helpful.”

    I agree.

  10. I should amend my comment about Brazil nuts because someone will try to eat like 3 cups of them in a day and that might do it. I’m not rich enough to eat that many per day!! lol We are a 1-3 nuts per day family, and that gets expensive as it is!

    Or, sardines have a good dose of selenium, too. 😉

  11. Besides the fact that we really don’t know what actually causes obesity in many cases, the nutrition nazis have been proven wrong over and over again in what we should eat and should not eat. They pushed this high carb low fat diet upon us and lo and behold…..it seems to be one of the possible causes of obesity.

    I agree with Prairie. Too much sugar, fructose and refined carbs are something that can easily be eliminated from the diet and would do everyone a world of good to cut down at least.

    Cooking is a lost art in some segments of our society. IF people would cook several meals a day in substitution of fast food and IF people were educated about a diet that is balanced and in moderation…..I feel that much of the obesity epidemic would be lessened.

    Cooking isn’t hard. It isn’t rocket science and if you know what you are doing you can save money.

    I do know….however….that some people are not equipped with gourmet kitchens, wolf stoves, freezers and all the cooking utensils that some of us have. That makes it harder….but not impossible to serve home made meals.

    Not only nutritionally would people be better off, the social aspects of a family or partial family just sitting down and eating, conversing and being together are huge…especially for children.

    Even a simple meal of top ramen soup augmented with some vegetables like sliced carrot, peas, green onions, diced chicken meat, pork or shrimp (whatever leftovers you may have), beat an egg and add it to the hot broth and noodles, stir in a tbsp of creamy peanut butter and a dash of sirracha or other hot sauce and you have a CHEAP tasty and somewhat balanced meal. All you need is a hot plate and a sauce pan. ANYONE can do this.

  12. Inga,
    🙂 I think that most people are not going to get toxic eating Brazil nuts since most people are probably really deficient (especially if they have thyroid issues). And, enough people probably have inflamed bowels to some degree, too, which will interfere with micronutrient absorption, too.

  14. A kid’s developing brain needs fat, good fat, butter, olive oil, not trans fats. Give them whole milk, cheeses, nuts. There are ways to make healthy naturally sweet treats for kids.

  15. PR, yes indeed, you’re right! Then there’s Selenium. Eat a Brazil nut daily, will help thyroid function. No more than one, you can get toxic selenium levels if you eat a lot of Brazil nuts, they’re that rich in selenium.

    SJ, obesity is one of the last accepted prejudices, sadly.

  16. “supply high-fat diets to children”

    It is not the fat in the diet that is causing a problem for these kids. It is the high-fructose corn syrup, sugar, and carbs.

    Take out the pop and they can lose about 30 lbs in a year without doing anything else.

  18. They could just go ahead and sanction legal killing of all of us who are obese. That way we can’t breed, take up space, use up oxygen or eat up all the food. We won’t overwhelm the medical system and fat bigots won’t be required to look at us. After all, we’re poor, illiterate, don’t know a damn thing about food, and gorge ourselves at McDonalds 14/7. We don’t eat the right things, don’t properly exercise, and generally are a blight against humanity – right?

  20. Paul, That was the most loaded question I’ve read in awhile. I do know menopause turned my bride into a furnace. She sweat like a whore in church.

    1. Nick – if it make you feel any better my house is so cold you can hang meat in it. 🙂

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