Seattle Mayor Wants To Tax Diet Soda To Fight "White Privileged Institutionalized Racism"

Back in February, Seattle's Mayor Ed Murray called for a 2 cent per ounce tax on sugary soft drinks in order to "improve Seattle's educational opportunities for students of color."  Per Lynx Media, the tax was expected to raise some $16 million per year.

Of course, when someone on his staff pointed out that a tax on sugary drinks would disproportionately impact the minorities that he was apparently trying to help, Murray knew that something drastic had to happen.  So that's when he decided to launch a new attack against the most recognizable symbol of "white privileged institutionalized racism" on the planet:  DIET SODA!

Per the Seattle Times:

The changes were recommendations that emerged when staff from the mayor's office and the office of Councilmember Tim Burgess studied disparate impacts the tax could have on people with low incomes and on people of color, according to Murray.

That work involved conversations with community advocates, public-health professionals and business owners, according to the mayor. After Murray's initial announcement, some suggested the exclusion of beverages with artificial sweeteners would be unfair because affluent white people tend to consume more diet drinks.