Obama set on bankrupting states

How bad has it gotten for states in the current economy? Unlike the federal government, the state governments can't just print more money when they need it. They have to rely on infusions of cash from the feds or raise taxes.

Yes, it's gotten so bad that Maine is actually gearing up to tax clown and juggler performances.

Ominously, this is all pre-ObamaCare. No one is sure how much health care reform will cost state governments, but the estimates have gone up steadily. If the bill functions properly, 16 million new people will be pushed onto the Medicaid rolls, for which states will pick up part of the tab. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger believes ObamaCare will cost California an additional $3 to $4 trillion per year. The Golden State is already collapsing under a budget deficit of $6 trillion with no foreseeable way out.

Everyone knew this was coming. When Massachusetts enacted its own health care reform plan, which ObamaCare was modeled after, costs to the government skyrocketed (and so did premiums to the consumer). Massachusetts Treasurer Tim Cahill has said that the program would have singlehandedly bankrupted the state if it weren't for federal funds bailing them out.

Soda weight loss research has White House fingerprints all over it

It begins.

U.S. researchers estimate that an 18 percent tax on pizza and soda can push down U.S. adults' calorie intake enough to lower their average weight by 5 pounds (2 kg) per year.

The researchers, writing in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine on Monday, suggested taxing could be used as a weapon in the fight against obesity, which costs the United States an estimated $147 billion a year in health costs.

Kiyah Duffey, the head researcher, is funded by a grant from Obama's Center for Disease Control. Duffey is working on behalf of Healthy Living 2010, a government program that searches for new ways to prevent obesity and promote good health. Of course, Duffey could have just as easily produced a study that said, "Running three miles per day can help U.S. adults lose five pounds in one month." But the CDC isn't looking for practical solutions. They're looking for ways for the government to stick its nose into your health. One of Healthy Living 2010's stated goals is actually to "Prevent inappropriate weight gain in youth and adults."

OWN shout out: Is there an impartial researcher out there who can confirm the 5lbs figure? It sounds suspiciously high to us.

The fat police researchers, based in Chicago (where else?), are harping about how much money this would save the United States. Every time someone talks about reducing national health care costs instead of individual health care costs, we may as well already have socialized medicine. In a world where everyone pays for everyone else's health care, how much your neighbor eats and drinks and exercises is suddenly your business. All those fatties who scarf down pizza and soda are costing you money! Tax the hell out of them!

According to Duffey, "Our findings suggest that national, state or local policies to alter the price of less healthful foods and beverages may be one possible mechanism for steering U.S. adults toward a more healthful diet." It's Cass Sunstein's theory: People can't be trusted to make decisions for themselves so they have to be "nudged" by the government. Right now health nannies have had the most luck with this stuff in progressive states, which explains why you can't buy a pack of cigarettes in New York or New England for under $6 anymore. But with Obama ramming his health care bill through and Sunstein enjoying his czardom, how long until the federal government starts sticking its nose into what you eat and drink?