The Corner

A Worse Idea than New Coke

Sounds like our president would like a special federal tax on soda pop:

In late July, Men’s Health Editor Peter Moore sat down with President Obama in the Oval Office to talk health care reform. The most controversial part of the interview was on the subject of sin taxes–that is, taxing soda and other sugar-laden products, or on activities that sabotage the health of the masses.

Here’s what the President told us: “I actually think it’s an idea that we should be exploring. There’s no doubt that our kids drink way too much soda. And every study that’s been done about obesity shows that there is as high a correlation between increased soda consumption and obesity as just about anything else. Obviously it’s not the only factor, but it is a major factor.

John J. Miller, the national correspondent for National Review and host of its Great Books podcast, is the director of the Dow Journalism Program at Hillsdale College. He is the author of A Gift of Freedom: How the John M. Olin Foundation Changed America.
Exit mobile version