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Soda Tax Pops
Looks like New York Gov. David Paterson's proposal to
tax non-diet soda in New York (hated by chefs and
Reason
alike) wasn't a serious tax plan after all. It was just some good
old fashioned
awareness raising. It's like a barn raising, but with fewer
Amish, and more grandstanding:
"I don't think the legislature will pass it," Paterson told students at Morrisville State College.... "But often publicity is as important as legislation."
Paterson gave his first pessimistic view of the proposal's chances after a student challenged him on the "foolish tax on soda." Then Paterson said his point was to increase awareness for the high caloric content of foods consumed by children.
Better still, it was awareness raising for the children. Like the hapless kid pictured at right. She's sitting there in her pink pinafore thinking: "Oh god, I have such cherubic cheeks already. I hope this isn't full-sugar Coke. Wait, has Diet Coke even been invented yet? I'm so confused..."
Thanks, Gov. Consider our awareness raised.
JW Gacy|2.13.09 @ 2:39PM|#
Pre-emptive thread jack:
Anyone care to jump on to the Reason Wiki and help me with my open
letter to Bernie Sanders?
Naga Sadow|2.13.09 @ 2:40PM|#
Whew!
*wipes sweat from head*
I was worried that idea might eventually get passed around and end
up raising the cost of my wild cherry pepsi. Crisis averted.
Naga Sadow|2.13.09 @ 2:42PM|#
Oh. It's coming back to me now . . . and no. Refer to free rider problem from textbooks.
NeonCat|2.13.09 @ 2:43PM|#
At least that child was drinking real Coca-Cola with actual sugar in it the way God and Asa Chandler intended. HFCS! Pfui!
JW Gacy|2.13.09 @ 2:43PM|#
He's the independent (socialist) senator from Vermont. And he apparently doesn't know the difference between neocons and Milton Friedman. In other words, he's like Naomi Klein, but important.
JW Gacy|2.13.09 @ 2:45PM|#
Free rider problem? Not familiar. Wikipedia is not illuminating. Are you saying you want credit on the letter?
Naga Sadow|2.13.09 @ 2:49PM|#
NeonCat,
What about coca leaves?
JW Gacy,
You're going to write it regardless of help. Therefore I will
magnanimously allow you to do it yourself while talking about it in
such a way that people will assume I had a hand in its creation.
Thats how I roll.
|2.13.09 @ 2:54PM|#
"Oh god, I have such cherubic cheeks already. I hope this
isn't full-sugar Coke. Wait, has Diet Coke even been invented yet?
I'm so confused..."
Perhaps this legislation is aimed at Lolita loving child molesters
rather then cherubic loving parents?
D.A. Ridgely|2.13.09 @ 3:03PM|#
"I don't think see the legislature will pass[ing] it," Paterson told students at Morrisville State College....
Fixed. Now, will someone please get that guy a seeing-eye pit
bull?
|2.13.09 @ 3:03PM|#
Don't do the crime if you can't do the time. It's my way or the highway, Naga. You've got to give 110%. I ain't got time to bleed. Failure is not an option.
Naga Sadow|2.13.09 @ 3:07PM|#
SugarFree,
I shoot from the hip, play down the crime cuz I can't do the time,
and run away to fight another day.
Later, I gotta get ready for work.
Shannon Love|2.13.09 @ 3:11PM|#
I guess the school yard bully that steals lunch money is just trying to raise awareness of personal security.
|2.13.09 @ 3:12PM|#
Paterson raised my awareness all right.
About what an idiotic tool he is.
Does that count?
Ska|2.13.09 @ 3:13PM|#
It's good to hear that this nonsense won't pass. It's bad to hear the gov doesn't think it's nonsense.
|2.13.09 @ 3:14PM|#
Governor Patterson,
Sugar has colories you say? Too many calories leads to weight
gain?
Who knew?
Thanks.
|2.13.09 @ 3:15PM|#
Side note...
Could we adopt this as
the official libertarian mascot?
Mostly, I just want to see Elemenope wearing the costume at home
games.
NeonCat|2.13.09 @ 3:26PM|#
Naga,
The original Pemberton formula doesn't seem to have had much
cocaine in it, IIRC. Caffeine pretty much took its place as a
stimulant without any complaint but since coca leaves are still
used as part of the flavoring there remains an incredibly small
amount of cocaine in Coke. I highly recommend Big Secrets by
William Poundstone for the whole story.
|2.13.09 @ 4:02PM|#
Where is the child who will gaze upon Emperor Paterson, and say, "You are one of the stupidest people I have ever encountered!"?
|2.13.09 @ 4:09PM|#
You've doomed us all, Bunny. He's laboriously pecking out a poorly thought-out rant on his Blackberry as we speak.
|2.13.09 @ 5:16PM|#
Katherine, thank you for starting my weekend off with the happiest politically-related news I've heard in months.
economist|2.13.09 @ 10:46PM|#
"I was worried that idea might eventually get passed around and
end up raising the cost of my wild cherry pepsi."
Coke is better!
Naga Sadow|2.14.09 @ 2:29AM|#
economist,
Your ignorance offends me! Wild cherry pepsi's formula was handed
down by God himself! A little taste for his followers of what is to
be found in the kindom of heaven.
|2.14.09 @ 12:40PM|#
Your ignorance offends me! Wild cherry pepsi's formula was
handed down by God himself! A little taste for his followers of
what is to be found in the kindom of heaven.
No Pepsi, Wild Cherry Pepsi or otherwise, is worth a damn after the
first three sips.
I'm a Coca-Cola Classic man, myself.
Naga Sadow|2.14.09 @ 3:55PM|#
Solana,
Your vile slanders will catch up with you one day! Coca-Cola
Classic man? I bet you use a Mac too.
economist|2.14.09 @ 10:44PM|#
Solana,
Coca-cola classic forever!
Naga,
Actually, I'm a PC man. I don't know about Solana, though.
zoltan|2.15.09 @ 12:51AM|#
O, Nazarene Jew, don't bring back the Medic! I just slogged through the autism thread and I have to ask, "Why are all the crazy fucks who believe in this shit women?" And then I remember that women are more likely to be religious and believe in angels, demons, horoscopes, superstitions, the supremacy of the state, socialist policies, and all other manner of things without much evidence to support and/or validate their existence.
zoltan|2.15.09 @ 1:53PM|#
Economist, I didn't say it was all women, just that nearly every poster about this stuff tends to be a woman.
zoltan|2.15.09 @ 8:30PM|#
LOL, my sarcasm meter really is busted. This is the second time I've responded seriously to something you were joking about. Lesson: Don't take economist seriously anymore, LOL.
|2.16.09 @ 8:55AM|#
women are more likely to be religious and believe in ... the
supremacy of the state, socialist policies...
This just in: US Congress 17% female!
Just sayin'. ;)
|2.16.09 @ 9:24AM|#
The shapely mother proves that sugary sodas are a nutritious
beverage.
Sip away young cherub and you too can grow up to be as hot as your
Mom.
|2.16.09 @ 10:20AM|#
This just in: US Congress 17% female!
Did any of them vote against the stimulus?
|2.16.09 @ 10:29AM|#
RC Dean,
Now surely you don't intend to take the position that 83%
of the US Congress is being railroaded by those evil socialist
women, rather than socialists in general.
As for the voting, check for yourself. I certainly have no heroines
in Congress to defend, and it wouldn't alter my defensive remarks
in any way.
|2.16.09 @ 10:40AM|#
I also don't see anywhere in the thread in question where The Medic declared female. Perhaps (s)he was already know, or perhaps I missed it.
|2.16.09 @ 12:04PM|#
Now surely you don't intend to take the position that 83% of
the US Congress is being railroaded by those evil socialist women,
rather than socialists in general.
Come now, FrBunny, I was merely pointing out that, in fact, the
women currently in Congress voted disproportionately for the
stimulus. I believe every woman in the Senate except one voted for
the stimulus bill, after all.
And, seeing as the Speaker of the House is a woman, I would be
willing to bet that more than a handful of House members nervously
eying the polling from their districts were, indeed, "railroaded"
into voting for the stimulus.
|2.16.09 @ 2:03PM|#
Yeah, I don't think we have any real disagreement there.
I'm still waiting in the woodshed for zoltan, though. You can't
just toss out things like And then I remember that women are
more likely to be religious and believe in angels, demons,
horoscopes, superstitions, the supremacy of the state, socialist
policies, and all other manner of things without much evidence to
support and/or validate their existence without linkage.
Folksy wisdom don't fly 'round here.
Alas, the action has left this thread behind in favor of ones where
you can put stuff in order of how much you like it.
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