A 2008 Gallup Poll asked married couples which of them was most likely to handle different household chores – the husband or the wife. While a majority of husbands were more likely to keep the car in good repair and do the yard work, the wives were more likely to pay the bills, wash the dishes, prepare meals, do the laundry and grocery shop.

Not surprisingly, none of the married couples responded that politicians were most likely to handle household chores. After all, why would your local legislator do your grocery shopping? As consumers, we can decide for ourselves what goes in our grocery cart.

Yet, health activists and some politicians continue to push the idea of imposing laws and regulations to affect what we purchase at the grocery store.

Over the past several years, approximately 30 states and cities across the country have proposed or introduced beverages taxes. All have failed.

The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research released the results of a national survey last month that assessed public perceptions of obesity, the connection of obesity to health issues and the role of government in addressing the problem. What they found is that Americans see obesity as a serious national health crisis. But rather than place the blame on foods and beverages, eight out of 10 people cited too much TV and computer times as the most important reasons for high rates of obesity.

A recent statewide survey of Californians conducted by Field Poll shows a majority of voters – 60 percent – do not support a statewide tax on sweetened soft drinks like soda, fruit drinks, sports drinks and other beverages.  Instead, respondents told researchers that government should focus on making parks and streets safer, making safe drinking water more available to young people and building more places for youth to exercise safely.

The statewide results are in line with two recent local elections in the California cities of Richmond and El Monte. In November 2012, Richmond voters overwhelmingly rejected a soda tax by 2-to-1. And in El Monte, voters trounced a similar soda tax by 3-to-1.

You’d think after so many defeats, health activists and some politicians would learn to take “No” for an answer on the issue of taxing soft drinks.