You know people will sour on a sugar tax

Picture this. The nation’s children are drinking on average what amounts to a bathtub full of sugary beverages every year. That’s 30 gallons of soda, sports drinks and probably the biggest healthy drink fraud of all, fruit juice.

The American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Heart Association painted this vivid visual Monday as they announced what is probably the most aggressive proposition ever by national health organizations to curb consumption of the sugary drinks that are wreaking havoc on children’s health.

The groups suggested an excise tax on such drinks, making water and milk the default beverages on children’s menus and in vending machines, requiring hospitals to discourage purchases of unhealthy beverages and making sure nutritional information is visible on restaurant menus and advertisements.