Run for your lives! Here come the vegans.

[Hitcher]

http://www.stuff.co.nz/4185210a20475.html

As if the Gummint hasn't got enough to worry about with regulating the weather, people's pets, giving gold plastic cards to pensioners and providing perks for those with kids, now they're after my dinner.

Soon it will be illegal to eat meat, non-organic vegetables and anything that isn't grown within 5km of your dung-fuelled stove. Fast foods will be banned, as will anything that contains animal fat or any other material derived from a sentient being.

"Obesity epidemic" my arse. It's not a disease. A propensity to being overweight may be heritable. But guess what? It's nothing that eating less and exercising more won't ameliorate.

What's next. Compulsory calisthenics at day-break, with everybody wearing matching gym gear, giving all hail to our Dear Leader? Food stamps issued on BMI? Compulsory health warnings and punitive taxes applied to non-sanctioned products?

Tuck into those steaks while ye may, for the tofu surely cometh.

[Ocean1]

And they wonder why I’ve got a problem with authority.

If the great unwashed aren’t behaving in a manner we approve of it must be because they’re stupid. Best we educate ‘em eh? I mean, god save we should ever be drawn to conclude that they might actually have a right to make such choices all by themselves. Thin end of the wedge ‘an all that, next they’d start to wonder if they need our guidance a’tall a’tall.

[Steam]

Quit your bloody whining. "Your lot" will soon have their chance to fuck it all up in their own special right-wing way.
Think hospital waiting lists will be any shorter under a National government? Oh really?
Think harsher jail-terms are the solution to crime? Aha.
Think New Zealand won't follow Australia and US foreign policy like a stupid puppy? Okaaay.
Think the rich won't get richer and the poor get poorer? Pfft!
Think they have any better idea on how to tackle domestic violence, infanticide, etc etc?

I saw some stencil art in central Wellington, and it sounds like a good choice as the motto of the soon-to-be national government;
"I'm John Key. I'm rich and you're poor so shut the fuck up."

[Jantar]

I don't see what the problem is. I am a vegetarian in that the only animals I eat are ones that only eat grass.

(except for chickens that eat whatever we have left over; oh and fish... we can't be sure waht they eat; and.....)

On second thoughts, maybe I'm not a vegetarian. But I do sometimes have vegetable with my meat.

[James Deuce]

Quit your bloody whining. "Your lot" will soon have their chance to fuck it all up in their own special right-wing way.
Think hospital waiting lists will be any shorter under a National government? Oh really?
Think harsher jail-terms are the solution to crime? Aha.
Think New Zealand won't follow Australia and US foreign policy like a stupid puppy? Okaaay.
Think the rich won't get richer and the poor get poorer? Pfft!
Think they have any better idea on how to tackle domestic violence, infanticide, etc etc?

I saw some stencil art in central Wellington, and it sounds like a good choice as the motto of the soon-to-be national government;
"I'm John Key. I'm rich and you're poor so shut the fuck up."

I require the help of our Central Government. I make no bones about it. They can't and won't. Don't give me the great lefty lecture. It matters not who is in "power", ordinary people with ordinary needs will not get anything except an ever expanding tax burden.

Now back to the point.

What I eat, or my kids eat is my decision. No one else's. They already get 54% of my income. Yes I know what the income tax says it is supposed to be.

The easiest way to fix the obesity epidemic is to stop the ranting, feminist, vegetarian scaremongers who BELIEVE (Hallelujah Sister!) that every man is a pedophile and a rapist, from insisting that it is unsafe for kids to walk to school and play in a bush reserve with their mates and go to the park or school for a bit of bullrush.

Compulsion is never an answer for anything.

[Ocean1]

But I do sometimes have vegetable with my meat.

A vestage of Vegemite on your deep fried double cheese meat lovers pizza does not a vegetarian make dude, as you well know.

[Karma]

Hmm... it's a tough one...

On one hand, I like eating what I like and don't wanna be told what to do...

On the other hand, if it'd turn a lot of fat chicks into thin chicks... well that's all good by me.

[Ocean1]

They already get 54% of my income. Yes I know what the income tax says it is supposed to be.

You lucky lucky bastard.

Anyone happen to know what the best-guess current total tax take is as a % of GNP? (I say "best guess" because I suspect there's a couple of minor contributions other than mine).

[Drum]

Have you discovered a new tax bracket J2?

I thought 39% was bad enough!

[James Deuce]

Sit down and figure it out one day.

GST

Fuel tax

Sundry fees for Education, and so on and so on.

[Ocean1]

Have you discovered a new tax bracket J2?

I thought 39% was bad enough!

Add GST, fuel sercharges, ACC, and the hundred other under-the-counter taxes and I think a fair few would be looking at 54% and more.

[Jantar]

Have you discovered a new tax bracket J2?

I thought 39% was bad enough!

39% of gross for paye plus 1.5% of gross for ACC leaves you with 59.5% of gross.

Then take off 12.5% of the nett for GST leaves you with 52% of gross. Now take off government levies for acc on vehicles, licence fees, etc, and depending on where you live the rates can be anywhere from 3% - 6% of your gross income.

If Jim2 is left with 46% he is about average.

I'm lucky: Because of where I live I only pay 52% in tax.

[Drum]

Are you telling me to sit down?

You've got a bit of a chip on your shoulder haven't you.

Edit: Maybe, in my scotch riddled state I didn't put 2 and 2 together - but do you have to talk down to people all the time? It gets quite tiresome.

[Magua]

Is this really the government's business? Surely it should be down to personal choice if you eat like a pig and end up the size of one. Thinking of the bigger picture, fat people = unhealthy people, a further burden on the tax payer?

Traffic light labelling sounds good, though a little simplistic.

[James Deuce]

Are you telling me to sit down?

You've got a bit of a chip on your shoulder haven't you.

Edit: Maybe, in my scotch riddled state I didn't put 2 and 2 together - but do you have to talk down to people all the time? It gets quite tiresome.

I'm gobsmacked. I wasn't intending to be patronising.

Yes I do have a chip on my shoulder. I can't get a single fucking thing right.