Will Governor Paterson Wuss Out? Soda Tax...Again

In today's budget press conference, New York Governor David Paterson once again pushed for a "soda tax;" aka, Sugar Sweetened Beverage Tax. Instead of going for the 18% tax like his last failed effort, this time Paterson is following the lead of experts pushing at the national level for a soda tax including UNC's Barry Popkin, Yale's Kelly Brownell, Harvard's David Ludwig and the CSPI's Michael Jacobson. The model calls for a penny-per-ounce tax on the ubiquitous, non-essential liquid candy.

On a national level, $15 billion annually is expected to be raised by the penny-per-ounce tax. Here in New York, we anticipate about $1 Billion annually in extra funds raised from taxing sugary soft drinks, sports drinks, energy drinks, fruit-like drinks, etc.

Beverage lobbyists are crying foul that the tax is regressive and disproportionately targets poorer, lesser educated communities of color. News Flash: Obesity/diabetes/soda marketers disproportionately target poorer, lesser educated communities of color. This soda tax will help those communities by curbing soda consumption, reducing obesity-related illnesses and setting aside funds to cover some publicly funded healthcare expenses associated with obesity/diabetes/soda consumption. Of the $7.6 billion (more than almost any other state) spent annually on adult obesity-related health issues in New York, an astounding 80% is covered by Medicaid and Medicare. Quick Translation: That's me and my fellow New Yorkers footing the bill..! And that's ALL OF US at the national level... Hello, Obesity Bailout.

But Paterson backed down before. Why? Pepsi threatened to pull its headquarters out of New York and head West to New Jersey or East to Connecticut. Will Pepsi bully Paterson into submission again?

Or will the desperate dollar needs of New York state prevail?

I much prefer a Soda Tax over paying more into this massive Obesity Bailout.

Poster Boy for Coke and Pepsi- Sean Algaier of Biggest Loser Season 8

Tulsa, OK husband, father, youth pastor, musician and funny-man, Sean Algaier says he's the world's greatest spokesperson for soft drinks...

He's 29, 6' 2" and started Season 8 of Biggest Loser at 444 pounds... (about 260 lbs above a healthy weight... Alone, he's the size of healthy father, mother and their teenage child.)

I have to confess my own weakness for the nasty elixir of death--casualty of growing up in Coca-Cola HQ Atlanta where the concern was drinking from the red can instead of blue, lest you put someone's dad out of a job...

Sean though, says he downs a full 2 liters of cola a day. That's 800 calories, 216 grams of sugar, or 54 teaspoons of sugar. Dr. Oz describes excess sugar in the blood as "broken glass tearing at the sides of the artery walls..."

Sean Algaier is taking in 292,000 empty and damaging calories a year. If he changed nothing else about his life other than swapping the soda for water, he'd lose 83 pounds a year. Sean would be at a healthy weight by Thanksgiving 2012. Go Go Go, Sean..!

Think there's a direct connection between obesity and soft drinks? Think a soda tax might be a decent way to raise a little cash while curbing consumption? I do. And so do most obesity experts.

Good luck, Sean, becoming the poster boy for America's obesity turnaround. Change your approach to eating for the rest of your life, and you'll be a role model for the entire country.

Obama Likes Soft Drink Tax--Men's Health

It's gonna happen. Not much of a bold prediction since 40 states already tax candy, soft drinks, etc. But this newer, bigger tax on sweetened soft drinks is coming, and coming fast. Even the Congressional Budget Office is playing with the numbers and estimates a modest 3 cent tax per every 12 oz will yield $50 Billion over a decade...

We need help paying for this $147 Billion obesity bailout. Soft drinks are ubiquitous and nonessential--they're just ingestible entertainment. They also are linked to a whole host of health problems and they're the number one, single source of calories in the American diet. Gross.

The average man in the U.S. drinks 341 calories in sweetened drinks per day. If he'd dump the soft drinks and opt for water, he'd drop 30 lbs by this time next year.

As for kids. If you love them don't serve them soda. Period. Once they're adults, they can decide whether or not the consequences are worth it.

Just did an appearance on FOX Business Network with Brian Sullivan and Dagan McDowell an hour ago on this topic. (Check it out.) Seems the Libertarians are tired of picking up the paycheck for elective illness, and that's what many of today's leading illnesses have become. If you eat yourself into cancer, type 2 diabetes and heart disease, it's your right. It's also your bill.

As for me, I represent the 8% of us who eat right, exercise daily, don't smoke, and drink only moderately if at all. Our future health outcomes are unknown just like anyone. But our effort to live a life "compliant to health" increases our odds of enjoying just that--health. If not, we've done what we can and deserve top notch care and reasonable costs associated with that care.

But our piddly 8% can't offset the 92% not even trying. No health-care plan can.

Michelle and Barack Obama tell the October 2009 Men's Health, Women's Health and Children's Health magazines they exercise regularly, eat right and don't serve their children sugary soft drinks. How 'bout we start keepin' up with the Obamas..? (not that smoking part of course...)

Wanna Offset that $147 Billion Dollar Obesity Price Tag?? Maybe a Soda Tax??

Was thrilled to attend the CDC's "Weight of the Nation" conference this week in Washington, DC. The big news? The annual price tag for obesity has gone up to $147 Billion...

Wanna offset some of that obesity price tag? What do you think of a sweetened beverage tax--or the "Soda Tax"..? Just chatted this up on CNN. Check it out.