I support a soda tax. For years, I drank sweetened beverages all day, every day. I no longer do, and I am clearly healthier as a result. I strongly support a steep tax on soda and other sweetened beverages. It is clear that these beverages are a prime cause of obesity and diabetes, and are every bit as unhealthy as cigarettes and liquor. They should be taxed at least as steeply as cigarettes. Our city should tax soda. So should our state and federal governments, and other cities and states.

High-fructose corn syrup is a cheap but terribly unhealthy sweetener, and most sodas contain incredible amounts of it.

The beverage industry reminds us that taxing soda is regressive. Taxing cigarettes and liquor is also regressive. The beverage industry is not concerned with the health and welfare of working people; they profit mightily from working people's addictions and do not want to share these profits with the government. As they remind us, there are other things you can eat that make you fat. I am not one to preach about being overweight, but soda is egregious and addictive, and should be treated as such. It should be subject to a steep sin tax.

Rick Shafer, Corvallis