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Magazine 24
Prof
forces students to lobby government to ban soda
by Robby Soave
If
students want to pass John Banzhaf’s law class, they’ll have to
fight for increased government regulation in the food and beverages
industry.
Banzhaf,
a law professor at George Washington University, will
require his students to lobby state and local governments to ban sugary
beverages, according to a press release. The release was put out by
Banzhaf
himself, who summarized the objective as “Undergrads Required to Lobby
for
Obama Policy.”
“Some
200 undergrads will be asked to contact legislators in their
home cities, counties, or states asking them to adopt legislation
similar to
that already adopted in New York City … banning restaurants, delis,
movie
theaters and many other businesses from selling high-sugar drinks in
cups or
containers larger than 16 ounces,” said the press release.
To
appease students who may not wish to advocate the specific
policy in place in New York City, Banzhaf supplied a list of substitute
activities, which include:
Ban
the sale of sugary soft drinks entirely
Ban
the sale of sugary soft drinks to children
Put
a special tax on sugary soft drinks; e.g., to reduce
consumption and/or to fund counterads
Don’t
exempt sugary soft drinks from the ordinary sales tax
Prohibit
the sale of sugary soft drinks in vending machines
Mandate
per-oz. pricing of sugary soft drinks in venues like fast
food restaurants and movie theaters (i.e., a 32 oz. serving must cost
at least
twice as much as a 16 oz. serving)
Limit
the maximum size for sugary soft drinks in venues like fast
food restaurants and movie theaters (e.g., a single serving can be no
more than
16 oz.).
Walter
Olson, a senior fellow at the Cato Institute, pointed out
that the list fails to accommodate students who may disagree with
Banzhaf’s
agenda.
“All
the other examples given, however, involve alternative ways
of extending regulation and taxation in the food and beverage realm,”
he wrote.
“Presumably any student that believes that the government should stay
out of
this area has had the foresight to drop the course.”
Banzhaf
is a publicity hound known for repeatedly suing fast food
companies for making people fat. He also achieved notoriety for suing
the
Catholic University of America over the university’s decision to
implement
single-sex dormitories.
Banzhaf
did not respond to requests for comment from The Daily
Caller News Foundation.
Source:
dailycaller.com
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