San Francisco mayor wants fat tax on soda, soda industry wants fat tax on video games instead

San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom wants to add an extra fee to the sale of drinks containing high-fructose corn syrup in a two-fold effort to fight fat and help fund fat-fighting programs around the city.

Kevin Keane of the American Beverage Association calls the plan flawed and suggests the causes of obesity are many and varied and that instead of singling out the beverage industry, the mayor should single out video games instead (even though the causes of obesity are many and varied).

Whatever the case, let’s not let people take responsibility for their own actions.

Look, it’s a well-known fact that the main cause of obesity isn’t soda or video games, it’s people from Fargo. My dad is from Fargo and he claims that a few of the people there own most of Las Vegas. I fail to see how the obesity problem should be any different. I could be wrong but I doubt it. All my cousins, aunts, and uncles from Fargo are in pretty good shape.

Bonus question: soda or pop?

San Francisco’s mayor proposes fee on sales of sugary soft drinks [International Herald Tribune] via Kotaku