Taxing Chocolate! Courageous or Dumb?

Say it isn't so!

A Scottish physician has an extreme - perhaps revolutionary proposal for fighting obesity in the U.K.: A tax on chocolate!

Hold onto your chocolate covered cherries!




Dr. David Walker, a general practitioner from the town of Airdrie, said the candy has become a harmful addiction for too many of his countrymen and is contributing to rising levels of obesity and Type 2 diabetes. Subjecting chocolate to a "sin tax" -- as is done for alcohol and cigarettes -- would help return it to its rightful status as an occasional treat instead of a daily indulgence, he told BBC News.

So guess what - They put his proposal up for debate this week in Glasgow, Scotland at a medical conference. How do you think it went?

Fortunately, the proposal failed by two votes. Dr. Walker remarked: "I am disappointed that the motion was not supported by conference, however, I am pleased that it has stimulated debate on obesity and the worryingly high levels of diabetes in Scotland."

I heard there was a band of housewives picketing the conference and threatening to turn the English Channel into a chocolate milkshake if this proposal passed. Their battle cry was "Remember the Boston Tea Party?" And there leader was someone named Jane. Wow! If they put a sin tax on chocolate, what's next? French Fries? Cookies? Ice Cream? Coffee?

Seriously though, has a sin tax ever curbed the sin? How much of a premium would you have to charge on chocolate before people cut back on their consumption?

Let's hope this is the end of this debate. It could get ugly.

A Kid in a Candy Store

"You're kidding me right?"

That was my response last month when I learned there was a huge candy store named M&M World smack in the middle of Times Square.

Yes, while driving up to my hotel in New York last month we drove by this:

Neighborhood: Manhattan/Theater District

1600 Broadway(between 48th St & 49th St)

New York, NY 10019(212) 295-3850

I marveled at how this place seemed to take up the entire corner of the block and span at least three floors. I thought, "there's no way there is that much M & M junk for sale."

I was wrong again.

M & M World was filled with more M & M paraphernalia than you could ever imagine. Books, key chains, glasses, mugs, pajamas, underwear, socks, hats, jackets, Tee shirts, shot glasses, pens, pencils, doormats, plates, stationary, combs, ....... on to infinity!

Aren't these little guys/gals adorable?

Well, I wasn't to be denied. After all, I came there for the chocolate. So I found my way to the dispensers.

There were M & M's of every color and flavor. So I grabbed my bag and went to work. A little bit of these and a little bit of those. A few of these ..... and more of those.......

I was sure to load up on the peanut M&M's (my favorite) and the dark chocolate ones. I threw in a few almond M&M's and mint flavored for kicks. I tried to avoid the green ones just in case what they say about them is true.

I giggled when the lady next to me seemed to miss her bag and dribbled a barrage of M & M over the lip of the bag. They clinked and wobbled down this little grate and into a hole - disappearing from sight. I couldn't help but wonder.... "What happens to those lost M & M's?"

Do they just throw them away? Or do the employees get to eat them at night before they go home? Or maybe someone is responsible for separating them and putting them back in the dispensers for resale.... Yuck! I hope not! I quickly erased that thought from my mind.

So I gathered my purchases and bid farewell to the M &M Dudes.



I couldn't help but notice another candy store across the street. Chocolate even..... That's another day and another adventure.

For now, I'll just sit back and enjoy my M & M's. Wait a second. What would the fantastical Jane Turley do? Let me call her and get her perspective on eating chocolate..........

She referred me to this video for the true meaning of Chocolate!



Wow! You mean I could have had a Cadbury?

She really knows her chocolate!

Stay tuned for more adventures in Candy Land.