Tag Archives: governor david paterson

These days, state governors don’t have a lot of clout with the public. Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich has his corruption mess going on. And not long ago, Governor Eliot Spitzer of New York bowed out in shame after his infidelities. But his successor has a budget – and obesity – crisis he wants to tackle.

Governor David Paterson, the man who took Spitzer’s place, has an idea, and it’s not endearing him to many more people than the aforementioned public servants.

Governor Paterson wrote a special commentary for CNN.com explaining why he feels that we need to have an obesity tax. Like most of us, Paterson is worried about the epidemic that is childhood obesity. One way he wants to combat it is by taxing soft drinks, something he’s proposed in his latest state budget. (more…)