In his post yesterday, Kelly Brownell of TIME Magazine revived an old idea: tax soda. Various states and cities, he says, are considering leveling such a tax against sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs). Besides discouraging the consumption of unhealthful beverages, the economic benefits of such a tax, says Bronwell, would be significant.

Nobody would be surprised to hear that Americans, as a whole, are getting heavier, lazier and, as a result, sicker. As fast food joints and…