This isn't the best example for a jackass award, but it made me think of it.

The AARP-sponsored session gave a crowd of mostly seniors a rare look at primary candidates with just weeks until the June 8 election day. The newcomers were a bit nervous, the incumbents more polished and every candidate a bit hurried because of a four-minute speaking limit. All hopefuls emphasized their Montana and area ties at the 2-½ hour session.

Ward, an ex-smoker, said he supports a hike in the tobacco tax.

"Only a club works with tobacco," he said.

Ward said candidates shouldn't dodge the question of cuts or tax increases. The pop tax is just another sales tax, he said, although the tobacco tax differs because of its health effects.

Caferro said taxes are an opportunity to put conscience into policy. A pop tax might help curb diabetes if consumers are faced with higher pop prices, she said.

story

To you non-midwesterners, pop is soda (soft drinks).

Pop rots teeth and according to Caferro anyway, helps cause diabetes. If Ward wasn't a jackass he'd see taxing tobacco is only one item not good for the body. Club 'em all, Ward, unless you want to be called a hypocrite.

Take the pop tax (already found in some states I believe) and the proposal in LA to ban drinking it in parks (obesity) and you see tobacco ain't all they want.

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Take the pop tax (already found in some states I believe) and the proposal in LA to ban drinking it in parks (obesity) and you see tobacco ain't all they want.

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WTF? there's actually a proposal to ban the consumption of soda in LA parks? Where did you hear about this? Some people really have lost their minds (between this and the cupcake story)! I think it was Abraham Lincoln who once said that our freedom will never be lost to a foreign power. If we do lose it we'll have only ourselves to blame. Now I know exactly what he was talking about.

Nick, I just spent 1/2 an hour trying to find the story, but couldn't. Someone else here may remember it. I believe it was a Hispanic councilwoman who tried to get soda banned from public parks because kids are too fat.