Clinton Also Anti-Soda, But State Senate Vows to Kill Tax

Soda was a hot topic yesterday, as Governor Paterson spoke at a gathering of health officials and soda-tax advocates in Albany, while former president Bill Clinton bragged in Harlem about how his foundation has helped pressure soft drink companies to slash shipments of full-sugar soft drinks to schools by 95 percent compared with 2004. "There's been a dramatic shift toward lower calorie and more nutritious beverages in schools," Clinton told reporters. But when asked if he supported a proposed New York state tax on sugary beverages, Clinton declined to comment, saying: "It's dumb for me to get involved in (the tax) debate when I can save God knows how many kids lives by making other agreements."

Meanwhile, the scaremongering was in full swing up in Albany. Deputy Majority Leader Jeff Klein (D-Bronx) vowed to kill the governor's proposal, which would increase the cost of sugar-sweetened beverages by an average of 17% and reduce consumption by 15%, was dead in the water. "I think it has to be," Klein told the Daily News, "Anything that is going to cause us to lose jobs in this devastating economy has to be considered a nonstarter." And Sen. Martin Golden (R-Brooklyn) declared, "Ladies and gentlemen, today it's soda and juice, tomorrow it's lettuce and tomato. Do you know how much sugar is in a grape or a banana? They are not going to stop there."

But assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver said the proposal is still being considered: "The question is whether people will be taxed for things that are clearly legal ... [a] product sold in supermarkets. If we deal with sugar, we might as well deal with the whole gamut of sugar." And Paterson admitted that even he is not immune from soda seduction: "I might even sneak a soda now, but the First Lady has banned them from the mansion... We're trying to take dangerous substances out of the hands of children, and we would have equated that, years ago, with firecrackers or something like that.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the planet, they're enjoying soda and booze in a can in Japan. It's called Cola Shock, and the commercial is just as daffy as you might hope a Japanese ad with fat Americans ordering "burger!" "pizza!" and "Cola Shock" would be. Watch:

[Via Jimmy Fallon]

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By John Del Signore in Food on March 9, 2010 9:55 AM

Comments [rss]

ides_of_march

Fuck the nanny state.

Mr. Shankly

I have a better idea. Kill the subsidies that make corn (and all the junk food it ends up in) cheaper than its real cost.

drewo

Why that would be too simple! And don't you realize that it's our patriotic duty to give subsidies to the Farmers of America - all 12 that remain? (that soda lobby can't compare to the corn industry lobby).

So you have government subsidies on one end to make corn syrup cheaper - and proposed government taxes on the other end to dissuade people from buying cheap (corn syrup laced) soda. Who wins? Folks who are employed by the government to grant subsidies and solicit taxes. But that's not you and I.

Boogie Down

I saw a "mother" give her baby a bottle last weekend that was full of Red No. 40 Kool-Aid. We should tax stupid people who bear children into oblivion.

Kelles

I think you just said we should tax "stupid"

Boogie Down

Tax the breeding. With each new child comes a new tax. BTW, in case you can't tell, my statements are a *little* tongue in cheek.

dreamking

There is a breeding tax. In fact, the only real taxes that still exist are breeding taxes. The state just waits a little while before applying most of it. And to make it easier on you, they tax your kids directly when they start to produce income. See how that works? They are very kind.

jmaz98

I hope the state doesn't decide to tax Twinkies.

Snoopy

They wont. Twinkies is the foundation upon which the food pyramid is built.

How about taxing heroin, crack, cocaine, and weed? Also Viagra.

HBHB

Simple, don't buy soda. Or if you love it and need it like crack then pay the tax. It's not that hard. We're talking about soda. People are acting like fiends right now.

hotstepper

no, we're not merely talking about soda. this issue is about the ethics of sumptuary law/sin taxes and the role a government's tax code should play in the personal consumptive choices of the populace.

JMH

The idea that a tax on sugary beverages is going to drive stores out of business is ridiculous. Yeah, everyone is just going to STOP BUYING THINGS. Nobody will switch to drinks without sugar, and nobody is going to pay the tax to buy what they want, commerce is just going to stop. Riiiiiight.

lushintransit

This is so silly: let's just tax sugar itself. It makes more sense. Realistically, if a kid has managed to become obese SOLELY because of sugar (because, it can't be the calories in treats doing it...), let's tax the parents who let that happen.

Let's also remove the red tape. I hate gym 6th grade through 12th. Why? I hated having to change, line up in my spot to get counted, walk in a circle for three laps, only to change again and go on with my day. Remove the 'required wear' and make kids actually exercise. Get a brain and stop scheduling kids for lunch right before their gym period.

Or you know...give them a Metrocard so they can get to the school miles upon miles away since all the local high schools are being closed.

FelixtheCat & Christine Quinn'

The Center for Consumer Freedom casts itself as a public interest organization with a libertarian commitment to consumer choice, but to those it attacks, it is a classic corporate front group. The list of organizations and agencies targeted by the CCF is a long and honorable one, and includes Mothers Against Drunk Driving, the Center for Science in the Public Interest, the American Public Health Association, the Harvard School of Public Health, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

You still can buy Sodas but it is not a basic need for anyone's diet. All the corn Syrup in soda is bad for children who are way too FAT. They can't even go up the stairs. No jobs will be lose but different jobs will be created. Jobs for healthier drinks. These senators don't give a damn about your freedoms but about the money from these corporate lobbyists.

if the senators cared about our freedom then why no ethics reforms and/or term limits?

youngpro

felix the robot,

youre ripping off other sites again:

http://www.hsus.org/center_for_consumer_freedom.html

FelixtheCat & Christine Quinn'

dude, why are you following me all over this site? stop it now Valierob. wacko

youngpro

i dont understand why you continue thinking i'm valierob. do you have proof or evidence as to why? i'm puzzled...

youngpro

youre a robot. evidently your programmer forgot to tell you to not repeat posts or to not copy from other sites, at laest without citing them...lest you be hit with a copyright violation! oh boy oh boy!

youngpro

and stop pretending to be a guy.

FelixtheCat & Christine Quinn'

Get some professional help. You aren't bothering me by following me all over this site and cross-referencing all my comments. You just seem real insecure and desperate now. but in all fairness to others on this site, why don't you post relevant comments instead of commenting on whether my comments are repeated or cited. You're not even a lawyer if you can't understand copyrights don't apply to comments posted on blogs. Lastly, I am a guy and if you want then you can come and suck my d**K . I am quite sure you want to. nite valeriob oh i mean youngpro.