Last night in Colorado, Gov. Bill Ritter signed into law a package of nine tax bills which include removing the sales tax exemption from candy and sugar-sweetened beverages. We understand that the budget shortfall in the state is serious, but there are better and more responsible ways to clear up a fiscal mess than to target an item or two in the grocery cart.

Rolling back this sales tax exemption unfairly places the economic troubles of the state on the backs of hardworking middle-class families. It further squeezes kitchen table budgets that already struggling through a recession and puts good paying jobs at risk in Colorado.

If you are from Colorado, and fed up with this type of government overreach, check out the Coalition for a Responsible Colorado for more information. And while you are at it, the Americans Against Food Taxes coalition has additional resources for how you can make your voice heard.