Yay for YEARS WORTH OF CODING.

It teaches you to go buy soda POP in Canada.  We don't make taxes that stupid.  Manage yourselves, idiots.

That ireallylikefood need to clean up this code.

To require them? Yes. People need to learn or decide for themselves how they're going to manage their households, not have it dictated to them.

Do you think it would be too “big brother” to require people in low
income brackets to attend courses on basic household management?

Um, yes. I do, however, think that *everyone* should be taught how to budget and eat properly in school.

@Erika_Steele@xanga - The thing is, nutrition isn't common sense. We're told a lot of things are healthy... like lean cuisine which goes on sale for $2/box. There is a lot of unhealthy crap in those meals, though. It should be common sense to eat fresh fruit and veggies, but unfortunately, there aren't a lot of ads on tv for those.

@Erika_Steele@xanga - nutrition is not common sense. how many people have you seen eat something advertised as "diet" or "sugar-free" when half that shit is worse for you in the long run anyway. many people don't understand that the body breaks down real sugar better than fake, and that the word "fat" isn't always a threat. even if people do read nutrition labels, will they know what all of those big words mean? no, not unless they're educated in it.

I think you're a highly educated person who is taking for granted the fact that not everyone is afforded the same "common sense" learning opportunities that have been offered to you in your life. what is "common sense" to you or I is unknown knowledge to many, many people. not everyone is as smart or educated as you are, and it's ironic how ignorant intelligent people can be, and the lack of comprehension and understanding they can have for other human beings.

to answer the question- there isn't really a way to regulate such classes however, in my county education system we were required to take at least one semester of health classes which briefly and wholly insufficiently covers nutrition for maybe like, 3 days. they should require at least a semester of body health classes in public education systems, with a focus on diet, life planning skills, body functions, and what, on average, makes a person "healthy..." both mentally, and physically. get them young, when they don't have a choice- "take this class or don't graduate" is always a good way to go...

Classes for adults would never be implemented; there’s simply no institutional infrastructure for that. And by then it’s too late anyway--adults will have already developed their eating habits. I think we should put Health as a class back into K-12 education, which is compulsory. Healthy eating habits are NOT common sense. Yes, everybody knows that vegetables are healthy and that we should eat less fat, but do they know to check the serving size on the nutrition facts? Do they know that sugary cereals, which so prominently display the fact that they’re fortified with dozens of vitamins and minerals, are not necessarily good for you? Do they know that kids shouldn’t drink too much fruit juice? And most of all, do they know a few simple recipes for how to make a fairly nutritious, appetizing meal out of dirt-cheap ingredients like potatoes, cabbage, lettuce, and canned corn (not necessarily all together)? I think we could easily design a curriculum for a health class that incorporates healthy eating and cooking, mental health, sex ed, and exercise. I think such a class would do wonders for our nation’s public health, but of course schools are already failing and cutting staff as it is, so it’s just not going to happen in the near future.

As for the soda tax, how is that different from cigarette taxes? I think it's a good idea if there's any evidence that it would reduce soda consumption (and there is).

"basic household management"?  what the hell.  maybe some education on nutrition would be necessary.  

@Erika_Steele@xanga - The whole point is that those things aren't common sense, and that cheap foods don't have to be unhealthy foods. I point this out to people regularly who don't realize that beans and rice is a healthy option if you add in a veggie and don't fry the beans in lard.

I still agree that the required thing would be too much (my thought is the logistics - how would you get that many classes organized? How would you make sure it was accessible to every single person within a certain timeframe? How would you process the people who insist they don't have time to attend? etc) I haven't seen any programs quite like this out there, though, and would like to see what I can do about arranging one in the future.

The soda tax had me LOL-ing for so long. Can you believe it? It's almost like a Prohibition with sugar, just like in The Simpsons.

Well it's not really a Prohibition, just tax, and it might work, slightly. I mean a lot of people quit smoking cigarettes because of the heavy taxes. It just sound ridiculous to tax soda though. People shouldn't be allowed to buy soda, or artificial juices with their foodstamps.

The first is not an intelligent statement for someone to make.  I only have 12.99 for a pizza?  Uhh, then spend that 12.99 on a packet of white rice (at least two meals for a big family), a couple of zuchini, a packet of fresh chicken, and a few tomatoes.  Chop it all up and you've got 2 meals for less than the 12.99 pizza. Two healthier, cheaper meals.  I don't make a lot of money and so can't buy the best organic, but any vegetable is better than a perporoni pizza.  I spend less money grocery shopping and making simple healthy meals, than I would going out.  And not by a little bit!

The second argument is their own fault.  There are millions of resources on the internet that tell you how to cook on a low budget, how to shop etc.  I understand 50  years ago you had to learn from someone (but back then most grandmothers would teach you if you asked) but now you have the endless resources of the internet.  If you want to educate yourself you can.  This is better than some class that will only have so much information to give.  This is the experiences of millions of people worldwide, showing how they've done it.  Use the best advice that fits your life.  If you want to know, it there for you!

um.. wouldnt a better solution be to just start teaching this stuff in schools now?