Please Mr. President Tax My Soda

Not to get on my political high horse, but if they are going to raise taxes to finance health care, taxing soda and sugary soft drinks is the way to do it. The New York Times writes about the debate here: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/17/business/17soda.html?_r=1&ref=business.

The CEO of Coke thinks the proposal is "outrageous." Gee, I wonder why??? Could it be that he's afraid that if the unhealthy drugs he's pushing are taxed, people may just decide to quit the way smokers did when cigarette taxes were put in place?

I'm proud to say that if you offer my kids soda, both will say "no thanks." Both would rather drink water, lemonade or fruit juice instead (not that lemonade or fruit juice is all that great either). Frankly, I don't know how I did it. I never gave them soda ever, and they've just never showed any interest in having it if its offered to them.

Myself, it took me years to knock my own soda addiction. My parents, thank the lord, never allowed us to consume soda on a daily basis. But we could have a Coke, Pepsi, Sprite, Root Beer, 7-Up etc. at a party or at a restaurant.

When I got to be a teenager, buying soda at school etc., got to be a bit too routine, and I eventually did what any teen-age girl concerned about her weight did--I switched to Tab (remember Tab?) and other "diet" sodas.

By the time I was studying for the bar, I as drinking a liter of Diet Coke a day. A few years later I realized that my soda addiction was a problem and I had to get off the stuff.

So, please Mr. President, tax my soda. I may not drink the poison anymore, but I want an incentive to stay away.

And, if taxing soda does not yield enough revenue so that people in this country can go to the doctor or hospital without having to worry about losing their house or going into bankruptcy, then feel free to tax Twinkies, Ho-Hos, candy and every other over-processed, nutritionally devoid imitation food product.

I may get pissed at you for other things Mr. President, but you pass this tax you'll get my vote in 2012.