Well, we could always impose a tax on thirsty people and have the IRS collect it

The New York Times has never met a government regulation it didn't like, and indeed would like to see more of them. Here is op-ed writer Mark Bittman on the subject of a 571-page government report on American nutrition:

5. It tells you to drink all the coffee you want, up to something like five cups a day, which makes some people ecstatic. But far more important is this statement: “Strategies are needed to encourage the U.S. population to drink water when they are thirsty.” Imagine if that were official policy.

Yes, just imagine!