Mandles

Have a Coke and a...Tax?

Utah legislator Craig Frank (a Republican, no less) wants to raise revenue by imposing a new tax -- not on tobacco, but on another addictive substance:

Frank, R-American Fork, has asked lawmakers over the next year to study the potential for taxing caffeine, a response to proposals this session to hike the tax on cigarettes -- all of which failed.

Frank said his intent initially was just to target caffeinated sodas and other cold beverages, but he has decided to look at the substance more broadly.

"Some feel [the cigarette tax is] a tax on those who are addicted to a substance that frankly they enjoy [but] we say that's a harmful thing to do.

At the same time, the government is addicted to the fee revenues," said Frank. "So in light of that, if we're really going to find a revenue stream on something addictive, why not cold caffeine?"

Just wait until the thugs in Washington catch wind of this.

William Shatner: The Face of Horror

Barbie Banned?

Yes, some people would like to see Barbie dolls banished from store shelves:

Her measurements are still 36-18-38 as Barbie turns 50 this week.

But if one West Virginia lawmaker has his way, Barbie could be banned in the Mountain State.

"I just hate the image that we give to our kids that if you're beautiful, you're beautiful and you don't have to be smart," said Del. Jeff Eldridge of Lincoln County, W. Va.

Eldridge proposed a bill to ban sales of Mattel's blond bombshell and others like her because it puts to much emphasis on physical beauty but he's finding it hard to get people to sign on.

"I knew a lot of people were going to joke about it and make fun of me," said Eldridge. "I couldn't get anybody to sign on the bill with me and I said I'm still going to introduce it."

Sounds like someone really need to get a hobby.

The 100 Most Beautiful Words in the English Language

Try using words like these the next time you play Scrabble:

• adroit
  
• cynosure
  
• emollient
  
• fugacioius
  
• jejune
  
• mellifluous
  
• pyrrhic
  
• sempiternal

See the entire list, as well as a few bonus words, here.