Ironically, many NYC public schools have Snapple machines (I think the city has a deal w/ the company) with all sorts of sweet beverage enticements. The older students often go to MacDonalds, which seem to thrive in poor neighborhoods near schools, because the cafeteria lunch is so bad. It seems Bloomberg emphasises how the tax revenues could be used to fight obesity because he realizes a tiny price increase will have no real effect on consumption.

I also find it ironic that the federal gov subsidizes the production of corn syrup while local governments try to tax its consumption.