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New York Governor's Soda Tax Proposal Draws Mixed Reviews
FoxNews ^ | 12/16/08 | Marrecca Fiore

Posted on 12/16/2008 7:43:43 PM PST by Sammy67

You drink diet soda, so you must be healthier. Right?

That's what New York Gov. David Paterson is talking about with his proposal for an "obesity tax" — a 15 percent slap on non-diet sugary soft drinks. Think $1 for a Diet Coke, $1.15 for a Coke.

There's just one problem: Studies have found links between drinking diet sodas and obesity and diabetes.

A 2005 study at the University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, and separate studies released in 2007 at the University of Alberta in Canada and the University of Massachusetts found that diet soda drinkers were more likely than regular soda drinkers to be obese.

Also, several studies by U.S. and European researchers have tied the artificial sweetener aspartame (NutraSweet), which is used to sweeten many diet sodas, to cancer, headaches and organ damage -- though both the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the European Union maintain that the studies they’ve reviewed show that the product is safe.

According to Paterson's proposal, the obesity tax would net an extra $404 million a year for the state and help close its projected $15 billion deficit.

In addition to soda, sugary drinks containing less than 70 percent fruit juice would be

(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Crime/Corruption; News/Current Events; US: New York
KEYWORDS: albany; alberta; aspartame; association; beverage; bigbrother; budget; business; cancer; cigarettes; citizens; coke; david; democrats; diabetes; diet; economy; erinduggan; fat; fda; fees; food; fraud; fruitjuice; government; governorpatterson; health; incometax; liberals; marxist; massachusetts; nanny; nannystate; newyork; nutrasweet; nutritional; ny; obesitytax; patterson; pepsi; posion; socialism; sodapop; sodatax; spending; sugar; taxes; taxpayers; unitedstates; university; usefulidiots
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1 posted on 12/16/2008 7:43:44 PM PST by Sammy67
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To: Sammy67

found that diet soda drinkers were more likely than regular soda drinkers to be obese.

yeah but that could be because they like to eat a lot and drink diet coke because regular coke is just a bit ‘too much.’


2 posted on 12/16/2008 7:46:49 PM PST by ari-freedom (Conservatives solve problems. Libertarians ignore problems. Liberals create problems.)
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To: Sammy67

Nanny state ping!


3 posted on 12/16/2008 7:48:27 PM PST by diverteach (http://www.slapobama.com/)
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To: Sammy67

instead of dealing with the economy, failed schools and rising crime, we have all of these stupid gimmicks just to annoy people.


4 posted on 12/16/2008 7:48:38 PM PST by ari-freedom (Conservatives solve problems. Libertarians ignore problems. Liberals create problems.)
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To: Sammy67

Where does all this crap end?


5 posted on 12/16/2008 7:50:31 PM PST by blackbart.223 (I live in Northern Nevada. Reid doesn't represent me.)
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I’m sure that the Gov. can “see” the problems his state faces.


6 posted on 12/16/2008 7:50:42 PM PST by curling
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To: Sammy67

I work in the soft drink business and we are told by the manufacturers that diet sodas after 6 months, can be harmful and if enough were to be consumed it could make you very ill.


7 posted on 12/16/2008 7:51:00 PM PST by Sammy67
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To: Sammy67

Patterson could ive a rat’s patootie about the health of New Yorkers.

It is all about massive taxes to support his drugs, women, limos, and big thefts of public revenue.


8 posted on 12/16/2008 7:51:55 PM PST by FormerACLUmember
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To: Sammy67

IMO this has nothing to do with obesity and is just another money grab. Look what happened with smokers. A health tax was imposed and people quit buying. There was moaning and groaning about lost revenue and discussion on how this extra money could be collected elsewhere.


9 posted on 12/16/2008 7:52:56 PM PST by CindyDawg (Lord, please bless America)
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To: ari-freedom
"Instead of dealing with the economy, failed schools and rising crime, we have all of these stupid gimmicks just to annoy people.".

No. It is to control them. Never forget that.

10 posted on 12/16/2008 7:53:07 PM PST by blackbart.223 (I live in Northern Nevada. Reid doesn't represent me.)
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To: Sammy67

Tax the air why don’t they , oh yeah global warmer :-/


11 posted on 12/16/2008 7:54:27 PM PST by Deetes (God Bless the Troops)
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New York has 200,000 employees and Patterson is going to layoff 500 through attrition. Insane!


12 posted on 12/16/2008 7:54:55 PM PST by Sammy67
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To: Deetes
"Tax the air why don’t they."

That's coming. In fact it is already here because of the "Global Warming" BS.

13 posted on 12/16/2008 7:57:54 PM PST by blackbart.223 (I live in Northern Nevada. Reid doesn't represent me.)
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To: Sammy67
There's just one problem: Studies have found links between drinking diet sodas and obesity and diabetes.

None of this crap is about health ... or obesity ... or scarcity ... or global warming ... or today's cause dejour ..

It's always about revenue ... bigger and better ways to get their hands on the fruits of other people's labors

14 posted on 12/16/2008 7:58:04 PM PST by tx_eggman (I own two rare photos. Houdini as he locks his keys in his car and Norman Rockwell beating a child.)
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To: tx_eggman
"It's always about revenue ... bigger and better ways to get their hands on the fruits of other people's labors."

And to contol people's lives. I'm convinced most poiticians were the annoying little turds who ran for class president in high school. They were like a slinky. Not much good for anything but fun to see pushed down the stairs.

15 posted on 12/16/2008 8:04:36 PM PST by blackbart.223 (I live in Northern Nevada. Reid doesn't represent me.)
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To: tx_eggman

And others might say it’s a “pop” tax. Hmm. Of course there’s the “soda pop” tax or the “Coke” tax (as in an “I’ll have an Orange Coke” or a Lemony Lime Coke). What say you New Yorkers? What would Hillary call it?


16 posted on 12/16/2008 8:06:55 PM PST by tenger (If we don't stay on them, they'll get it wrong...Joe Soucheray)
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To: tenger
What say you New Yorkers?

well, we wouldn't call it a pop tax :)

17 posted on 12/16/2008 8:16:24 PM PST by ari-freedom (Conservatives solve problems. Libertarians ignore problems. Liberals create problems.)
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To: Deetes
Tax the air why don’t they

They are not called "taxes", silly, they are called "carbon credits". How unPC of you.

18 posted on 12/16/2008 8:16:52 PM PST by gidget7 (Duncan Hunter-Valley Forge Republican!)
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To: CindyDawg

Oooh, you’ll love this one, then!

A county here in Indiana went smoke-free. On their local paper’s website was an article about how they’re going to have to cut waaaaay back on plowing the streets this winter. They don’t have ANY money to pay plow drivers overtime and they don’t have nearly enough salt to last the winter. The comments section is completely full of outraged citizens yet none of them seem able to see the big picture.

Wanna know where the money for this used to come from? The cigarette tax.

Sorry. I still guffaw right out loud when I think about it while driving on our county’s nicely cleared and salted roads. Gonna be a looooong winter. :D


19 posted on 12/16/2008 8:19:47 PM PST by nodumbblonde (Apologies: Due to the coming economic crisis, I've had to let my tagline go.)
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To: ari-freedom

Yep, chow down at the all-you-can-eat buffet and then order a diet coke because “they’re on a diet.”


20 posted on 12/16/2008 8:20:31 PM PST by NonValueAdded (once you get to really know people, there are always better reasons than [race] for despising them.)
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