Rep. Rose DeLauro, a Democrat from Connecticut, wants to tax sugar by the teaspoon. She even introduced a bill, called the SWEET Act, last week.

But don’t worry, it’s for our own good, dontcha know.

CNS News:

Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) introduced this week the Sugar-Sweetened Beverages Tax (SWEET Act), which aims to institute a tax of one cent per teaspoon – 4.2 grams – of sugar, high fructose corn syrup or caloric sweetener.

The measure (HB 5279), introduced Wednesday says, “A 20-ounce bottle of soda contains about 16 teaspoons of sugars. Yet, the American Heart Association recommends that Americans consume no more than six to nine teaspoons of sugar per day.”

Even though the manufacturers’ of the sweet drinks are targeted to pay the tax, the text of the bill itself notes that the goal is to reduce public consumption through a price increase. (Read More)

http://lonelyconservative.com/2014/08/de...Conservative%29

Just the latest in how Americans are getting the shaft when it comes to sugar. Our government, in cahoots with the domestic sugar industry, has been imposing strict quotas on sugar import for as long as I can remember. This has been done under every President, Republican or Democrat, and every Congress, controlled by Republicans or Democrats, since time immemorial. The Cato Institute, for one, has done extensive research on this issue and how it negatively impacts the American consumer. Here is but one example of what it has concluded:

When the program is not raising prices for consumers at the store, it is savaging the bottom line for American companies. Artificially high domestic sugar prices raise the cost of production for refined sugar, candy and other confectionary products, chocolate and cocoa products, chewing gum, bread and other bakery products, cookies and crackers, and frozen bakery goods. Higher costs cut into profits and competitiveness, putting thousands of jobs in jeopardy.

Whether sugar is good or bad for you, our protectionist policies when it comes to sugar's importation is a quintessential example of crony capitalism.