Can one penny really make Bloomberg trillionaire?

As New York City Mayor trying to tax people from buying soda, it is bringing so many disputes, and conflicts in whether to tax the soda or not to tax the soda. Forget all of the controversy, the real question, at least in my perception, should be asking ourselves is whether this tax can stop or prevent people from buying soda, or are we equally going to put money inside these legislators’ pockets? To my understanding, the answer is indeed, yes, we will be feeding those bureaucrats.

First, Jane E. Brody who works at science desk section for The New York Times said,“NEW York State, among others, is considering an excise tax of about one penny per ounce on high-calorie sweetened beverages” in the title of "A Tax to combat America’s Sugary Diet". No matter how much the tax will be, one penny, one dollar or two dollars for whatever ounces, people still will buy it unless the tax is for hundred dollar, than in that case, you will have to be a filthy rich to dispose money like that. How much common sense this can be, if your thirsty and want to try something different because sometime it is difficult to have same thing every day, especially when your eating pizza, or chicken; so wouldn’t you spend one cents or extra dollar when you’re hungry or thirsty? Realistically speaking, I would buy it because it is still cheap. For instance, when my friend and I go out every weekend to chill out, we would go to pizzeria or fast food restaurant to eat something quick. Since we eat outside, we always get different drinks, but majority of the time we would drink soda. If the law dose get passed, we still would buy it because it will be only for few changes. Therefore, can this few cents really stop people from buying these “sugary consumption” interms of economic wise?

Second, can this few cents per ounce really stop obesities? A.G. Sulzberger, another journalist from New York Times, from title “Bloomberg Says a Soda Tax ‘Makes Sense’ said, “ Mr. Bloomberg noted research suggesting that such tax would reduce consumption of the sugary drinks, driving down obesity rates and the accompanying medical costs.” What I really don’t understand is how is this going to stop obesities? If tobacco cannot be stopped from smoking, which is not only a dangerous substances, it is also a risk in giving away a life into death, how can Mayor. Bloomberg can stop people from drinking soda, which is less riskier than smoking tobacco, and can be prevented, where as smoking, once you get cancer, or any other sicknesses, that is it your life is in dead end.

So in conclusion, if Mayor. Bloomberg is so concern about peoples’ health or any other mater, he needs to give better thought, and stop taking peoples’ money and waste it unnecessarily because there are millions of people who are living in the street, and people who can't pay for their Medicaid.

Jane E. Brody,"A Tax to Combat America's Sugary Diet." The New York Times. April 6, 2010
A.G. Sulzberger,Bloomberg Says a Soda Tax 'Makes Sense.' The New York Times. 03/08/2010