Banning Behavior: reading argumentative text; Soda Tax 6

A Soda Tax Isn’t Sweet

1. One in three Americans is obese or very overweight. So several U.S. cities have imposed a tax on sugar-sweetened drinks in order to fight the disease. Is this acceptable? I say no—this is a free country! People should be able to eat and drink what they want.
2. Soda and other sugary drinks have been targeted because they lack nutrition and are basically just liquid sugar. Most people would agree that proper nutrition is important for maintaining a healthy lifestyle. However, do legislators have the right or responsibility to regulate people’s sugar intake in order to improve their health? I say no.
3. Besides, making sugary drinks expensive won’t help people lose weight. Obesity has more causes than just sugary drinks. Many foods are unhealthy and can cause weight gain. It doesn’t make sense that yogurt, cereal, and baked goods aren’t taxed since these foods sometimes have more added sugar than sodas.

4. Sure, sugar-filled foods and drinks lead to obesity, but so do foods that are high in fat, like burgers, fried chicken, and pizza. The list goes on and on. Shouldn’t these unhealthy foods be taxed too? How do we decide which foods should be taxed and which ones shouldn’t?
5. The government’s job isn’t to be our parents and tell us what to eat or drink. In this country, we have the freedom and the right to eat and drink what we want: healthy or not.