news-record.com

I don’t smoke. I rarely drink. And I eat red meat in moderation.

But one my few true vices (at least as I see it) is my conspicuous over-consumption of soft drinks.

When other people might be having a cup of coffee in the morning, I’m swiggin’ like a fish on a 20-ounce Diet Mountain Dew.

As caffeine bombs go it’s a WMD, but the one on the morning is merely a prelude to at least three more before the work day is over..
The New York Times thinks a tax on sodas night help — that if they slap, say, an extra penny per ounce on the price, I’ll do less Dew.
Even though that would cost me an extra 20 cents per Mountain Dew, I’m not so sure.

The Pepsi people, who bottle this greenish witches’ brew are already ripping me off.

With zero notice, they subbed a vending machine that dispensed 12-ounce cans with 20-ounce plastic bottles and yanked the price from 75 cents to a dollar and now to $1.25.

What did I do? I complained. Then I dutifully bought the bigger bottles.

And even though my thirst or caffeine craving rarely requires those 8 extra ounces, I suck them down anyway.

Call me a sucker.

And I’m not alone.

The machine on the second floor of the News & Record frequently runs out of Diet Mountain Dews — and there we are, scrambling down to the first-floor machine for a fix.

One the fateful day that one was empty, we simply stood around, looking hurt and lost.

Anyway, here’s what the Times said in its case for a soda tax in New York:

It is time for Albany’s lawmakers to stand firm against the soft-drink lobby. Their claim to be standing up for New York’s poorest residents obscures the fact that those same people are their customers of choice. Poorer people, who lack healthy food choices, too often overload on sugar-laden soft drinks. Even though soft drinks are not the only cause of obesity, people in lower-income areas tend to suffer more from obesity, diabetes and other obesity-related illnesses.

The costs of health care for these illnesses are rising steadily. State budget analysts estimate that obesity-related problems cost the state an estimated $7.6 billion annually. This tax could bring in about $1 billion a year to help with those costs. The soda tax is supported by most health professionals across the state. The idea also got an important endorsement this week from Mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York City, who said it could “make a major dent in obesity.”

Mr. Bloomberg compared the tax on sodas to the steep taxes on cigarettes, which helped discourage many people from smoking. He estimated that the soda tax could cut consumption by 10 percent.

If those arguments are not enough to shake lawmakers out of their torpor, they should consider this: If they pass the soda tax, they can lay claim to having done something constructive this year.

I'll drink to that.

The tobacco parallel is especially instructive.

And though my brand of poison contains no sugar, sodas also can be hard on the teeth and the kidneys, not to mention all that caffeine.

Further, many children do drink sugary sodas and we all know North Carolina’s issues with child (and adult) obesity.

Would a price hike change via a tax that behavior?