Cut the Fat

One of the revenue raising ideas circulating in states and in Congress is a tax on non-diet soda. This initiative is purported to promote health in an era of rising obesity. Drudge highlighted a study today conducted in Japan that "chubby" people actually survive longer than their svelte peers. Just like global warming, the science behind the push for a "fat" tax may be flawed. All people who drink soda are not morbidly obese, and people who drink diet soda are often overweight. The soda tax is not a plan to advance good health but a scheme to separate you from more of your money. It is long past time that the government showed more concern for shrinking budgets than growing waistlines. There are more than enough revenue streams for government, in fact many Americans are already drowning in them.