Centsless

Given our propensity for self-destruction, typically one bad decision at a time, a paternalistic government has little choice but to intervene.

The most recent attempt to save us from ourselves is a proposed one penny per ounce tax (an estimated 17% increase) on soda and sugary soft drinks.

The thinking, I believe, is theoretically sound: increase the price (of soda) and you’ll succeed in decreasing consumption. The economic cost and consequences will ripple through the private sector, but the State should show a tidy little profit. And not incidentally, a greater good, as they see it, will have been served.

I suppose all that’s left to consider is whether the State, having failed miserably in its legitimate responsibilities, should assume a far greater role in our lives; as in telling us how to live them

Liberty, the next controlled substance.