The numbers are shocking.

Did you know the average 8-year old is drinking 64 ounces a week in sugary drinks that may—over the years—lead to diabetes, obesity, and heart disease?

We need to do everything we can to reduce the amount of soda kids drink.

Join us in calling on Chicago’s Mayor and City Council to include a sales tax on sugar-sweetened beverages in the city budget!

http://action.momsrising.org/sign/ask-mayor-emanuel-and-chicago-city-council-members-tax-sugary-drinks/

By taxing sugary drinks, we’re promoting healthier choices as the better option. Thousands of Chicago families are suffering from largely preventable medical conditions linked to obesity. As the primary source of added sugars in our diet, sugary drinks—which include soda, sports drinks, sweetened waters and teas, energy drinks, and fruit drinks—play a big role.

Both in economic and healthcare costs, consumption of sugary drinks costs us dearly. Taxing sugar-sweetened beverages will not only decrease the amount of soda people drink and improve their health—it is also one way we can help our city! It is clear that some sort of tax increase will be needed to plug growing holes in city finances. To this end, we should choose the option that also helps people become healthier. The sugary beverage tax is uniquely viable because it can serve as a catalyst for better nutritional habits while simultaneously being one way city officials can bridge governmental budget shortfalls. It is a small price to pay for a healthier future for our families and communities, and we need to urge elected officials to support it.

Your voice matters! Sign our open letter calling on the mayor and city council to tax sugary drinks in Chicago: http://action.momsrising.org/sign/ask-mayor-emanuel-and-chicago-city-council-members-tax-sugary-drinks/

Our elected officials depend on hearing from their constituents to know what matters most to families in Chicago. Your voice can make a big difference. By speaking out, you’ll show Mayor Emanuel and the Chicago City Council that their constituents expect them to show leadership in decreasing obesity in our city.

These beverages pose major health risks when consumed over time and we need to be promoting healthier choices as the better drink option. We need to encourage people to make drink choices that will improve their health.

Sign on now to tell lawmakers: “Include a penny-per-ounce sugary drinks tax for the city of Chicago in your budget.”