 how about this a bored forker said yawn i believe tom had it right signal not noise i ll start los angeles times september NUMBER NUMBER monday copyright NUMBER los angeles times los angeles times september NUMBER NUMBER monday home edition section main news main news part NUMBER page NUMBER national desk length NUMBER words byline dana calvo times staff writer dateline seattle body the idea came at the end of a long frustrating brown bag session at a public policy think tank here the challenge was to save the city s child care programs staring into his empty coffee cup the meeting coordinator s mind landed on an unlikely solution put a tax just a benign dime a shot on espresso that led to a petition signed by more than NUMBER NUMBER seattle residents and next year voters will decide whether the tax becomes law one that taps right into seattle s legendary addiction to coffee this is after all the town where starbucks was born and where the NUMBER pound of beans became a staple there is one starbucks for every NUMBER NUMBER residents in seattle compared to one per NUMBER NUMBER in new york seattle also has two other major coffee chains tully s coffee and seattle s best coffee as well as countless cafes and espresso carts a recent poll showed that NUMBER of seattle residents would vote for the tax for people outside of seattle who don t understand the consumption of espresso the tax proposal can be seen as crazy said john burbank the think tank s executive director but it was common sense research by his nonprofit economic opportunity institute showed that people preferred a tax on liquor or beer over one on espresso but because of the large number of lattes and cappuccinos sold a tax on espresso could be lower than one levied on alcohol burbank estimates the tax could generate NUMBER million to NUMBER million a year city council aides dispute his figures saying their research shows the tax would bring in NUMBER NUMBER million to NUMBER million a year burbank s institute is funded by foundations and labor unions the think tank s mission is to promote public policy in the interests of low income people and it has long championed child care issues burbank says the tax would restore cuts to the child care programs made earlier this year by gov gary locke he also says it would provide more low income families with subsidies for child care improve preschool programs and increase teacher salaries at bauhaus books coffee the sidewalk is dotted with tables of customers for whom coffee is a half day activity not just a drink espresso lovers like chris altman who at a dime a day would spend an extra NUMBER NUMBER a year said the investment is worth it i m ok with it said the NUMBER year old stirring his iced latte the money s got to come from somewhere hope revuelto NUMBER was cooling her regular coffee NUMBER because she brought her own mug and reading zen and the art of pottery she supports the initiative and said its critics are behaving as would be expected of espresso drinkers they want the most expensive thing on the menu but resist paying NUMBER cents to help the needy some say the tax isn t the issue they just resent being singled out david marsh NUMBER a costume manager drinks up to three espressos a day which means he d be shelling out an extra NUMBER NUMBER a year i for one don t have kids but i drink espresso he said as he sewed a leather collar onto a chain mail tunic i don t mind paying but i think everyone should pay coffeehouses are steamed about it and they ve organized as jolt joined to oppose the latte tax among the members are seattle s chamber of commerce and the city s two largest coffee franchises starbucks and tully s the tax would force coffeehouses to track sales of any beverage that contains espresso a task that could be an administrative nightmare for smaller cafes especially during the frantic morning rush if espresso counts come under suspicion coffeehouse owners could face a city audit university of chicago economics professor michael greenstone said the tax doesn t add up the purpose of any tax is to be efficient and equitable and this is neither he said on the efficiency side it s surely going to lead to costly efforts by both businesses and consumers to find ways to avoid the tax for example starbucks could claim that they are using finely ground coffee instead of coffee run though an espresso maker and that consequently they are exempt from the tax would they be right i don t know but finding out will surely take lots of legal fees that could have gone to child care of course from a public relations perspective this is an ingenious idea and i mean that in a cynical way they ve pitted espresso drinkers against child care supporters and who s going to side with the espresso drinkers in fact the proposed tax has forced opponents into a political two step where their criticism must remain a beat behind their public stance of political correctness in a liberal city like seattle corporations continually advertise their commitment to social activism and throughout the debate over the initiative jolt members prefaced their opposition with endorsements of good child care starbucks will continue to support early learning and childhood development programs through the millions of dollars we contribute annually the company said however starbucks does not understand why the economic opportunity institute would recommend an additional consumer tax on espresso beverages or any other single consumer product the city council has yet to decide when the initiative will go before voters next year the initiative s authors say it is directed at vendors critics predict it will be passed on to consumers through higher prices effectively punishing them for their choice of coffee the tax would be applied to any drink with at least half an ounce of espresso including decaf drip coffee would be exempt burbank says the tax would reach only a pre selected group of consumers who are wealthier than those who drink drip so he s been pitching it as a modern day robin hood tax where the needy get a dime every time the affluent spend NUMBER to NUMBER on an espresso it s the kind of political marketing that fran beulah NUMBER finds funny i drink espresso she said laughing and i am not rich jh i did not have sex with that woman original message from fork admin URL mailto fork admin URL on behalf of jh mr fork sent monday september NUMBER NUMBER NUMBER NUMBER pm to fork subject re goodbye global warming original message from john hall johnhall evergo net a green once said that if the spotted owl hadn t existed they would have had to invent it a republican once said i am not a crook best regards bitbitch mailto bitbitch URL 