NANNY-STATE WATCH!

It really is about Social Engineering

From Eric Dondero:

It's being called the Twinkie Tax. Colorado's Democrat Governor Bill Ritter is calling for a 3% across the board tax on groceries that have been deemed unhealthy such as sugary snacks, cakes, cookies, candie bars, some fast foods and soda.

It has unanimous support among Democrats in the state legislature. They've been joined enthusiastically by liberal special interests groups wanting to control the personal habits of Coloradoans. Meanwhile conservatives and libertarians are teaming up to try to put a stop to its passage.

Ritter knows what's best for Coloradoans... and their waistlines

From the Denver Daily News, Dems "Sweet on Twinkie Tax":

Jon Caldara of the Independence Institute, a Golden-based libertarian think tank, argues that Ritter was elected to be the governor, not to be a nanny who decides which potentially unhealthy products should be taxed. He joked that after upsetting some Colorado drivers by raising car registration fees with FASTER, Ritter has now found a way to upset the kids of Colorado.

“This legislature will go down as the Grinches who taxed gumdrops,” he said.

Meanwhile, supporters of the bill are revealing themselves to represent every finger-waving ninny stereotype that freedom-minded rightwingers paint them as. Continuing:

But at least one Colorado health group has come out in favor of the candy and soda tax. Maren Stewart, president and CEO of LiveWell Colorado, said in a statement that her group supports policies that limit the consumption of unhealthy food like soda and candy.

“The governor’s proposal to eliminate the sales-tax exemption for candy and soda will not exclusively solve the problem because it’s a very complex and complicated problem,” she said. “We are hopeful, however, that eliminating the exemption could lead to healthier choices.”

Note - the portly Gov. Ritter recently decided against running for re-election.

Photo - Gov. Ritter, right, dining with lobbyists.