We The People, are we?

I don't believe they care what the constitution says. Obama has even been quoted as saying he sees it as a hindrance on what the gov't can do to/for us.

I have gotten no benefits, nor has anyone I've known spoken positively about the stimulus or gotten any benefits. They gave billions to banks who messed the entire system up. I believe they made it appear that it was about the people when they started those programs to help people with their mortgage. In reality, my feelings are the banks didn't want all of those depreciating homes and unpaid loans, so it was the gov't way of giving more money to the banks giving out those horrible loans.

I think we are borderline slaves to the gov't. They let us have some small things, but they are collecting 25% - 60% of all of our salaries and are still somehow broke. They will always be broke, because if they actually saved any money than they wouldn't have a reason to raise our taxes. Below is the latest example of a new tax. To us it seems small paying another nickel for each soda or whatever, but they are raking in billions on deals like this. They already tax pop, now they want more. They got cigarettes, alcohol, power, food, property, retail, income tax, parking tickets, traffic violations, parking meters, tolls, water, trash pickup, airlines, hotels, social security, medicare, medicaid, etc....they are in our pockets for everything already. I'm sick of our gov't and I think they have so much power that we will have to hit rock bottom, before people will revolt against them.

I guess we'll find out because we seem pretty close.

Tax sodapop to fight fat, US health officials say

AFP

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Tax sodapop to fight fat, US health officials say AFP/File – Students walk past vending machines. US health sheriffs want to ride the sugary drinks that are helping …

by Karin Zeitvogel Karin Zeitvogel – 1 hr 47 mins ago

WASHINGTON (AFP) – US health sheriffs want to ride the sugary drinks that are helping to make Americans fat out of town, or at least off Americans' menu of choice, and one way they suggest going about it is by taxing sodapop.

"The average American consumes roughly 250 calories more today than they did two or three decades ago, the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Thomas Frieden, said at the "Weight of the Nation" conference on obesity held in Washington this week.

"And of that, about 120 calories is in the form of sodas and other sugared food and beverages," he said.

The average daily recommended caloric intake for adults is about 2,000 calories per day, a number that varies depending on a person's sex, height, weight and rate of activity.

Two-thirds of American adults are obese or overweight -- or shaped more like the bulbous Orangina bottle than the hourglass classic Coca-Cola bottle -- and obesity-related illnesses cost the United States nearly 150 billion dollars a year, health officials at the conference were told.

A soda tax would not only help Americans to slim down but could raise revenues that would help to offset the rising sums spent to treat preventable health conditions caused by obesity.

"The estimates we've seen suggest that a one-penny-per-ounce tax nationally would raise something in the order of 100 to 200 billion dollars over a 10-year time frame, as well as significantly reducing caloric intake -- at least from soda and sugar-sweetened beverages," Frieden said.

According to Julie Greenstein of the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), around 40 of the 50 US states already have soft drink or junk food taxes, but they are usually too low to have an effect on consumption.

The CSPI, which has advocated for health, nutrition and food safety in the United States since 1971, says a soft drink tax would "be a great way to pay for health reform and expansion" and wants to see such a tax imposed nationally.

A tax on soft drinks was included as a possible option in the health reform bill drafted by the Senate finance committee, said Greenstein, although she was unsure if the proposed levy would make it through to the final version of the proposed health care legislation.

"The soft drink industry has a very powerful lobby," she said.

Last week, the Coca Cola Corporation was quoted in the Financial Times as saying that "the consumer in this environment is not ready for a tax on a basic staple like non-alcoholic beverages."

Frieden has based his call for a soda tax on the campaign he instigated in New York City, where he was health commissioner for seven years, which practically ran the Marlboro man out of town.

A year after he became health commissioner of

we the people don't exist anymore. what we want, our opinions, what's

good for this country means nothing to washington. we're being scammed by the people we elected to look out after us. the only thing we can do now is throw everyone of them out in 2010 and start all over with a brand new crew. maybe the new people will take the hint.

We are on the titanic and going down very fast. It is a sad state of affairs for the USA> feel like moving overseas with me.

the "sheeples" voted for "change", and they're getting it, unfortunately we all must suffer the consequences of their stupidity. I just hope and pray that we can STOP the "Obamanator", and his band of socialist thugs, before it's too late!!!