Don’t Tax My Mello Yello

Where else could this come from but San Francisco? yes, the good ole left coast, where I actually have  a couple of friends. The mayor of Frisco, Mr Gavin Newsom wants to go after the soda. ( He does not have a slogan; maybe soak the sodas or sink the sodas would do) He says that it is for health reasons, reducing obesity, cutting health costs etc. The mayor even called soft drinks the new tobacco. Bet he will have trouble with that second hand part though.Lots of interesting things about this. Keep one thing in particular in mind. Ideas, particularly those rooted in government, that appear offbeat, often begin in California. If they work, i.e. raise revenue, they often migrate eastward.  That may well be Mayor Newsom’s main goal with any health benefits that ensue, just gravy(pardon the pun but I could have said icing on the cake).

Individual containers of soft drinks cannot be taxed sans voter approval, so the  approach is to tax retailers, Safeway, Kroger , etc. Do you think his Board of Supervisors will approve? Pretty good odds on that  one. No word    yet on  the amount of the tax or how it would be spent. Check out this quote  from Newsom. ” We know we’ll be sued…But I really believe this is important to do.” His idea gained traction from a UCLA study linking  soda and obesity in California. The study’s lead author is Susan Babey. She pointed out that teens are unaware of  the dietary and health risks associated with consuming “liquid sugar”.

A few numbers before we go. The UCLA study said  that adults who drink one soft drink per day are a whopping 27% more likely to be obese.( Question, how do we know that soft drinks are the sole  or even main reason for that number?) Second number states that 41% of children and 62% of teens (presumably in California) drink at least one soft drink daily. Big, big question. How do they know that? And a major emphasis on that word, know.  Gotta hurry and stock up on Mello Yello while I can and figure out a safe hiding place. Or would it just be easier to once again thank the             government from saving me from yet another evil foisted upon me by the evils of  advertising? Tough question.