Samoa Air to start charging passengers according to their weight

[GP_Matt]

Originally Posted by SebC

If we, as a society, were to prioritize quality of life over extending life, it would then make sense that people who want that extended life should be allowed to have it with the caveat that they must bear the costs for it. That would still be different than a blanket surcharge for seniors though.

That gets a bit to close to private health care though for Canadian tastes. Can you imagine the outrage if a politician proposed that people be encouraged to die gracefully but if they pay the doctor a little extra he can extend their life.

[valo403]

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

Not sure roads/fire departments/hospitals are luxuries.

I seem to racall there being some talk about charging for CFD, but I might have that wrong. Appears to be for false alarms:

http://www.calgary.ca/CSPS/Fire/Page...larm-fees.aspx





I do know that Alberta Transport attempts to recover their costs for clean up/ fire trucks that happen on highways/roads.

I didn't say that fire departments are luxuries and I didn't even comment on hospitals, so I'm not sure where you're even coming from with that.

Toll roads are debatable, many of them are luxuries in that they offer a quicker route than the non-tolled alternative. I can get from Manhattan to New Jersey without paying a toll, but it's easier if I hop in the tunnel and pay to do it.

[SebC]

Originally Posted by GP_Matt

That gets a bit to close to private health care though for Canadian tastes. Can you imagine the outrage if a politician proposed that people be encouraged to die gracefully but if they pay the doctor a little extra he can extend their life.

I would still keep it within the public system, but you're right that it would be a tough sell politically.

[theg69]

The policy does make sense but I highly doubt it would ever be implemented in North America. It would be a PR disaster. Plus, all the tall people would be outraged, because they are being charged a higher premium because of their genetics.

In terms of measurements that more accurately depict health, waist circumference is by far the best and in the future will likely be the new scale in which we quantify obesity.
BMI is extremely flawed, especially in men because of muscle mass. I knew a colleague who saw a patient with a BMI over 30 and assumed they were obese. He started to counsel them on diet and exercise when the patient took off his winter jacket and layers of clothing. He turned out to be a bodybuilder! LOL.

I am a huge proponent of a junk food tax. There is something wrong in this world when milk costs considerably more than pop. It will never happen because the big corporations have these huge influential lobby groups that would prevent anything that that to pass through the government.

[Thor]

Mostly people are moving away from fat jokes and blaming fat people.

This is the one segment of society that is still something acceptable to mock and insult, hopefully this will change.

[GGG]

Originally Posted by SebC

If we, as a society, were to prioritize quality of life over extending life, it would then make sense that people who want that extended life should be allowed to have it with the caveat that they must bear the costs for it. That would still be different than a blanket surcharge for seniors though.

The thing is we already do it. Only certain procedures and drugs are covered here. Its just done quietly. Really we just need to hold the line on current covered procedures and not add anything that costs more even though it may extend life. Kind of like balancing the budget by freezing spending and letting gdp growth catch up.

[SebC]

Originally Posted by Thor

Mostly people are moving away from fat jokes and blaming fat people.

This is the one segment of society that is still something acceptable to mock and insult, hopefully this will change.

Fat people, ugly people, stupid people, stinky people...

Fat is an undesirable trait, and one that most people have a fair degree of control over. Society doesn't owe them any coddling.

[SebC]

Originally Posted by GGG

The thing is we already do it. Only certain procedures and drugs are covered here. Its just done quietly. Really we just need to hold the line on current covered procedures and not add anything that costs more even though it may extend life. Kind of like balancing the budget by freezing spending and letting gdp growth catch up.

I disagree, I feel we don't prioritize quality of life over extending life to anywhere near the degree to which we should.

[jayswin]

Originally Posted by SebC

Fat people, ugly people, stupid people, stinky people...

Fat is an undesirable trait, and one that most people have a fair degree of control over. Society doesn't owe them any coddling.

Boy, you seem like a really pleasant person.

[Stormchaser]

here is an article about some "personalized pricing" potentially coming our way.

As early as this month, airlines worldwide may start testing a strategy that could customise airfare pricing and itinerary results based on who is searching. These personalised fares could be affected by where you live, how often you fly, the kind of travel you do and other personal information.

http://www.bbc.com/travel/blog/20130...-pricing-works

[Devils'Advocate]

Originally Posted by SebC

Fat people, ugly people, stupid people, stinky people...

Fat is an undesirable trait, and one that most people have a fair degree of control over. Society doesn't owe them any coddling.

I'm going to assume you were never obese. Otherwise you wouldn't say anything so ignorant. Obese people have a fair degree of control over the weight as much as a crack addict has control over their addiction.

[SebC]

Originally Posted by Devils'Advocate

I'm going to assume you were never obese. Otherwise you wouldn't say anything so ignorant. Obese people have a fair degree of control over the weight as much as a crack addict has control over their addiction.

I can see there'd be an element of truism in this, because anyone who's got control over weight and chooses to exercise it would not be obese. But really, you're telling me all obese people are addicts? And that we can't make fun of crack addicts?

If we treated crack addicts the way some people think we should treat obese people, it would be "Hey, it's not your fault your a crack addict and you're just as beautiful as a non-crack addicted person!", "We need more positive images of crack addicts in media!", "You should be comfortable in your crack-addicted skin!", etc. Sorry, I can't endorse that. Obese is gross. Anyone who tells you otherwise is lying to you, and I don't see the value such lies.

[Devils'Advocate]

I think there is more compassion for the plight of drug addicts than there is for the plight of food addicts. Your post reeks of that lack of compassion. But to answer each of your questions:

- Yes, all obese people are food addicts. It comes with the territory. If they didn't start out as food addicts, as the weight goes on, the more it becomes an addiction. Just like a drug user becomes more dependant as use grows.
- Sure, you can make fun of crack addicts. But that doesn't help them with their plight and only builds you up by tearing others down. If you get your jollies by kicking people when they are down, by all means....

I watched "Hungry for Change" last weekend and was talking to the people in my Overeater's Anonymous group about it... how parents don't give alcohol or cigarettes or other drugs to their children, but overload them on bad sugary, fatty foods. And once that addiction is in place, it is EXTREMELY difficult to get rid of. So I think an understanding of that plight, a tolerance and acceptance need to be made towards the obese.... it is incredibly hard to overcome and your scorn does not help.

[SebC]

Originally Posted by Devils'Advocate

So I think an understanding of that plight, a tolerance and acceptance need to be made towards the obese.... it is incredibly hard to overcome and your scorn does not help.

If you agree that obesity is something one would want to overcome, then logically it cannot also be something to accept (or worse, to glorify).

[saskflames69]

This sort of relates to the topic so I'll post it here.

I was checking in my suitcase at McCarran International earlier Friday and I found out my bag was 2 lbs over the weight limit. The woman at the counter said it would be a $50 fee. So naturally I had to open up my bag and take out a bunch of clothes and place them in my brother's bag to get myself under the weight limit.

What I noticed was that a relatively overweight man was in line right behind us. He must have weighed at least 260 pounds.. that's more than my younger brother and I combined.

Now what I must ask is why are some airlines so concerned with weight limits on checked bags, even as little as 2 lbs over, when some passengers are clearly carrying too much weight themselves?

[Devils'Advocate]

Originally Posted by SebC

If you agree that obesity is something one would want to overcome, then logically it cannot also be something to accept (or worse, to glorify).

There is a woman at work who is clinically depressed. She is seeing a psychiatrist and taking medication for the problem. I accept her for who she is, accommodations are sometimes made for her situation and I am good with that. Depression is something that one would want to overcome, and it is also something that I can accept and tolerate. I certainly wouldn't scorn her for her condition, mock her condition or otherwise denigrate her.

[Devils'Advocate]

Originally Posted by saskflames69

This sort of relates to the topic so I'll post it here.

I was checking in my suitcase at McCarran International earlier Friday and I found out my bag was 2 lbs over the weight limit. The woman at the counter said it would be a $50 fee. So naturally I had to open up my bag and take out a bunch of clothes and place them in my brother's bag to get myself under the weight limit.

What I noticed was that a relatively overweight man was in line right behind us. He must have weighed at least 260 pounds.. that's more than my younger brother and I combined.

Now what I must ask is why are some airlines so concerned with weight limits on checked bags, even as little as 2 lbs over, when some passengers are clearly carrying too much weight themselves?

If they could, they would. It's really stupid. I have two bags, one that is 2 pounds over the limit and the other is 10 pounds under the limit. Yet I have to move the 2 pounds into the other bag. It's just an extra fee the airlines can charge you with. They will ding people any way they can.

The stupidest thing is that THEY NEED HEAVY LUGGAGE. I was on a trip once where they accidentally put our flight's luggage on the 6:30pm flight rather than our 7pm flight. So once we were all boarded onto the plane they came on and said they had good news and bad news. When we got into Ottawa our luggage would already be on the floor and not have to wait for the carrousel. Bad news was that it was going to be another 20 minutes while they loaded sand bags into the luggage compartment to balance out the plane. So in other words they charge you for something that they need to complete the trip.

[MarchHare]

The stupidest thing is that THEY NEED HEAVY LUGGAGE. I was on a trip once where they accidentally put our flight's luggage on the 6:30pm flight rather than our 7pm flight. So once we were all boarded onto the plane they came on and said they had good news and bad news. When we got into Ottawa our luggage would already be on the floor and not have to wait for the carrousel. Bad news was that it was going to be another 20 minutes while they loaded sand bags into the luggage compartment to balance out the plane. So in other words they charge you for something that they need to complete the trip.

More accurately, flights need to be properly weighted and balanced, and the airlines make certain assumptions about the average baggage weight per passenger.

It's not true to say that they need "heavy" luggage; rather, they need a certain weight range of luggage in the compartment to properly balance the plane. Yes, it's no big deal if a few passengers pack extra-heavy bags, but if everyone brought overweight bags, then the plane would have difficulty taking off. The fee for overweight bags is to discourage this behaviour.

Read more here.