NY Non-Diet Soft Drink Tax unfair to those with Aspartame allergy (PKU)

People with PKU (Phenylketonuria) are highly allergic to the amino acid phenylalanine which is used in diet soft drinks. I personally get very severe headaches that last all day long if I have so much as a sip of a drink containing Aspartame. It is very rare for me to get a headache otherwise, and if I do it’s usually sinus related. I discovered that I had this problem way back in the 1980’s when Aspartame (NutraSweet) came out and I went around ‘banging my drum’ for people that there is something really ‘off’ about this new ‘miracle’ sweetener. No one believed me back then, but now it is somewhat well known that this condition actually does exist. I’m lucky that have no other allergies or health conditions I know of. This is the one thorn in my side.

It’s really not a big deal for me to avoid foods and beverages that contain Aspartame but I was pretty shocked to hear that New York will be taxing people who drink non-diet soft drinks as a “fat tax” to raise money. This assumes that all people who drink non-diet soft drinks don’t care about their health. I drink water most of the day but do enjoy a Captain-n-Cola when winding down a long day.

NYpost article regarding the tax



I do not live in New York, but I’m surprised that no one is crying foul on the basis that there are many people who suffer from this allergy who will be unfairly taxed for consuming non-diet soft drinks, when they really have no choice but to either not drink soft drinks at all or pay the tax.

According to Wikipedia the incidence of PKU is quite high among Europeans:

Wiki Phenylketonuria



Just one of the thousands of sites that talk about the dangers of Aspertame:

aspartame-information



Many of the people in America who get severe headaches don’t even know it’s from Aspartame and have no idea of the other dangers related to this product (debatable in another thread). I’m also quite sure that Big-Pharma has no problem in selling boat-loads of headache medicine to all these unwitting people. It’s another one of those MSM cover-ups where there are plenty of publicly ignored class action lawsuits out there and it is a highly contested topic. When you look at the money backing the opposition, which would be every major food and beverage company, it becomes obvious why we don’t hear more about it.

The companies have at least partially recognized it now by placing PKU warnings on all diet soft drink (of the Aspartame variety) labels which means that they at least acknowledge that the allergy exists.

New York has went ahead and instituted this tax plan with no regard to the large numbers of people who will be unfairly taxed for a genetic condition for which they have no control (if they ever want to enjoy a soft drink again).

Even though I’m from Michigan I feel compelled to speak out for those PKU people in New York before this ‘brilliant idea’ takes hold in other parts of the country.

This is my first time I have posted my own thread on ATS so hopefully I have followed the citation rules correctly.

Edit: fixed typo

[edit on 17-12-2008 by JonInMichigan]

Better yet, don't drink sodas period.

Aside from the cost, That's about 200 calories and 30 grahms of sugar per drink you don't have to worry about.

Very nice thread s and f from me, as long as we are fighting Aspartame i all in.

Best regards.

Loke.

This is very, very stupid (have no other usable word for it,really) idea. Tax sugar containing ..hmm.. stuff. And not another stuff containing stuff...
OP noted that aspartame is not innocent by itself. People who do not get calories they are used to get from being hooked on sugar-rich diet will eat/drink something more. Not avoid sugar consumption because they drank diet soft drink. I can understand reasons behind investing in car industry in US, but why invest in artificial sweeteners one? Because it is the only concrete result of such a law - more diet stuff will be purchased.
By the way - water is best soft drink one can find. It has only usual pollution in it. Others have the same pollution plus other, as i said, stuff.

reply to post by asmeone2

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I completely agree except for one thing: I like to have a mixed drink now and again and I like them with 'pop' (Michigan soft drink slang). The alchohol is already not healthy and the pop makes a good mixer. In moderation all things are fine. I drink water most of the time as it is the most healthy drink according to most experts. Either way, I shouldn't be taxed more for my personal choice to drink a soft drink now and again that has to be of the non-diet variety.

There is an alarming rise in use of Aspartame in food products. I found out the other day that it's difficult to find chewing gum any more without phenylalanine in it. Big Red used to be one of the only ones left but now they changed their formula too. I walked out of 7-Eleven with no gum as there wasn't one on the shelf I could have.

I just worry that we may have a sweeping series of health reforms soon and all these artificial sweeteners may be mandated leaving many people with PKU out in the cold (not just in the soft drink arena) or taxed for our 'fatness' or alergies. By the way, I am in perfect health and have a lean athletic body.

This "fat tax" is a push for aspartame, which is a very dangerous mind control chemical that was developed for wartime use, and should never be ingested. Same with flouride. These guys are so transparent in their push for a police state and chemicals it makes me sick that people don't investigate everything fully then protest them aggressively until they leave office and never return. If the things talked about ever happen, a false flag attack (possibly a city vaporized) and all the things mentioned in threads here, then martial law, now is the window of change, the chance for people to wake up, research everything they hear about and get in their faces ASAP. It may be a very brief window.

JoninMichigan:

Sorry, I think my first post came off as smart-arsed.

The article just seemed a little bit silly to me because ALL sodas are bad for you, whether they have sugar in them or not... it's silly to have that tax in the first place.

I would reccomend Blue Sky soda... it is a bit better for you... or I'm also fond of using carbonated water and juice for mixers.

[edit on 17-12-2008 by asmeone2]

this is also unfair to super tasters. about 5 to 10% of the population.

to many of us aspartame taste bitter or sour and is undrinkable.
en.wikipedia.org...
www.foodnavigator-usa.com...

reply to post by asmeone2

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Hey... no problem. All that crap is bad for you which is why I pointed out that generally if/when I drink that stuff I have a good reason, like to mix it with booze... which is also no good for you, but I'm not alergic to it. (Thank goodness!) After reading ATS all evening I need a stiff drink.

I try to keep my pop intake a low as possible but when I do drink it I have to go with the sugar version. It just seemed sily for NY to have this tax but I also see it as unfair to say that it is just a choice based on free-will. Some people won't drink Aspartame for a variety of reasons, but some, like me, don't drink it because it will make me physically ill. I don't think it tastes bad either and probably wouldn't have a problem drinking it if I could. It's a real pain in the arse going to peoples houses and every soda at the party is diet due to popularity. I have learned to bring my own for a mixer because I would rather not have a headache all night long.

NY just seemed to ignore that whole segment of the population with this tax and it gave me a reason to finally create an original thread on ATS!

Alrighty then! I posted in another thread started after this one so I will give the link to my post on that thread to what I have to say about aspartame.

Another Thread

reply to post by Amaxium

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Cool thanks!

Apartame is no good for anyone and I figured we would break into a discussion of that here. For me it is bad no matter if you believe in a CT on it or not. I have also met others who share this allergy. When you head starts hurting from eating or drinking it though, you tend to believe the CT wholeheartedly.

NY doesn't care about what's fair or what's not...
they don't care about promoting aspartame....
they just want $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$!!!!

www.syracuse.com...

read the comments under the story.

Don't swill the poison friends

Aspertame was developed as an ant poison. You want to get rid of ants around pet dishes, throw down some aspertame. Your pets are a lot bigger and can take the occasional poisoning. Ants die. That said, what happens if one ingests a poison on a regular basis? Think about it.

Doesn't it seem like more and more food products/beverages and hygiene products are created with chemicals known to cause memory loss, and greater risk of alzheimer's disease?

I mean, maybe it's no great conspiracy, maybe just coincidence- But we're really doing a number on ourselves.

Couldn't one argue that any tax on any food item discriminates against one group or another? A tax on wine discriminates against people with wheat alergies who cannot drink beer. A tax on beef discriminates against Muslims and Jews who do not eat pork. A tax on applies discriminates against people allergic to oranges, etc.

Uh, Oh! I smell another conspiracy you may have hit on!

Government approves chemically altered foods into system to stun / immobolize / wipe memories making it harder for it's citizens to fight back.

What was I talking about.... ? I gotta lay off the diet drinks... I think.... Hmmmmmmmm

I think they have it backwards. I drink a bunch of regular coke and have all my life. In in my mid 40's. I think I eat less because I get many calories from the coke. I have never been overweight or heavy.

As for diet sodas they have the opposite effect that someone already pointed out. I think they actually cause people to put on weight due to the metabolic response to the fake sugar.

The world just goes crazier every day.

What about people who drink soda and aren't fat?

Why would they have to pay an extra tax???

reply to post by JonInMichigan

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I think it's unfair to everyone. Why should the government charge you more to choose the one you believe is healthier for your individual situation?

I personally am not allergic to Aspartame, but I refuse to drink this chemical compound merely for the idea it is a weight losing alternative to sugar. I believe this lab-created compound is harder for the body to digest when compared to a more naturally forming ingredient of sugar.

Plus I've heard a lot of garbage about it feeding cancer, etc. Who knows how much of that stuff is true. I just choose not to drink it because it is a relatively new ingredient with unknown side-effects.

I'm in New York and I didn't know about this.

I never drink soda (other than selzer), but this is just really bad on principle.

Beside the fact that I agree with one other poster that artificial sweeteners taste terrible (never heard the term supertaster before though ), there are just too many questions about their effects on health.

Parents with children who have obesity issues shouldn't be training their kids' taste buds with diet sodas (which tend to be sweeter than regular) anyway!

I'm really kind of speechless about this.