Perhaps you’d use the money to pay down the budget deficit…

Build or repair the roads and bridges in your state…

Fund a food program for children in America who go hungry each night…

Send the money back to the states to pay for education…

Some folks think they have the answer on how to spend those dollars.  For example, Center for Science in the Public Interest Executive Director Michael Jacobson, who holds a Ph.D. in microbiology, just wrote an article proposing to spend a whopping $1.5 billion on “major mass-media campaigns to encourage people to eat less junk food and more healthful foods.” He also likes the idea of spending your money on cooking classes and bike trails (never mind that pothole you hit on the way to work today).

One and a half billion dollars is a lot of money to spend on a belief that people can’t possibly be capable of making decisions for what they eat – that they need the government to help them figure it out.

A recent NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll reports that only 13 percent of Americans approve of the job Congress is doing. So, do you trust them to make decisions about what you can and can’t eat?

There are many problems facing our country today. Obesity and proper health are problems we face as a nation. But we can make decisions for ourselves and our families each and every day without the help of lawmakers. What we can’t do without is their help is fill the pothole on the way to work, fund the music program at our local school or make a dent in the federal deficit. Priorities matter.

Some 59 percent of Americans oppose taxes on soda and only 32 percent favor the idea, according to a recently released poll by Rasmussen Reports.

It has been clear for some time now that people don’t want government telling them what to eat or drink by taxing common grocery items. As we’ve noted in Sip & Savor, they can decide what’s best for their families.  Hard-working families are holding their own in this tough economy, but they can’t afford higher grocery prices.  New taxes on certain beverages would further squeeze families already struggling to make ends meet and these discriminatory taxes would hurt the most those who can least afford it.

We agree that the nation’s obesity challenge is an important one to overcome, but new taxes do not make people healthier.  Making smart, educated decisions about diet and exercise do that.  Obesity is a serious, complex problem that requires comprehensive solutions.

We shared a few polls with our readers over the past few months that echo a national anti-tax sentiment.  People simply do not want to pay any more taxes right now – especially on their groceries.

The curtain has been drawn on these taxes, and they’ve been revealed to be little more than a sad shot at closing the gap on government over-spending.  They are all about raising money for more government spending and have nothing to do with solving public health issues.

What policymakers should do is economize their budgets, spend wisely and avoid wasteful spending.  And ultimately conduct themselves no differently than the hard-working families all across the country that are doing the same.

As recently reported in a Wall Street Journal blog, a Marist Poll found 63 percent of those surveyed opposed the tax, only 31 percent supported it and 6 percent hadn’t made up their minds. Of particular note: even 52 percent of those who do not drink the beverages targeted by the proposal were against the tax.

We at Sip & Savor are seeing Americans’ views become clearer with each passing day.  National public opinion research including an AdWeek Media /Harris Poll conducted by Harris Interactive and one by  Rasmussen Reports shows they don’t want a tax on soft drinks.  We encourage policymakers to look for comprehensive solutions to the nation’s health problems and not resort to simplistic measures that squeeze family budgets, hurt those who can least afford it and miss the mark on making Americans healthier.

A few months ago, a national poll released by Rasmussen Reports also found that a majority of Americans oppose a tax on soft drinks.  And respondents strongly believed that lawmakers are far more interested in raising money for more government than in using tax revenue for public health.

Across the board, respondents have clearly stated in no uncertain terms that they do not support a tax on soft drinks that will inevitably go to paying for more government.

The facts remain that taxes such as those being talked about by some activists and policymakers are highly regressive, hurting the most those who can least afford it.  As lawmakers look for ways to address public health issues like obesity, we encourage them to focus on meaningful and lasting solutions – not simplistic solutions that will only fill budget gaps on the backs of their hard-working constituents.

“Voters are opposed to the Governor’s proposed tax on soda and other sugared beverages by a margin of 59 percent to 38 percent. While Democrats and New York City voters are closely divided on this issue, it is overwhelmingly opposed by Republican, independents, downstate suburbanites and upstaters,” Siena pollster Steven Greenberg said in a press release about the poll.

The soda tax is part of the Governor’s budget proposal. Health concerns are supposedly the driving force for the taxes. However, the motives are painfully transparent: closing the budget gap. This disingenuous attempt to raise revenue is not lost on voters in New York who understand that the proposed tax is little more than a money grab.

For more information about the tax and what you can do to take action, check in with the New Yorkers Against Unfair Taxes.

Gov. Paterson appears to be hearing the concerns of his constituents, to his credit. He’s quoted in recent news articles saying that the Legislature doesn’t have the desire to pass the 18 percent soft drink tax, for example.

New Yorkers have taken it upon themselves to voice their opposition to more taxes – noting that they already live in one of the highest taxed states in the nation. They’ve had a “Boston Tea Party” to protest the soda tax. And in a recent town hall meeting on the budget, a college student called the tax “foolish.”

New Yorkers’ opposition to the tax hikes on hard-working families and individuals continues to remain strong in the independent polls; though possible alternatives are also emerging in these polls if Gov. Paterson and lawmakers are interested. The latest Quinnipiac University poll this week shows public opposition to the obesity tax on New Yorkers remains high at 65 percent opposed, 31 percent in support – more than a 2-to-1 margin.

Let’s hope New Yorkers stand strong and make sure these middle-class taxes don’t pass. It’s a bad idea at a bad time for families. And let’s hope that other states continue to get the message that hard-working families won’t tolerate higher taxes on the products and services they use regularly in order to close budget gaps. It’s not a partisan issue; it’s a pocketbook issue.

A new Rasmussen Reports national survey showed that 70 percent of Americans oppose a national tax on all non-diet soft drinks (that would be regular soda.) Only 18 percent supported the idea of an “obesity tax” on regular soda like the one proposed by New York Gov. David Paterson. The results are from a telephone survey of 1,000 adults conducted Jan. 20-21 by respected independent pollster Scott Rasmussen, president of Rasmussen Reports. The margin of error is plus/minus 3 percentage points.

Rasmussen certainly isn’t alone in his findings. The Report’s numbers track with other surveys by Quinnipiac University and Siena College that also show strong opposition to New York’s proposed 18 percent sales tax hike on regular soft drinks.

Bam! There it is! America is speaking up, led by New Yorkers. People don’t like the soda tax in New York. They don’t like it nationally. And they don’t buy the obesity tax excuse for a money grab.

Interestingly, the same Rasmussen Report also showed that while 70 percent of Americans oppose a national tax on soft drinks, nearly the same amount – 62 percent – support a national ban of smoking in public places. Thank goodness for American common sense, which rightfully puts these two products on opposite ends of the spectrum.

And the poll found that only 38 percent of Americans support a complete ban on cell phones while driving – with 58 percent preferring the use of hands-free devices in cars.

So what conclusions can be drawn from this poll’s findings?

1. Americans find it ridiculous that in an economy like this, politicians would propose raising taxes on simple products bought and enjoyed by hard-working families. They find the obesity tax “cover” simply lame.

2. Americans find it offensive that government wants to play Nanny and dictate to people what they should consume (beverages) or what products they should use (cell phones).

3. Americans view soft drinks and a killer like smoking in two completely different universes. Bad news for the extremists trying to lump soda pop into a sin tax like tobacco. Good sense triumphs again.

So enough already. Get the message, lawmakers. Lay off the soft drinks and hard-working folks.

Americans are trying to climb out of a tough economic hole. They want lawmakers making that task easier. Not making it harder by adding to their financial burden or telling them how to act.

You listening out there in Massachusetts Gov. Patrick? Arizona lawmakers? New York legislators?

Your constituents seem to be making their views consistently clear across the states.