Tax meat products
According to analysts with Farm Animal Investment Risk and Return, a tax on meat is likely within the next decade if governments hope to cover the true cost of people’s addiction to eating flesh — including the public health epidemics of obesity, diabetes and cancer, as well as antibiotic-resistance and climate change. PETA has been calling for a meat tax for years, as well as a tax on dairy products and eggs.
Just as cigarettes, alcohol and gasoline are taxed to help offset their health and environmental costs, it’s reasonable to tax unhealthy — and unnecessary — foods that harm humans and animals, waste resources, and contribute to climate change.
Meat, dairy products, and eggs are linked to cancer, heart disease, diabetes and other life-threating illnesses. According to the United Nations, producing animal-based foods requires more resources and causes more greenhouse-gas emissions than producing plant-based ones.
A 10-cent tax on every pound of meat — and a modest tax on each dairy item and carton of eggs — would give consumers yet another incentive to eat tasty vegan foods, which are humane, environmentally friendly, and relatively inexpensive, especially if you factor in the medical costs that can result from eating a diet high in fatty, cholesterol-laden animal-based foods.
Lindsay Pollard-Post, The PETA Foundation, Nofolk, Va.
Net neutrality
I hope President Donald Trump will listen to the American people and keep net neutrality. If he rejects the FCC’s decision to repeal net neutrality, this would be a huge win! The public would love this and the businesses that don’t agree with him can’t afford to publicly hate him! He is the president and he needs to help us. If he helps us keep net neutrality, I’ll be able to vote for him in the next election.
Robert Fuentes, McAllen
