A tax on Soda. Absurd…

Hey all!

Long time no post.

Newsflash with Supply and Demand!  A new study by the American Journal of Public Health claims that when the price of soda goes up, the consumption of soda goes down.  Is this a joke? Did the American Journal of Public Health actually spend time (and presumably money) to figure out the the law of Supply and Demand actually works on soda?  I am afraid this is no joke.

There are two reasons why this is absolute absurd and repugnant.

1. People actually spent resources to show that the principles of  Supply and Demand actually work.  Of course they work!  Especially on something as mundane as soda.  But this brings us to #2.  The whole motivation behind this “Study” was to analyze the effect a tax would have on soda consumption.
2. So a tax on soda huh?  Why?  It’s because the government wants to make us healthier!  Isn’t that nice?  or is it?  Wait a second… I’m an adult, I can make decisions for myself.  If I choose to drink soda, I should be able to do so without being punished for it.  It is absolutely insulting for the government to think that I am not capable of making the right decisions for myself.  Take your hands off of my soda.  I average less than 8 hours of sleep a night, should I be taxed for sleep deficit?  I enjoy doughnuts, should a doughnut tax be implemented upon my person?

What do you think?

Supplemental Reading:

http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/17/higher-prices-less-soda-drinking/

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/19/business/economy/19leonhardt.html

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