Editorials & Other Articles

Crewleader

(17,005 posts) Mon Sep 8, 2014, 02:51 PM Sep 2014

Berkeley vs. Big Soda by Robert Reich

Monday, September 8, 2014

I was phoned the other night in middle of dinner by an earnest young man named Spencer, who said he was doing a survey.

Rather than hang up I agreed to answer his questions. He asked me if I knew a soda tax would be on the ballot in Berkeley in November. When I said yes, he then asked whether I trusted the Berkeley city government to spend the revenues wisely.

At that moment I recognized a classic “push poll,” which is part of a paid political campaign.

So I asked Spencer a couple of questions of my own. Who was financing his survey? “Americans for Food and Beverage Choice,” he answered. Who was financing this group? “The American Beverage Association,” he said.

Spencer was so eager to get off the phone I didn’t get to ask him my third question: Who’s financing the American Beverage Association? It didn’t matter. I knew the answer: Pepsico and Coca Cola.

http://robertreich.org/post/96977059465

3 replies

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Berkeley vs. Big Soda by Robert Reich (Original Post) Crewleader Sep 2014 OP

I was there at the birth of the Free Speech Movement in 1964 tularetom Sep 2014 #1

Nice to meet you tularetom Crewleader Sep 2014 #2

I rarely drink soda DavidG_WI Sep 2014 #3

tularetom

(23,664 posts)

1. I was there at the birth of the Free Speech Movement in 1964

Reply to Crewleader (Original post)

Mon Sep 8, 2014, 03:13 PM

Sep 2014

And I lived there until 1971 or 72.

And I can pretty much assure anybody who wants to know that no, the city government will probably not spend the tax revenues wisely. They never have and they probably never will.

But that doesn't mean the tax itself is a bad idea. Better for that money to be in the hands of the public than in the pockets of the corporations and their fat cat share holders. If the tax decreases the consumption of sugary crap drink, that alone makes it a positive thing, even if the city takes the money and burns it in the middle of Telegraph Avenue.

Crewleader

(17,005 posts)

2. Nice to meet you tularetom

Reply to tularetom (Reply #1)

Mon Sep 8, 2014, 03:24 PM

Sep 2014

and to have lived there yourself. Thanks for posting, and I'm with you, if the tax decreases the consumption of those sugary crap drinks, that alone makes it a positive thing indeed.

DavidG_WI

(245 posts)

3. I rarely drink soda

Reply to Crewleader (Original post)

Sat Sep 13, 2014, 03:02 PM

Sep 2014

But when I do it's never the swill the big guys make. I'll stick to the locally made sodas from Sprecher and Stevens Point Breweries as they are made without HFCS and taste far better then the mass market equivalents, grape actually tastes like grape, theres no equivalent to Sprecher's Blueberry soda.

In the event I can't find them I can usually find the Mexican brand Jarritos, which is made with cane sugar and has some great flavors like Tamarind and Grapefruit.

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