good ol' times

todays post comes courtesy of jontie (our womble).
these are from a night that we had at the kingslander, over 2 years ago.
a point to note - cossie still looks the same when hes pissed.

its cheaper to be fat and die young

for all our talk of improving our health and lifestyle, there doesnt seem to be a lot of putting the money where the mouth is. or is it that we just put our money into our mouths?

i was in the supermarket last night after going to the gym. i was looking for some fruit for the week, some meat to make a stew for dinners and a nice piece of steak to have with salad for dinner that night. apples - over $5.00 per kilo! tomatoes - over $5.00 per kilo! lamb - over $18.00 per kilo! i just about died.
and jontie, who has just gotten home from seeing his parents in australia, was so astounded at the price of fresh fruit, vegetables and meat, took a pxt and sent it to his dad. i could have gone to mcdonalds for all my meals that week and paid less than one trip to the supermarket (possibly as i dont buy bread, cheese and milk which have risen in price at even more astronomical rates).

i believe that we should be rewarded for eating healthy food, working out and taking supplements. instead it appears we are penalised by exhorbitant prices for food. surely the idea that other countries can remove the goods and services tax on fresh foods means new zealand can investigate that further? i have read commentary that suggests that a flat low tax rate hinders tax avoidance - but with only a small tax cut in sight and taxes on petrol set to increase, surely enough is enough. why not consider using gst as a luxury tax?
the government doesnt want to regulate advertising for junk food in childrens viewing times ( i dont know why) but it should be encouraging adults to eat healthier and exercise more and therefore set a good example. changing advertising rules isnt going to help but there is more than one way to trap a kiwi, and the wallet is a good start.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/topic/story.cfm?c_id=206&objectid=10506604&pnum=0

Prime Minister Helen Clark has said it is unlikely GST on food will be removed, despite growing support for the tax's abolition as consumers struggle to cope with rising prices.
The cost of filling the average supermarket trolley has jumped by more than a quarter in the past year, as the effect of international food shortages hits New Zealand.
A Weekend Herald comparison showed butter, cheese and some varieties of bread had more than doubled in price. Most meat, vegetables and fish were also much more expensive.
But Helen Clark this morning told Newstalk ZB it was unlikely the Government would make any changes to GST.
"GST has been in place since the mid-1980s and that was when schemes like family support, which has now become the much bigger and more significant Working for Families, began," she said.
"Obviously there will be some tax relief announced in the budget and I think it's going to be very, very timely for families."
A petition urging abolition of GST on food is gathering support outside Auckland supermarkets.

is it possible to have a discount offered on our healthcare as we take responsibilities for our heart and lungs and liver? i appreciate that my health care insurer is a private company - but i still pay my premiums as well as my gym membership which in turn keeps my claim rate down. actually at nil.
in australia it was estimated that if each person lost 1 kilogram of body weight, they could save approximately 30% of their healthcare budget. think what that would do for new zealand - for our education, transport, world cup stadiums!!
and dont even get me started on supplements ... over 50% increase in the last 12 months.

its so much cheaper for me to be fat, eat unhealthy food, take no supplements and get the goverment to subsidise my mobility scooter to haul my lard ass around. besides, i will probably die younger too.