Bloomberg’s Bubbly Beverage Ban
I have so much to say about New York City’s proposed ban on large size sugary drinks at restaurants, movie theaters, sports arenas, delis, and fast food franchises, that I don’t know where to start.
For one, do we really need a governing body to do something for us that should be within the limits of our own self control!?! I’m outraged, and insulted.
First they are trying to tell us how much soda we are allowed to consume – what’s next? Limiting drive thrus to serve you no more than once a month? How about enforcing a law which allows a person to only eat ten French fries per week? Have people lost all sense of moderation that the government sees us as being incapable of deciding for ourselves how much we can and can’t eat? (or in this case drink) Apparently our leaders think that we, the general public, are just too stupid to know when enough is enough. Thanks for the insult, Mayor Bloomberg.
If people want to consume more of any substance than they “should”, that’s their prerogative. This kind of legislation will do nothing other than cause cola companies to generate more plastic bottles to pollute our planet, and allow them to get richer at the same time. Sales won’t decline. People will buy just as much soda or sugary juice as before. Except now they will have to buy it in smaller sizes. This leads to a higher production cost per unit for the manufacturer, or restaurant; and in turn that cost will be passed along to the consumer. Coke and Pepsi must be loving this legislation. They stand to profit off of it, for sure.
If this proposal passes, who is to say that other cities and states won’t adopt the same measures? And if they do, there will be no more picking up a two liter bottle of Coke at the pizza parlor on your way home to share with the family. Why? Because Chinese food establishments and pizza places are restaurants, and they will now only be allowed to stock bottles 16 ounces or less of sweet beverages.
There will be no more “super sizing it” either. On this point, I see both the good and the bad. First of all, I really don’t think there’s a need for anyone to consume more than 16 ounces of soda in one sitting. That’s just gluttony. If you’re still thirsty after having that much pop to drink, then perhaps you should hydrate with some good old H20. On the other hand, when people order the largest beverage size, they usually get it with ice, when it’s served in a cup. Ice takes up at least half of the volume if not more. So in reality, even if you sprang for 32 ounces of fizzy liquid sugar that could clean battery terminals or remove rust, you’re still left with about 16 ounces of government okayed soda to imbibe.
By the way, free refills would be still be allowed when you order, so you can call it the proverbial back door to working your way around this legislation.
Also, this ban is discriminatory. It does not apply to diet sodas or drinks. That’s like saying if you drink as much diet soda as you want to, it’s perfectly fine, perfectly safe, and it won’t make you fat. That is a completely false statement. In large quantities, diet soda has been shown to both promote obesity and the artificial sweeteners increase drinkers’ risk of developing diabetes. And if that doesn’t concern you, what about the increased risk of stroke, cancer, and kidney damage? But I guess if you aren’t “fat”, according to Mayor Bloomberg, you won’t mind having chemo or getting dialysis.
I don’t want any governing body force feeding me or preventing me from making personal choices. Instead of legislating common sense, maybe moderation should be practiced on the personal level. Although Bloomberg’s bubbly beverage ban won’t be affecting the town where I live, I am opposed to the precedent that this could set for future legislation.
For the record, I have never, ever supersized a soda in my life. There’s just no need. But I don’t believe in a supersize government either.
The original blog post was published first at http://theladyinredblog.com - the author's own blog site where you can find thought provoking articles on hot topics, the most delicious recipes, and a whole lot more.
Laura Madsen
3:39 pm on Saturday, June 2, 2012
Rumson-Fair Haven Patch was the first Patch publication to publish this blog, then it went national on Patch. Here is the link to the comments on the Rumson site since they do not transfer over to this region: http://rumson.patch.com/blog_posts/bloombergs-bubbly-beverage-ban-a92c0530
Additionally, since publication, Mayor Bloomberg has called obese people "beasts". http://communities.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/middle-class-guy/2012/jun/2/mayor-bloomberg-calls-obese-people-beasts/
This story was originally published on my personal blogging site http://theladyinredblog.com Here is the link to the post, in effort to connect all comments and readership statistics. http://www.theladyinredblog.com/1/post/2012/05/bloombergs-bubbly-beverage-ban.html
Curt Carnes
10:02 pm on Saturday, June 2, 2012
Just wait till we enact National Heath Insurance/Care/Control at the central government level. How long before you have a government insurance card, that will not allow you to buy something at a grocery store, because you bought too much soda over the previous week, sorry no soda for you today!!! Like Prohibition all over again!!!
Do you have a Government Motors (GM) car with Onstar? That system can report more than you might imagen to the government. Oh sorry, no soda today, because you already drove too many miles this week, so your car won't start to get you to the store to buy that soda anyway.
Oh wait it gets even better. Look deeply at the underside of one of those PSE&G solar panel they've hung all over the place! See the little antenna? You know you don't need an antenna on a solar panel, right? No, not at all! But, did you know certain models of thermostats can transmit to those little antennas, letting PSE&G, or whoever know just what you set your thermostat to, and who knows what else?
And lastly -- Is the GPS in your cell phone turned off? Do you actually know if it is?
BTW, the last time I checked, there are more ounces in even a one liter bottle, let alone a two liter. In fact, isn't it like 34 ounces to one liter? Gee, guess we'll all be walking around with a bunch of little soda bottles soon!
Laura Madsen
7:42 am on Sunday, June 3, 2012
The idea of rationing anything reminds me of socialism.
Curt Carnes
11:30 am on Sunday, June 3, 2012
Laura, we the people can change what we see happening right in front of our eyes! Given that, I would hope you vote for David Larsen in the up coming primaries.
Considering the current face of our current government, be them Republican or Democrat whom think they are better then us, and know what is best for us too, David is a breath of fresh air and he is funding his campaign mostly from his own pocket book.
http://davidlarsenforcongress.com/images/uploads/cjcmay2012.pdf
If you like David, tell your neighbors and friends to vote for him too. David needs the help. He is running against a well established RINO, who is backed buy some very big corporations and Unions, like PSE&G, and the Iron Workers!
Remember too. It was the government that backed Pink Slime, but a free market and a free press that brought it down! David will protect those rights!
Laura Madsen
11:32 am on Sunday, June 3, 2012
To me, this particular issue does not have to do with political affiliation. It just has to do with common sense and retaining our personal freedoms. That's how come over the past few days I've seen people, regardless of which party they associate themselves with, unite (for the most part) against a proposal like this.
Curt Carnes
7:58 pm on Sunday, June 3, 2012
You are correct Laura. This is not a partisanship issue. I look at it this way. They say it takes a village to raise a child. If that is true, then it takes a string of fools to change this nation from what made us so great, to that of a socialist nation right down to the point of telling us what we can and can't eat!
On June the 5th, we all have a chance to vote out Leonard Lance, who for the past decade has advanced a socialist platform, and vote in David Larsen, adding one more real voice in the still overflowing sea of fools, who will stand for common sense and retaining our personal freedoms.
Vote for David Larsen June 5th! Show the nation we here in the 7th district still stand for limited government and personal freedoms! Your vote is needed now more than ever!!
Retake the America we all remember from our childhood, not this mess of government control of everything we do today!
Steve
4:28 pm on Tuesday, June 5, 2012
(posting again, the last one did not get approved from yesterday)
"Have people lost all sense of moderation that the government sees us as being incapable of deciding for ourselves how much we can and can’t eat?"
For more then 1/2 nowadays I would say yes. Look around and see how bigger people are becoming and at a younger age. I mostly drink filtered tap water, I would say I have a soda on average like once a week. But I would not want the government telling me how much I can have.
Let the free market dictate peoples choices. If you want to lower your heath care cost then lower your risk by eating healthier. What to super size your self and put your self at risk then pay more for your insurance. It is done with car insurance, life insurance and to some extent with smokers in heath insurance. They need to consider other heath risk now.
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