Posted by
Gerald L. Myking on Friday, January 23, 2009 11:05:08 AM
Fianally a real public health issue is being addressed. I heard that New York State is proposing a fat tax on soda. This little soft drink seaminly harmless has contributed to 70 million Americans having blood sugar problems. Obesity and Diabetes are costing this country millions if not billions in Medicare/Medicaid tax dollars. Soda has several health related issues. The average soda has 7 table spoons of sugar. It also has caffeine which interferes with the pancreas ability to produce insulin. Many of the most popular sodas have phosphoric acid which is the most effective at destroying tooth enamel. I lost my teeth due to excessive consumption of a popular soda and with a lot of pain and cost. Obesity is a major factor in heart disease and these sugary soft drinks are not helping. When I was young there were no soft drink machines in school, but there is now. Soft drink machines are every where enticing children. In time I'm sure we will have age restrictions on children buying soda because the are not mature enough to make good healthy decisions.
Everything I have just said is a load of crap but Americans will scoop it up and keep it holy. No one made me drink too much soda so my dental problems were my own dam fault. This is just the start of another loss of freedom. The freedom to buy a cold soft drink out of a machine on a hot July night. This new tax law probably will not pass this time but it will by the third or fourth time and it will be supported by Republican and Democrats alike because of a shortage in revenue. When New York finally gets the new tax through other states will follow all away across the country. Then the restrictions will begin. Ten years from now there will be no more soda machines and you may have to show your ID to buy it. In my book THE DOGOODERS I state that with freedom comes with a great deal of responsibility. Responsibility is rare in this country and the lack of it will enslave us all. I learned a lesson from my excess soda drinking and passed on my wisdom to my children who are all adults now and have minimal dental health problems, and are not obese. One of my sons has perfect teeth and he is 28 years old. My wife and I took responsibility for our children's health. This goes for all of the things that can potentially harm us but it is our choice, our concern, not the governments. Uncle Sam get out of my life.