THE NYC SODA TAX IS A BIG TAX ON THE POOR
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THE JAMES EDSTROM EDITORIAL
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THE JAMES EDSTROM EDITORIAL
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David PatersonIt really amazes me how our government officials in New York, like Governor Paterson and now Mike Bloomberg, continue to tax the poor, but they do it in such a round-about way, that all the politicians look saintly. This proposed soda tax will only hurt the poor, plain and simple. The rich will continue to buy soda and anything else they want. The poor will also continue to buy soda, but they will be forced to spend money they really do not have. Just take a ride through any poor neighborhood, there are limited choices in the supermarkets, deli's and bodegas. Soda is the cheep choice to sell in these communities. No one in these neighborhoods can afford to buy these 5 dollar designer healthy drinks. Healthy food costs big bucks. Poor people do not have the option of buying anything but soda. Go into any fast food restaurant, a healthy salad is 4 times more than a less nutritious double cheeseburger. Look what the cigarette tax has done. They took a addicted public and raised the price of cigarettes from around $2.50 a pack to almost $12.00 bucks. The rich did not even blink a eye at the price increase, nor did they quit, but the poor, who are just as addicted, are still smoking because they can not stop and they are spending money they do not have. This is what the soda tax will do. Tax the poor. We already pay tax on money we earn. We pay sales tax and we pay taxes to ride in a taxi here in New York City, if you can believe it. When are our politicians going to do the right thing, which is to go through every single department we have in this state, and start getting rid of waste. Everywhere I go, I see waste in government. If I can see it, why can't our officials? Stop these taxes on the poor!
Marijuana
MAKING MARIJUANA LEGAL WILL SAVE THE STATES
We spend billions every year arresting people for smoking marijuana. We spend money on law enforcement and sending these people to jail. I do not care what anyone says about marijuana, it is less dangerous and less costly than alcohol. Alcohol has caused millions of deaths, and no one can say that about marijuana. California is getting ready on a vote to legalize marijuana, because they see the huge tax revenue it will bring in. Why New York is so behind the rest of the world, is beyond me. I am not talking about just legalizing Medical Marijuana, which should be legal anyway, but I am talking about making marijuana once and for all legal. Control and tax it like you control alcohol. The billions saved on arresting and jailing people and the tax monies collected will give this state a surplus instead of a deficit. It is such a simple answer, yet our politicians thinking are still in the stone age, or maybe they are stoned!
David Paterson Photo By: RD/Dziekan/Retna
MarijuanaMAKING MARIJUANA LEGAL WILL SAVE THE STATES
We spend billions every year arresting people for smoking marijuana. We spend money on law enforcement and sending these people to jail. I do not care what anyone says about marijuana, it is less dangerous and less costly than alcohol. Alcohol has caused millions of deaths, and no one can say that about marijuana. California is getting ready on a vote to legalize marijuana, because they see the huge tax revenue it will bring in. Why New York is so behind the rest of the world, is beyond me. I am not talking about just legalizing Medical Marijuana, which should be legal anyway, but I am talking about making marijuana once and for all legal. Control and tax it like you control alcohol. The billions saved on arresting and jailing people and the tax monies collected will give this state a surplus instead of a deficit. It is such a simple answer, yet our politicians thinking are still in the stone age, or maybe they are stoned!
David Paterson Photo By: RD/Dziekan/Retna
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James Edstrom