Post: #1

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/07/...63301.html

Quote:A South African chef has been told he is too fat to live in New Zealand despite losing 30kg since he first arrived in the country.

Albert Buitenhuis moved to Christchurch with his wife, Marthie, in 2007 when he weighed 160kgs, reports the BBC.

The couple have had no previous trouble renewing their annual work visas but this year it was declined due to health risks associated with Albert's weight.

Quote:They have both been forced to stop working and now face deportation.

Marthie said: "We applied for [them] year after year and there were no issues. They never mentioned Albert's weight or his health once and he was a lot heavier then.

"The irony is that at the moment he weighs less than he [did] when we first arrived in New Zealand and also less than in his first medical, which was accepted by INZ," reports News 24.

New Zealand authorities said the visa had been turned down because of the "significant risk" of complications such as diabetes, hypertension heart disease.

A spokesman said: "It is important that all migrants have an acceptable standard of health to minimise costs and demands on New Zealand's health services."

Around 30% of New Zealanders are obese.

The couple have lodged an appeal, reports Stuff.

This will either be declared invalid by courts, or hopefully set an amazing precedent...

What do you guys think?

Post: #2

His tax money - Medical cost by govt = Minus.
He will take more than he contributes. I think it totally makes sense?

If you don't have certain amount of money in your bank account, you can't even go to U.S soil.
They do not want poor people stepping on their land. Is that a discrimination too?

Post: #3

(07-27-2013 05:12 PM)Sebastian Wrote:  His tax money - Medical cost by govt = Minus.
He will take more than he contributes. I think it totally makes sense?

If you don't have certain amount of money in your bank account, you can't even go to U.S soil.
They do not want poor people stepping on their land. Is that a discrimination too?

"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

I guess this no longer holds true in the US? I guess we needed all the dirty vagrants from other countries to build up our economy. The concept of a healthcare system didn't really exist at the time anyway.

Post: #4

Personally, I don't like it. I'd rather have a government that didn't worry about people's weights and a healthcare system that charged people in accordance to what they actually use. This is one of the reasons that I am suspicious of universal healthcare. The more the government gives you, the more excuses they have to make random demands of you.

And remember, for every one nanny state measure that you approve of, there are going to a bunch more that get enforced that you will absolutely hate.

Post: #5

Aren't the native New Zealanders (Maori) pretty much all technically obese. They're a big people. Even the ones in shape are probably considered obese by BMI calculations.

Post: #6

So it is actually men who are discriminated on the basis of their weight? LULZ