San Francisco Chronicle

Tax the soda

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In agreeing with the American Beverage Associatio­n on the San Francisco soda tax (“Memo to City Hall: Supervise someone else,” Aug. 3), Debra J. Saunders forgets that ours is not a government for the corporatio­ns by the corporatio­ns and of the corporatio­ns.

Big Soda regularly engineers the over-consumptio­n of soda through marketing, placement, big portions and affordabil­ity. It’s no wonder that two-thirds of teens have a sugary drink daily. Now trying to engineer voters decisions, the ABA cites the Fletcher article (that Saunders cites) to bolster its position.

In fact, the article shows soda taxes do work to lower soda intake, especially higher ones like in San Francisco.

Whereas the only doctors Big Soda has are spin-doctors, let’s believe our USCF scientists, who remind us that two decades of peer-reviewed scientific research points to sugary drinks as the leading contributo­r to Type 2 diabetes.

In letting the voters decide on this issue, City Hall embodies government that is for the people, by the people and of the people for a source of city pride in a country where corporate cash increasing­ly steers policy decisions. This is why I join with USCF, City Hall and Chooseheal­thsf.com in supporting the soda tax.

Michelle Parker, San Francisco

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