Pizza, hamburgers, and fries.... mmmm..... (you forgot donuts)

All the food groups! Lol.

But seriously, young people eat junk. That's fine (well, at least survivable) as long as you're active. Combine junk with the over-digitized, couch potato generation, and these young people may not get to become old people.

Obviously, the author isn't college educated. LOL.

There are fewer college students in total than high school educated people.

This is the new math they teach today in the union teacher classrooms.

And the author responds "I'm a writer not a mathematician!" LOL

Ashrakay-54 - Even if the population of college-educated students are smaller. It would only indicate that having a college education increases your risk of high blood pressure. Because the percentage effected is higher for that population.

Whitsel offered four ways to keep high blood pressure from getting too high:

1. Eat a balanced and healthy diet high in fruits and vegetables.

2. Reduce intake of sodium, which has a prominent effect on blood pressure levels, to less than 2,300 milligrams per day.

3. Limit daily alcohol consumption to two drinks or less for men and one drink or less for women.

4. Make sure you exercise regularly. Adults should get at least 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity every week, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

When pigs fly!

I bet my life, that at least 95% americans aren't going to follow any of these guidelines if they have high blood pressure. We are the laziest and fattest nation in the world, who are they kidding?

I should add to my statement above that I don't believe having a college education increases ones risk of hyper tension. This is why you have to be very careful with statistics. You can draw all sorts of correlations that are false.

More than likely it is could be because college educated people have higher stress jobs, have more disposable income so they eat out more, etc. I seriously doubt that education or lack there of alone would affect blood pressure.

Read it again carefully. It makes perfect sense.

22% of college educated people were LESS LIKELY TO HAVE HBP

17% of high school educated people were LESS LIKELY TO HAVE HBP

This means if you are 22% less likely to have something negative, you are better off than someone who is only 17% less likely to have something negative. It's NOT a measure of the percentage of people in these groups that DO have HBP.

This is not causation, btw; going to college does not automatically mean you will have lower blood pressure. This data is probably the result of being better educated about nutrition, being exposed to more food choices and healthier lifestyles in college, and likely making more money after school than someone with just a high school diploma, allowing you to afford higher quality, healthier food. People with lower incomes tend to eat worse, as carbs and fast food are cheaper than healthier alternatives. These are just a few examples of the hundreds of factors in play here.

I suppose it could be read that way. However the sentence immediately preceding it was:

However, some trends did emerge. Researchers found that men were more likely than women to have hypertension (27 percent of men, versus 11 percent women).

In that sentence the parenthetical information seems to indicate percentages of people having high BP. Using the same format in the following sentence (# percent verses # percent) without adding any other information would lead one to believe that author was still referring to actual numbers of people having HBP - not to the propensity of a group to not develop a condition.

Regarding the education posts above, I came across a paper recently, written by a high school senior, that actually used the phrase "baggin' b!tches" and was graded with a 100%...Thanks to "No Child Left Behind" he is on his way to college...Our tax dollars at work.

I was 33 when they put me on medicine for blood pressure. The doctor suggested it was stress. By age 36 I had to admit it wasn't stress, it was by big fat ass. I was disgusted with myself. So I started eating healthier, went vegan, learned to cook (vegans must cook for themselves), joined a gym and even got a personal trainer once a week (could only afford it for 9 months, but that was enough to learn how to do it myself). I've lost over 55lbs, my BP dropped almost as soon as I started dieting, all my blood work is perfect. My GP was extremely impressed with my muscle tone and heart rate. I have around 30lbs left to lose (not sure exactly, I've never been a healthy weight), I feel AWESOME, I have tons of energy! I've been working out regularly for a year and I am totally addicted to it. I am SO happy I finally got off the couch and took care of myself!

Good for you, Indigo Halo and kaviaq. I'm 54, and my blood pressure stays around 110/65. I'm not a vegetarian, but I do eat very little meat. I attribute my great blood pressure to a good healthy diet and exercise, since a lot of my family members and friends my age have high blood pressure. You two encourage me to keep up the good work! You do so also!

This is SO bizzare! I was going to make a comment on how my husband lost 30 lbs. and his blood pressure went down, and then I decided to put a comment about me first, but I put HIS age, 54, not MY age, which is 49! Then, I forgot to put a comment about him! Anyway, 110/65 is good for any age, right? His is about the same. And, congrats to my hubby for his lifestyle improvement also!

Anyway, 110/65 is good for any age, right?

Definitely! And it is great that you have both improved your lifestyle. It is harder if only one partner is making healthy choices!

So true! Thanks!

Well lets turn to the government for this too.Why bother taking responsibly for your own life? We need someone to blame for our slovenly lifestyles, right?

Well, if 1 in 5 people have high blood pressure and need extra medical care it costs all of us money in terms of higher health insurance costs, or higher taxes if those individuals are on Medicaid. Obesity is a huge contributor to the overall cost of health care in this country.

Sometimes, thinking outside of narrow, closed mindsets, is a good idea.

Or are we thinking that big pharma really cares about us and wants us to be healthy instead of being able to sell us beta-blockers and statins for the rest of our lives.

I'm 29 years old, neither over or underweight. I'm 5'10", exercise regularly and have run several marathons. I have hypertension. You don't have to be obese or a couch potatoe to have it. That's what makes it so dangerous.

The quality of the food in the U.S. isn't low; the quality of food many people choose to consume, both young and old, is poor. Key word: choose. Unless a person truly lives in a "food desert" (and contrary to what the media tries to tell us, most Americans do not), eating a poor diet is a choice. Can't afford fresh produce? Buy frozen. In a pinch, canned fruits (packed in juice) or vegetables (lower sodium if available). Potatoes are cheap and nutritious when baked or boiled and not loaded with full fat sour cream AND butter AND bacon. Beans and eggs in limited quantities are cheap and filling sources of protein. Furthermore, young people tend to be a heck of lot less active than they used to be and form bad eating habits at early ages. Children learn what they live and grow up to mirror their parents' poor habits. Furthermore, the quality of health care isn't low, but the cost can be high if a person doesn't have insurance. With people in their twenties, even when affordable health insurance is available, many choose to opt out as they think that they don't truly need it. (I've seen this happen at many a workplace, despite the fact that the cost of the employer-provided insurance would cost less that what some of those people spend on going out and partying during the month.)

Did you go by a school recently and watch the gym or play activities. Schools ban most dangerous sports like kickball and team sports because the kids that loose will have a low self-esteem. No one exercises any more. Climbing the rope is out because you might fall. Girls don't have to exercise at their special time of the month.

We are raising a generation of people that can barely fit in the bathroom of a airplane. It is sad.....

If any of you bothered to read the entire article, it clearly says that high blood pressure spans all people in the study and there was no concentration in people who are obese.

"And we found the results across every demographic: age, race, ethnicity, gender and level of obesity," Whitsel said. "So it didn’t seem like it was concentrated within a particular group of individuals."

There are numerous causes for high blood pressure, from diet, to genetics, to lack of exercises, etc. To say this is solely because of obesity is to ignore many people who have the disease due to other factors. Everyone should have their blood pressure checked on a regular basis. Keeping your blood pressure in check when you are younger can add years to your life by helping to avoid more serious heart problems when you get older. Contrary to what the article says, sodium is not a big issue in causing someone to have high blood pressure. If you are not prone to high blood pressure, high sodium intake will not cause you to have it. However, if you are prone to high blood pressure, limiting your sodium intake can help to control it.

You can't lay the blame entirely on people. Why is there a fast food restaurant every 20 feet? Why do most foods (other than produce) have an excessive amount of calories, fat, sugar and sodium? Why do most supermarkets have a very small produce section but endless aisles of ice cream, processed food, sweets and sodas? Why are communities catered towards drivers and not those that would rather walk or bike ride? Why does every other commercial have a closeup of a huge burger? The more we consume, the better for them.

As yourself this, are we being lured to make decisions that will turn us into a nation full of fatasses?

Um, I can lay the blame mostly on people. Who buys the stuff that you describe that tries to pass itself off as food? Who consumes it? The "devil made me do it" of advertising and near constant availability of junk food is hardly an excuse. Even the local Aldi where I do most of my basic shopping has a decent, if basic selection of inexpensive produce. (Much of it grown in the U.S.A., but I digress...) Are there rows of junk? Yes. Do I buy it? Mostly, no. I do wish that communities were more geared towards pedestrians and cyclists. When I was in college, I walked or rode my bike. When I lived in the city, I used public transit but still walked a great deal of the time. Now that I live in the suburbs, which are too driver-centric for my taste, I don't have as many opportunities to walk. I live fairly close to work, though and hope to start walking to work at least a few days each week. I do understand that it's a privilege to be able to walk to work, but it's still a conscious decision that I'm making. Despite a lack of obesity in myself or in my family, I'm also aware that I do have a family history of high blood pressure. Making lifestyle decisions that may tip the balance of health in my favor is imperative. Would it be easier to eat the treats (I see that close-up of a burger or other bad-for-me food as an occassional indulgence) as a dietary mainstay instead of cooking most nights? Heck, yes. Ultimately it's up to each individual to make their own choices and not blame society, advertising, and the market for their poor health. If the demand was not there for a fast food restaurant to exist every twenty feet, they would not exist. Corporations spend a great deal of money on market research; very little, if anything is left to chance.

While I agree what one consumes is an individual choice, I also blame the constant barrage of food advertising in this country, especially that targeted towards kids. Sugary cereals with cute shapes, frozen pizza-like snacks, processed lunchables, and soda, soda, soda. How can apples and carrots compete?

I would love to walk into a 7-11 and pick up a couple rolls of kimbob (Korean seaweed rolls). Good stuff and makes a great snack, but it needs to be made fresh. Even finding fruit at a quickie mart can be difficult, but there are plenty of candy bars and chips.

what_the_81

"You can't lay the blame entirely on people."

Almost entirely, last I checked people have free will.

" Why is there a fast food restaurant every 20 feet?"

Because people go to them = demand

"Why do most foods (other than produce) have an excessive amount of calories, fat, sugar and sodium?"

Because people buy that crap = demand

"Why do most supermarkets have a very small produce section but endless aisles of ice cream, processed food, sweets and sodas?"

Because people buy that crap = demand

"Why are communities catered towards drivers and not those that would rather walk or bike ride?"

Because the country is full of fat people that get winded walking to the end of their driveway.

"Why does every other commercial have a closeup of a huge burger?"

Once again, use that free will, read labels. And remember that burger never looks like the one in the picture anyway.

Hypertension's a silent killer. If untreated, before you know it, your kidneys have failed. A few of my friends suffered from hypertension and they were placed on kidney dialysis, 3 times a week, for the rest of their shortened lives. Most didn't live longer than three more years. One did live five years longer, but that was it, All of them got put on a long waiting list for a compatible donor kidney. None arrived.

One day he came down with pneumonia, and it was a double whammy since he had to keep going on dialysis... so the physical stress that was being imposed upon him proved to be too much for his weak body to handle, and so he died of suffocation.

And the cost of treatment and all of his medical bills were mounting up, particularly the portion that his optional, private medical insurance coverage wouldn't pay. If it wasn't for his primary Medicare coverage, he would have died, maybe in two years, instead of five.

erictheredherring
Yes, it could mostly be about demand and people's free will that are detrimental to society. But don't you think it's possible just sometimes that the tail is wagging the dog? I know that humans will always have the urge to eat and reproduce since it's a survival instinct, but you don't see excesses like this in other countries - which must say something about food makers and others taking this too far.

If no one buys it then the businesses will either have to change their menu or go out of business. You don't have to be gullible and buy what they are trying to sell you, do your research.

It's really that simple.

While I do agree that we make the choice of what we are eating, I can't help but notice the prices of "good food" compared to "crap food". I can spend double the amount of money buying only very healthy foods, that I would have on a bunch of junk food, and wind up with half the amount. People don't have a lot of money, they can either be money-minded or health-minded, but when you are living paycheck to paycheck, obese or not, you cannot do both.

Unfortunately it often is a case of "you get what you pay for". If you do a little research there are often times deals to be found. For instance we walk to a farmers market downtown on the weekends. The price of fruits & veggies are less than at the grocery store and we support local growers. There are also natural grocers around that typically have healthier versions of products, yes they sometimes cost a bit more.

Money can be saved by most people by just preparing your own meals & not going out to eat as often.

gary - you are extremely motivated ! I wonder how many hours you've spent doing the grueling task of running? Let us approximate. 45 yrs x 365 days x 1 hour per day = 16,425 hours. Wow !! That's 684 days or 1.9 years of your life (thus far) spent running. Ug ! I sure hope it extends your life by a lot more than that. Otherwise, ain't worth it. Being obese certaintly isn't the alternative. I think perhaps a moderate compromise would help us live the longest......30 minutes of brisk walking every day.

Once you turn running into a habit, you start to enjoy it.

gary - You need to look at the tornado photos a little more closely. You see it is the overweight fat people that survived while the normal or skinny people got blown away by the high winds.

Being a chunky monkey in a high wind has it's advantages.

This has far more to do with the fact that younger people typically work longer hours because of the current job climate: If you don't work an hour or two overtime, they'll find someone whose willing. Couple that with the fact that most jobs today promote sedentary lifestyles and what have you got?

I'm actually grateful that I have a job doing bench science: better to be on my feet most of the day than stuck at a desk.

Endocrine - Following your "logic" that working long hours creates overweight people then the 9% that are unemployed must be string beans?

So unemployment is good for us and that is why Obama does nothing to try and create more private sector jobs. He would just be creating more opportunities for people to be fat and Michelle would be angry with him. LOL

Where's your logic? When did I say 'anything' about the kinds of lifestyle unemployed people are leading for you to make that inference?

Sitting at a desk for 10 hours a day, sitting in the car for an hour while you commute, and coming home late where all there is to do is sit to watch TV and surf the internet... that's going to lead to weight gain and heart disease. Office jobs can be very conducive to that.

Beev: You're quite a guy !

@texas

........"When I was in my twenties, the nagging started out about my blood while illnesses with real symptoms got trivialized or ignored.".........

HBP has "real symptoms". The Dr. checks your pressure and tells you it is too high. If you take your medication and monitor your BP, you will likely be fine. Don't take it and you will eventually pay the price by stroke or death. Your choice.

Generation have lived and died on this earth without the blood pressure industry.

You neglected to include the operative word: early. Generation have lived and died early on this earth without the blood pressure industry.

Yes, from stroke and heart attacks. They've also gone blind, deaf and lost other capacities and lived for years as vegetables. Are you serious? Elevated BP is one of the easiest problems to treat in most patients. Many of the medications to treat high BP are available at discount pharmacies for $4/month. Who's getting rich on that?

I went out for a while and I have been off it a while. Yes, high blood pressure, if it is a real disease, is quite easy to treat.

The hypertension industry provides the medical profession a technique, the cuff, and chemicals, drugs, which have a pretty good probability of lowering blood pressure. This is in a manner acceptable to them. They also get to preach along with it, which thrills their egos.

To treat another illness requires more WORK! Other illnesses have early symptoms, too. And the medical profession's failure to treat my other illnesses have cost insurance companies, the government, and me a lot of money.

Generations (plural) have lived and died on this earth without the benefit of the hypertension industry. Many other factors contribute to longevity. Statistically, blood pressure drugs only add a few months to longevity. Oh sure, some people get strokes and heart attacks early without taking them.

People with normal blood pressure also have strokes and heart attacks. The main cause of heart attacks in America is Monday morning.

Drug companies are getting rich off $4 generics, just like candy companies are getting rich by candy bars that cost up to a $1.00.

Blood pressure medicines have side effects like any other drug. They don't want to tell us too much about the side effects of high blood pressure drugs.

YOUR WORDS:

'medical' world wasn't eating bon bons, fried chicken and ice cream, playing x-box or selling burgers

MY REPLAY:

Do you have around with the medical world nonstop? You really don't know. There are lots of fat doctors. Also, lots of doctors own part of restaurants serving high fat dinners. Doctors also have a reputation for making bad business choices. To you it might be good news if they mismanage a restaurant.

A lot of doctors do manage to successfully overbill the government and insurance. Luckily, computer systems are becoming more sophisticated.

Everyone on this earth dies!

Bonnie - You may be on to something. Do you ever see some of the over weight blobs in line at the fast food joints? They Super-size and Double-up all the items on their plate and then go back for more. If they just had more money they would go to fine dining establishments and order better food.

Maybe we should stop giving out so many food-stamps?

What a joke! Blood pressure pills are one of the most widely drugs! All the government and charity clinics dish them out like candy!

You may not be able to get much of anything else treated, but you will always have that blood pressure cuffed strapped on you.

Any woman can find a free mammogram and pap smear too. And a cholesterol check!

It's absurd to tell a woman to get a mammogram or else she will die. Every man or woman who has had a mammogram or takes blood pressure meds will die anyway!

We need more symptomatic treatments, treatment of illnesses with real symptoms.

Any doctor who truly believes prevention is better than cure is hoping to work him or herself out of a job!

Illness is part of the human condition. Sick people provide a purpose to people who like to work in the healing professions. In the US, certain people profit greatly off serving the sick.

Golly gee, in the twentieth century, docs thought antibiotics would eradicate infectious disease. Then bacteria started improving its ability to fight back against antibiotics Everything in life has a price. Antibiotics work against many bacteria, and throw off the body's balance, and yeast starts growing wild.

And then a supervirus, AIDS, developed and spread. Also, tuberculosis flourished again. Wipe out or reduce cases of AIDS and TB, and there will be a new disease.

One thing that is not controversial about the American preventive medicine industry is that it is very profitable!

And don't forget the family planning clinics, which screen and "treat" teen and young women and provide birth control. The women usually want birth control pills.

Those clinics always check blood pressure and will find a way to get you blood pressure pills, but they aren't interested in illnesses with real symptoms. You can just die of something that's not BP or other preventive med related.

...to increase BP? THC promotes hypertension. Didn't you know?

No it doesn't! What DARE program gave you that nonsense? It promotes circulation due to opening capillaries.

TOR Where do you shop? In a third-world country in the open markets?

One factor is that the quality of food in American stores.

The quality of the food is fine. But people aren't eating the food. They eat the packaged crap pretending to be food. As Michael Pollan calls it : edible food-like substance.

Food is vegetables (whole raw ones), fruits, whole grains, beans, nuts and seeds. I have to cook if I want to eat. Healthy food rarely comes pre-made.

We have almost one out of six people receiving food-stamps. Maybe if we cut out some of the welfare gimmes and forced people to work we would have a more healthy society?

Single moms dropping babies and young men hanging out on the street corner are NOT living a healthy life.

Is it just a guess?

Its called a blood pressure cuff, they've had those for a while now.....

Wow, thanks for that lesson. I guess you taught me something there.

I'm talking about the 50% of young people that haven't been to a doctor. How can they say 1 in 5 have high blood pressure if they've never had their blood pressure checked.

So there is less tension among the unemployed? I learn something new everyday.

I see the bumper sticker now - Increase unemployment for a healthier you Vote for Obama in 2012

I see the bumper sticker now - Increase unemployment for a healthier you Vote for Obama in 2012

Far more layoffs going on when Bush was leaving office, along with more illegals coming in.

Monday morning is the main cause of heart attacks! However, private insurance associated with work is the most profitable source of payment for doctors and hospitals!

Doctors and hospitals play down job-related stress and would rather blame the individual's diet and lack of exercise. Jobs and insurance are their sugar daddies!

In any moderate-sized city, the hospitals have costly equipment that provides services duplicated all through the city. There's seldom a need for that many machines at every hospital. Employers and insurance subsidize all that stuff, too, and they know it.

A good low-tech old fashion family doctor with sound medical instincts is what most of us really need.

Hillbilly in Houston- Of course there is not less stress for the unemployed but employment in the US has changed significantly over the last 30 years. Why? Right wing corporate ideals have been forced upon the people who work HARDER, LONGER, and are more PRODUCTIVE and PAY has remained flat. While the COL has increased TEN FOLD!

Pull your head out of your ass please. STRESS from the right wing inspired robber baron period we all live in today. A climate of economic uncertainty for the average Joe while the top 2% roll in decadence.

The times are and have been changing. The oligarchy and peasant nature WE are classified as robs us of our health IMO.

dstiebel - It is really an obstacle to have to go wait in line to apply for food-stamps. It is really an obstacle to have to walk to the mailbox and get your welfare check. It is really an obstacle to have to fill in all the paper work to get housing assistance. It is really an obstacle to find out who the father of your baby is and demand support. It is really an obstacle to file an income tax return and get a check from the government. It is really an obstacle to use birth control. It is really an obstacle to go out and look for work instead of watching the TV all day.

Yeah, life is tough

Hey, BILL in Houston, nothing personal, but I need to clear up a few misconceptions.

I've worked in public welfare. The clients love to come in their office and scream at their rude, lazy caseworkers. The payoff for standing in the long line is they get to eat out the caseworker, who is the root of all evil. Believe me, they have lots of fun screaming, "But I don't have any food. It's your fault my children can't eat." They usually didn't cuss us to our faces, just pushed their miseries on us constantly and tried to make us feel guilty.

That's how they get food and eat, not by farming, hunting, gleaning in the fields, or earning cash on a job to spend on food.

Most of them are quite good at acting and drama in a welfare office. They all say they don't have any food. But most of them don't get immediate food benefits. And most of them, if you make them a referral to the food bank, don't go. We learn quickly that the ones who go the food bank are the ones who didn't have any food.

It is a BIG HASSLE for them to fill out forms and applications to get stuff. All they want is the end product.

It is an obstacle for them to fill out an income tax return. That's why they go do a private tax company and pay $200 or $300 to get a quickie refund. The average tax refund, even self-prepared on paper comes in less than three weeks now. I've worked for the IRS too.

Welfare checks are no longer issued. They are on cards now. Yeah, but in the paper welfare check days, I never saw a client who lacked the skills to cash a welfare check.

Now that food and cash benefits come on a card, it's even easier. Of course, they do lose their cards or sell them.

I asked my receptionist in welfare if she thought our clients had a higher sex drive than we did. She said, no, it's just that people who work all day are too tired for sex.

I couldn't ask specific details, but I always wonder where teenagers manage to have sex in the complexes anyway. In the bedroom while Mom's watching the fat TV? Or on the floor in front of her in the living room?

As for TV, the poor usually have giant TV'S rented at huge rates. But they manage to keep them!

Sorry folks, I am not a doctor or nurse, but in welfare I did see lots of thin people with high blood pressure, diabetes, and diabetes.

Zach - Please do your homework before you chime in. Food-stamps are exchanged for cash every day. Welfare payments have been redeemed at casinos and vacation resorts.

And if they have to buy the basics with food stamps they can save their underground economy money for beer and chips. Do you think your lawn crew reports any income or pays any taxes?

i do believe

a. lawn crews do pay taxes

b. you are a complete right-wing conservative nutjob

no people do not trade food stamps at casinos or vacation resorts that is plane ignorance you spout please just roll over and die so you can stop spouting what you hear from fox and rich people.

My statement still holds true. Yes it can happen that people illegally exchange food stamps for cash. Im also pretty sure that they cant trade at casinos.

Lawn crews do pay taxes, some may evade the tax, so I dont know exactly because I take care of my own yard.

Oh, please give me a break by using a little common sense. The illegals that come around and cut your grass and keep your lawn do NOT pay any income tax. They are usually paid in cash and even if they get a check they have ways to cash it without being traced. The workers are paid by the boss in cash and they grab a beer and a lottery ticket at the end of the day and go home.

Many construction workers pay NO income tax. Again the crew leader is paid to pour a slab and he pays all his workers in cash at the end of the job. Same thing for framing crews or roofers. There is absolutely no way to track down all these people that cheat on their income tax and pay NO income tax. I could supply more facts as to what goes on but I would prefer to limit the number of cheats.

Zach you need to use the search engines more and or follow the news stories.l They decided to investigate where the welfare vouchers were being used in California and several purchases on cruise ships and fancy resorts showed up. A change was eventually made in the law to try and limit this kind of activity. If you go to the right store here in Houston you can exchange your food debit card for cash. It happens daily.

In low-income apartment and housing complexes just stop and ask any resident how to "play the system." Word of mouth spreads exactly how you can beat the system. There are cases of mothers borrowing children from another mother and using them as their own children in order to collect more benefits. If the mom has a man around the house he usually works off the books so she can apply for more benefits. Fake family members show up as unemployed in order to cheat the housing allowance.

Charaties and food banks are constantly approached by the same family members using a slight variation of their name in order to collect additional benefits. A member will go to a charity on the north side collect some money and then later go to a different charity on the south side of the city.

I suppose you also think that all the people that live under bridges and sleep on the park benches are just out of luck individuals. I have personally seen on many occasions that a panhandler will stand in the road with his hand out and then take the money he collected and go to the nearest quick grodery joint and pick up a beer. Do you really think you helped them by handing them money?

I simply am amazed at how naive some of the people on this blog are. You really need to go out into the world and see the fraud and cheating that is allowed by our government in the name of "helping people."

A lot of the legal working poor who get taxes held out of their checks don't pay income tax either. They get it all back at tax time PLUS a fat earned income tax credit for working.

But everybody who buys nonfood items in retail pays sales tax.