well, we wouldn't call it a pop tax :)
Posted on 12/16/2008 7:43:43 PM PST by Sammy67
You drink diet soda, so you must be healthier. Right?
That's what New York Gov. David Paterson is talking about with his proposal for an "obesity tax" — a 15 percent slap on non-diet sugary soft drinks. Think $1 for a Diet Coke, $1.15 for a Coke.
There's just one problem: Studies have found links between drinking diet sodas and obesity and diabetes.
A 2005 study at the University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, and separate studies released in 2007 at the University of Alberta in Canada and the University of Massachusetts found that diet soda drinkers were more likely than regular soda drinkers to be obese.
Also, several studies by U.S. and European researchers have tied the artificial sweetener aspartame (NutraSweet), which is used to sweeten many diet sodas, to cancer, headaches and organ damage -- though both the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the European Union maintain that the studies they’ve reviewed show that the product is safe.
According to Paterson's proposal, the obesity tax would net an extra $404 million a year for the state and help close its projected $15 billion deficit.
In addition to soda, sugary drinks containing less than 70 percent fruit juice would be
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
found that diet soda drinkers were more likely than regular soda drinkers to be obese.
yeah but that could be because they like to eat a lot and drink diet coke because regular coke is just a bit ‘too much.’
Nanny state ping!
instead of dealing with the economy, failed schools and rising crime, we have all of these stupid gimmicks just to annoy people.
Where does all this crap end?
I’m sure that the Gov. can “see” the problems his state faces.
I work in the soft drink business and we are told by the manufacturers that diet sodas after 6 months, can be harmful and if enough were to be consumed it could make you very ill.
Patterson could ive a rat’s patootie about the health of New Yorkers.
It is all about massive taxes to support his drugs, women, limos, and big thefts of public revenue.
IMO this has nothing to do with obesity and is just another money grab. Look what happened with smokers. A health tax was imposed and people quit buying. There was moaning and groaning about lost revenue and discussion on how this extra money could be collected elsewhere.
No. It is to control them. Never forget that.
Tax the air why don’t they , oh yeah global warmer :-/
New York has 200,000 employees and Patterson is going to layoff 500 through attrition. Insane!
That's coming. In fact it is already here because of the "Global Warming" BS.
None of this crap is about health ... or obesity ... or scarcity ... or global warming ... or today's cause dejour ..
It's always about revenue ... bigger and better ways to get their hands on the fruits of other people's labors
And to contol people's lives. I'm convinced most poiticians were the annoying little turds who ran for class president in high school. They were like a slinky. Not much good for anything but fun to see pushed down the stairs.
And others might say it’s a “pop” tax. Hmm. Of course there’s the “soda pop” tax or the “Coke” tax (as in an “I’ll have an Orange Coke” or a Lemony Lime Coke). What say you New Yorkers? What would Hillary call it?
They are not called "taxes", silly, they are called "carbon credits". How unPC of you.
Oooh, you’ll love this one, then!
A county here in Indiana went smoke-free. On their local paper’s website was an article about how they’re going to have to cut waaaaay back on plowing the streets this winter. They don’t have ANY money to pay plow drivers overtime and they don’t have nearly enough salt to last the winter. The comments section is completely full of outraged citizens yet none of them seem able to see the big picture.
Wanna know where the money for this used to come from? The cigarette tax.
Sorry. I still guffaw right out loud when I think about it while driving on our county’s nicely cleared and salted roads. Gonna be a looooong winter. :D
Yep, chow down at the all-you-can-eat buffet and then order a diet coke because “they’re on a diet.”
What’s next! State soda drinking age raised to 18 with an ID to prove it?
LOL.
Can't imagine why.
Well I have always thought about visiting New York City someday.
But, I think in the long run.. I will just stay away. 18% on all that stuff is just crazy.
Well I have always thought about visiting New York City someday.
But, I think in the long run.. I will just stay away. 18% on all that stuff is just crazy.
200,000 employees with big fat pensions....
Did they happen to tell you why diet soda becomes dangerous after six months or why it will make you very ill? I ask only because I've been in the business for more than 20 years and have never heard a soft drink manufacture say any such thing.
Aspartame is highly unstable and will break down if subjected to prolonged heat. That's why it isn't used for baking and is why Splenda has become such a big hit. Aspartame also has a short shelf life in liquids. As Aspartame decomposes, it breaks down into its three original components (phenylalanine, aspartic acid and methanol) as well as the diketopiperazine derivative of aspartame. So what? This isn't dangerous in any way and has been tested extensively.
Drinking a can of hydrolyzed aspartame leaves a burning feeling on the tongue and throat from the methanol.
It's the amino acids that cause the cyclic peptide to form. The taste may be bad but it certainly isn't harmful. Your concern is an issue of quality, not an issue of safety. Again, this is why sucralose is becoming the sweetener substitute of choice today.
Since phenylalanine is, if I remember correctly, the most common amino acid and is found in most proteins, people suffering from PKU really have it tough. That doesn’t make aspartame any more dangerous to these people than steak. Only about 1 out of 15,000 people suffers from PKU. That still doesn’t prove aspartame is dangerous and makes people ill when it breaks down.
Right, "divide and conquer" strategy. Equal protection under the law means nothing to our current crop of filthy scumbags "serving" the public. Rape, pillage, and steal - has much more appeal to these pirates.
That must be why they want us to drink the diet stuff, eh?
Most likely. Because frankly, diet soda does NOT:
-Contain a significant amount of energy.
-Cause any significant insulin spike.
Hence, diet soda making you fat would be something of a scientific miracle. Only epidemiological studies link diet soda to obesity, etc., but that says more about the crappiness of epidemiological dietary studies (a general phenomenon) than it does about diet soda.
The cancer and general health issues are more complicated. I don’t think it’s terribly dangerous, but I try to limit my consumption.
(((((( rimshot ))))))
My biggest weakness is regular coke. (Liquid not powder :)). When I started my diet I found switching to diet didn’t help at all. I just cut down the amount of coke I drink from about 40 bottles a day to 1.
Besides helping me with my diet cutting coke out almost completely has also improved my dental health. Perfect checkup just last week.
 |
'Saturday Night Live' mocks Governor Paterson's blindness, past drug useSaturday Night Live pushed the envelope last night with... Fred Armisen as Paterson during a segment on "Weekend Update." ...Armisen, as Paterson, says he has three criteria: economic experience, upstate influence and someone with a disability who is completely unprepared for the job - just like him. "I want to choose a senator not from the glitzy coke parties of Manhattan but rather from the shabbier coke circles of upstate new york," he said. "I'm tired of all these fancy, two-eyed smart alecs from the big city running the whole show. It's time we get someone from Utica, Syracuse or Schnectady - towns where people have something a little off about him. I mean, they don't have to be blind," he said. "I just need someone with like a gamey arm or maybe the giant gums with the tiny teeth. Let's get one of those in the Senate." The fake Paterson points out that he only became governor because of former Gov. Eliot Spitzer's prostition scandal. "Whoever is appointed senator must - like me - be caught totally off guard and be comically unprepared to take office," he said. "Come on, I'm a blind man who loves cocaine who was suddenly appointed governor of New York. My life is an actual plot from a Richard Pryor movie." |
Paterson In A Blind Rage Over 'SNL' Skit
Governor Paterson proposes 'Obesity Tax,' a tax on non-diet sodasGov. Paterson, as part of a $121 billion budget to be unveiled Tuesday, will propose an "obesity tax" of about 15% on nondiet drinks. This means a Diet Coke might sell for a $1 - even as the same size bottle of its calorie-rich alter ego would go for $1.15. Paterson's budget also calls for a 3% cut in education spending, a $620-a-year tuition hike at SUNY and a $600 increase at CUNY - and about $3.5 billion in health care cuts, a source said. The Democratic governor will not call for a broad-based income tax boost, but he will push to restore the sales tax on clothing and footwear... State employees again will be asked to forgo their 3% raises next year and defer five days' pay until they leave their jobs, the source said. In all, Paterson will propose about $9 billion in cuts, $4 billion in new taxes and fees, and $1.5 billion in nonrecurring revenue, a second source said. The so-called obesity tax would generate an estimated $404 million a year. Milk, juice, diet soda and bottled water would be exempt from the tax... Public health advocates welcomed news of the tax, saying it would help the fight against childhood obesity. "Raising the price of this liquid candy will put children and teens on a path to a healthier diet," said Elie Ward of the American Academy of Pediatrics of New York State.
by Glenn Blain and Kenneth Lovett
with Edgar Sandoval and Erica Pearson
Daily News Albany Bureau
Sunday, December 14th 2008
[and now, the buried lead:] The Paterson administration also announced steps yesterday to expand the state's social services net, including a 30% increase in welfare payments over three years starting January 2010, increased money for food banks and expanded access to the state's Family Health Plus program. Paterson also hopes to make it easier for people to enroll in Medicaid by eliminating face-to-face interviews and fingerprinting requirements.
related topics:
‘Saturday Night Live’ mocks [New York Democratic] Governor Paterson’s blindness, past drug use
The New York Daily News | December 14, 2008 | Stephanie Gaskell
Posted on 12/14/2008 2:49:02 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2148733/posts
New taxes, cuts in budget plan Paterson sees $404M tax on non-diet soda; health care
TimesUnion | 12/14/08 | James M. Odato
Posted on 12/14/2008 6:59:50 PM PST by Sammy67
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2148826/posts
Paterson in a Blind Rage over ‘SNL’ Skit
NYPost | December 15, 2008 | David K. L I
Posted on 12/15/2008 5:38:33 AM PST by rightwingintelligentsia
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2148943/posts
(NY) Governor Paterson proposes ‘Obesity Tax,’ a tax on non-diet sodas
NY Daily News | December 15, 2008 | Glenn Blain & Kenneth Lovett
Posted on 12/15/2008 9:52:33 AM PST by presidio9
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2149091/posts
Gov. David Paterson unveils dire New York State budget
that includes new taxes, layoffs and cuts
Daily News Albany Bureau | 12/16/08 | Kenneth Lovett and Glenn Blain
Posted on 12/16/2008 5:23:56 PM PST by Sammy67
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2149909/posts
LOL! You're grasping at straws now. I'd urge you to stop reading the nonsense you find on the internet because those sources don't understand the first thing about chemistry, physiology or nutrition. Methanol is common in lots of fruit and vegetables. Are fruits and vegetables going to poison you and cause blindness? Will they embalm you? All fermented foods and beverages will contain some methanol. Your liver easily clears these minute amounts just like it clears the trace amounts of toxic chemicals found in many of the foods you eat every day.
Apple juice, for example, has about 90 milligrams of methanol per liter. That's a lot more than a can of diet soda where aspartame makes up less than 10% of the total product and methanol is responsible for only 11% of aspartame. For apple juice to be toxic to humans, you'd have to consume hundreds of quarts of it in one sitting. Does that sound dangerous to you? When was the last time you consumed that much of anything? Makes the minute quantity found in aspartame seem pretty harmless, doesn't it? That's because it is.
A glass of red wine will give you more methanol than a diet coke. But a glass of red wine is good for you, right? Since aspartame is comprised of phenylalanine, aspartic acid and methanol, you'd have to believe that eating a steak with green beans and a glass of red wine ill cause acute poisoning, damage your DNA and embalm you. It sounds silly but that's exactly the nonsense you're buying in to.
Alarmism about food and food ingredients is fomented by people who never bothered to understand the subject. Therefore, they end up fearing things they don't understand.
My oldest son didn't heed my warning. He got into a Cherry Coke habit. Now he is burning through $4,400 in dental bills. Pretty tough for a guy earning minimum wage with no insurance coverage.
Congrats on kicking the habit and getting the good news at the dental visit.
There are some indications that the body reacts to a sweet taste by dumping some insulin into the blood in anticipation of the arrival of carbohydrates. When the carbs fail to arrive, the drop in blood sugar spikes the appetite. The only fix for that problem is real food. Drinking plain water would have quenched thirst without provoking insulin and inducing hunger.
I really doubt that aspartame causes an insulin response. I.e, see: (Good document dump from an exercise forum:)
Am J Clin Nutr. 2005 Nov;82(5):1011-6. Functional magnetic resonance imaging of human hypothalamic responses to sweet taste and calories.
“Evidence exists that beverages do not trigger appropriate anticipatory physiologic responses, such as cephalic phase insulin release. Therefore, it is of interest to elucidate the food properties necessary for triggering adaptive responses. Previously, we found a prolonged dose-dependent decrease in the hypothalamic functional magnetic resonance imaging signal after ingestion of a glucose solution. OBJECTIVES: The aims of the present study were to measure the effects of sweet taste and energy content on the hypothalamic response to glucose ingestion and to measure the concomitant changes in blood glucose and insulin concentrations. DESIGN: Five healthy, normal-weight men participated in a randomized crossover design trial. The subjects were scanned 4 times for 37 min on separate days with functional magnetic resonance imaging. After 7 min, they ingested 1 of the following 4 stimuli (300 mL of each): water (control), a glucose solution, an aspartame (sweet taste) solution, or a maltodextrin (nonsweet carbohydrate) solution. RESULTS: Glucose ingestion resulted in a prolonged and significant signal decrease in the upper hypothalamus (P < 0.05). Water, aspartame, and maltodextrin had no such effect. Glucose and maltodextrin ingestions resulted in similar increases in blood glucose and insulin concentrations. However, only glucose triggered an early rise in insulin concentrations. Aspartame did not trigger any insulin response.”
Aspartame—the sweet-tasting dipeptide—does not affect the pancreatic insulin-secreting function
Sadovnikova NV, Fedotov VP, Aleshina LV, Shvachkin IuP, Girin SK.
The action of a synthetic dipeptide aspartam (150 to 180 times as sweet as glucose) on pancreatic insulin-secretory function of rats was studied in vivo and in vitro. The drug was given orally while drinking (300 mg/kg body weight) or was added to the incubation medium of cultivated pancreatic cells (20 mM). It was shown that insulin content in the rat blood serum remained unchanged 10 and 35 minutes after aspartam administration. The drug did not exert any stimulating effect upon insulin secretion following the addition to the pancreatic cell culture medium. It is concluded that aspartam exhibits no direct or mediated action on pancreatic insulin-secretory function.
J Nutr Sci Vitaminol (Tokyo). 1985 Oct;31(5):533-40. Effects of aspartame on diabetic rats and diabetic patients.
The effects of aspartame (L-aspartyl-L-phenylalanine methyl ester) on plasma glucose and insulin levels were investigated in diabetic rats and patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. The oral administration of 0.45 mg aspartame per 100g body weight, which is equivalent to 150 mg of glucose in sweetness, to streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats had no effect on the plasma glucose or insulin levels. Also, 225 mg oral aspartame loading, which is equivalent to 75 g of glucose in sweetness, to patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus did not increase plasma glucose or insulin levels, although 75 g of oral glucose loading increased plasma glucose and insulin levels in diabetic patients as expected. Aspartame ingestion for three days at a dose of 24-48 mg per day and the intake of snacks flavored with 240 mg of aspartame also did not increase fasting plasma glucose levels. These results suggest that acute administration of aspartame has no influence on plasma glucose or insulin levels in diabetic rats and patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.
Cell Signal. 1998 Nov;10(10):727-33. Effects of artificial sweeteners on insulin release and cationic fluxes in rat pancreatic islets.
Beta-L-glucose pentaacetate, but not alpha-D-galactose pentaacetate, was recently reported to taste bitter and to stimulate insulin release. This finding led, in the present study, to the investigation of the effects of both bitter and non-bitter artificial sweeteners on insulin release and cationic fluxes in isolated rat pancreatic islets. Sodium saccharin (1.0-10.0 mM), sodium cyclamate (5.0-10.0 mM), stevioside (1.0 mM) and acesulfame-K (1.0-15.0 mM), all of which display a bitter taste, augmented insulin release from islets incubated in the presence of 7.0 mM D-glucose. In contrast, aspartame (1.0-10.0 mM), which is devoid of bitter taste, failed to affect insulin secretion. A positive secretory response to acesulfame-K was still observed when the extracellular K+ concentration was adjusted to the same value as that in control media. No major changes in 86Rb and 45Ca outflow from pre-labelled perifused islets could be attributed to the saccharin, cyclamic or acesulfame anions. It is proposed that the insulinotropic action of some artificial sweeteners and, possibly, that of selected hexose pentaacetate esters may require G-protein-coupled receptors similar to those operative in the recognition of bitter compounds by taste buds.
Am J Clin Nutr. 1998 Sep;68(3):531-7. Aspartame: neuropsychologic and neurophysiologic evaluation of acute and chronic effects.
BACKGROUND: Neurobehavioral symptoms have been reported anecdotally with aspartame. OBJECTIVE: This study sought to determine whether aspartame can disrupt cognitive, neurophysiologic, or behavioral functioning in normal individuals. DESIGN: Forty-eight healthy volunteers completed a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study. The first month was aspartame free. Subjects then consumed sodas and capsules with placebo, aspartame, or sucrose for 20 d each. Order was randomized and subjects were assigned to either a high- (45 mg x kg body wt(-1) x d(-1)) or low- (15 mg x kg body wt(-1) x d(-1)) dose aspartame group. Neuropsychologic and laboratory testing was done on day 10 of each treatment period to determine possible acute effects and on day 20 for possible chronic effects. RESULTS: Plasma phenylalanine concentrations increased significantly during aspartame treatment. Neuropsychologic results; adverse experiences; amino acid, insulin, and glucose values; and electroencephalograms were compared by sex and by treatment. No significant differences were found for any dependent measure. CONCLUSION: Large daily doses of aspartame had no effect on neuropsychologic, neurophysiologic, or behavioral functioning in healthy young adults.”
There are no legitimate indications that the body reacts to sweetness in any such way except from junk scientists who are more interested in grant money than they are in the truth.
Insulin facilitates the metabolism of carbohydrates. Diet Coke, with aspartame, contains 0% carbohydrates. It provides 0 calories. How do you stimulate insulin without calories?
This is just more nonsense from people who don't understand the chemistry of satiation. Suggesting that the taste function can control or influence the amount of calories that go into our bodies is absurd. This is not how the body is set up and contradicts what we've learned about hunger and satiation. These people seem to believe that the body's genetic structure can be overridden.
You might find this interesting. These folks are solid researchers and are not driven by ulterior motives.
* In this study, Perrigue compared subjects' level of fullness (satiety) after consuming high fructose corn syrup (HFCS)-, sucrose- and aspartame-sweetened beverages with milk and a no-beverage control. The study found that all four caloric beverages "suppressed hunger ratings and increased satiety ratings relative to the no beverage control. However, there were no significant differences in satiety profiles among the sucrose- and HFCS-sweetened beverages, diet cola, and 1% milk."
It's from a pay site so I cannot link you. You can find it in Nutrition Today: Volume 40(6) November/December 2005 pp 253-256 by: Gayle L. Hein, BS, and Maureen L. Storey, PhD, Center for Food, Nutrition, and Agriculture Policy, University of Maryland-College Park, College Park, MD.
The internet is filled with so much misinformation based on junk science that you really need to be careful as what conclusions you believe.
Consuming adequate amounts of EPA and DHA will dilute the arachidonic acid over time and allow its safe metabolism before it precipitates more severe consequences.
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