Mad about soda price gouging

At a minimart, a 20-ounce soda costs $1.76 out the door. One gallon is 128 ounces, or 6.4 20-ounce sodas. That's $11.26 per gallon. So who are the real robber barons of our society? Those who control oil or those who control the soda industry?

My thesis has been for at least 20 years that inflation is because of how much the soda pop industry charges. Why do they charge so much? Well, who are the biggest sponsors of most sporting events and thus athletes taking millions of dollars? Duh, it's the soda (and beer) industry. We, the good ol' public, have helped inflation move its merry way along by buying sodas in huge quantities.

Next time you think about the high price of living because of our gas-guzzling machines, think, too, of our soda (and beer) guzzling habits. Next on the horizon -- $40 per gallon soft drinks!

These "soft drink barons" have been causing inflation much longer than any oil barons. Not so wild an idea when you really think about it -- but then, who will?

BILL SHARP

Modesto