Soda Wars

The Courier and Press reports: Soft drink pacts split area school districts:

When Tim Daugherty gets thirsty at Boonville High School, he has two options: go to the water fountain or buy a Coke product.

Because the Warrick County School Corp. has an exclusive contract with the Coca-Cola Co. - one that will net about $1.4 million over 10 years - Daugherty's choices are limited. Whether he chooses bottled water, juice drinks or a soda, he has to buy something manufactured from Coca- Cola Co.

"I think (it's) disgraceful - they have no business in the school," said Dr. Douglas Morrell of Rushville, Ind., a vocal opponent to selling soda in schools. "We have an obesity problem in this country, and between the hours of 8 a.m. and 3 p.m., these kids are under our control. We should not be part of the problem - we need to be part of the solution."

"Why can't a girl come to school on a hot day wearing a thong and a stripped-down bra? There's not a law against it," Morrell said. "It's because it's improper. You can sum it up this way: Pornography is hard to define, but it's not hard to recognize. Same thing with what is right to feed the kids - it may be hard to define, but it's not hard to recognize."

The reason an exception is made for soft drinks, he said, is the money involved. "The only reason this stuff is being served in the schools is because of money," Morrell said. "This stuff is not healthy for kids - it is for monetary reasons. Should we be making money at the sacrifice of our kids' health? It's pure, unequivocal greed."

As of right now, 48.1% of the people who voted on the Courier's poll say that sodas should not be sold in schools. Things are looking bad for us caffeine addicted students...maybe I'll try coffee.