Yeah, right.
Posted on 02/09/2010 11:06:31 AM PST by a fool in paradise
Employing a broad-based lobbying effort, the soft drink industry has smothered a plan to tax sugared beverages — a plan advocates said would have reduced obesity and helped finance health care reform.
Only months ago, public health advocates thought the tax would be a natural for congressional Democrats looking for revenues to fund expanded health insurance coverage. The soaring costs of treating ailments related to excess weight — including diabetes and heart disease — added urgency to the issue.
But the White House staff reviewing funding options never embraced the idea even after President Barack Obama expressed interest last summer. A key congressional committee, after initially seeming receptive, ended up refusing to consider it. Several minority advocacy groups, including some committed to fighting obesity, lined up against the tax after years of receiving financial support from the industry.
There is no sign that first lady Michelle Obama will mention taxes Tuesday when she unveils her new healthy eating initiative, which had input from fast food and soft-drink representatives.
Meanwhile, beverage lobbyists attacked some of the country's most distinguished nutrition scientists, accusing them of bias and distorting available evidence. The beverage industry also financed research that reached conclusions favorable to its position.
No one underestimated the difficulty of getting new taxes approved, but Rep. Linda Sanchez, D-Calif., a member of the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee, said, “We thought we had a chance to punch through.”
That was before the industry unlimbered its guns.
From the beginning, fast food and beverage company executives were uneasy about Obama. He and his wife were known advocates of healthy eating. The executives were also concerned that the promised Obama health care initiative might include taxes or other incentives to reduce consumption of fast food and high-calorie beverages.
(Excerpt) Read more at chron.com ...
Yeah, right.
I’ll raise a Coca-Cola to that.
The Obozo agenda getting dismantled one piece at a time.
Note how all these advocates want someone else to fulfill their plans and dreams instead of making the sacrifices themselves.
I’ll take of Dr Pepper!
I’ll take a drink of Dr Pepper for that!
cheers
Imagine how many people would lose their jobs in the soft drink and fast food industries................
Wonder how much moola was passed to the Dems to stop the legislation. We understand how they play the game.
The tax is already a fact in Illinois.
Colorado is getting ready to impose a “snack tax”.
Imagine how many children and adults would vastly improve their health and longevity and not need health care, if they didn’t drink that crap. However, it is the obligation of folks to use their God given common sense and not ingest Poison in a can /high fructose corn syrup! Not the governments duty to turn their head and say its OK to sell that garbage as long as you pay us.
http://archive.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2005/12/8/142651.shtml
http://www.naturalnews.com/028129_pancreatic_cancer_sodas.html
From my profile........
First they taxed the gentlemen’s clubs, and I didn’t speak up, because I don’t gawk at strippers.
Then they taxed tobacoo, and I didn’t speak up, because I don’t smoke.
Then they taxed the sodas, and I didn’t speak up, because I only drink bottled water.
And then they taxed chocolate, and I got my gun and mowed ‘em all down, because I had PMS.
the soda indutry got out in front of the Obamaites with a strategy that everyone needs to note. When the first little inkling and hints of a trial balloon start to surface indicating that you are in the crosshairs for taxes and regulation, unleash blunderbuss shots of powerful, negative attack ads. If the tobacco companies had learned this they would not be in the fix that they are today.
HAHA...that is great!
You can't make this stuff up.
Oh yes. Obama's fat-a$$ed wife is really into healthy eating!
We can see that in every picture taken of her.
Do I need a sarc tag for this post, or is it obvious?
I remember them making a number of high profile burger runs every month in the first year of his presidency.
I remember them stopping in at every ice cream parlor on the campaign route in 2008. He’s not fooling anyone.
Yes, I don’t think anybody could disagree that sugar water, which is really what it is, or high fructose corn syrup, which the human body was never made it ingest, is really bad for your health when consumed in large quantities over an extended period of time. But it’s not the government’s business to be my mother and father, no matter how hard they believe that it is. Tobacco, alcohol and firearms (hmm, sounds familiar) are all bad for you if misused.....Can we look forward to the FDA being the progenitor of the Department of Sugar, Fats and Unhealthy Lifestyles?...........
sugar is sugar and too much of any sugar will cause problems
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