Yes, heard about that one on the radio. Nice parents to have. Thoughtful.

Kevin

So here’s a clarification and a disclaimer: I am in no way suggesting that the Paterson administration is a bunch of Nazis. This sort of thing is, however, exactly what Fascist regimes — every one of them — do.

But yes, Court, perhaps I should have slept on this one before publishing; I might have been a bit more oblique in making my point.

Suggested reading for you: Don’t Eat This Book. Simply put, we do not live in a level playing field where rational individuals make rational choices based upon perceived benefits and detriments. This is not a simple issue of personal freedom or choice. Rather, in the US we are showered from birth with advertising propaganda to buy sugary soft drinks AND we are hard-wired by evolution to prefer such drinks, wherever possible, so less tasty, more nutritious alternatives. Seems to me that a tax on sugary is just one attempt to level the playing field. Obesity is having a major impact on our country, one that we are going to pay for one way or the other. Just like cigarettes, (though admittedly not one quite as heinous), sugary soft drinks are an unnecessary, unhealthy product, that should quite rightly be taxed in order to help ameliorate its effects and discourage its consumption. I think this is a step in that direction, something that can be tried.