It was 3:30 a.m. and I was in the school convenience store wandering around for a few minutes before deciding to buy some beef jerky, Chex mix and a whole box of Pringles. I woke up in the afternoon to find that I had already eaten everything I had bought that morning, except for five Pringles. If it isn't already obvious, like most college students, I don't eat very healthily. Unfortunately, many Americans also don't eat very healthily, leading our government to offer many possible solutions. One such solution is a “Fat Tax,” where the government levies an additional tax on unhealthy foods. However, there are many obstacles to the adoption of the law. While there are reasons why a fat tax might be a good idea, many negative aspects related to the U.S. healthcare system and its population clearly overshadow the possible benefits. For example, some people believe obesity is hampering our health care system, but many experts believe any tax on food could have unintended consequences. A tax on unhealthy foods is not how the United States should treat its unhealthy citizens. This “fat tax” is more of an idea to levy a tax on unhealthy foods than an actual tax. There have been many proposals to tax some foods based on fat-to-weight ratio, others based on fat-to-nutrition ratio, and some even tax sugary soft drinks, but they all have one intention: make people healthier. Not all fat taxes are proposals. Indeed, Australia, just like the United States, does not levy sales tax on food, but unlike the United States, Australia imposes its sales tax on unhealthy foods. It's not entirely unprecedented, in fact the Bread Assizes were the first dietary law passed in 1202 for England...... middle of paper ......Lawmakers speak out on the "Fat Tax", WNYC, January 22, 2010. Internet. February 4, 2010 Levenson, Barry and Doering, Ronald L (REVIEWER). "Cod Habeas: An Introduction to the History of American Food Law." » Food in Canada June 1, 2003: ABI/INFORM Trade & Industry, ProQuest. Internet. February 4, 2010.McColl, Karen. “Big taxes” and the financial crisis. The Lancet. London: March 7, 2009. Vol. 373, Iss. 9666, p. 797-8 (2 p.). Print.Mello, Michelle M. “Obesity: personal choice or public health problem? Nature Clinical practice Endocrinology and metabolism 4.1 (2008): 2-. Print.Stéphan Marette, Jutta Roosen and Sandrine Blanchemanche. “Taxes and subsidies to change eating habits when information is not enough: an application to fish consumption.” Journal of Regulatory Economics 34.2 (2008): 119. Print. “Investigation: Outflank the enemy; future. » The Economist 369.8354 (2003): 15. Print