The nanny state left has been pushing the idea of a soda tax (for sodas with sugar, that is) for some time. It appears to be dead in the Senate but an AP article last week in the Houston Chronicle provoked a justified response from reader and near-Houston resident Greg Staff.

First, the AP/Chronicle article. Note in particular the arguments made by Kelly Brownell in favor of the tax. (If you want to tell Brownell what you think of her interference into your life and your choices, you might e-mail her as Greg did: kelly.brownell@yale.edu)

I’d also suggest that this is a glimpse of the sort of busy-body behavior we will see intrude into all our lives should we suffer the misfortune of Obamacare or any other sort of government takeover of our health care system. Now, for Greg’s response to Ms. Brownell:

Dr. Brownell:

Regarding the article published today in the Houston Chronicle.

Really, don’t you northeasterners have anything better to do than to attempt to impose more government restrictions and authoritarian nanny-state requirements on the citizens of the US?

Your proposed tax fails at so many levels that it’s incomprehensible that it could see the light of day. Of course, with this current administration, I would not be surprised at anything, no matter how preposterous.

It is not the government’s responsibility to tell citizens what to eat or drink. What’s next, a cholesterol tax? How about a fat content tax? Better yet, why not just require us to submit our grocery receipts to a government website, then the government can assess us a tax based on how “unbalanced” our diet is?

I hope you do not receive government grants for this garbage – but alas, who else would support it? I know – the Fake Sugar Manufacturer’s Association!

It is perhaps admirable to want to improve the health of your countrymen, but ultimately, it is none of your business. The government should lead by example, not by fiat. (Maybe the president could really quit smoking??) You and your coauthors should go jogging and write a report on that after a year - or would that lead to a proposal for government subsidies for athletic shoes?

Repeat after me Kelly: The government is the problem, not the solution.

Regards,

Greg Staff
Houston, TX