Bloomberg’s silly NYC ban on (some) large sugary drinks
ICYMI: Mayor Michael Bloomberg last week proposed a ban on the sale of large sizes of some sugary drinks in New York City’s restaurants, movie theaters, street carts, ballparks — pretty much everywhere but grocery and convenience stores.
It’s a silly ban, for a lot of reasons. One is that, like most nanny-state regulations, it’s arbitrary: The cutoff is 16 oz., which all but assures a growth industry for anyone who wants to manufacture 15.-oz. plastic bottles. Another is that it’s inconsistent: A 20-oz. bottle of Coca-Cola, with 65 grams of sugar, would be outlawed but a 21-oz. chocolate milkshake from McDonald’s, with 111 grams of sugar, would still be legal because it’s considered “dairy-based.” A third reason is that it’s bound to be ineffective: Why would someone who wants his sugar not just buy two 12-oz. cans of a sugary soft drink rather than that 20-oz. bottle (and end up drinking more)? And, in restaurants, these drinks must be served in cups that are 16 oz. or less — but refills will still be allowed.
But maybe the silliest thing of all about the ban is the rationale Bloomberg gave for it. From the New York Times’ story about the mayor’s proposal:
“Obesity is a nationwide problem, and all over the United States, public health officials are wringing their hands saying, ‘Oh, this is terrible,’ ” Mr. Bloomberg said in an interview on Wednesday in City Hall’s sprawling Governor’s Room.
“New York City is not about wringing your hands; it’s about doing something,” he said. “I think that’s what the public wants the mayor to do.” (emphasis added)
Ahem. If people wanted something done about obesity, and specifically about obesity linked to the consumption of sugary drinks, wouldn’t more people stop consuming sugary drinks?
In fact, given that the Times’ story reports that the city has found one-third of residents drink at least one sugary drink a day, isn’t it impossible to conclude that a ban on these drinks is what “the public” wants?
If the other two-thirds of the public (which, for the record, includes yours truly) doesn’t want to pay, directly or indirectly, for the health problems caused by obesity, the answer is to place the burden for paying for those problems more squarely on those people suffering them because of their own behavior.
– By Kyle Wingfield
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193 comments Add your comment
GT
June 4th, 2012
5:37 pm
It’s been said that there are four foods which affect the brain and are potentially
addictive — sugar, chocolate, meat and cheese.
Life is getting like a crystle ball it is so clear. The GOP overdosed on sugar,chocolate and cheese, maybe a little wine. Some of them have no brain to affect but don’t let that slow ya down Tubs.
Lil' Barry Bailout (Unexpectedly Revised Downward--Again)
June 4th, 2012
5:43 pm
It’s a libtard proposal. Libtards have a congenital need to control people.
md
June 4th, 2012
5:46 pm
RIP “Captain Newkirk” (Hogan’s Heroes) or for the younger crowd Richard Dawson of Family Feud……
I Report (-: You Whine )-: mmm, mmmm, mmmmm! Just sayin...
June 4th, 2012
5:53 pm
Michelle obozo has an a$$ the size of Detroit and GT says the Repugs are hooked on sugar, go figure…
Lil' Barry Bailout (Unexpectedly Revised Downward--Again)
June 4th, 2012
5:57 pm
Typical, isn’t it? It’s so much easier for the busybody Democrats and other libtards to tell everyone else what to do than to take care of their own lard issues.
Rafe Hollister- trying to save the Choom Gang
June 4th, 2012
6:01 pm
I Report
Maybe that big rear comes from eating all that arugula and organic food. As hard as she works in her garden and dancing for the kids in Lets Move, she should be shrinking. You don’t really think that Michelle eats sugar do you?
Road Scholar
June 4th, 2012
6:08 pm
I hope insulting Mrs. Obama made your day. Pitiful! And Kyle, are you pulling a “Romney” and ignoring those types of disrespectful insults? Everyone has an opinion; you don’t have to be an a$$hole expressing it!
I Report (-: You Whine )-: mmm, mmmm, mmmmm! Just sayin...
June 4th, 2012
6:11 pm
I’m thinking if they don’t have a guard at the door of the White House pantry at night, they need one.
That monster probably swallows lobsters whole.
Lil' Barry Bailout (Revised Downward)
June 4th, 2012
6:15 pm
I hope insulting Mrs. Obama made your day.
———-
Democrat hypocrisy provides regular entertainment, so yeah, that did make my day!
Samantha
June 4th, 2012
6:25 pm
This is where having some idea of the kinds of problems that government should help solve and the kinds of problems that it should stay out of is important. Bloomberg looks like a nattering fool, inconsistent, ill-considered, silly, intrusive. The list goes on…
Why in the world is it a mayor’s job to “force” people to realize anything. The government is going to keep you from buying a 44 ounce drink with your own money but won’t keep you from buying two 22 ounce drinks. Liberals everywhere shoudl be horrified that one of their own has so embarrassed an entire political philosophy.
MarkV
June 4th, 2012
6:28 pm
The disgusting comments about Mrs. Obama are on a par for the disgusting Obama-bashers on this blog.
Lil' Barry Bailout (Revised Downward)
June 4th, 2012
6:30 pm
It must be really tiring to be a liberal and having to defend such idiocy on a daily basis. Why don’t you libs just give it up and be Americans again?
Lil' Barry Bailout (Revised Downward)
June 4th, 2012
6:33 pm
The emperor has no clothes, MaryK. Embrace reality and reject Mrs. Obozo’s quite obvious hypocrisy. The woman needs to hit the treadmill.
MarkV
June 4th, 2012
6:43 pm
The disgusting comments merely replace the stupidities expressed otherwise by the same people.
Kerfuddled
June 4th, 2012
6:44 pm
Liberals can be idiots quite frequently. Ditto the conservatives. If anyone wants to see what a nanny state run amok looks like, read up on the recent social “developments” in Sweden.
Tiberius - Banned by Bookman and proud of it!
June 4th, 2012
6:46 pm
Michelle Obama’s butt isn’t appropriate fodder for this discussion. However, her attempts to move government policy in this direction is.
Tiberius - Banned by Bookman and proud of it!
June 4th, 2012
6:49 pm
MaryV, you are the last person to be posting about the quality (or lack thereof) of anyone’s posts.
Your next post of substance will be your first post of substance.
Arpey
June 4th, 2012
6:50 pm
It’s one thing for the First Lady to recommend best practices when it comes to diet and exercise. An entirely different thing to legislate it by fiat.
Unless my use of food, beverage or drug impinges upon your safety or your freedoms, mind your own freaking business.
snoqualmiefalls
June 4th, 2012
6:51 pm
For once I will agree with Kyle that Bloomberg is chasing his tail on this one. More personal responsibilty is required… none of us want to pay the medical bills from early onset of diabetes, heart condition or related conditions due to a bad diet.. ain’t gonna happen by government fiat/social engineering. Thumbs up for Kyle and even TBan.
Arpey
June 4th, 2012
6:52 pm
…then again, the only reason we are now required to wear motorcycle helmets is because the insurance companies were forking out a fortune in claims payments. Not all stripping of liberties is the result of a liberal campaign.
I Report (-: You Whine )-: mmm, mmmm, mmmmm! Just sayin...
June 4th, 2012
6:53 pm
Michelle obozo’s giant caboose is proof that she’s been a frequent visitor to 44 Ounce Drink Land despite what she and the rest of her freakish political party preach to the rest of us.
getalife
June 4th, 2012
6:58 pm
“We insist in our position that European countries with enough space to stimulate the economy, even via fiscal stimulus (not many that can do that), should do it now,” said the official, referring mostly to Germany.
They should have done this from the start but the cons won the austerity argument.
Now look at them. Austerity does not work after a collapse stupid.
Tiberius - Banned by Bookman and proud of it!
June 4th, 2012
7:00 pm
And Arpey, the better solution would have been to charge motorcyclists a higher fee if they refused to wear one, and not pay out if caught injured by not wearing one if they claimed they did to get a lower rate.
Not make a law mandating it.
MarkV
June 4th, 2012
7:02 pm
Some of the same group of people alternate or combine stupidity with infantility.
Tiberius - Banned by Bookman and proud of it!
June 4th, 2012
7:04 pm
Getaclue, austerity wasn’t tried in Europe. Already disproven. Get with theprogram and reality.
MarkV
June 4th, 2012
7:08 pm
getalife @6:58 pm
I am sure you are by now used to people who think that saying that austerity has not been used in Europe makes it a true statement.
Rafe Hollister- trying to save the Choom Gang
June 4th, 2012
7:19 pm
Re: poking fun at Michelle, for the first time in my life I am proud of my country, Oblamer
Unsolicited advice is hard to swallow at any time. When it comes from someone, in need of the same advise, it rings quite hollow. To give unsolicited advice you need to apply a great deal of empathy, honesty, and understanding, to have any effect. Michelle has not shown any of that, just a penchant for preaching. A little do as I say, not as I do. Well, Lets Move!
Rafe Hollister- trying to save the Choom Gang
June 4th, 2012
7:23 pm
MarkV
Where has austerity been tried in Europe other than Germany? I know you think Britain has tried it, but that rings hollow as we celebrate the Diamond Jubilee.
Tiberius - Banned by Bookman and proud of it!
June 4th, 2012
7:26 pm
MaryV, Kyle proved austerity wasn’t tried in Europe using their own provided figures, but reality has never been your strong suit, has it?
Lil' Barry Bailout (Revised Downward)
June 4th, 2012
7:28 pm
“Let’s Move”
——
What the Obozo’s will be saying come January 21 next year.
davetv
June 4th, 2012
7:32 pm
Why doesn’t the wookie attempt to get PE back into school instead of telling us what to eat? Nothing like a spirited daily game of dodgeball to make you want to shed those extra lbs.
Hillbilly D
June 4th, 2012
7:43 pm
that rings hollow as we celebrate the Diamond Jubilee.
Who’da ever thunk they’d hold a celebration for somebody spending 60 years on the dole?
Tiberius - Banned by Bookman and proud of it!
June 4th, 2012
7:49 pm
Well, its their dole, Hillbilly D.
Rafe Hollister- trying to save the Choom Gang
June 4th, 2012
7:52 pm
re: poking fun at Michelle
To put it into language the Dems can understand. Image how much the left would guffaw and belly laugh, if Gov Christie was to announce that sugar packets would not be allowed on NJ restaurant tables after 1 Jun 2012. The late night shows would have jokes for weeks. But, we are not supposed to enjoy a few laughs at poor Michelle’s expense?
Rafe Hollister- trying to save the Choom Gang
June 4th, 2012
7:57 pm
davetv
Great idea! But, dontcha know that dodge ball is harmful to the little urchins self esteem, if they get whacked constantly by that mean ole ball. There was always one kid, who couldn’t get out of the way of their shadow and was usually the first to get whacked. Too competitive- Mayor Blowberg would say.
davetv
June 4th, 2012
7:58 pm
Well, we could give everyone a participation trophy to get them ready for adult life were failure is rewarded.
Rafe Hollister- trying to save the Choom Gang
June 4th, 2012
8:01 pm
LBB
Yes, 21 Jan 2012, Let’s Move—Forward!
They seemed to have dropped the Forward campaign for some reason. I think it worked even less than the attack on Bain Capital.
Rafe Hollister- trying to save the Choom Gang
June 4th, 2012
8:03 pm
2013, yep, wishful thinking on the Lets Move date.
Hillbilly D
June 4th, 2012
8:04 pm
Well, its their dole, Hillbilly D.
Yeah, I’m glad all my folks crossed the pond between 1610 and 1750. Not all of them were English but they were all rabble rousers, and still are for the most part.
Tiberius - Banned by Bookman and proud of it!
June 4th, 2012
8:11 pm
Mine escaped British rule from the ravages of the great white north, but just in the past century, Hillbilly D.
MarkV
June 4th, 2012
8:14 pm
Rafe Hollister @7:23 pm
I have written about this before, but I will at least summarize; I am quite amazed by people like you (and Kyle), who try to tell others that the people in Europe who protest the austerity measures, protest the real cuts in spending, as well as their leaders, who discuss whether the austerity they have used has been the appropriate policy to deal with the recession, who use that term (or equivalent in their languages) all the time, all those people according to you just do not know what they are talking about, and you and others like you here have to set them straight about their affairs.
Tiberius - Banned by Bookman and proud of it!
June 4th, 2012
8:18 pm
Cuts in increases are not actual cuts in spending, MaryV, so once again your austerity argument fails.
Tiberius - Banned by Bookman and proud of it!
June 4th, 2012
8:26 pm
And that’s because liberals have learned to create a language all their own that proclaims reductions in planned increases are spending cuts, and that black is white and up means down. They are so far removed from reality it is scary.
bu2
June 4th, 2012
8:49 pm
Doesn’t anyone else think this is unconsitutional? How can you tell a business what sizes it can and cannot sell?
What’s especially disturbing is that this is corrupt New York. A business would probably be afraid to challenge the rule since they could give them difficulties on getting permits.
Where’s the ban on the 4 pack of twinkies, limiting it to a 3 pack?
I’m thinking Bloomberg must have been using some of that weed he wants legalized when he tried to control what you can drink. Isn’t that weed supposed to increase your appetite?
Rafe Hollister- trying to save the Choom Gang
June 4th, 2012
8:51 pm
MarkV
You do realize that many times those people were out there protesting “proposed” cuts or as Tiberius points out “proposed reductions in future spending”. When you look at the figures that Kyle presented, obviously, many of those proposals were never enacted.
Rafe Hollister- trying to save the Choom Gang
June 4th, 2012
8:55 pm
bu2
Good point, haven’t thought of the Constitutional issue; sounds unconstitutional to me. But, if the Supremes decide that the government can make you buy insurance you do not need or want, then they can make you buy or not buy anything they choose.
Lil' Barry Bailout (Unexpectedly Revised Downward--Again)
June 4th, 2012
8:55 pm
The French, Greeks, Spanish, et al would be stupid to listen to Germany’s advice on how to properly run an economy. What’s so special about Germany? What’s that you say–they’re the leading economy in Europe with a healthy export business?
Oh, never mind.
Hillbilly D
June 4th, 2012
9:03 pm
Rafe
I’m not a lawyer but since Bloomberg is the mayor, I wouldn’t think this would be interstate commerce, so my guess is it would be a state matter. Still a bad idea, in my opinion, though.
davetv
June 4th, 2012
9:07 pm
The most telling part of this Bloomberg story is in his quote: “it’s about doing something”. That’s the problem with government- they always think they have to be doing “something” when what they really should be doing is nothing.
davetv
June 4th, 2012
9:08 pm
Soylent Green is People!!!