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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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To: gidget7
Now they're taxing ten year olds on their sodas. Pathetic.
21 posted on 12/16/2008 8:21:54 PM PST by Ciexyz
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To: Sammy67

What’s next! State soda drinking age raised to 18 with an ID to prove it?


22 posted on 12/16/2008 8:29:52 PM PST by SweetCarolina
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To: gidget7

LOL.


23 posted on 12/16/2008 8:39:10 PM PST by Deetes (God Bless the Troops)
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To: Sammy67
But no taxes on "circus tickets?"

Can't imagine why.

24 posted on 12/16/2008 8:39:30 PM PST by buccaneer81 (Bob Taft has soiled the family name for the next century.)
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To: All

Well I have always thought about visiting New York City someday.

But, I think in the long run.. I will just stay away. 18% on all that stuff is just crazy.


25 posted on 12/16/2008 9:03:00 PM PST by Kitanis
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To: All

Well I have always thought about visiting New York City someday.

But, I think in the long run.. I will just stay away. 18% on all that stuff is just crazy.


26 posted on 12/16/2008 9:03:07 PM PST by Kitanis
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To: Sammy67

200,000 employees with big fat pensions....


27 posted on 12/16/2008 9:21:38 PM PST by Sacajaweau (I'm planting corn...Have to feed my car...)
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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.

Did they happen to tell you why diet soda becomes dangerous after six months or why it will make you very ill? I ask only because I've been in the business for more than 20 years and have never heard a soft drink manufacture say any such thing.

28 posted on 12/16/2008 9:25:38 PM PST by Mase (Save me from the people who would save me from myself!)
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To: Mase
Aspartame can hydrolyze to methanol and a dipeptide. It has a half life of 300 days at a pH of 4.3 (soft drinks are typically pH of 3 to 4). The drinks delivered to our troops in the Middle East were left in the hot sun for extended periods. That accelerates the hydrolysis. Drinking a can of hydrolyzed aspartame leaves a burning feeling on the tongue and throat from the methanol. I've experienced the taste and knew enough to spit it out immediately.
29 posted on 12/16/2008 9:38:09 PM PST by Myrddin
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To: Mase
BTW, the di-peptide can hydrolyze into aspartic acid and phenylalanine. That becomes a problem for people with phenylketonuria (PKU) who lack the enzyme to break down phenylalanine. Soft drinks with aspartame are co-labeled as containing phenylalanine as a warning to people with PKU.
30 posted on 12/16/2008 9:43:07 PM PST by Myrddin
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To: Myrddin
Aspartame can hydrolyze to methanol and a dipeptide. It has a half life of 300 days at a pH of 4.3 (soft drinks are typically pH of 3 to 4). The drinks delivered to our troops in the Middle East were left in the hot sun for extended periods. That accelerates the hydrolysis.

Aspartame is highly unstable and will break down if subjected to prolonged heat. That's why it isn't used for baking and is why Splenda has become such a big hit. Aspartame also has a short shelf life in liquids. As Aspartame decomposes, it breaks down into its three original components (phenylalanine, aspartic acid and methanol) as well as the diketopiperazine derivative of aspartame. So what? This isn't dangerous in any way and has been tested extensively.

Drinking a can of hydrolyzed aspartame leaves a burning feeling on the tongue and throat from the methanol.

It's the amino acids that cause the cyclic peptide to form. The taste may be bad but it certainly isn't harmful. Your concern is an issue of quality, not an issue of safety. Again, this is why sucralose is becoming the sweetener substitute of choice today.

31 posted on 12/16/2008 10:08:29 PM PST by Mase (Save me from the people who would save me from myself!)
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To: Mase
I choose to avoid soft drinks altogether. I've spent far too much money at the dentist as a consequence of the acid leaching calcium from my teeth at the (receding) gum line. Since eliminating soft drinks, my trips to the dentist are unremarkable cleaning and x-ray.
32 posted on 12/16/2008 10:15:58 PM PST by Myrddin
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To: Myrddin

Since phenylalanine is, if I remember correctly, the most common amino acid and is found in most proteins, people suffering from PKU really have it tough. That doesn’t make aspartame any more dangerous to these people than steak. Only about 1 out of 15,000 people suffers from PKU. That still doesn’t prove aspartame is dangerous and makes people ill when it breaks down.


33 posted on 12/16/2008 10:22:39 PM PST by Mase (Save me from the people who would save me from myself!)
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To: Mase
Methanol is metabolized to formaldehyde. Formaldehyde does cumulative damage to DNA and proteins. Acute poisoning causes blindness. The mortician is going to get you soon enough. No point in getting a head start on the embalming process.
34 posted on 12/16/2008 10:45:00 PM PST by Myrddin
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To: tx_eggman
None of this crap is about health ... or obesity ... or scarcity ... or global warming ... or today's cause dejour ..

Right, "divide and conquer" strategy. Equal protection under the law means nothing to our current crop of filthy scumbags "serving" the public. Rape, pillage, and steal - has much more appeal to these pirates.

35 posted on 12/16/2008 11:21:54 PM PST by GregoryFul
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To: Myrddin

That must be why they want us to drink the diet stuff, eh?


36 posted on 12/16/2008 11:41:25 PM PST by Just Lori (Liberalism ---->Socialism----->Communism------>BONDAGE!!!!)
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To: ari-freedom

Most likely. Because frankly, diet soda does NOT:

-Contain a significant amount of energy.

-Cause any significant insulin spike.

Hence, diet soda making you fat would be something of a scientific miracle. Only epidemiological studies link diet soda to obesity, etc., but that says more about the crappiness of epidemiological dietary studies (a general phenomenon) than it does about diet soda.

The cancer and general health issues are more complicated. I don’t think it’s terribly dangerous, but I try to limit my consumption.


37 posted on 12/17/2008 3:12:14 AM PST by oscars300
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To: Sammy67
Well.. at least Gov Paterson isn't turning a blind eye to the obesity problem.

(((((( rimshot ))))))

38 posted on 12/17/2008 5:36:23 AM PST by Condor51 (The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits)
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To: ari-freedom

My biggest weakness is regular coke. (Liquid not powder :)). When I started my diet I found switching to diet didn’t help at all. I just cut down the amount of coke I drink from about 40 bottles a day to 1.


39 posted on 12/17/2008 5:45:04 AM PST by mccainvoterinobamaville (Bye bye kerry)
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To: Myrddin

Besides helping me with my diet cutting coke out almost completely has also improved my dental health. Perfect checkup just last week.


40 posted on 12/17/2008 5:45:05 AM PST by mccainvoterinobamaville (Bye bye kerry)
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