Soda pop, like cigarettes and alcohol, has been classified by the government as bad for your health . This is supported by ‘˜research’ sponsored by your always caring and compassionate federal government and their associates over at the Rand Corp. Why is it bad for you? It causes obesity in children. Of course you didn’t know that sweets are fattening. You needed an official declaration from a source you can truly rely on. And that source is your government. You know, the same group of people that are now taxing CO2 emissions as if they were a toxic gas. Thankfully, your government has come up with a novel way to help you with obesity: high soda taxes. Some proposed taxes might be as much as 18% on a bottle. Of course, the purpose is not to separate you from your money. It’s not another government sponsored wealth redistribution program. It’s not another contrived crisis. Oh no. This is for your health – and the health of your children. Because you see, soda consumption leads to obesity. And our collectivist society just can’t support that. Because obesity taxes the health care system. One way to lower health care costs is by forcing people to either pay more for their health care (the way those evil medical insurance companies do now) or use the power of government to force them into new behavior patterns. Let’s face it: overweight people are really in for it with the new health care program. You will lose weight or be vilified as a burden on society. And the government will define obesity for you so you don’t have to wonder if you’re overweight. Folks who are classified as ‘˜overweight’ but do not ‘˜look’ overweight will pay extra as well. Soda taxes are just the beginning. You see, the federal government now has a big interest in what you eat, drink, and even how your lifestyles affect your health. If drinking soda raises obesity levels, and that in turn raises health care costs – you can be sure that the government is going to step in with new regulations and taxes. (Hey, there’s CO2 in soda – does that mean soda has a big carbon footprint?) If the government can tax soda because they deem it bad for you, they can do the same with virtually any food product. Ask a group of people what foods they consider unhealthy, and you’ll receive a wide variety of answers. Salt, meat, eggs, dairy, processed food – the list goes on and on. NYC has passed regulations on trans-fats and salt. The use of these products is strictly regulated. Trans fats are banned outright in NYC restaurants and salt is regulated. The day is coming when I walk into a fast food restaurant and order a ½ lb cheese burger. The clerk at the register eyeballs my sizable girth and says, ‘Sorry Sir, you’ve had too much … to eat.’ And refuses to serve me a cheeseburger. Government regulations of course. Look for much more of this to come in the future as the government explores innovative new ways to lower health care costs. For more from Heiney, go to http://www.writeheiney.com
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