Soda on Political Trial in California

Posted on Sep 18th 2009 9:00AM by Bev Sklar

Photo: poolie, Flickr

Soda has just been served a political subpoena in California. Sen. Alex Padilla just announced he's holding hearings next month to examine the soda-obesity link. No doubt teens are over-served, a recent study found about two-thirds of kids between 12 and 17 swallow at least one sugar soda a day. The figures for grade-schoolers isn't much better, with 41 percent of children aged 2 to 11 drinking at least one a day.

California has set its sights on soda, and considering the state's pioneer track record on menu-labeling laws, a trans fat ban and soda-free public schools, soda companies must be on alert. At the very least, these hearings will enhance the American Heart Association's warning that soda is the top source of discretionary sugar in the American diet. A mere 12 ounces has about 13 teaspoons of processed sugar -- the AHA recommends a daily max of six teaspoons for women and nine for men.

However, Big Beverage lobbyists have already gotten a break. While some nutrition and economics experts have argued for a 1-cent soda/sweetened beverage tax to help the government raise billions and Americans lose millions of pounds, just this week the Senate Finance Committee released a health reform bill without a soda tax.

California may be holding hearings, but politicians on the Hill aren't up for picking this fight in health care reform. The AHA doesn't support it either, making a logical argument for comprehensive solutions to fight obesity instead. Yeah, if we're taxing soda, then how about a a slew of a la carte obesity taxes -- large restaurant portions, big dinner plates, processed foods or a failure to wear a pedometer?

All this as New Yorkers learn sugar soda is more like a glass of lard. Seltzer with lime, please?

31 Comment

Tags: California soda hearings, health reform bill, Senator Alex Padilla, soda tax, soda tax legislation

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

Jonathan Aluzas 9-18-2009 @ 1:38PM

I rarely drink soda and don't have any personal stake in this issue other than I would prefer to have soda not available on school campuses. But where is human accountability in all of this? Where are the parents with regard to monitoring their child's intake of food?

Is this just another example of our nation's cultural trend toward empowering a lack of discipline and supporting the notion that humans no longer have the gift of free will? No one's forcing soda down our throats.

Donny 9-21-2009 @ 10:29AM

The lack of accountability is in our lawmakers. Another example of government taxing something they know they can get away with! I drink alot of soda, and don't intend on changing that. I also drink a few beers from time to time and smoke cigarettes. Even people who don't consume alcohol, smoke cigs, or drink soda should be concerned. When will all this taxing stop? I also don't have kids so I can care less if they have soda available to them in school or not. Let their parents dictate how much of what they drink and while we are at it, let people who have children start paying their fair share of taxes. Schools aren't free and I'm tired of paying for everybody else's bundles of "joy".

Linda 9-21-2009 @ 3:24PM

why do parents let their kids drink soda pop? Because it is cheaper than milk.

alex 9-21-2009 @ 6:11AM

Drink water??? EEEEWWWWW. I never touch the stuff!
Nasty.

Mary Connor 9-21-2009 @ 6:21AM

I just want to know where this TAX will stop? If they are going to tax us on soda, then what? Cookies, crackers, chips, candy... I mean this is just plain out ridiculous. The government wants to tax us extra on everything, and they wonder why poverty levels are high? I do not drink a lot of soda, but when I want one, I certainly do not need to pay extra for it. I do not know when our freedom to make our own choices went away, but we need to get back to basics. God Bless America! Wow, I am happy to be able to still write that down, pretty soon they will be telling us how to wipe our rear ends!

kimberly 9-21-2009 @ 8:23AM

Kinda like mcdonalds and their charge for condiments........
I wanna know when they will start charging for straws and napkins,,,,,,LOL

Patsy 9-21-2009 @ 6:57AM

The mobster gang (aka mafia gang) needs more money.That's what the elected officals are.From county,state to the Whitehouse.

Carla 9-21-2009 @ 7:14AM

We pay a food tax already,colas are also taxed as a food item, it is ridiculous to me that we would add a tax to one certain item to create an account to clear a deficit. This tax will certainly hurt the cola companies too. It is a paren't responsibility to watch what a child intakes. School's should certainly add a major tax to colas on campus, and then only be allowed for students over 13 years of age. This tax could probably fund some school projects or pay school taxes for that matter. Tax cola's from vending machines, but to add a tax to colas, because the majority of this nation are fat asses, really ticks me off, give me the REAL reason, we are in a hole of debt here....GREAT, close down Coca-Cola and Pepsi now, why not? We've already done away with our banks and auto industry....

Donna 9-21-2009 @ 7:19AM

Since when does the government step in and tell people what they should and shouldn't drink. This country is starting to become a people run by dictators. As soon as the government has money woes, they look for new ways to tax it's people when it's the governing body that craeted this money problem to start with. It's a known fact that government spending waste is at the seat of the money woes, it's been going on for decades, not just in recent years. I'm getting sick of the way the government rules my everyday life. They need to clean out their own closets of waste before they go after the everyday joe who is struggling to keep their head above water. It's getting crazy people and we all need to remember this come election day. The government is suppose to be working for us, not against us. The political gods need to remember they work for us, they have no right to dictate .Holding an elected office is a service to the people not a freeway to the life of luxury. They live on the high road while the very people who pay their salaries are barely making ends meet today. Something is wrong with this picture !

RallyG 9-21-2009 @ 7:19AM

Just one mre illustration of arrogant politicians thinking that they know it all, and that it's government's business to regulate individual personal behavior.
That is definitely not a government function when it comes to drinking soda.
When will this stupidity stiop?

penny 9-21-2009 @ 7:24AM

I would just like to know why they are taxing things like pop, bottled water, and cigarettes instead of alcohol and liqour. I think they are more deadly and should be the higher taxed items.

Jacqueline G. 9-21-2009 @ 7:26AM

I am so beyond sick of this "save them from themselves" crap! Citizens of the U.S. are now being over taxed for everything. All because the government cannot and will not, simply stop spending the billions of tax dollars they already get from us every year. Our so called "sin taxes" are already sky high. And if we are going to start taxing sugar we are screwed.

This is also a health issue for me. I cannot have artificial sweetener, because it causes severe migraines. And this is true for most of the women in my family including my kids. Basically anything that says "DIET" is off limits.

That and I really don't need someone telling me what I can or cannot eat or drink. Our freedoms are slipping more and more. People just don't seem to see the trend.

sandy k. 9-21-2009 @ 7:32AM

This slippery slope, began with the tax on tobacco which I support, but is now getting rediculous. Tobacco killed nearly half a million Americans a year from cancer and heart disease, and was also addicting. And the tax was punative. A punishment for the fact that the tobacco industry DENIED the cancer link, and HID the addictive link for over half a century, all the while ADDING nicotine to make their products MORE addictive. (And they targeted children and teenagers for this lifelong addiction.)
None of this is true of the food industry. If they tax soda today, next will be sugar, candy, ice cream, fried fast food, donuts and other snacking cakes, potato chips, etc. all in the guise of fighting obesity. Citizens have the right to enjoy whatever foods or snacks they want without government trying to use that as an EXCUSE to raise more taxes. (Obesity can be attributed as much to genes, and inactive lifestyle, or generally high starch, high carbohydrate diets). So what do we do then, tax "beans and potatoes" because they are cheap and too many low income people eat them in large quantities. Then they'll want to add another tax on "cable and satellite TV", and "video game machines", because they turn people into couch potatoes. (Politicians who try to tax our food should be targeted for removal from office.)

caddblue 9-21-2009 @ 8:49AM

I'm a smoker who does not drink soda or any other carbonated beverage. I also do not use bottled water. People were "educated" into Hating cigarettes and Smokers. Now it's another groups turn. They will use the same tactics to make you feel like a criminal. Starts out slow and then builds. All for your protection!

John 9-21-2009 @ 7:37AM

THIS IS BS. It's all about $$$$$$. I'm 55 and pop consumtion is not that much differant then and now. The reason kids today are overweight is that they DO NOT PLAY OUTSIDE AND GET EXERSIZE. When I was growning up we would be outside playing baseball ect ALL DAY. We would drink pop all day.

niphro08 9-29-2009 @ 8:20PM

I find so funny, as I was looking through the aol news and I read a story about the top 10 states with the most contaminated drinking water then, I see the story on the tax on soda and banning in from schools be cause its bad for us. ok so whats left to drink, there has already been stories about milk containing hormones. I drink soda and coffee every day I managed to live to 38 so far and I weigh a wopping 127 lbs. I am so tired of the outragous prices on anything we NEED or we buy on a regular basis and tell us its for our own good and I am truly sorry if I offend anyone but i am sick of being put on a diet because we are being told that to many Americans have weight issues. The media makes it out as if these over weight Americans cant control themselves or their childrens eating habits. I doubt that is the case. It is just an excuse. For some reason this makes me think of the Boston Tea Party!

Tony D. 9-21-2009 @ 10:56AM

WOW!!! I thought this was America. Why not fine the people that are responsible for causing people to be fat? Like the ones that are jamming all this stuff down there own mouths? Don't forget what goes around comes around. You just never know what they might tax next.

Dave 9-22-2009 @ 7:09AM

Why is it that America is a selective tax Government, we tax thing's that not all the people have to pay. They tax cig's, well more people quit smoking and there goes there new tax revenue.

If they spend the Tax Dollars correctly they wouldn't have a shortage. But they throw money away on stupid crap. Maybe we should have a Boston Soda Party, and let them know how concerned people are.
Take away the Senator's and House's health care, and i bet they would have a bill on the book's in one day.