Pondering The Potential Bully Pulpit on Food

Now that Laura Bush has provided so-called "everyday" china for the incoming First Family to use, so that they need not fear breaking any of Nancy Reagan's red-rimmed porcelain, we can begin to ponder how influential the Obamas will be when it comes to the nation's dietary choices.

While the prior residents of the White House in recent years have been ( relatively) healthy and fit-- Bill Clinton's combination of a jog followed by a McD's stop notwithstanding---Barack Obama seems like a prez whose sensible opinions on many topics, including eating, will be noted, and perhaps, taken to heart. On the campaign trail he exhorted parents to turn off their tv's and read to their children. ( Did you, America?)

We now know well that he's a workout wonk, who neither over eats nor (over)drinks. And he and Michelle are fond of high end Italian cooking.  

Obama evidently likes to drink water. Now if he would just add a fat "no, no!" tax to every humungous soda sold in this country, we might be able to afford national health.

 ( Tks to AP Photo/Marvel Comics for this image found at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/01/08/obama-spiderman-to-team-u_n_156329.html. For more on the cover story visit Marvel here.)

Comments

[Rose]

Amen.
The vats of soda sold in fast food joints, and everywhere else -refills free- are mindboggling- and not just to Europeans, I hope. Forget about the overdue gas tax- lets get a soda tax by calorie value.

[Foodie]

Yes! I noted recently that Trader Joe is introducing some "healthy" drinks--one that is a sludgy dark green color, and another orange--both made from veg and fruits--but containing a major amount of sugar. So even non sodas can be suspect....

[Sonya]

We were going to have a beverage tax here in Maine but big beverage companies spent tons of money to have it repealed last November. It would have only been a few cents per beverage and the money would have funded Maine's Dirigo Health Plan.

[Foodie]

How stupid! (Heinous...)But at least Maine still has its 5 cent deposit rebate, right? I think your state was one of the first to do that, way back.