David Griggs-Janower  Artistic director, Albany Pro Musica
Sugar tax   Since my political blogs get more response than my
music blogs I suppose it’s all right to digress, again.  I don’t
get the “freedom” argument.  “A tax on sugary products takes
away individual freedoms.”   Well, so does every other tax, and
for that matter every law on the books.  Can’t drive until you
are a certain age, and gotta have a license, and stay on the
right side of the road – that’s against personal freedom.  Gotta
get educated whether you like it or not – against personal
freedom.  Can’t shoot people, even out-of-tune singers  –
against personal freedom.  Every law limits personal freedoms
for the sake of society.  We live in a society, not as
individuals, and for the good of society, for the good of all,
we establish rules, which we call laws, by which we agree to
live.  We agree on these laws, in our USA society, by electing
people to create the laws we see necessary to make our society
function as well as possible.  If we h