Yesterday we came across an opinion article that we thought was worth bringing to the attention of our followers.  The author of the opinion piece in the Reisterstown Patch summed up a convincing argument against a soda tax with the following lines:

“Childhood obesity is a real problem facing families and we need to fix it. But we don’t need the government to tax us more. Let’s get outside and play with our kids and enjoy getting well together.”

We couldn’t have said it better ourselves.  State budget shortfalls are very important for lawmakers to address, and we agree that obesity is a complex problem that needs to be tackled immediately.  But taxing common grocery items like beverages is hardly a solution for either.

Families are holding their own in this difficult economy, but they can’t afford to pay more for their groceries.  And they know that taxes don’t make people healthy – balanced diet and exercise do that.  We need to focus on comprehensive solutions that will bring all groups – parents, teachers, lawmakers and other community leaders – together working toward a common goal.