New York Governor's Soda Tax Proposal Draws Mixed Reviews

'Saturday Night Live' mocks Governor Paterson's blindness, past drug use
by Stephanie Gaskell
Sunday, December 14th 2008
Saturday Night Live pushed the envelope last night with... Fred Armisen as Paterson during a segment on "Weekend Update." ...Armisen, as Paterson, says he has three criteria: economic experience, upstate influence and someone with a disability who is completely unprepared for the job - just like him. "I want to choose a senator not from the glitzy coke parties of Manhattan but rather from the shabbier coke circles of upstate new york," he said. "I'm tired of all these fancy, two-eyed smart alecs from the big city running the whole show. It's time we get someone from Utica, Syracuse or Schnectady - towns where people have something a little off about him. I mean, they don't have to be blind," he said. "I just need someone with like a gamey arm or maybe the giant gums with the tiny teeth. Let's get one of those in the Senate." The fake Paterson points out that he only became governor because of former Gov. Eliot Spitzer's prostition scandal. "Whoever is appointed senator must - like me - be caught totally off guard and be comically unprepared to take office," he said. "Come on, I'm a blind man who loves cocaine who was suddenly appointed governor of New York. My life is an actual plot from a Richard Pryor movie."

ACTUAL HEADLINE:

Paterson In A Blind Rage Over 'SNL' Skit

Governor Paterson proposes 'Obesity Tax,' a tax on non-diet sodas
by Glenn Blain and Kenneth Lovett
with Edgar Sandoval and Erica Pearson
Daily News Albany Bureau
Sunday, December 14th 2008
Gov. Paterson, as part of a $121 billion budget to be unveiled Tuesday, will propose an "obesity tax" of about 15% on nondiet drinks. This means a Diet Coke might sell for a $1 - even as the same size bottle of its calorie-rich alter ego would go for $1.15. Paterson's budget also calls for a 3% cut in education spending, a $620-a-year tuition hike at SUNY and a $600 increase at CUNY - and about $3.5 billion in health care cuts, a source said. The Democratic governor will not call for a broad-based income tax boost, but he will push to restore the sales tax on clothing and footwear... State employees again will be asked to forgo their 3% raises next year and defer five days' pay until they leave their jobs, the source said. In all, Paterson will propose about $9 billion in cuts, $4 billion in new taxes and fees, and $1.5 billion in nonrecurring revenue, a second source said. The so-called obesity tax would generate an estimated $404 million a year. Milk, juice, diet soda and bottled water would be exempt from the tax... Public health advocates welcomed news of the tax, saying it would help the fight against childhood obesity. "Raising the price of this liquid candy will put children and teens on a path to a healthier diet," said Elie Ward of the American Academy of Pediatrics of New York State.

[and now, the buried lead:] The Paterson administration also announced steps yesterday to expand the state's social services net, including a 30% increase in welfare payments over three years starting January 2010, increased money for food banks and expanded access to the state's Family Health Plus program. Paterson also hopes to make it easier for people to enroll in Medicaid by eliminating face-to-face interviews and fingerprinting requirements.

related topics:

‘Saturday Night Live’ mocks [New York Democratic] Governor Paterson’s blindness, past drug use
The New York Daily News | December 14, 2008 | Stephanie Gaskell
Posted on 12/14/2008 2:49:02 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2148733/posts

New taxes, cuts in budget plan Paterson sees $404M tax on non-diet soda; health care
TimesUnion | 12/14/08 | James M. Odato
Posted on 12/14/2008 6:59:50 PM PST by Sammy67
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2148826/posts

Paterson in a Blind Rage over ‘SNL’ Skit
NYPost | December 15, 2008 | David K. L I
Posted on 12/15/2008 5:38:33 AM PST by rightwingintelligentsia
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2148943/posts

(NY) Governor Paterson proposes ‘Obesity Tax,’ a tax on non-diet sodas
NY Daily News | December 15, 2008 | Glenn Blain & Kenneth Lovett
Posted on 12/15/2008 9:52:33 AM PST by presidio9
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2149091/posts

Gov. David Paterson unveils dire New York State budget
that includes new taxes, layoffs and cuts
Daily News Albany Bureau | 12/16/08 | Kenneth Lovett and Glenn Blain
Posted on 12/16/2008 5:23:56 PM PST by Sammy67
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2149909/posts

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.

LOL! You're grasping at straws now. I'd urge you to stop reading the nonsense you find on the internet because those sources don't understand the first thing about chemistry, physiology or nutrition. Methanol is common in lots of fruit and vegetables. Are fruits and vegetables going to poison you and cause blindness? Will they embalm you? All fermented foods and beverages will contain some methanol. Your liver easily clears these minute amounts just like it clears the trace amounts of toxic chemicals found in many of the foods you eat every day.

Apple juice, for example, has about 90 milligrams of methanol per liter. That's a lot more than a can of diet soda where aspartame makes up less than 10% of the total product and methanol is responsible for only 11% of aspartame. For apple juice to be toxic to humans, you'd have to consume hundreds of quarts of it in one sitting. Does that sound dangerous to you? When was the last time you consumed that much of anything? Makes the minute quantity found in aspartame seem pretty harmless, doesn't it? That's because it is.

A glass of red wine will give you more methanol than a diet coke. But a glass of red wine is good for you, right? Since aspartame is comprised of phenylalanine, aspartic acid and methanol, you'd have to believe that eating a steak with green beans and a glass of red wine ill cause acute poisoning, damage your DNA and embalm you. It sounds silly but that's exactly the nonsense you're buying in to.

Alarmism about food and food ingredients is fomented by people who never bothered to understand the subject. Therefore, they end up fearing things they don't understand.

From 1987 to early 1989 I was working 10 to 12 hour days at PacBell, then tossing another 4 to 6 hours working with a former student to create room status systems for Scripps Clinic. The evening hours were spent sipping Cherry Coke over ice. I was caught off guard when the acid in the Coke turned my teeth frosty white at the gum line. It took over $1,000 (on top of insurance coverage) to repair the damage. It wasn't helping my spare tire either.

My oldest son didn't heed my warning. He got into a Cherry Coke habit. Now he is burning through $4,400 in dental bills. Pretty tough for a guy earning minimum wage with no insurance coverage.

Congrats on kicking the habit and getting the good news at the dental visit.

I see lots of people ordering a diet drink to go with a double-deck cheese burger and fries. Some calories are avoided that way, but it's minor compared to the 2,000+ calorie contribution of the food.

There are some indications that the body reacts to a sweet taste by dumping some insulin into the blood in anticipation of the arrival of carbohydrates. When the carbs fail to arrive, the drop in blood sugar spikes the appetite. The only fix for that problem is real food. Drinking plain water would have quenched thirst without provoking insulin and inducing hunger.

I really doubt that aspartame causes an insulin response. I.e, see: (Good document dump from an exercise forum:)

Am J Clin Nutr. 2005 Nov;82(5):1011-6. Functional magnetic resonance imaging of human hypothalamic responses to sweet taste and calories.

“Evidence exists that beverages do not trigger appropriate anticipatory physiologic responses, such as cephalic phase insulin release. Therefore, it is of interest to elucidate the food properties necessary for triggering adaptive responses. Previously, we found a prolonged dose-dependent decrease in the hypothalamic functional magnetic resonance imaging signal after ingestion of a glucose solution. OBJECTIVES: The aims of the present study were to measure the effects of sweet taste and energy content on the hypothalamic response to glucose ingestion and to measure the concomitant changes in blood glucose and insulin concentrations. DESIGN: Five healthy, normal-weight men participated in a randomized crossover design trial. The subjects were scanned 4 times for 37 min on separate days with functional magnetic resonance imaging. After 7 min, they ingested 1 of the following 4 stimuli (300 mL of each): water (control), a glucose solution, an aspartame (sweet taste) solution, or a maltodextrin (nonsweet carbohydrate) solution. RESULTS: Glucose ingestion resulted in a prolonged and significant signal decrease in the upper hypothalamus (P < 0.05). Water, aspartame, and maltodextrin had no such effect. Glucose and maltodextrin ingestions resulted in similar increases in blood glucose and insulin concentrations. However, only glucose triggered an early rise in insulin concentrations. Aspartame did not trigger any insulin response.”

Aspartame—the sweet-tasting dipeptide—does not affect the pancreatic insulin-secreting function

Sadovnikova NV, Fedotov VP, Aleshina LV, Shvachkin IuP, Girin SK.

The action of a synthetic dipeptide aspartam (150 to 180 times as sweet as glucose) on pancreatic insulin-secretory function of rats was studied in vivo and in vitro. The drug was given orally while drinking (300 mg/kg body weight) or was added to the incubation medium of cultivated pancreatic cells (20 mM). It was shown that insulin content in the rat blood serum remained unchanged 10 and 35 minutes after aspartam administration. The drug did not exert any stimulating effect upon insulin secretion following the addition to the pancreatic cell culture medium. It is concluded that aspartam exhibits no direct or mediated action on pancreatic insulin-secretory function.

J Nutr Sci Vitaminol (Tokyo). 1985 Oct;31(5):533-40. Effects of aspartame on diabetic rats and diabetic patients.

The effects of aspartame (L-aspartyl-L-phenylalanine methyl ester) on plasma glucose and insulin levels were investigated in diabetic rats and patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. The oral administration of 0.45 mg aspartame per 100g body weight, which is equivalent to 150 mg of glucose in sweetness, to streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats had no effect on the plasma glucose or insulin levels. Also, 225 mg oral aspartame loading, which is equivalent to 75 g of glucose in sweetness, to patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus did not increase plasma glucose or insulin levels, although 75 g of oral glucose loading increased plasma glucose and insulin levels in diabetic patients as expected. Aspartame ingestion for three days at a dose of 24-48 mg per day and the intake of snacks flavored with 240 mg of aspartame also did not increase fasting plasma glucose levels. These results suggest that acute administration of aspartame has no influence on plasma glucose or insulin levels in diabetic rats and patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.

Cell Signal. 1998 Nov;10(10):727-33. Effects of artificial sweeteners on insulin release and cationic fluxes in rat pancreatic islets.

Beta-L-glucose pentaacetate, but not alpha-D-galactose pentaacetate, was recently reported to taste bitter and to stimulate insulin release. This finding led, in the present study, to the investigation of the effects of both bitter and non-bitter artificial sweeteners on insulin release and cationic fluxes in isolated rat pancreatic islets. Sodium saccharin (1.0-10.0 mM), sodium cyclamate (5.0-10.0 mM), stevioside (1.0 mM) and acesulfame-K (1.0-15.0 mM), all of which display a bitter taste, augmented insulin release from islets incubated in the presence of 7.0 mM D-glucose. In contrast, aspartame (1.0-10.0 mM), which is devoid of bitter taste, failed to affect insulin secretion. A positive secretory response to acesulfame-K was still observed when the extracellular K+ concentration was adjusted to the same value as that in control media. No major changes in 86Rb and 45Ca outflow from pre-labelled perifused islets could be attributed to the saccharin, cyclamic or acesulfame anions. It is proposed that the insulinotropic action of some artificial sweeteners and, possibly, that of selected hexose pentaacetate esters may require G-protein-coupled receptors similar to those operative in the recognition of bitter compounds by taste buds.

Am J Clin Nutr. 1998 Sep;68(3):531-7. Aspartame: neuropsychologic and neurophysiologic evaluation of acute and chronic effects.

BACKGROUND: Neurobehavioral symptoms have been reported anecdotally with aspartame. OBJECTIVE: This study sought to determine whether aspartame can disrupt cognitive, neurophysiologic, or behavioral functioning in normal individuals. DESIGN: Forty-eight healthy volunteers completed a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study. The first month was aspartame free. Subjects then consumed sodas and capsules with placebo, aspartame, or sucrose for 20 d each. Order was randomized and subjects were assigned to either a high- (45 mg x kg body wt(-1) x d(-1)) or low- (15 mg x kg body wt(-1) x d(-1)) dose aspartame group. Neuropsychologic and laboratory testing was done on day 10 of each treatment period to determine possible acute effects and on day 20 for possible chronic effects. RESULTS: Plasma phenylalanine concentrations increased significantly during aspartame treatment. Neuropsychologic results; adverse experiences; amino acid, insulin, and glucose values; and electroencephalograms were compared by sex and by treatment. No significant differences were found for any dependent measure. CONCLUSION: Large daily doses of aspartame had no effect on neuropsychologic, neurophysiologic, or behavioral functioning in healthy young adults.”

There are some indications that the body reacts to a sweet taste by dumping some insulin into the blood in anticipation of the arrival of carbohydrates. When the carbs fail to arrive, the drop in blood sugar spikes the appetite.

There are no legitimate indications that the body reacts to sweetness in any such way except from junk scientists who are more interested in grant money than they are in the truth.

Insulin facilitates the metabolism of carbohydrates. Diet Coke, with aspartame, contains 0% carbohydrates. It provides 0 calories. How do you stimulate insulin without calories?

This is just more nonsense from people who don't understand the chemistry of satiation. Suggesting that the taste function can control or influence the amount of calories that go into our bodies is absurd. This is not how the body is set up and contradicts what we've learned about hunger and satiation. These people seem to believe that the body's genetic structure can be overridden.

You might find this interesting. These folks are solid researchers and are not driven by ulterior motives.

* In this study, Perrigue compared subjects' level of fullness (satiety) after consuming high fructose corn syrup (HFCS)-, sucrose- and aspartame-sweetened beverages with milk and a no-beverage control. The study found that all four caloric beverages "suppressed hunger ratings and increased satiety ratings relative to the no beverage control. However, there were no significant differences in satiety profiles among the sucrose- and HFCS-sweetened beverages, diet cola, and 1% milk."

It's from a pay site so I cannot link you. You can find it in Nutrition Today: Volume 40(6) November/December 2005 pp 253-256 by: Gayle L. Hein, BS, and Maureen L. Storey, PhD, Center for Food, Nutrition, and Agriculture Policy, University of Maryland-College Park, College Park, MD.

The internet is filled with so much misinformation based on junk science that you really need to be careful as what conclusions you believe.

I think you have both made a good case for aspartame. The controlled lab studies look pretty reasonable, but the study populations are small. I noticed the test subjects were labeled as "normal". Has anyone tested obese subjects to see if they react differently? Is their girth an indication of a different response?

I can't speak to the composition of the lab study populations. Fat people overeat because they've learned to ignore the feedback mechanism that tells them they're full. Even for obese people, there is no way sweet gustation exercises a level of control over the body's satiation and hunger mechanisms. People get fat because they consume more calories than they burn. It's not about food ingredients, artificial sweeteners, food processing or fat genes. Just my opinion, but too many people are trying to blame something other than the cause. It's all about control and the money that can be generated from lawsuits.

Have a look at "Toxic Fat" from Barry Sears. He notes a few changes that explain some of the obesity problems. The switch to foods high in omega-6 fats and away from eating fish (omega-3) source AND consumption of excessive carbs to provoke insulin has caused an increase in the amount of arachidonic acid. Body fat collects toxins and arachidonic acid. Adding fat dilutes the arachidonic acid. It is protective...to a point. If the fat cells die and spill arachidonic acid into the bloodstream, it settles into muscle and organ tissues (heart, brain, liver, kidneys) and begins doing damage. The health of the individual takes a hard, downward spiral. Suffice to say, my encapsulation of Sears' book simplifies something he explains more fully.

Consuming adequate amounts of EPA and DHA will dilute the arachidonic acid over time and allow its safe metabolism before it precipitates more severe consequences.

I have been drinking them for 44 years ha