On the Contrary

Just another glaring example of ideology getting in the way of rational thought:  There is a commercial running on the Networks about keeping Congress from putting a tax on juice drinks and soda’s.  The idea for the tax is that such a tax could reduce calorie consumption from sweetened beverages by at least 10% and generate revenue that governments could use to fund health programs.  The commercial pleads not to let that bad old government with their tax and spend ways make a healthy treat more expensive for poor struggling families.  Well that is one side of the story.

The other side is that the drinks we are talking about are “sweetened” drinks.  That is usually high fructose corn syrup.  The average 12-ounce soda has about 150 calories and 40-50 grams of sugars in high-fructose corn syrup, equal to 10 teaspoons of sugar. Several recent studies show that an increased intake in sugar-sweetened drinks results in greater weight gain over time and greater risk of obesity.  And if you haven’t notice, we are an obese society.  Just look at the makeup of the Tea Parties (Fat White People).  Clearly the consumption of these beverages leads to diabetes and other serious and expensive diseases that we all end up paying for in higher health care bills.  Add to that the fact that cheap high-fructose corn syrup is a direct result of our farm subsidiary program of which corn is the most highly subsidized crop.

So the bottom line is?  Don’ t tax drinks that are already highly subsidized by your tax dollars and raise your health care costs because corporations don’t want the demand to go down on a drink they have hooked the younger generation on and is ruining their health.  Not quite so simple is it?  People should have free choice, but when that free choice cost each and every one of us, then we in the form of the government have an interest in having a say in that choice.

In other words, if your choice cost me money in my health care costs, then like any Republican claims to believe, I think you can do whatever you want, but you have to be responsible for those costs you are incurring.  Bring on the tax.  Pay up now for what you are going to cost me down the road. Or you could drink 100% fruit drinks and diet sodas and the whole problem goes away.