[Erin]

While I don't think that adding a "junk food tax" will make much difference in how people spend their money on food, I do believe making an effort to lower the prices of food and vegetables would. I have a buch of friends who live on their own and eat like crap just because it's cheaper. It is truly expensive to eat healthy 100% of the time.

I believe regulating food advertisements is a step in the right direction. There are far too many commercials on tv for the newest meal deal at McDonalds or Burger King, the newest chocolate bar, etc. Studies have been done to show that these advertisements do increase sales dramatically, which in turn causes people to go out and buy these fattening foods more often.

However, if the government TRULY wants to make a difference in the growing obesity rate, they need to make a difference in the schools. Most overweight adults have already given up on themselves, but children are still young and impressionable. If schools taught mandatory nutrition courses (worth while courses, not just the teaching of the food groups) and offered fruit in vending machines instead of chips and candy, they would be much more likely to grow into healthy, active adults.