New York State Is not Particularly Sweet When It Comes to the Poor

There is no doubt that soft drinks are making people fat, and that giving soft drinks to children increases their chances of becoming obese. Health officials warn that 12 ounces of soda everyday add 15 extra pounds per person per year. There is one obvious solution to curb the problem: a corrective tax on the consumption of sugared drinks and soda purchases.

Michael Bloomberg, the mayor of New York, and New York State officials did certainly think about it. But in these insane times when corporate power and tea-partiers have confiscated the political discourse while democrats are hiding, a tax on these products is a long shot. The solution, for our health-minded, paternalistic New York State law makers: a ban on the purchase of sugared drinks and sodas with food stamps. The poor shall be virtuous, even if nobody else is. Also, the proposal plays the trendy cord of fiscal responsibility: how dare the poor gorge themselves with sweet drinks they buy with our hard-earned tax dollar anyway? Finally, the proposal is conveniently risk-free: The poor don’t vote.

Why not a ban on the possession of car by the poor to curb global warming?