I love Coca Cola out of a can. Lu-uh-uv it! It gives me a little burst of energy to help me through the day. I miss coca cola. You see I’m off the sauce. I made the decision that I would like to be healthy and coca cola doesn’t fit in that equation. I either don’t have pop or I drink a diet coke. I received an email once that said if you put a nail in a can of coca cola the coke will eat away at the nail; imagine what coke does to your stomach. I have to admit; that made me stop and think. Regular Pop makes you fat, turns your teeth colors, and rots out your stomach. Sounds disgusting but I still had a difficult time breaking up with my coke. I could not muster up enough shear will power. I used to think, man I wish they would just tax the shit out of this stuff and all the other unhealthy crap that I buy because it tastes good. I do not mind the healthy alternatives for many things, wheat instead of white, fresh fruits and veggies instead of easy to pack snacks but the alternatives are cheaper and when you are counting pennies it is hard to pass up the 99 cent white bread for the 2.50/3.00 whole grain. I know I’d buy healthier if it was cheaper especially since it is better for me. So my point, there is a proposal that regular pop should be taxed, a sin tax as it is known in D.C, similar to how we tax cigarettes and alcohol. Legislators believe that by taxing regular pop less people will by it therefore healthcare costs for obesity and diabetes will decrease and people’s quality of life will increase. But, there is a large profitable industry behind pop companies and they are not sitting by idlely. On MSNBC last week I heard a woman pontificate about the value of pop as a treat for people and how this tax will be most strongly felt by the Poor. The doctor from Yale quickly pointed out that obesity and diabetes disproptionatly affect the poor so cutting back on the amount of regular soda would be beneficial. What I find bizarre is that pro pop for the poor advocates are what the media is willing to do segment on concerning the poor?? How about the lack of healthcare for the poor, or jobs for the poor, or education for the poor? Do not get on television and try to imply you are advocating for the poor and the “folks’” right to buy regular pop without a tax. As if putting a tax on pop is begrudging poor people a treat. That shit isn’t selling. You are advocating for the pop industry, an industry that sells a product that is bad for us in large amounts. It does not cost much to produce so they can sell it for cheap and still make a hefty profit and it works because we love good deals. We especially like things that taste good, make us think we have energy, and are cheap. But maybe we need to be saved from ourselves when it comes to our diets. Pop is not necessary for survival, it provides no nutritional value it just tastes good. If the pop industry is so concerned about our right to purchase a 2 liter for 99 cents, why don’t they absorb the cost? They can readjust their prices so that with the tax pop would still cost the same as it did before the tax. They could do this in the interest of protecting Americans right to purchase a product that makes you fat, rots your teeth, and rots your stomach tax free. Ugh seriously who gives a rats ass if pop is taxed. If it is deal with it America. Is a sin tax on pop really such a bad idea?