Pro-tax

Dropping all beliefs that the fat tax exists solely for the money, and exploring the idea that the government may simply want to instigate it for the benefit of the people, what is the effect a Soda Tax could have on our society?

It seems to be a last resort for a society that simply is not responding to earlier appeals that we make healthier choices in our diets. The CSPI (Center for Science in Public Interest), for example, has been around since 1971 working to educate the public on factual health information. American obesity continues to be on the rise and pop consumption is a major player in that.

In a CSPI pamphlet, it is stated, "In 2000, we helped found an impressive coalition of more than 300 health, professional, and other groups--the National Alliance for Nutrition and Activity--to press Congress to provide even greater funding. Still, the amount the government spends to promote nutrition is only a fraction of what industry invests in urging Americans to eat junk food and drink soda."

The fact remains that junk food and soda are a huge part of the American diet. Earlier, CSPI worked to address that by threatening certain companies. Their pamphlet also states, "The threat or filing of lawsuits is spurring major brands, such as Tropicana, Aunt Jemima, and Quaker, to stop deceiving consumers and pressuring soft drink companies to pull sugary sodas and other high-calorie drinks out of schools. Partly as a result of CSPI's efforts, soft-drink makers voluntarily removed soda from elementary schools."

So in many cases soda was removed from public schools, but did that move make any real difference? Obesity is one of the leading factors that instigate other illnesses and injuries, filling our hospitals and draining our Medicare and Medicaid plans. When a people are unable to govern themselves in a safe manner, isn't it right that their leaders step in?