there's plan in the california legislature to introduce an approximately 2¢ per can tax on soft drinks (diet sodas and drinks containing more than 50% fruit juice would be exempt). the proceeds would go to schools so they could afford to ditch their on-campus soda machines and for children's health education programs. i can sympathize with the sentiment, but is a tax really the way to go? one interesting fact from the article is that a school gets about $1,000 a year from each soda machine on campus.

i have a hard time feeling the pain of the california restaurant association, though. the margin on drinks is simply astronomical, and this tax would barely be a blip.