November 5, 1975 (8 pages)

4 The Nevada County Nugget Wed., November 5, 1975 Earl Waters Soda tax State Health-Welfare Secretary Mario Obledo prides himself on his Mexican ancestry. That is admirable: But for the discovery of gold and the subsequent rush of the 49’ers all Californians would be Mexicans. After all, the state has only been. out from under rule of Mexico for 125 years. . But Obledo should have spent more time studying United States history for apparently he never heard of the Boston Tea Party. He has proposed a surtax on soda pop. The colonists, mostly of English ancestry, were addicted to their tea. When King George III_imposed a tax on tea it spelled war. Americans are addicted to soda pop. Imposing a special taxon it may not provike a revolution but itis sure to stir up a storm. Still, that is what Obledo has proposed. He says such a tax will raise $80 million annually to fight dental decay. Fortunately, Obledo does not have the powers of a king and any such proposal must find legislative approval. On the surface one might not quarrel too much about a soda pop surtax. Americans grudgingly have accepted such taxation on_ spiritous beverages. As government reaches for more new ways to raise revenues the extension of surtaxes to non-alcoholic beverages is not unexpected. And one might applaud Obledo’s deep concern over the dental health of the _ population, particularly the young. Especially so if his assessment of the condition is accurate. According to him 95 percent of all Californians suffer from “some sort of dental disease.” The figure seems high as does his estimate that there are 75 million unfilled cavities. So Obledo’s tax proposal is not for the purpose of increasing the state’s general fund but a special tax to combat tooth decay. It thus becomes a punitive tax proposal for he blames soda pop for the dental woes. s CARL WILL Rotate, Inflate and Inspect All 5 Tires for $1.88 RECAPPING SERVICE PLAZA TIRE CO. INC. BFHIND SPD 265-4642 Perhaps soda pop is one of the causations. It can hardly be more so than candy, sugar, . starches or other dietary factors. The real cause ofdental caries is improper diet and the failure to cleanse the. teeth regularly. Overcoming those faults one ‘could drink soda pop by the gallon without harm. There is a great danger in Obledo’s approach. It widens an already ill chartered governmental course of ‘‘sin’”’ taxing. That is the tendency of government to decide what is good for the people. Whenever ‘big brother” thinks the people are enjoying something that is not good for them the answer is to sock it with a near prohibitive tax. This, of course, is the reason for the high taxes on liquor and tobacco. The same philosophy erupts. with respect to gasoline. The bureaucrats have come to the belief that affluence is vulgar_ and Americans shouldn’t enjoy the luxury of big automobiles. Ergo, government will increase gasoline taxes not because the funds are needed but because it will punish those who insist on driving something other than a Volkswagon. Soda pop now becomes the target. What’s next? Since it isn’t the soda or the flavoring which is the villain but the sugar, will atax on that follow? And on candy and all products containing sugar? What about coffee which, in the minds of many, is a scourge to health? Depending upon the bureaucrat, a host of commodities could be found detrimental to the public, health, welfare and safety. Should sin taxes be imposed?The pop tax proposal coming from Obledo makes him some sort of a paradox in government. His initial image has been one of standing foursquare for state’s rights and government by the people at the local levels. He is battling the federal government because of its bureaucratic edicts in connection with welfare programs. He now endangers his stance by advancing a bureaucratic state plan. He not only wants the tax for dental welfare but he wants the soda pop industry to voluntarily, or by compulsion, kick in anadditional $50 million a year for preventive dental health programs. Earlier this column accused Governor Jerry Brown’s administration of being determined to turn all state agencies into social reform and welfare bureaus and compel the private sector to institute parallel programs. Len Gilbert ‘}FARMERS INSURANCE GROUP .}, HEFFREN INSURANCE AGENCY, PPV We. Maine's Grass. Valley Ca. 265-6166 SO P.O Box 10347,°, INDIAN BEADWORK and other ornaments caught the insterest of children from six Nevada county schools who attended a seminar on Native American Art Wednesday in Grass Valley. The seminar was the first in a series which will acquaint local children with the various cultures that compose America. Indian Nevada County elementary school children became acquainted with Native American culture Wednesday at a special prusentation in the Grass Valley Veterans Memorial Building. Explaining parts of Indian culture to the 150 youngsters were members of the Native American Homsin Center of Nevada City. Bilt Franklin and others of ‘the: » Miwok-Maidu: ~ people began the learning experience with a demonstration of Maidu (Un: on Photo) culture sho, n traditional dance. The Maidu, Franklin said, have inhabited northern and central California for many centuries. The children also saw displays of Maidu art and were given a demonstration of moccasin making. They learned some of the folklore and religious beliefs of the Maidu and how the natives principal food in years past, the acorn, was prepared for use. The Native American presentation ‘was one: of ‘a. + series planned to acquaint Nevada County children with the diverse cultures that have become a part of America. Other seminars have been planned to study MexicanAmerican, Negro, and Asian cultures. A special ‘‘Christmas Around the World’’ seminar is also planned. Ali. seminars will be presented by the Nevada County Schools in conjunction with the Nevada County Library. They are open to the public’ without charge.

4 The Nevada County Nugget Wed., November 5, 1975 Earl Waters Soda tax State Health-Welfare Secretary Mario Obledo prides himself on his Mexican ancestry. That is admirable: But for the discovery of gold and the subsequent rush of the 49’ers all Californians would be Mexicans. After all, the state has only been. out from under rule of Mexico for 125 years. . But Obledo should have spent more time studying United States history for apparently he never heard of the Boston Tea Party. He has proposed a surtax on soda pop. The colonists, mostly of English ancestry, were addicted to their tea. When King George III_imposed a tax on tea it spelled war. Americans are addicted to soda pop. Imposing a special taxon it may not provike a revolution but itis sure to stir up a storm. Still, that is what Obledo has proposed. He says such a tax will raise $80 million annually to fight dental decay. Fortunately, Obledo does not have the powers of a king and any such proposal must find legislative approval. On the surface one might not quarrel too much about a soda pop surtax. Americans grudgingly have accepted such taxation on_ spiritous beverages. As government reaches for more new ways to raise revenues the extension of surtaxes to non-alcoholic beverages is not unexpected. And one might applaud Obledo’s deep concern over the dental health of the _ population, particularly the young. Especially so if his assessment of the condition is accurate. According to him 95 percent of all Californians suffer from “some sort of dental disease.” The figure seems high as does his estimate that there are 75 million unfilled cavities. So Obledo’s tax proposal is not for the purpose of increasing the state’s general fund but a special tax to combat tooth decay. It thus becomes a punitive tax proposal for he blames soda pop for the dental woes. s CARL WILL Rotate, Inflate and Inspect All 5 Tires for $1.88 RECAPPING SERVICE PLAZA TIRE CO.. INC. BFHIND SPD 265-4642 Perhaps soda pop is one of the causations. It can hardly be more so than candy, sugar, . starches or other dietary factors. The real cause ofdental caries is improper diet and the failure to cleanse the. teeth regularly. Overcoming those faults one ‘could drink soda pop by the gallon without harm. There is a great danger in Obledo’s approach. It widens an already ill chartered governmental course of ‘‘sin’”’ taxing. That is the tendency of government to decide what is good for the people. Whenever ‘big brother” thinks the people are enjoying something that is not good for them the answer is to sock it with a near prohibitive tax. This, of course, is the reason for the high taxes on liquor and tobacco. The same philosophy erupts. with respect to gasoline. The bureaucrats have come to the belief that affluence is vulgar_ and Americans shouldn’t enjoy the luxury of big automobiles. Ergo, government will increase gasoline taxes not

because the funds are needed but because it will punish those who insist on driving something other than a Volkswagon. Soda pop now becomes the target. What’s next? Since it isn’t the soda or the flavoring which is the villain but the sugar, will atax on that follow? And on candy and all products containing sugar? What about coffee which, in the minds of many, is a scourge to health? Depending upon the bureaucrat, a host of commodities could be found detrimental to the public, health, welfare and safety. Should sin taxes be imposed?The pop tax proposal coming from Obledo makes him some sort of a paradox in government. His initial image has been one of standing foursquare for state’s rights and government by the people at the local levels. He is battling the federal government because of its bureaucratic edicts in connection with welfare programs. He now endangers his stance by advancing a bureaucratic state plan. He not only wants the tax for dental welfare but he wants the soda pop industry to voluntarily, or by compulsion, kick in anadditional $50 million a year for preventive dental health programs. Earlier this column accused Governor Jerry Brown’s administration of being determined to turn all state agencies into social reform and welfare bureaus and compel the private sector to institute parallel programs. Len Gilbert ‘}FARMERS INSURANCE GROUP .}, HEFFREN INSURANCE AGENCY, PPV We. Maine's Grass. Valley Ca. 265-6166 SO P.O Box 10347,°, INDIAN BEADWORK and other ornaments caught the insterest of children from six Nevada county schools who attended a seminar on Native American Art Wednesday in Grass Valley. The seminar was the first in a series which will acquaint local children with the various cultures that compose America. Indian Nevada County elementary school children became acquainted with Native American culture Wednesday at a special prusentation in the Grass Valley Veterans Memorial Building. Explaining parts of Indian culture to the 150 youngsters were members of the Native American Homsin Center of Nevada City. Bilt Franklin and others of ‘the: » Miwok-Maidu: ~ people began the learning experience with a demonstration of Maidu (Un: on Photo) culture sho, n traditional dance. The Maidu, Franklin said, have inhabited northern and central California for many centuries. The children also saw displays of Maidu art and were given a demonstration of moccasin making. They learned some of the folklore and religious beliefs of the Maidu and how the natives principal food in years past, the acorn, was prepared for use. The Native American presentation ‘was one: of ‘a. + series planned to acquaint Nevada County children with the diverse cultures that have become a part of America. Other seminars have been planned to study MexicanAmerican, Negro, and Asian cultures. A special ‘‘Christmas Around the World’’ seminar is also planned. Ali. seminars will be presented by the Nevada County Schools in conjunction with the Nevada County Library. They are open to the public’ without charge.