WOW! Holy shit I LOVE YOU, and I LOVE HUBSKI. Goddamn we have a fine group of people here. Anyway... you and I agree about 93.6% on everything. 1. Yep. My girlfriend had an abortion. Been with three others to hold their hands because their boyfriends were too worthless to be there. I know it firsthand. (Well. Holding the 'firsthand' while it happened to her.) 2. More than 90-something percent of abortions happen in the first trimester. Even within the first 8 weeks. That isn't a human. It is a bundle of cells that may or may not turn out to be viable in the next couple of months. (The "Science Vs" podcast just did a fantastic episode on abortions, will full footnotes to all the latest research on the subject, and evidence to back up all the numbers.) The number of third trimester abortions are vanishingly small, and are generally due to the reasons you state; viability, health of the mother, etc. So I think we can agree that when we talk about "abortions" we are talking about the 97% that occur within the first trimester, or for medically prudent reasons. We aren't talking about the weird edge cases that Fox News uses as case studies, correct? Now on to the Soda Tax. Autonomy and not living in a nanny-state is absolutely important, and a part of the promise of living in America. I happen to live in one of the worst nanny-states in the USA - Washington - and it annoys the shit out of me constantly. We are weirdly progressive while also being prudish about the dumbest shit. Anyway. I think we can both agree that HFCS is a key reason for the obesity epidemic in America. Right? It creates a need/addiction to sweet substances that drives the body into a hunger for more of the same, and creates a vicious cycle of crash-speed-crash-speed that leads directly to obesity, especially in children. And especially in "food deserts", which are generally in poor neighborhoods where people do not have access to grocery stores, fresh foods, and often get a large part of their nutrition from fast food and gas station markets. So now we have a cheap, addictive product (like cigarettes were), that is a key part of the diet of the poorest people, because they simply don't have access to better foods. Now let's move on to single use plastics. We can both agree - I expect - that single use plastics are quite a serious problem for our planet. Oil use, waste creates, and toxins leeching out of the plastics and inks used in them, into the local ecosystems. (Or oceans. See: Pacific Gyre.) Straws, plastic bags, and other single-use plastics have been banned in certain places because of the undeniable damage they do to our environment and waste streams. Soda comes, primarily, in single-use plastic bottles. Healthcare The obesity epidemic in America was bad in the 1980's, and has only gotten worse. It taxes every single part of our society, from healthcare to building codes, to the size of vehicles people drive. Obese people need more healthcare for a broader range of problems and require more pharmaceutical and surgical procedures than any other demographic. That costs every single person in a multitude of ways. Big Picture: The vessel is toxic and damages our immediate and global environment. The liquid inside the vessel is toxic in every definition of the word. The promotion of HCFS in every conceivable food product from soda to hamburger patties is a direct factor in the obesity problem, that puts undue strain on the system, and leaves everyone paying the bill for some people's lack of self control. Putting a price on that, and causing people to think more carefully about its use, is Good, without any caveats. Helmet laws? Seatbelt laws? Yeah. Totally support them, for the exact same reason. ==== However, when you get right down to it, this legislation was created specifically to disenfranchise the general public from using their rights as American citizens. And that - more than any potential "Soda Tax" that anyone ever presents in the future - is the key problem with this legislation. If this passes, a civil right guaranteed by the Constitution will be taken away from Americans. And that right there is the fucked up bit. Thanks for taking the time to write out your thoughts. Lemme know your thoughts, in response!