Getting soda out of the public schools would be huge. I am so in favor of that. Unfortunately many schools get a lot of money from soft drink contracts right now.

When I was in high school ('87-'91) there was a huge outcry when we got "Channel One," which is a professional news program, complete with commercials, shown in classrooms. Schools agree to show it in exchange for a bucketload of AV equipment (and I think cash). Everyone was very upset about commercials being shown in schools.

However, it barely made news when our school signed an exclusive contract with Pepsi. The only complaints I remember were of the "we should be free to choose Coke" variety. No one seemed to think it was bad for a school to be in league with a soft drink maker. We had vending machines all over the school.

In high school, every other day during Journalism I would get a Dr. Pepper and a big pink cookie from the vending machines. In junior high, my lunch every day was a Dr. Pepper and a small bag of Cheetos (this was before "grab bag" sizes, thankfully). I was a thin-to-normal sized kid, but I still didn't need that crap. I shudder to think of what Zane (my baby) will eat for lunch when he's in the 8th grade.

Rosa