New York Soda Party

Admittedly I am not an expert on this debate even though I drink bottles and bottles of soda per day myself. I can only really offer my opinion as someone who has been drinking coke since he was 3 years old. Why does the soda tax bother me personally? It’s not because of the extra 12 cents that would it would be costing me, though with my caffeine addiction it certainly would hurt my wallet quite a bit ( I imagine with how much coke I drink this may actually outweigh the cost of my food). It’s more the principal that the state government is trying to get people to not drink the soda by putting taxes on it.

I understand that soda is unhealthy for you, just ask my dentist what he says every time I go into to get my teeth cleaned. He always says if I have to drink soda, drink soda like the white sodas. Is soda suddenly wine now? Did I miss something here?

I understand that drinking soda can even lead to obesity in a lot of people, though those of you who know me wouldn’t believe that if I was the only soda drinker you had met. On the other hand, I did have a friend in high school who gained a beer belly from drinking too much rockstar energy drink. The negative effects of soda drinking definitely outweigh the benefits of the caffeine.

However, I think it is up to the people to determine what they do or don’t put in their bodies. The government should be giving us information about what’s healthy and what isn’t, but trying to take away our power to choose by levying taxes goes against the freedom of choice that is an intricate part of this country's makeup. That is what really bugs me here, the fact that I’m being given monetary incentive to make one choice over another . If this happens with soda, who knows what could be next...maybe even a tax on my precious video games!

More responsibility should fall on the parents. If your kid is obese, sign them up at your local gym, stop feeding them bigmacs for breakfast, and pay attention to how much soda they drink per day. I understand some parents are on the ball and their kids still struggle with obesity. In that case though it’s most likely genetics isn’t it? In which case imposing a tax on soda wouldn’t really stop those kids gaining weight.

If New York State passes this soda tax, I think they may have a soda version of the Boston Tea Party on their hands. Which could either lead to the water being too sticky to swim in, or the best summer lake party ever for caffeine addicts like myself. I’ve always wanted a coke fountain, a coke lake would be beyond my wildest dreams!

Until next time,
I’m just your friendly neighborhood bloggerman