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SW: Lobbying section additions
==Lobbying==
The Association spent $18,850,000 for [[lobbying]] in 2009.<ref>[http://www.opensecrets.org/lobby/clientsum.php?year=2009&lname=American+Beverage+Assn&id= Lobbying expenditures], Open Secrets, accessed December 2010.</ref>
ABA has lobbied on behalf of Coke and other soda companies against legislation that would limit consumption of their products. It has claimed that "sugar-sweetened beverages are not driving health issues like obesity and diabetes." <ref> [http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/american-beverage-association-statement-on-nchs-data-brief-128820943.html American Beverage Association Statement on NCHS Data Brief], PR Newswire, August 31, 2011, accessed October 21, 2011 </ref> Yet, a Centers for Disease Control Study has found that "sugared beverages... "have been linked with weight gain, obesity, poor diet, and, in adults, type 2 diabetes." <ref> [http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/207246/20110901/sugary-drinks-americans-obesity.htm CDC: Why do Half of American Teens Consume Sugary Drinks?] International Business Times, September 1, 2011, accessed October 21, 2011 </ref>
In 2009, the ABA spent $18.9 million on lobbying, much of which was directed towards an ad campaign trying to stem efforts to implement a federal soft-drink tax to finance the Obama health care bill. <ref>[http://www.prwatch.org/news/2011/10/11053/alec-and-coca-cola-classic-collaboration ALEC and Coca-Cola: A "Classic" Collaboration] PR Watch, October 12, 2011, accessed October 21, 2011 </ref>
The ABA partnered up with Coke in Philadelphia to lobby against similar legislation: "In Philadelphia, they defeated a modest tax on soft drinks by using the tobacco industry tactic of applying strategic philanthropy to purchase leverage in the form of goodwill. The ABA formed a deceptively-named front group, the Foundation for Healthy America, that they then used to funnel a $10 million donation to the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia to, of all things, expand its obesity program." <ref> [http://www.prwatch.org/news/2011/10/11053/alec-and-coca-cola-classic-collaboration ALEC and Coca-Cola: A "Classic" Collaboration] PR Watch, October 12, 2011, accessed October 21, 2011 </ref>
==Personnel==
